Here is Chapter 9, you won't understand it unless you go back and read the other posts in this series, and please, when you're done reading, post a comment for me.
Rexpennae
Chapter 9
Fog fell heavily on the sea. Krethos and Meir were enveloped in a shroud of gray, unable to see the bow of their longboat from the stern. They ran the sheet and tiller in shifts of three hours each, while the other slept in the bow.
The one blessing they seemed to have was a compass. Krethos found it tucked away in the sheet as he prepared it to raise. The land of El Intrivo was to the west of his starting point, but he had no idea where he was now, his days with the pirates had been unrecorded. So the only thing he could do was to go west and hope to strike land.
Neither Krethos nor Meir dared speak a word in the gathered darkness, for fear of pursuit. The silence was broken only by the wind or waves on the boat. Krethos' hand lay heavy on the tiller, staying the course they held. His other hand held the sheet taut and full, their pace in keeping with the wind, and he looked ahead and no where else.
Krethos' hands tired, as did his mind and body, and so he woke Meir with his foot and they traded places. Meir slid himself under the boom and took hold of the sheet line as Krethos slipped around the other side of the boat, handing the tiller to his friend. Krethos settled down in the bow of the boat upon extra canvas as Meir settled in for his turn at steering.
"Krethos," Meir said softly, "What's going to happen when we find land?"
"We'll continue the quest." Krethos answered, half asleep.
"Even at the cost?"
"They died doing what they felt was right, and what they believed in."
"But they're gone, they're all dead, and I daresay others will follow."
"Yes," Krethos answered, "But their loss can be amended if I succeed, if I take the keys."
"Are you sure that's what they do?"
"I have no reason to doubt it."
Meir sat back silent, he was despondant at the death of his friends, but Krethos, the Keyschnect, didn't seem to care. He didn't want to think about it that way, but he had his doubts, he had heard other stories of what lay in the Dark World. The nicest of which was the souls of the dead.
Krethos fell to sleep as Meir recalled the stories. Some said there was a cloud of death behind the hidden door, or a legion of demons to end the world. Meir stopped there, he would not go any farther, he could not think about those things, and so he turned his mind to keeping the sheets taut.
Meir began to doze at his post, only to wake moments later and adjust his course to be in line with their true course. But it could not last for long, Meir could not keep himself conscious, and fell asleep sitting at his post.
The two slept for hours, of fatigue and mental disparity. They drifted free on the surface of the deep, far off course, far to the south.
A sudden lurch woke the pair. After drowsily exclaiming their surprise they looked around. The fog was rolling back off of a stretching green landscape dotted by houses and cottages. Krethos took the last of his strength and jumped out of the boat onto the sandy beach as the waves licked the heels of his boots. Meir followed, handing Krethos the pirate's sword they walked off to the nearest seaside cottage, around a quarter mile off.
Pushing the sheep from their path, the two made their way to the door and knocked. A young, stout, man came to the door.
"Cin I h'lp ye?" he asked.
"Where are we?" Krethos asked in return,
"Yer een da lans o' King Eravar." The man answered.
"Have you heard of Castle El Intrivo?"
The man stepped back, "Da king rules frim dere." He said slowly.
"Which way is it?"
The man began to close the door, these strange men were looking for the castle, this could only be bad in his mind, "Ye seek da cistle, eet been to da sunset."
The man slammed his door shut, and Krethos could here him bolting it. Krethos turned around, the sun was setting to the west at that very moment.
"Krethos, that man feared the castle, How are two men going to storm it?" Meir asked.
Krethos thought for a moment, "Two men are not going to storm the castle." He said in a distant voice.
"What? What do you mean?" Meir asked.
"It will be closer to two thousand."
Krethos started walking into the setting sun, and Meir struggled to keep up with his friend's inhuman pace.
"What do you mean?" Meir asked, between breaths, "Where are we going to get all those people?"
"The same way I got you."
Krethos swept into a nearby village shortly before full dark. He sought out the center of the village and shouted, "I am the Keyschnect, come to save you all from death, but I require your services first."
The people turned to Krethos, some fell to their knees, and others stood, looking curiously at him.
"There can be no doubt!" Meir stepped up, "He is the Keyschnect!"
At this exclamation the whole village fell to the ground. One man stood up among his peers.
"What is it that You need, oh great man?" he asked.
"Jack Von Bondahar has the Keys."
"Jack Von Bondahar is in the castle." The man answered.
"Then I need to enter the castle."
"We are few, but willing to fight for you."
"Send out some of your own to your neighbors, spread the word, and you will have helped to save the world."
The man, who was now obviously the village mayor ordered three men to spread the word by night. And so Krethos began to ready himself for the battle of the castle El Intrivo, by first building an army.
Copyright © 2008-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
The one blessing they seemed to have was a compass. Krethos found it tucked away in the sheet as he prepared it to raise. The land of El Intrivo was to the west of his starting point, but he had no idea where he was now, his days with the pirates had been unrecorded. So the only thing he could do was to go west and hope to strike land.
Neither Krethos nor Meir dared speak a word in the gathered darkness, for fear of pursuit. The silence was broken only by the wind or waves on the boat. Krethos' hand lay heavy on the tiller, staying the course they held. His other hand held the sheet taut and full, their pace in keeping with the wind, and he looked ahead and no where else.
Krethos' hands tired, as did his mind and body, and so he woke Meir with his foot and they traded places. Meir slid himself under the boom and took hold of the sheet line as Krethos slipped around the other side of the boat, handing the tiller to his friend. Krethos settled down in the bow of the boat upon extra canvas as Meir settled in for his turn at steering.
"Krethos," Meir said softly, "What's going to happen when we find land?"
"We'll continue the quest." Krethos answered, half asleep.
"Even at the cost?"
"They died doing what they felt was right, and what they believed in."
"But they're gone, they're all dead, and I daresay others will follow."
"Yes," Krethos answered, "But their loss can be amended if I succeed, if I take the keys."
"Are you sure that's what they do?"
"I have no reason to doubt it."
Meir sat back silent, he was despondant at the death of his friends, but Krethos, the Keyschnect, didn't seem to care. He didn't want to think about it that way, but he had his doubts, he had heard other stories of what lay in the Dark World. The nicest of which was the souls of the dead.
Krethos fell to sleep as Meir recalled the stories. Some said there was a cloud of death behind the hidden door, or a legion of demons to end the world. Meir stopped there, he would not go any farther, he could not think about those things, and so he turned his mind to keeping the sheets taut.
Meir began to doze at his post, only to wake moments later and adjust his course to be in line with their true course. But it could not last for long, Meir could not keep himself conscious, and fell asleep sitting at his post.
The two slept for hours, of fatigue and mental disparity. They drifted free on the surface of the deep, far off course, far to the south.
A sudden lurch woke the pair. After drowsily exclaiming their surprise they looked around. The fog was rolling back off of a stretching green landscape dotted by houses and cottages. Krethos took the last of his strength and jumped out of the boat onto the sandy beach as the waves licked the heels of his boots. Meir followed, handing Krethos the pirate's sword they walked off to the nearest seaside cottage, around a quarter mile off.
Pushing the sheep from their path, the two made their way to the door and knocked. A young, stout, man came to the door.
"Cin I h'lp ye?" he asked.
"Where are we?" Krethos asked in return,
"Yer een da lans o' King Eravar." The man answered.
"Have you heard of Castle El Intrivo?"
The man stepped back, "Da king rules frim dere." He said slowly.
"Which way is it?"
The man began to close the door, these strange men were looking for the castle, this could only be bad in his mind, "Ye seek da cistle, eet been to da sunset."
The man slammed his door shut, and Krethos could here him bolting it. Krethos turned around, the sun was setting to the west at that very moment.
"Krethos, that man feared the castle, How are two men going to storm it?" Meir asked.
Krethos thought for a moment, "Two men are not going to storm the castle." He said in a distant voice.
"What? What do you mean?" Meir asked.
"It will be closer to two thousand."
Krethos started walking into the setting sun, and Meir struggled to keep up with his friend's inhuman pace.
"What do you mean?" Meir asked, between breaths, "Where are we going to get all those people?"
"The same way I got you."
Krethos swept into a nearby village shortly before full dark. He sought out the center of the village and shouted, "I am the Keyschnect, come to save you all from death, but I require your services first."
The people turned to Krethos, some fell to their knees, and others stood, looking curiously at him.
"There can be no doubt!" Meir stepped up, "He is the Keyschnect!"
At this exclamation the whole village fell to the ground. One man stood up among his peers.
"What is it that You need, oh great man?" he asked.
"Jack Von Bondahar has the Keys."
"Jack Von Bondahar is in the castle." The man answered.
"Then I need to enter the castle."
"We are few, but willing to fight for you."
"Send out some of your own to your neighbors, spread the word, and you will have helped to save the world."
The man, who was now obviously the village mayor ordered three men to spread the word by night. And so Krethos began to ready himself for the battle of the castle El Intrivo, by first building an army.
Copyright © 2008-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
1 comment:
Jolly good chum!
Post a Comment