Spirit Animals: The Evertree Part 4

Essix swooped down, then expanded her wings to their full length and caught the air currents. Rollan could feel the wind ruffling through her feathers. Everything looked a hundred times sharper than what he could see through human eyes.

At first, Rollan didn't notice anything unusual.

Then he saw the faint silhouette of a landma.s.s looming behind the fog.

Essix shrieked again. Rollan rushed away from the sky and down toward the s.h.i.+p. He jolted back into his skin, right as he lifted his arm in the direction of the land and shouted, "Stetriol, straight ahead!"

A few seconds later, the lookout in the crow's nest called out the same thing. As others began emerging from belowdecks, Conor and Kalani stood next to Rollan and leaned out to see better. No doubt about it.

Jagged gray rocks rose from the horizon. Even from here, and even shrouded in mist, the vision sent a chill down Rollan's spine. He could feel something poisonous here, in the very air of the place. It didn't seem like so long ago when they had first pa.s.sed Stetriol by.

This time, we will actually set foot on forbidden land. Was Meilin here?

As they drew closer, the land began to take on more detail, until Rollan could make out some sort of bay straight ahead. The wind began to pick up, and white foam crashed against jagged rocks lining the mouth of the bay. Some of the rocks glowed red with lava, still fresh and hot from the mouths of underwater volcanoes. These were pieces of land just days old, with new lava still flowing over them. The red-hot liquid gave the rocks the look of a giant beast's b.l.o.o.d.y jaws.

"There's no way we can squeeze through that without wrecking ourselves," Conor said grimly.

"I'm not sure we have much of a choice," Rollan replied. Indeed, the Greencloaks were already busy lowering the s.h.i.+p's masts, preparing to enter the strait. A harsh gust of wind nearly lifted Rollan clear off his feet. Overhead, Essix had returned to circling the s.h.i.+p. Her cry echoed again.

"Why is she still calling?" Conor shouted.

The s.h.i.+p lurched to one side as they drew closer to the stormy bay. Now they were near enough to hear the waves smas.h.i.+ng themselves furiously against the rocks. The whales pulled hard as the Greencloaks urged them on. Kalani winced, and Rollan knew she could feel their agony.

Kalani looked worried. "The whales are exhausted," she said, "but they're going to try to get us through. It won't be an easy pa.s.sage." She removed her cloak and stepped up onto the s.h.i.+p's railing. "I'm going to guide them, and then cut them loose. Make sure to hang on!"

"Right!" Rollan called back.

Then she jumped overboard, falling in a graceful arc and splas.h.i.+ng into the sea. A moment later, she emerged perched on the back of her dolphin, hanging on to its fin.

Rollan was about to call up to Essix when he felt the world rush around him again. This time, he saw through her eyes to the ocean behind them. There, in the wavering V that their s.h.i.+p had just carved through the ocean, came the shadow of another s.h.i.+p.

A Conqueror s.h.i.+p was hot on their trail.

Rollan felt his chest heave at the sight. Essix had been trying to warn them of something else all along, in addition to the jagged harbor they were about to enter. Now she turned her head forward, and Rollan saw why the other s.h.i.+p was here.

Right in front of Essix flew the seagull that had followed them in Balanhara. He could see it now through the mist, wind blowing through its tail feathers. The seagull, Rollan realized. The Conquerors were watching us.

Essix let out a sharp, angry cry and lunged for the bird.

Rollan gasped as his vision returned to him, and then grabbed Conor's arm. "Conquerors!" he shouted.

Now the Greencloaks were pointing at the ghostly s.h.i.+p too. The Tellun's Pride lurched again, sending sea mist spraying into their faces. No question about it the Conquerors were frighteningly close, hidden from view the whole way by the thick mist. They would catch up in a matter of minutes.

"To the cannons!" the captain shouted.

They all leaped into action. Rollan and Conor ran to man a cannon. They were so close to the jagged rocks now. As the s.h.i.+p started to careen past the first rock, orange light burst from the Conqueror s.h.i.+p. Cannonb.a.l.l.s! Rollan stumbled and fell to his knees as the first one made impact. The entire s.h.i.+p shuddered. Greencloaks ran by, some to douse the fire, others to the riggings. Still others were loading their own cannons. Rollan saw Dorian manning his own station while overseeing those closest to him.

"Fire!" Rollan heard Dorian's order shouted over the chaos. A volley of cannonb.a.l.l.s sailed toward the Conquerors' s.h.i.+p, exploding in showers of splinters wherever they made contact.

Rollan gritted his teeth as he and Conor picked up a cannonball and staggered with it toward their cannon. Dorian's earlier lesson with them rushed through Rollan's head. He hated to admit it, but the instruction was about to come in handy. They shut the metal breech, then lit the fuse.

"Point it higher!" Conor urged as they turned it toward the enemy's s.h.i.+p.

"I know, I know!" Rollan snapped. "This thing's a lot harder to move than it looks!"

The fuse finished burning, and the cannon rocketed backward.

The recoil knocked Conor and Rollan off their feet. For a second, Rollan thought that the impact might have knocked all the teeth out of his mouth. He landed with a thud on his back. He struggled to catch his breath as he scrambled back up.

They were much too close for comfort. Rollan could make out the faces and expressions of the enemy crew, and even distinguish the details on the Conquerors' clothing. He glanced wildly across the deck and noticed Abeke and Finn manning one of the other cannons. Maya leaned over the railing, Tini on her shoulder, and focused on the enemy's s.h.i.+p. Fire burst from her hand, but they were still too far away for her to hit.

The s.h.i.+p shuddered again.

This time, they careened wildly. "Hang on!" Conor yelled, right before the side of the s.h.i.+p rammed into one of the bay's sharp rocks.

Hanging on was useless Rollan went flying. His back hit the s.h.i.+p's railing, sending a shock of pain rippling through his body, robbing him of breath for an instant. The Tellun's Pride groaned in protest. Seawater flooded the deck, soaking Rollan's boots. The icy coldness of it made him cringe.

"I'm cutting the whales free!" Kalani's voice rang clear and high over the sound of crossfire and cras.h.i.+ng waves.

Rollan leaned over as far as he could without toppling right off the s.h.i.+p. "No, wait !" he started to shout.

But Kalani hoisted a long, gleaming dagger, leaped onto one of the whales' backs, and ran down its length on light feet. The sight sent a wave of flashbacks through Rollan, of when Meilin had done something similar.

Kalani sawed through one of the whale's restraints, then another. The s.h.i.+p lurched heavily, and another wave of salt water flooded the deck. Behind them, the Conquerors increased their fire. Kalani hacked at a waterlogged rope. Finally she cut through one last restraint and the first rockback whale broke loose with a tug. The creature immediately disappeared beneath the waves.

The s.h.i.+p's stern surged up with the sudden freedom, causing the second whale's harnesses to snap. The whale spouted a tall column of sea spray into the air before following its companion into the sea.

The Tellun's Pride was floating alone now.

More cannon fire. The s.h.i.+p shuddered, her wounded boards groaning under her own weight. Rollan squinted through cras.h.i.+ng water to see the Conquerors' s.h.i.+p sailing past their stern, frighteningly close. Maya leaned over the railing of the Tellun's Pride to aim once again.

This time, her fire hit true. A ball of flames exploded upon impact with the enemy's deck, in a plume of gold, blue, and white. Wood, metal, and Conquerors went flying through the air and into the ocean.

Rollan's eyes shot to the unmanned helm of the Tellun's Pride. Where was the captain? As the thought flew through his head, he noticed the man lying unconscious on the deck. Oh, no. His eyes darted back to the helm. The s.h.i.+p shuddered again. They would never make it to sh.o.r.e.

An idea struck him.

He nudged Conor and made a sharp turning motion with his hands. Conor looked toward the helm too. His eyes suddenly lit with understanding, and his lips parted as if to repeat aloud what Rollan was thinking. They both hesitated, knowing how extreme their plan was but only a few seconds. Conor nodded without a word, then started stumbling across the deck with Rollan in tow. The two boys reached the helm right as the s.h.i.+p shook again, bringing them once more to their knees.

From across the s.h.i.+p came a piercing whistle. Rollan glanced over to see Abeke swing her arms wide, as if to ask what they were doing. He made a wild gesture with his arms. "Abandon s.h.i.+p. Abandon s.h.i.+p!" he mouthed.

Abeke blinked, then immediately shouted to the people on either side of her.

Conor grabbed the helm and started to pull it toward him with all his strength. Rollan did the same, throwing his weight into it. But their combined strength wasn't enough to turn the entire s.h.i.+p. They clenched their teeth, sweating and dripping with seawater.

"Let me help you boys out," a white-haired Greencloak muttered as he rushed over to their aid. It took Rollan a moment to realize that the man was Finn. Together, all three threw their might against the helm.

The s.h.i.+p turned sharply to the right its nose headed straight into the enemy s.h.i.+p's side. Suicide, Rollan thought.

The two s.h.i.+ps rammed into each other.

The Tellun's Pride sandwiched the Conquerors' s.h.i.+p against the jagged rocks of the bay. Wood splinters flew through the air. The impact jolted everyone off their feet. Rollan's head slammed hard into the deck. For an instant, the entire world blurred sounds m.u.f.fled and everything went dark. He fought against the encroaching blackness. No, I can't lose consciousness right now! High above him, he heard Essix's piercing war cry. She was trying to keep him awake.

Then he felt a hand grab his s.h.i.+rt and haul him to his feet. Conor threw an arm around him. "We have to jump!" he was yelling. "Can you hear me, Rollan? Jump!"

Rollan reached blindly for the railing. His hand connected with slick wood, and he carefully hoisted himself up. His feet dangled over the edge. The ocean churned beneath him, all darkness and fire and broken wood. We're too high up! But Conor's shouts rang in his ears, and he felt the other boy tug sharply on his arm. With a deep, shuddering breath, Rollan launched himself from the side. Air and glittering water rushed all around him, parting for him as he plummeted like a stone. The fall seemed like it took an eternity. Then he hit the water.

The icy cold of the sea knocked all the breath out of him. He floundered helplessly, not knowing top from bottom, where he was, or how to get to the surface. The distant, blurred noise of fighting, fire, and breaking of wood rumbled somewhere around him. Rollan had the sudden notion that this was how he would die.

What would happen to Essix if he did?

A talisman b.u.mped against his chest in the water. He realized that the Coral Octopus was looped around his neck. Rollan reached desperately for it. His fingers closed around it, and suddenly he could breathe. He blinked, looking around in the water.

Abeke was struggling nearby.

Rollan swam toward her. He grabbed for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and then turned up toward the surface and kicked as furiously as he could. He tugged Abeke with him.

They surfaced with a terrible gasp. Suddenly the noise around him was deafening. He saw the wreckage of two s.h.i.+ps, both in flames, crumbling slowly into the sea.

Conor waved a hand at them from several dozen feet away. Maya was already in front of them, Tini clinging tightly to the top of her head.

Abeke spit water from her mouth, then wiped a hand across her face. She turned toward land. "This way!" she shouted.

"Hang on to me," Rollan shouted back, submerging again. With the Coral Octopus's help, he was able to swim without surfacing as Abeke gripped his shoulders, floating along above him.

Conquerors and Greencloaks alike struggled in the choppy waves. Some fought each other. A few screamed.

Rollan saw a dark shape swim by. Chills ran down his spine. The fish was hideously lumpy and discolored, with red-and-black spots. Its sides were adorned with vicious, spiky fins. It swam between the struggling legs, disturbed by the churning debris. An explosion issued from the Conquerors' s.h.i.+p, sending tremors through the water. Rollan could feel the heat of the fire, even submerged in the cold water. He didn't dare look back.

I'm so tired. His waterlogged clothes threatened to pull him under. But still, he kept kicking, kept swimming. Abeke hung gamely on to his shoulders. m.u.f.fled shouts came from every direction.

Rollan had no idea how long they were in the water. Somewhere up ahead, he saw Kalani swimming through the murky blue, hanging on to one of her dolphin's side fins while Conor clung to the other.

Finally Rollan saw land underneath him. Moments later, his feet hit sand. He dragged himself through the surf, then collapsed onto the beach. His breath came in ragged gasps. Beside him, Conor rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes for a moment, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Abeke coughed up water nearby.

"Are you all right?" Kalani said as she hopped onto the sand and crouched down to them. Her dolphin leaped once in the water, then vanished in a flash of light to return to her shoulder. Around them, others were crawling onto the beach too. More Greencloaks fought with the few Conquerors on the sand who had survived the explosion and the ocean. Rollan looked on in exhaustion as the last Conqueror was finally defeated.

None of them said a word. They could only look back at where an inferno had completely engulfed the dying Tellun's Pride and the Conquerors' s.h.i.+p. Both were locked together and sinking slowly as the waves crashed them mercilessly against the rocks. Smaller fires dotted the water.

"Dorian!"

Rollan suddenly recognized one of the Greencloaks struggling through the sand beside him. The man collapsed onto his back as Rollan crawled to his side. Aside from multiple wounds and cuts from wood splinters, Dorian's face was ghostly white and his lips had turned a deep shade of purple. He trembled from head to toe. The exposed skin of his arms and legs was an unnatural color, covered with angry red welts.

Rollan looked up at Kalani as the others joined him. "What's wrong with him?" he said frantically.

Kalani just shook her head. "Poison," she replied. "From stonefish stings. If Stetriol's stonefish are anything like what I saw back home, he is in a great deal of pain. He must have swum right into one."

Dorian coughed, the sound terrible and raspy. He tried to focus on Rollan hovering above him, but he couldn't seem to see very clearly. Whatever words he tried to speak were too garbled to understand. Rollan struggled to say something, anything, to comfort him, but all he could do was stare. The vicious-looking fish he'd seen in the water returned to his mind.

Dorian drew one last, shuddering breath. Then he slowly went still.

Rollan sat back in the sand, stunned.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. Then, louder. "I'm sorry!" He repeated it several times until he was shouting it. Abeke finally reached for his hand and told him gently that Dorian couldn't hear him.

Conor lowered his head and closed his eyes. Kalani murmured over the fallen Greencloak's head. "From the sea we came," she said, "and to the sea we return."

Overwhelmed, the small group sat on the beach and looked out to where the s.h.i.+ps had both already disappeared from view. No more people struggled in the water. No Conquerors, no Greencloaks. A small handful of their original crew had survived and made their way to the beach, but it was a tiny number. And now the Tellun's Pride, which had carried them all so faithfully on so many voyages, had taken her last breath too.

Rollan swallowed hard. They made it to Stetriol ... and there was no turning back.

AS THE FEW REMAINING SUPPLIES THAT HAD WASHED TO sh.o.r.e were salvaged, Conor gathered around Finn with Abeke and Rollan. The elder Greencloak had taken charge after Dorian's death. Altogether, their already small party now numbered only a dozen. Everyone else had perished. Conor noticed a few of the Greencloaks crying over the limp bodies of their spirit animals. A stoat, a blue jay, a lynx. He also saw a few animals fleeing into the underbrush. Spirit animals that must have lost their beloved human partners. The sight weighed down his heart.

One look at Finn's face was all that Conor needed to get a sense of their chances. The man's eyes were bleak, almost as dark as the inky ocean. He carried out the grim job of taking the old maps of Stetriol from Dorian's body, where they were still rolled up and tucked at his belt. Beside him, Donn hung his head and nuzzled Finn's leg in mourning.

"We need to head into the nearest village," he said to the small group gathered around him. He pointed down at the waterlogged map. "If there are any. There were once settlements on this coast, but that was a long time ago."

"What if we can't find any?" one of the Greencloaks asked. His voice was choked with tears. Conor had seen the man earlier, crouched in anguish over the body of the lynx.

Finn tightened his lips. "We have no choice but to find one. We do not have enough supplies to last us for more than a few days, and we need horses."

"And water," Conor piped up. "Don't we?"

"Yes, Conor," the man replied. "We barely have any water left, other than the canteens strapped to our belts. There's no time to lose." He paused, looking out into the churning seas. "But first, we'll pay our respects."

The sand was too wet to bury Dorian and, it seemed to Conor, too disrespectful. Lowering fallen Greencloaks into pits half-filled with dark, icy water was no burial at all. Instead, Kalani and her spirit animal helped gather up large segments of wood that had broken from the body of the Tellun's Pride. They eased their fallen companions onto the boards, spreading their green cloaks neatly beneath them. They placed small tokens on each of the dead's chests. For Dorian, Conor chose the glittering tile fragment he'd found in Balanhara.

For the first time since they'd boarded the Tellun's Pride, Conor called for Briggan. The wolf appeared beside him in a flash of light. His great head turned, surveying the tragic scene. He stared for a long moment, then lowered his head and leaned against Conor's hand. He uttered a low, mournful whine. It seemed as if Conor could feel Briggan's grief through the wolf's fur. Uraza had emerged beside Abeke too, looking on, her pose subdued. Essix sat quietly on Rollan's shoulder, her expression fierce. Rollan's eyes stayed downcast in grief and guilt.

As Finn spoke words of respect for each, Conor glanced at Rollan from the corner of his eye. His friend's hand stayed wrapped tightly around the Coral Octopus hanging at his neck. Rollan looked like he was holding it together well enough, but Conor could tell he was thinking of all the things he'd said to Dorian.

He walked over to Rollan, then put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," he said softly. Rollan startled, looking up at him. "We're going to win this war. We'll make Dorian proud."

Rollan looked back down at the Greencloak's still figure. "Yeah," he replied, although he didn't sound like he believed himself.

Conor wished he could see into the future, that he could have a dream that told him everything would be okay. But his mind remained clouded and uncertain. He'd always known their journey would be full of danger, but even after the attack at Balanhara, even after everything they'd all been through, it had still seemed like they would find a way.

Now he wasn't so sure. What if they all died in the uncharted lands of Stetriol, before they could even find Kovo's prison? Before they could rescue Meilin? If the Conquerors had already swept through so many cities, and the lands were starting to shudder from the shadow falling over them, then what would happen if Gerathon and Shane managed to free Kovo? What would be left?

Nothing. The answer that echoed in his thoughts made him shudder. Nothing would be left.

He could not allow that to happen.

Finn's last words faded away over the final body. A brief silence fell over everyone. Then they pushed each board out into the sea, watching from the sh.o.r.e as their friends floated out across the water on the broken strips of their beloved s.h.i.+p. Conor murmured a farewell under his breath.

They belonged to the sea and sky now.

"I can see why they wiped this place off the maps," Rollan muttered. "Not exactly a dream destination, is it?"