The Divine Tears: Crestfallen

VIII

The orange sun set behind the waters and the white crescent moon loomed over. The night was calm. A silent wind restlessly blew over the ship as the sailors sang a slow hymn. The princess washed her face in her room after a long day in the beating sun. The Valkan shined his weaponry, still in armour, for he did not trust the unfamiliar waters. He cautiously listened to every sound the princess made through the thin walls, being certain that no other heartbeat crept closer. As for the captain, he was on deck, steering the ship with a bottle of hard liquor in hand, and rather enjoying his choir.

A distant sound vibrated in the dragon's ears. He sprung, concentrating on the sound—water gushing, he immediately thought of his great fear... serpents. The crew's hymns diminished, a sheathe of swords and a clatter of shields and spears. The sound neared, shouts bellowed, the ship thumped and rocked from side to side, a crack in the side of the ship, luckily no leak broke through. An immediate clash of swords emerged from the upper deck. Daarion grabbed his short sword, he entered the narrow wooden hall with haste and met three unknown men rushing downstairs. Unknown faces covered in yellow and black cloth—but Daarion's sharp eyes noticed their light brown skin, evidently familiar from a fairly recent past. He stood between Tessriel's room and the three men. They charged with shouts. Daarion dodged under one's attack, cutting his belly open. The other two swung with a flurry of attacks. Daarion blocked and deflected their attacks, awaiting his turn to strike. One opponent thrust, blocking his ally's blow, which Daarion deflected with his gauntlet as well, sparks flew from the attacker's sword, Daarion thrust his sword through his opponent's chest. The last attacker swung at an undefended Daarion, but the Valkan was fast, and his opponent fell with a gash through his face, tumbling in the hallway coated with blood. A fine artwork for a butcher.

'Daarion?' Tessriel stood in her doorway. Her body fell cold with shock. She had never seen a dead body before. Her eyes did not leave the bodies, still pumping the last blood through their gaping gashes.

'Look at me, Tess,' Daarion walked over. 'Tess, look at me!'

Her eyes met his. Her body shivered.

'Go inside,' he said, 'lock the door.'

She did as he commanded. Her hands found a letter opener which she forcibly clutched in her hands.

Daarion rushed to the main deck. Bodies were lying lifeless on the deck—their blood soaking into the wood, trickling down to the lower deck. Men were crying, swords were singing with an iron chorus. The unknown ship with black sails was clinching onto the Evandurian ship with multiple hooks; the main sail lighting the battleground with a bright flame.

An arrow thumped against Daarion's silver pauldron. He reacted quickly. His foes were ruthless, Daarion was fiercer. His movements were swift, his foes' attacks couldn't find their mark, but he found his. One charged with an axe, then fell lifeless with a gash in his head. Three more charged, Daarion parried one's attack and with his left hand, crushed his foe's head with a powerful strike of his fist, splintering his skull in his cloth mask. He parried the following attack, forcing his opponent off balance, the third foe slashed unfocused at the Valkan in which the Valkan took advantage of—Daarion grabbed his opponent's arm, thrust his sword through his opponent's throat. He turned and slashed open the back of the attacker that lost his balance, stumbling over, unable to catch a breath, losing blood quickly.

Daarion caught captain Halder, with shield and sword in hand.

'Captain!' Daarion shouted through the skirmish. He cut down another foe. 'The princess is unprotected, go to her!'

Halder's eyes widened. His fury rose, he slashed at two men boarding the ship. He rushed towards Tessriel's room.

'Princess!' Halder thumped on the door repeatedly. 'Princess, It's me, Halder. Open the door.'