The Marksman [The Talent of Three: Book 1]

30 ••• Jörmungandr

Before she closed her eyes to crash, Atheris had hoped that their sail would be smooth and mostly interrupted. So, of course, she wakes to something slamming into the ship and shouts from above. Then there was the sound of something heavy with hooves slamming onto the deck.

Without sparing another second, Atheris tears up to the deck, expecting to find the creature the shadowed stag belonged to cornering her friends, leaning over them with bloodied claws and teeth, ready for the kill.

But instead, she finds Teodanos scrambling to pick himself up off of the deck, his quiver nearly empty of arrows and several more scattered around him, blood on his chest. But that isn't the strangest thing.

The strangest thing is the massive blue and green serpent staring spitefully at them.

"Um...what is that and why is it here?" Atheris demands.

The centaur gives her a look. "You do not know what it is? But you are the mythologist!"

"It's a hobby of mine, I'm not an actual— IS THAT THE WORLD SERPENT?!"

"Congratulations," Teodanos mutters sarcastically. "You passed the test!" His sarcasm falls away. "Yes, it's the World Serpent!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Chip yells.

Atheris glances his way. "You remember when we studied Norse mythology? This is the World Serpent, Jörmungandr."

"I thought he was supposed to be asleep!"

"Apparently mythology and the Quests don't quite go hand-in-hand," Atheris mutters. 

"Okay, so how do we kill it?" Kayne yells.

"No!" Atheris yelps. "We can't kill it! We have to get him to go back to sleep!"

"HOW?"

"I don't know that part yet!" She looked away from the terrified expression Kayne was giving her. "Just let me think!"

Atheris wracks her brain for the myth of the huge serpent. She recalls his body is so huge it encircles the world, his tail in his mouth. The serpent despises the Norse's thunder god, Thor, and is one of three children of Loki and the giantess Angroboda.

He keeps his tail in his mouth... Atheris thinks. Hmmm.

"I have an idea!" Atheris announces. "Well...almost. Give me a second."

"We don't have a second!" Teodanos warns.

Atheris grits her teeth. "Chip, keep us going forward! Just ignore Jörmungandr! We'll handle him."

Chip nods, though sarcasm laces his voice. "Ignore the big giant snake at the side of the boat. Got it!"

"Kayne, how strong of a swimmer are you?" Atheris demands, her plan forming quickly in her head.

"Pretty good," Kayne replies, his eye still training on the enormous creature. 

"Okay, great," Atheris says. "Teodanos and I will keep raining arrows on Jörmungandr, while you swim down and find his tail. It should be nearby. He keeps his tail in his mouth while he sleeps. If you can get him to bring his tail to the surface and we can stuff it in his mouth and push him back under, he should just go back to sleep."

"I don't like the sound of should," Chip calls.

Atheris grinds her teeth. "It's all we've got!" She shoots him a look. "Unless you've a better idea?"

"KILL IT!" Kayne yells.

"NO!" Atheris counters. "We have no idea what killing the World Serpent will do!"

"I thought it was Midgard Serpent—" Kayne starts.

"Same difference!" Atheris spits, annoyed. 

"We're about to die and that's what you're worried about?!" Chip yelps.

"Focus on steering us!" Atheris reminds him.

"Right," Chip says. He fixes his eyes straight ahead, staring determinedly forward. But Atheris didn't miss his quick glance toward the giant serpent looming over them, snapping his head around. With a jolt, Atheris's attention went elsewhere, a cold fist squeezing around her stomach.

"KAYNE!" she screams. "Don't let him get near the mast!"

"What?"

"He knows what he's doing, doesn't he?" Chip gasps suddenly.

"He's trying to break the mast," Atheris agrees. She repeats her words in a shout. "Keep him away from it!"

"Uhhhh...how?"

"Good question," Atheris mutters, then dashes below, searching for something, not entirely sure she knows what she is looking for.

The Archer's hands scrape through section after section of the ship. It was used for fishing! she thinks furiously. What kind of fishing ship doesn't have bait?!

Slowly, an idea starts to piece together in Atheris's mind. All she needs know is the bait.

Her body freezes. Bait.

Atheris rushes back up top. "Hey, Kayne?"

"Atheris!" Kayne cries. "Do you happen to have an brilliant plan that will save us all?"

The Archer grinned. "That depends. How much do you like the idea of being bait?"