and compassion. She felt a tremendous strength rise within
her, a strength which she herself could not even understand. It felt like the
power of a thousand suns coursing through her veins.
Alistair
blinked, and the world came back to life again in a great flash of light. She
looked up at the man’s hand, still frozen in midair, and he suddenly became
panicked with fear as he looked at his own hand, unable to move it. He looked
back and forth from Alistair to his hand, shocked.
“A
sorcerer!” he exclaimed.
Alistair
stood there, unafraid, sensing the power of a greater spirit within her, and
sensing that these men, of a different spiritual plane, could not touch her.
She felt swept up in a power and force in the world greater than she.
Alistair
leaned back and raised her hands up to the heavens, and as she did, beams of
white light streamed from her palms, shooting straight up, lighting up the
night, piercing through the heavens, to the black night itself.
Suddenly,
the ship rocked wildly from side to side. The howling of the wind picked up,
and great waves rose up all around the ship, a huge current, rocking the ship
violently, up and down.
All
the men facing her were thrown to the deck, and as the ship listed, they went
sliding, all the way, until they slammed into the wooden side. The ship rocked
the other way, and the men slid all the way to the other end, smashing into that
side, groaning in pain. Alistair stood with two feet rooted to the deck, and
she felt like a mountain, keeping perfect balance, feeling centered in the very
core of the world.
The
ship rocked again, and the men slid the other way, shouting out as they smashed
into the sides of the ship, again and again and again, until their ribs were
cracked.
As
the men slid one more time, the ship nearly on its side, they shrieked in
terror as they looked out over the edge: there arose an immense splashing
noise, as though the very bowels of the ocean were shooting to the surface, and
an enormous sea monster emerged from the depths. It was twice as large as a
great whale, with a wide, flat head, shiny red scales, and thousands of razor-sharp
teeth. Its body was thicker than the ship, and it rose straight up out of the
waters with a great fury, and let out a shriek so violent, it nearly split the
mast in two. The men clutched their ears, trying to drown out the sound, but
even so, many of their ears ran with blood.
The
whale rose entirely out of the water, larger than a dragon, larger than
anything Alistair had ever seen, and then it dove, face first, straight down
onto the ship, its jaws wide open.
The
men raised their arms and screamed. But it was too late; the whale’s teeth came
straight down, through half of the ship, and tore it to pieces. He scooped up
the men, their blood streaming from its teeth as it closed its jaw, and then
disappeared just as quickly, sucking them back down beneath the ocean.
The
ship, now empty, destroyed, was sinking fast, and Alistair looked up to see Erec,
swinging back and forth in his net. She watched as the rope snapped and he came
crashing down onto the deck. Erec used his dagger to slice open the net and
free himself. He scrambled to his feet and ran to her.
They
embraced.
“Alistair,”
he said. “Thank god you’re safe.”
The
ship was taking on water fast. Over the sound of the wind and the waves came the
shouts of men, and Alistair turned and saw the captain; he came running down
from the upper decks, along with dozens more sailors from the back of the ship.
“There!”
Erec shouted.
Alistair
turned and followed his finger to see a small vessel, a twenty-foot rowboat
with a small sail, attached by ropes to the side of the ship, clearly the
lifeboat to this huge vessel. The sailors were racing for it, and Erec grabbed
her hand and they ran across the deck, getting a good head start on the others.
They
reached the lifeboat first, and Erec lifted Alistair and put her in the little
boat as the ship rocked;
her, a strength which she herself could not even understand. It felt like the
power of a thousand suns coursing through her veins.
Alistair
blinked, and the world came back to life again in a great flash of light. She
looked up at the man’s hand, still frozen in midair, and he suddenly became
panicked with fear as he looked at his own hand, unable to move it. He looked
back and forth from Alistair to his hand, shocked.
“A
sorcerer!” he exclaimed.
Alistair
stood there, unafraid, sensing the power of a greater spirit within her, and
sensing that these men, of a different spiritual plane, could not touch her.
She felt swept up in a power and force in the world greater than she.
Alistair
leaned back and raised her hands up to the heavens, and as she did, beams of
white light streamed from her palms, shooting straight up, lighting up the
night, piercing through the heavens, to the black night itself.
Suddenly,
the ship rocked wildly from side to side. The howling of the wind picked up,
and great waves rose up all around the ship, a huge current, rocking the ship
violently, up and down.
All
the men facing her were thrown to the deck, and as the ship listed, they went
sliding, all the way, until they slammed into the wooden side. The ship rocked
the other way, and the men slid all the way to the other end, smashing into that
side, groaning in pain. Alistair stood with two feet rooted to the deck, and
she felt like a mountain, keeping perfect balance, feeling centered in the very
core of the world.
The
ship rocked again, and the men slid the other way, shouting out as they smashed
into the sides of the ship, again and again and again, until their ribs were
cracked.
As
the men slid one more time, the ship nearly on its side, they shrieked in
terror as they looked out over the edge: there arose an immense splashing
noise, as though the very bowels of the ocean were shooting to the surface, and
an enormous sea monster emerged from the depths. It was twice as large as a
great whale, with a wide, flat head, shiny red scales, and thousands of razor-sharp
teeth. Its body was thicker than the ship, and it rose straight up out of the
waters with a great fury, and let out a shriek so violent, it nearly split the
mast in two. The men clutched their ears, trying to drown out the sound, but
even so, many of their ears ran with blood.
The
whale rose entirely out of the water, larger than a dragon, larger than
anything Alistair had ever seen, and then it dove, face first, straight down
onto the ship, its jaws wide open.
The
men raised their arms and screamed. But it was too late; the whale’s teeth came
straight down, through half of the ship, and tore it to pieces. He scooped up
the men, their blood streaming from its teeth as it closed its jaw, and then
disappeared just as quickly, sucking them back down beneath the ocean.
The
ship, now empty, destroyed, was sinking fast, and Alistair looked up to see Erec,
swinging back and forth in his net. She watched as the rope snapped and he came
crashing down onto the deck. Erec used his dagger to slice open the net and
free himself. He scrambled to his feet and ran to her.
They
embraced.
“Alistair,”
he said. “Thank god you’re safe.”
The
ship was taking on water fast. Over the sound of the wind and the waves came the
shouts of men, and Alistair turned and saw the captain; he came running down
from the upper decks, along with dozens more sailors from the back of the ship.
“There!”
Erec shouted.
Alistair
turned and followed his finger to see a small vessel, a twenty-foot rowboat
with a small sail, attached by ropes to the side of the ship, clearly the
lifeboat to this huge vessel. The sailors were racing for it, and Erec grabbed
her hand and they ran across the deck, getting a good head start on the others.
They
reached the lifeboat first, and Erec lifted Alistair and put her in the little
boat as the ship rocked;
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