The Greek Midnight Rainbow

Sneak peek of the first chapter: Chapter 6: Crashing, Rolling and Screaming.

I woke up the next morning with no memory whatsoever of walking back down bellow deck and to the bunk I shared with my brother, of course he slept on top. Me being a sleep walker would fall down of the top bed and die in the middle of my sleep, I knew I was not the most skillful or reckless warrior I was more between mediocre and completely useless for all I knew but hell, I would be even more useless dead.

Everyone was still sound asleep and some snoring could be heard from the bunks besides ours. It was still dark but I could feel the edge of sunshine hiding beneath the surface. Here, bellow deck, were about two hundred bunks with sleeping warriors in each. No windows down here the only sign of the outside was the sight of water on the small cracks on the wood.

Giving up on sleep I sat up with a heavy tired sight, my muscles ached and training had not even started yet, thats when it all came rushing back.

Reaching the dock, being trampled on and rolling towards water, I hear screaming somewhere far away in my memory and I realize it's my scream I'm hearing, but I don't remember screaming.

I blink a couple times and rub my eyes, when I open them again I'm in the water, rolling, falling, and theres the screaming again, then the water disappears and I'm in something thats moving, fast. But I cannot see a thing, it's like something is covering my eyes, then I realize my hands are. I will them to move away but they won't obey to my command. The moving continues, fast, way too fast, and then I'm spinning, spinning, spinning.

Then, silence, I hear nothing I see nothing, I feel warm liquid around me and have the weird suspicion that its blood, but it can't be my blood, it can't be, it can't be.

I awake with a start, sitting up immediately to try to calm my erratic breathing. It was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream. I tell myself over and over again but cannot succeed in calming down my heart that is beating a frantic tattoo against my chest. It's almost painful. Something inside my head keeps telling me that it wasn't just a dream, It's real It's real It's real, it screams sounding like a nagging little girl that will not get what she wants.

With another deep and shaky breath I managed to calm myself down but still had an uneasy feeling about it all. Adrenaline is still rushing through my veins like poison reaching the heart; fast and unstopping.

I laid back down again knowing I would not sleep again. I don't know how long I lay there, unmoving until there was a loud bang, like metal hitting against metal. Bang bang bang.

"RAISE AND SHINE CUPCAKES" says a man with a thick voice, in a mocking tone. I turn my head to look towards the ladder that leads towards the deck, it had been closed during the night but was now hanging from the ceiling, bringing with it sunlight so bright we all had to squint while our eyes got used to such light.

Through what little I could see, I could tell that the warrior who had just spoken had ginger colored hair, and immediately knew it was our commander, who I now knew was named, Amyntas (αμυντας) which meant "defender".

As everyone sat up -not all happy from being woken up- he smiled a crooked smile and looked around as if assessing his prey.

"I have delightful news for y'all" if he expected cheering, he didn't get it.

So he just sighed and continued speaking now looking bored.

"You will start training tomorrow up there in the deck" -he pointed upwards with a single finger, not a very nice one. "Enjoy you free day, because it may be your last free day" -there were some whimpers from those who where terrified and snickers from those who where overconfident. "I have decided to postpone the training because, this being your first day in the seas, you will get sea sick and will be throwing up all day, and we don't want you throwing up against our rank 8 warriors who will be your instructors, now do we?"

Chuckling as if he had just made the joke of the century he went upstairs. When he was well out of hearing range, the cheering truly started.