Voyage of War

Chapter 10

Queen Adira saw the two Giants enter her palace gates. She must confess that she had hoped for more Giants, although they lived in her Realm she does not know how many there are left or where most of them stay. But she is grateful for these two who gave up their believes to fight with her in this battle. These two may die, either in battle or of old age but their legacy and names will curtanlly live forever in the history books and the minds of the people. They kneel on one knee before her and Queen Adira felt incredibly small where she stood before Smaug and Arnold.
"We are here to fight with you, your Highness." Smaug bows his head respectfully.
"No, you will be fighting alongside me. Not for me. You represent all that live in the woods."
"We are honoured your highness." Arnold in turn bows his head.
"As am I." Queen Adira confesses.

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Zack awoke when he hit the floor with a violent thud. He opened his eyes and was overwhelmed by sound. So much noise that he pressed his hands tightly against his hears in an attempt to block some of it out. Scuttling feet on every deck, loud claps of thunder shaking the ship like exploding bombs. The sound of rain drops hitting the top deck are like stones falling onto a tiled roof. Zack stumbles too his feet, hand still clutched tightly around his ears, and with shacky legs he makes his way to the cabins.

He finds Resa huddled in the corner of a dark cabin, her arms wrapped protectively around the twins. The three scared faces occasionally lighting up when a lightening flash tears through the sky. The ship rocked violently from side to side making it difficult to stand upright. Water was flowing into the room through the open door. Zack could hear shouts above the rumbling thunder. "Abandon ship." The pirates shouted.
Zack neared Resa on shaky legs and knelt before her.
"We have to go!" He shouted above the noise and scooped Raf into his arms. Propping Raf up on his left hip ,Zack held out his right arm to pull Resa up. Resa stood up on shaky legs and heaved Cassy onto her back. They hurried along the hallway, now filled to ankle depth with water.

The main deck was in chaos. Pirates ran around aimlessly on the slippery deck. Huge waves crashed against the ship and rocked it back and forth. The starboard was leaning dangerously to one side. Zack spotted Captain, still wearing his black cloak ,loosening ropes of a small boat. Zack made his way towards Csptain with Princess Sybil and Ced ,Keiden and Drakar however was nowhere in sight.

Zack helped Captain heave the boat over the rail. The boat dangled loosely in the strong wind. Zack jumped into the boat and the ropes went taunt. He stretches out his arms and hooks his hands under Cassy's arms to safely pull her into the boat when another gush of wind hits the boat. Cassy gives a loud shriek when Zack looses his footing and stumbles to the side. He goes halfway over the side of the boat before stopping himself from falling into the stormy waters. Zack freezes for a moment, with his head and torso halfway out of the boat, clinging for dear life before he pulls himself back over the side and lands in his back next to a white faced Cassy.

The storm raged on as they rowed the small boat across the water with only Captain's vague directions of where land should be. Drakar joined them a short while after the twins were lifted into the boat, Keiden however didn't turn up. Ced had been reluctant to leave without him but they had no choice. They lowered the boat and watched as the ship dissapeared beneath the black water. There were a few boats and some heads surfacing above the water from time to time. Yet no sign of Keiden emerged and that had to move on.

They were all soaked to the bone. Princess Sybil ,Resa and the twins sat huddled in tight group, trying to share some body heat. If it wasn't do the exertion of rowing the men would also be freezing cold and so Captain had given the women his thick cloak and wore only his old one. They were all still wearing their 'presentable' clothing because they didn't yet have time to search the ship for others when the storm broke out.

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Ced could see an orange strip on the horizon, signalling  that dawn was aprouching. His muscles were aching from both the cold and exertion. His fingers  we're numb with cold and Ced cold hardly feel them or move them from where they are clutched around the peddle. His rattling breaths made white fog in the cool air. Ced clumped the smallest sign of land on the horizon.

As they neared the shoe the sky lightened and no more clouds covered the sky, it was a brilliant shade of blue. The water around them became a sparkling clear blue with white sand beneath it. Fish with bright yellow scales shimmering gold in the early Sun shine and beautifully patterned fins swam around the boat. It was a beautiful  sight ,one to lift anyones spirit and give them hope. Yet Ced felt anything but cheerful. He was filled with darkness and sorrow.

Once they had pulled the boat onto the shore and sat down no the white sand, under the shade of a large tree, Ced could no longer avoid thinking of Keiden. Ced turned his back to the rest and bowed his head to rest it on his knees. However much he wished that Keiden survived and was on one of the other boats, he found it hard to believe himself. Like he had already made up his mind while rowing the boat through the dark stormy water that he would never see Keiden again.

Ced felt a disturbance in the sand beside him and then a small hand resting on his shoulder.
"We are just a little south of Casima. We should reach the outskirts of the city in about a week of we travel fast." Captain informs them.
Everyone stands up figuring his words signaled the end of their rest.

They were a sullen looking group. Soaked, battered, exhausted and traumatized.
Yet they still found it in them to move forward. Too keep going...