The Siren of the Titanic

Chapter 44: Calder And Frost, A Battle Of The Kraftig Havfrue

We were expecting the dragon and her controller to rush out of the cave, but they didn't. Instead Leviathan lifted a tentative talon up to where the barrier was. Once she realized that the barrier was truly gone, she took a hesitant step forward, shoving her head out of the cave. It was as if she was surprised that we simply let her go. Her head was in reach, so I quickly reached out to touch the side of her scaled face.

Feelings of pain and sorrow shook through me as soon as my fingers made contact with her skin. I closed my eyes and tried to force my thoughts into her, that I wasn't here to kill her but to help her. However, I don't know if my feelings reached her as she surged out of the cave creating a strong current that forced Alto and me closer, almost bumping into each other.

I eyed Talon and Alto and we scattered. My two partners raced off after the sea dragon, while I stayed and raised my halberd blade to point at Calder. He smiled but quickly took off after Leviathan. Cursing I raced after him as we quickly exited the trench. The waters quickly lightened as we came up to the surface. I watched as Leviathan gracefully leaped out of the waters like the whales. I reached forward with an icy lasso, catching Calder's tail and pulling him back towards me. I pulled him back down, away from the others.

"So it's just me and you, huh boy? Fine, as you wish!" He rushed at me with a large Viking-style war axe made from his own icy power. I dodged just in time, summoning a hook sword from the repertoire of my mind. The curved blade easily hooked the axe from his hand and flung it away, which shattered like glass. He growled at me before summoning a large machete-like knife. He rushed forward and tried to slash at my chest, and I only missed him by a hair.

The water around him became colder and created a thin armor, and a large sword in his hands. He came at me and I quickly created my halberd, raising it and lodging the blade into his side. He backed away and looked down at the large gash in his side, silver blood seeping into the water.

"I see you've had training, little one. It's too bad for you that I was the best warrior in my clan. Even the mighty Beowulf would've bowed to me." He smirked raising his blade once more. He was fast, not as fast as Calia, but enough that I needed to be careful.

"You say that but you've been stuck in a cave for, how long? Not only that but weaponry, techniques, and even technology have changed. I have the knowledge of weapons and techniques from hundreds of countries and cultures. You have only your Viking heritage, I have the world's!"

He growled at me again and charged, raising his blade. I traded my halberd for the hook swords and was easily able to disarm him again. He summoned an icy shield before I could cut him again. I remembered my fight with Calia and smiled as I summoned the large flamberge. I hit his shield as hard as I could, making a grimacing sound of metal on glass. I hit him over and over, he could only grunt. His eyes studied me, trying to find an opening, and I gave him one. He summoned the same sax blade trying to gut me. I coated his hand in ice and summoned my own blade, a katar much like Calia's. Sadly I only got his shoulder, but it was enough for him to back away.

I had the upper hand, and he knew it. He was rusty, I was new. He was limited to what he knew in his human life, I had everything. It was only a matter of wits and strategy, if I could get him angry enough, it would be easy.

"You know," I was interrupted by a scream from behind us. Talon's scream. I looked behind me to see that Leviathan had his arm in her jaws. Alto shot her a couple of times and she quickly let him go as a flash of flame lit up her throat. It was only a glance, a heartbeat, yet it was enough for the tables to be turned. A flash of pain rang up through my arm. I looked down to see my hand slowly sinking down in the water, a trail of silver blood following.

Calder wrapped his clawed hands around my throat, ice covering my gills, choking me. He smiled at me, watching as I struggled. "See you're nothing but a rookie. That was a novice mistake. Remember to never take your eyes off your enemy."

I struggled clawing at his face and arms, the edges of my vision going foggy. With the last of my strength, I flicked my pinky, releasing the wrist blade, stabbing him in the throat. He released me, grasping at the wound in his neck, blood gushing forth. I rushed at him and tried to finish him off. He must have learned because as I cut off his head, a spear cut through my stomach.

The sounds of fighting died off from behind me. Hopefully with his death Leviathan would be set free. I turned to where I thought they'd be, it's not like I could see anything else but red. I felt strong arms wrap around me. I let myself drift off, grasping my silver feather as hard as I could with the hand that was left. It's warmth wrapped around me and I slept.