The Codex Lacrimae: The Book of Tears

Chapter 21: Jormungand's Bane

Kenezki lurched forward, backhanding Clarinda with the speed of a viper, and bowling her backward. Gungnir clattered onto the deck and rolled underneath the bench. Blood erupted form Clarinda's nose and she fell off the ship and disappeared into the surging waves of the fjord.

The tattooed pirate grasped at the hatchet on Aurelius's hip, but, with all the instinctive haste he'd shown when plucking Ratatosk in midair, Santini punched a forearm hard into Kenezki's face. Codex Light exploded in a brilliant green-blue flash from his right forearm-guard.

Now, let it be done! The Codex screamed. Accept the price, and we'll be done with all your enemies!

Aurelius kneed the man, and the impact sent the pirate aft-ward into a few members of the startled crew, some of whom had dropped their oars and rushed toward the bow, shouting for Heimdall and confused at the fight. Ice-laden gusts made the words Kenezki screamed at Aurelius inaudible, but his anger was clear.

Aurelius reached for the hatchet, and his eyes widened in surprise. The tool had transformed fully into a large hammer with a blunt mallet on one side and a razor-sharp ax blade on the other. Luckily, he'd not sliced open his wrist.

The youth took the half-second's respite while Kenezki recovered and scanned the storm-tossed waves for Clarinda. Dio, where is she?

Kenezki rose to a knee, drawing Aurelius's attention back from his search. He pulled the hammer from its holster and with his weapon raised high above him, rushed at the man. The pirate pushed two of the sailors between him and the enraged youth and dove off the other side of the ship into the roiling waters beneath the longboat.

Aurelius spun around, re-holstered the hammer, and grabbed Clarinda's quarterstaff. He rushed to where she'd been knocked off the boat, and searched the fjord for her. Gungnir wrenched him starboard, and Aurelius didn't stop to wonder at the magic in Clarinda's spear, but followed the pull of the staff.

There! "Woman overboard!" he screamed at the crewmembers when he saw her form floating limply atop one of the mountainous waves. "Kvinne over bord! Frau über Bord!"

Clarinda disappeared into a trough between the stormy swells, but he had the direction. The Hospitaller's words and pointing finger polarized the confused crewmembers into the effort of lifesaving.

Oars plunged into the waves and—in a shorter time than would've seemed possible and with a finesse that only a lifetime at sea could manage—the boat careened off the face of one wave and suddenly came alongside Clarinda, who was coughing and blinking water from eyes.

Aurelius extended the quarterstaff. She clasped it firmly, and he pulled her harder than necessary into the craft. She fell onto him, and they rolled onto the deck, then lay for a moment together, breathing hard.

"Grazie!" she whispered, still clinging to him.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered back, not wanting to let go.

"We've ... got ... to get ready," she said. "Ah, Dio, it's ... cold! If ... if ..." She clenched her teeth to stop their chattering, then said fiercely, "If Kenezki's Jormungand, we're going to be in trouble. He's in the water"

"That's why I didn't dive in after you." He helped her up and swirled the elven blanket around her shoulders. She huddled into it with another muttered grazie, and they took a seat opposite each other. He glanced at the rowing crew. The beat-master was making his way forward.

Aurelius pulled the hammer from its holster. "You've got to take command," he told Clarinda, "tell them where to go!"

She shook her head. "It's not going to matter, Servius. He's coming back." But, Clarinda stood, blanket still clutched around her, hooked a foot under one of the posts supporting the benches, and gave a few sharp orders to the crew.