Devoted to The Tide

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHARLIE

I watched in horror as the school of serpents swam in a direct path toward us. Seeing the size of the one hatchling and the damage it caused us thus far, I felt ill at the thought of several. “How many hatchlings can be born in a single breeding colony?” I asked Caspian who stood closely beside me. “No f*****g clue.” He mutters. We both felt helpless standing up here but it was Charlie’s orders to wait for her command. We were the only ones who had a chance to kill the mother of demons, and the pressure was heavy. It didn't take very long until we saw several ships get hit from the belly, forcing them to face up into the sky, or nose down to the water, aggressively rocking and swaying them on the water. I counted in my head how many that was, and every ship I counted made me sicker by the second. “Eight. They hit eight ships.” “Some could hit several at once.” Caspian says, attempting to keep the situation light and hopeful, but we both watched out from the top of the mast, our knuckles turning white as we gripped the edge of the rail. One by one, several hatchling heads came above the surface, shrieking and screaming as they made themselves visible. One… two… three, four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… I counted the heads, over and over to make sure I didn't leave any out or added one too many. Ten. Oh f*****g hell, there’s ten. “There's ten hatchlings… We need to get down there and help!” “No!” Caspian pulls my arm, his grip tightening around it. “Charlie wants us up here. We're the only ones to kill the mother, we need to look for it.” He spits. We both gaze out onto the horrific sight of several hatchling Ethereals crashing into the other nearby ships of the fleet. Men could be seen falling overboard, others hitting the walls and poles as gravity pulled against them. “Look! Do you see that?” Caspian says, his grip on my arm loosening as he points in front of us. I look out myself, keeping my gaze fixated on the waters. A sliver of shining silver scales is seen grazing the surface of the water. “Is that..?” Before I could ask, a large terrifying snake-like head crashes out of the water, rushing above the surface. Not only did it towered over the fleet, but it towered over its hatchlings. It was the largest creature I’ve ever seen. Caspian and I froze in shock as we took in the sight of what seems to be the mother serpent. “Gods be good.” Caspian mutters. “CAPTAIN!” I shout, looking back onto the main deck. “THE MOTHER! STRAIGHT AHEAD!” Charlie snaps her head to the front of the ship, to see the mother of demons herself. She shined and sparkled in the moonlight, her silvery scales lighting up the ship as it reflected the light. “LOAD THE SCORPION!” Charlie commands. Caspian and I were quick to obey, taking the both of us to lift the arrow onto the scorpion bow. The arrows were taller than us, heavier than us and stronger than us. The scorpion itself weighing at about a thousand pounds even swayed a bit at the weight of the arrow. “We only have two shots! Help me move this thing to aim at the heart!” Caspian commands. I gripped onto the wooden beams, pushing the scorpion to aim it just right at the mother. It seemed to be moving slower than the hatchlings, which was good for us, but also sent fear rushing through me knowing that it only meant it was stronger and had the power of more force. One hit from her, and we will sink.

Caspian aimed ever so slightly, his focus entirely on the direction of the arrow. “On my command, pull this lever!” He directs. I nod in response, holding myself still to support the weight of the scorpion. The mother Ethereal shrieked out another ear piercing scream into the night, leaving most of us disoriented. The men around us still fought off the hatchlings with arrows and cannons, allowing us to keep our focus on the mother of beasts that still resided before us. “Ready!?” Caspian belts. He takes another moment to aim ever so slightly, the weight of the bow starting to weigh me down by the second. “And… PULL-“ Right as I pulled the lever, the ship was hit from the bottom by one of the hatchlings, rocking the entire ship on its side. Caspian and I fell backwards, falling off the platform. The arrow shot out at the last second, completely missing our shot. It grazes the cheek of the mother’s face, forcing her to scream out once again. I gripped onto the railing just in time as I held onto Caspian by the arm. I tried to hoist him back up, adrenaline coursing through my veins. “f**k!” Caspian shouts as he dangles over the edge. Another hit from the side of the ship, rocking it back the other direction. This is where my grip on him slipped and he fell through the air. “CASPIAN!” Looking underneath me, I see he caught himself by the nets that were attached to the mast. “I'M FINE! YOU NEED TO SHOOT!” He shouts. I pulled myself back up, grunting as I pulled my own weight back onto the platform. Quickly, I dragged the second arrow to load the scorpion once again, now the weight of it heavier than the last without the second set of hands. The moment it was loaded, I was quick to swift my motions to grip onto the lever with one hand, and aim with the other, putting my entire weight into it. “Come on you b***h…” I muttered to myself. In my peripheral vision, I could see two hatchlings getting ready to hit the ship again. My heart raced as I quickly ran out of time. “Aim… and…” The mother looked right at me, her fangs nearly as large as the scorpion arrows glimmering in the moonlight. There was no way I could get a clear shot to the heart, so the moment I pulled the lever, the arrow went flying right into the mother’s head. It pierced right through her skull, another wave of screaming piercing my eardrums as she screeched out of pain. Her golden eyes rolled in the back of her head as she swayed. I Immediately made my way down the ladder to help Caspian from the net. I held out my hand and Caspian jumped into my grasp so I could pull him onto the ladder, both of us quickly climbing down just in time to watch the mother collapse onto the water. The hatchlings retreated in fear that their mother was now facing certain death. The moment she hit the water, her tail fins shot up from the surface, hitting the ship once again. A part of her other fins went grazing over the top deck, about to hit right into Charlie.

“CHARLIE! LOOK OUT!” I shouted as I pushed her with all my might, taking the blow of the fin smacking into me. I was then launched over the side of the ship,flung out several feet into the air, crashing down into the water. But that was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.