The_ORDER_of_SHADDAI Read online

  The new ship was smaller than the Maelstrom had been, but she looked far less worn and possibly faster. Up above them, Ethan heard the crew scurrying about lightly on the deck, preparing for a silent departure, if possible. The wind blew favorably, and the moon remained hidden by dense cloud cover—time to set sail.

  Ethan bypassed Gideon climbing up the ladder. Instead, he realm shifted, reappearing on deck next to the captain. Levi utilized hand signals and whispered to his crew, as they made ready for departure. “Mooring lines away,â€� he called to some and, “unfurl the mainsail,â€� to others.

  Ethan watched him, admiring the man. Captain Bonifast was a true seaman, only happy when he was sailing the great oceans where danger ever lurked. The man had not been the same since the destruction of his former ship, the Maelstrom. Now, that same wild light had returned to his eyes, and Ethan knew a great adventure lay ahead of them.

  Trying to prepare such a vessel in the dark was truly a difficult task, but to try and do it without making any noise was nearly impossible. Mordred’s soldiers patrolled the docks already. Unfurling the massive canvas sails simply required too much activity to go unnoticed.

  “You there, what are you doing!â€� a soldier shouted from the dock.

  Everyone onboard froze in place, searching for the origin of the call with dread. Two soldiers stood off the starboard side with muskets ready and swords at their sides. “You’re not authorized to leave at this time of night!â€�

  Gideon called for a weapon, but Ethan flew into action first. He realm shifted, then shot down to the docks, appearing beside one of the soldiers. He pulled his sword and dispatched him quickly. The other whipped his musket up toward Ethan’s chest, cocking the hammer back. Ethan rotated his body around the barrel of the long rifle, as the soldier fired, then struck the man squarely with his weapon. Still, the shot had been heard all over the docks.

  “Catch the wind, boys!â€� Bonifast shouted. The men flew into action without any further concern for noise or being seen. It was now too late for any of that now.

  Soldiers filled the docks as the shot roused a few, then they in turn called the others from their revelry. Fortunately their drink had dulled their senses—they fired on the Trinity, but showed little accuracy. Ethan ran toward the other soldiers, until he heard Gideon call for him. “Ethan, don’t try it! Get onboard!â€�

  The ship pulled away as the musket fire increased. Then an explosion erupted from the smoky haze swelling around the docks. A had cannon fired. Some of the soldiers were shooting at the Trinity from a small ship moored nearby. The cannon ball sailed over the deck punching through some of the rigging equipment.

  Bonifast responded. “Port gun crew, blast everything!â€�

  The crewmembers, operating the guns, opened fire on anything and everything on the port side as the ship moved away from the docks. After the first volley everything became quiet. No one returned fire. Pain-filled cries filtered through thick white smoke. Ethan appeared back on deck next to Gideon, looking winded, but unharmed. The Trinity pulled away, caught the wind, and disappeared through the haze of cannon smoke drifting over the harbor.

  Sailors and bar patrons swarmed all over the docks, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. A cloud of white smoke hung heavy over the stonework pathways. Men, wounded or worse, lay strewn everywhere near the place where the Trinity had sat docked for months.

  A lone figure walked carefully among the dead—men conscripted unto his service. The Wraith Rider stared coldly at the damage left in the wake of the Trinity’s escape. By rank, he was a captain, by birth he was an abomination. The man stood near one of his soldiers from among the heathen tribes. The injured man reached out to him, his black and red uniform soaked in his own blood from the wounds inflicted tonight.

  “What happened here?â€� the captain said, his voice menacing.

  The man shook against his own pain, trying to relay the information. “A ship, trying to escape…â€�

  “Was the Deliverer onboard?â€� But the man slumped forward, his many wounds having gotten the better of him.

  The captain moved on, uncaring for the human life wasted before him. “Joyner?â€� he demanded.

  A demon appeared behind him. “Yes, Captain Vastiss?â€�

  “Take word to our Man-O-wars patrolling the coastline—destroy the ship called Trinity. Leave no one alive.â€�

  “It will be done,â€� the demon said and vanished.

  ABDUCTION

  Sarah tired of the long day at her parent’s laundry. She had carried many deliveries. Despite being with child, and beginning to show it, she insisted on continuing to work. Sarah had never been the sort who could laze about the house. She would have gone mad with nothing to do.

  Still, the work was hard and the bags heavy, so her parents had hired one of the local boys to help her with the deliveries, an eleven-year-old named Matthew. He was strong for his age, a ruddy boy with a mop of brown curls and blue eyes. Some day, she thought, he’ll have his pick of wife.

  “I’ll take that one,â€� Matthew said as he pulled a heavier bag of laundry out of Sarah’s hand and gave her the much lighter one.

  “You don’t have to baby me, Matthew. I can manage.â€�

  “You keep saying that, but I can’t just let a mother-to-be carry around the heavy things while I take the small stuff. What kind of man would I be then?â€�

  Sarah admired his ethic and decided to stop arguing with the boy. He was, after all, here to help. And as the weeks pushed on, her back ached more and more with the heaviness of her child. “Well then, let’s get going. Mr. Oggle will want these linens for his customers.â€�

  The two of them walked across the street. Sarah noticed a pillar of dark smoke rising from beyond the hills of her family’s property. “Our farm! The house must be on fire!â€�

  “I’ll go tell your father!â€� Matthew started to run back toward the laundry. But the thunder of galloping horses stopped him cold. They both stared down the road coming into town. Wraith Riders poured in like a storm surge. They rode into Millertown with weapons raised high and torches set ablaze.

  As they passed through, sending pedestrians running in terror, they flung their torches through the glass windows of storefronts. Anyone caught nearby was slain with the sword. Matthew pulled at Sarah, urging her to escape. She stood in shock at the sheer ferocity of the attack. Why are they here? Why now?

  Neither Sarah, nor anyone else in Millertown, saw the demon flying here and there among the people, searching for the girl he had seen with the priest of Shaddai—his wife, now with child five months. As fierce as the Wraith Riders were, they did not kill any of the young women, knowing the girl was extremely valuable to Lord Mordred, their entire purpose in Millertown revolving around her safe capture.

  Half of the town stood burning, forcing anyone in the buildings out into the street where the riders sifted for Mordred’s prize. The demon found her. Sarah tried her best to run ahead of the tide of marauders. Matthew pulled her along as best he could. An invisible hand seized her by a wad of her blonde hair. She jerked backward at the neck, but Matthew kept her from falling. “Matthew!â€� she screamed as the demon stopped her from going any further.

  The Wraith Riders responded quickly once the girl was identified. Black horses surrounded Sarah and Matthew. A Wraith Rider dismounted and seized the girl—careful not to damage her unborn child—collateral for their master’s use.

  Matthew battered the black rider, but a leather gauntlet backhanded him out of the way. Sarah wondered where her father was. All she could see were the stamping hooves and snorting muzzles of their dark steeds. She thought, for a moment, she heard the voices of men trying to stop the riders from taking her. A brief clash of steel ensued be
yond the circle of horses, then the moans of the dying.

  The rider bound Sarah’s hands with a leather cord and hoisted her up onto one of the saddles. The muscular arms of a Wraith Rider surrounded her from behind, controlling his horse with leather reins. He turned the animal quickly, then they shot away from the chaotic scene. The others followed, leaving Millertown in their wake of terror and destruction.

  Matthew struggled in the dirt. The right side of his face throbbed terribly. When he rubbed it, his hand came away covered in blood from several deep gashes across his cheek. People he knew wailed in the streets for their loved ones slain in the attack. Others, wounded, moaned, rolling around in pain like salted slugs.

  A pair of strong hands reached under Matthew’s arms, hauling the boy to his feet. He could hardly stand. His head spun in a daze. “Matthew, are you all right?â€�

  It was the voice of Arness, Sarah’s father. Her mother was crying next to him. “Matthew, where is Sarah?â€�

  The boy tried to fix his eyes on Sarah’s parents. Blood dripped onto his shirt collar. “They took her,â€� he said, trying not to cry.

  Sarah’s parents looked at one another. There could be only one reason why Mordred’s Wraith Riders would single out their daughter and abduct her. Somehow, Mordred knew about Sarah’s association to Gideon—knew she was his wife. And as Sarah had confided to her parents: Gideon was traveling with Shaddai’s Deliverer.

  SEA DRAGON

  Since the time of their departure, Captain Bonifast’s crew had been working feverishly to keep the ship running hard toward the Isle of Macedon. Since the time daylight illuminated the sea around them, they had doubled those efforts because two of Mordred’s Man-O-War battleships had been spotted hot on their trail.

  Cannon shot sailed toward the stern of the Trinity, then fell abruptly short, crashing into the sea, sending up plumes of spray. “It’s uncanny!â€� Levi complained as he watched them from the helm. “We should be outrunning them.â€�

  Ethan and Gideon stood nearby. “How long before they get within firing range?â€� Ethan asked.

  “My guess is they’ll be able to hit us within twenty minutes at the rate they’ve been gaining,â€� Gideon reported.

  “Get those specials up here, boys!â€� Levi demanded. “I want two on the stern rail!â€�

  Several men labored to bring two of Captain Bonifast’s special, long-barreled cannons up onto the poop deck in order to fire them off the rear of the ship. When they had fastened them into position, another man followed with powder and prepped them for firing.

  “Ready, Captain!â€�

  “Fire at will and get more ammo up here!â€�

  A steady stream of sailors carried Levi’s specially cast shells, with the oblong bodies and pointed ends, up to where the cannons were positioned. The gunners ignited the cannons. One of the shells hit a Man-O-war high on the hull. A plume of wood chips erupted and was sucked away by the wind. The other shot fell into the sea between the two ships.

  “Ah-ha! We hit ‘em!â€� Levi shouted proudly. “Let ‘em have it again, lads!â€�

  The gun crews reloaded as the Man-o-wars fired another volley. They still fell short of the Trinity, but not as much as before. The gun crews readied, aimed and fired the two special, long-range cannons.

  Ethan watched the shells hurtle through the air toward their targets—one several fractions of a second ahead of the other. He gasped as a demon shot away from the deck of one of the enemy ships. He appeared powerful, though not in the same league as Jericho.

  The demon pulled his sword from his side and crossed into the path of the first shell from Captain Bonifast’s cannon. It all happened in the blink of an eye. The demon cleaved the metal slug in two, then hurled his weapon away toward the second inbound shot. The sword spun around like a boomerang, clipped the shell and then returned to the hand of its owner.

  The_ORDER_of_SHADDAI

  The precision was amazing, but to the eyes of Captain Bonifast and his crew, one shell had exploded in mid-air while the other seemed suddenly to veer off course to drown in the sea. “What happened?â€� Gideon asked. The surprised look on Ethan’s face was unmistakable. He had seen something more than the rest of them had.

  “There’s a demon deflecting our rounds,â€� he said. Ethan expected the demon to rush ahead and board the Trinity. He prepared to launch into the spiritual realm in order to defend them, but the demon did not approach.

  “What’s it doing now!â€� Gideon demanded.

  Ethan concentrated upon the demon. “I’m not sure. It’s not coming any closer.â€�

  Bonifast’s special cannons fired several more rounds, but each met with the same demise: deflection or destruction. Meanwhile the Man-O-wars still closed on the Trinity and their shots fell into the sea nearer to the stern than before. Soon they would be able to hit the Trinity while their rounds still had enough momentum to do real damage.

  Ethan watched as the demon suddenly veered away from the entire exchange. It dove into the depths of the Azure Sea and Ethan lost sight of it. “It’s gone. I’m not sure where it’s going—into the sea for some reason,â€� he said.

  “Why would it do that?â€�

  But Ethan could only turn to his mentor and shrug. Gideon’s expression softened. Unfortunately none of them had long to wait on the answer to the question. Something breeched the water off the starboard side approximately five hundred yards away. A plume of water erupted skyward, giving birth to a nightmare of gigantic proportion.

  Calls came from all over the ship. “Sea dragon!â€� they yelled.

  “What?â€� Ethan couldn’t believe what he saw. “I thought they were only myths—stories told to children!â€�

  “Get the cannons ready port and starboard!â€� Levi demanded.

  “Have you ever seen one of these before, Levi?â€� Gideon asked. The look on his face gave the priest his answer—none of them had. “I’ve only heard tales,â€� he said. “But who ever pays any attention to those? They say the sea dragons only hunt large whales in the depths. People have claimed to see whale carcasses shredded to pieces or bitten in half, but I never believed them.â€�

  The snake-like serpent had armor of richly colored blue scales, except on its white underbelly. This dragon possessed no wings or appendages of any land sort at all—a sea serpent. Great fins protruded from various places on its body, allowing it to navigate more efficiently in the depths of the Azure where it normally hunted.

  The beast drew its body upward and threw its hydrodynamic head toward the Trinity as the ship passed by. The dragon produced a piercing, high-pitched screech. The dragon flashed row upon row of large, serrated teeth like a shark, then plunged back into the water, the entire body following the course of the head. A great lump of its body rolled just above the water ending when the tail finished the course and disappeared beneath the surface again.

  “It’s coming!â€� Ethan shouted. His sight allowed him to penetrate the murk and see the massive creature swimming toward the Trinity.

  “Ready the guns, men!â€� Levi commanded. He kept a white-knuckle grip on the helm, hoping the sea dragon would not emerge at the bow or stern where defenses were weakest. “When you get a shot, take it!â€� he shouted to the gunnery crews.

  For what seemed like an age, everything remained still. Only the sound of the Trinity treading water was heard now as even the enemy ships had stopped firing—most likely curious as to the dragon’s appearance and its next move.

  Ethan watched as it drew nearer. The beast swam incredibly fast. Then the great toothy head erupted from the Azure on the Trinity’s starboard side. Its head seemed even m
ore massive close-up and its open maw could have swallowed an elephant whole. The huge serpent held its body aloft for a moment and then brought the head down to strike.

  The mouth split into rows of jagged teeth and smashed into the deck. The strike caught three men. The deck boards buckled and cracked where the men had been standing. One sailor disappeared inside the mouth completely. Another dangled by one leg caught between the teeth. He screamed frantically as his tan trousers turned red. The third man fell away to the side sustaining scrapes, cuts, and probably broken bones.

  What happened to the first man in the next flash of those teeth was too horrible to describe—rows of serrated knives transformed from bone white to crimson. The second man fell away as the head rose up, chewing, swallowing. His lower leg was gone. Some rushed to help him. They brandished blades, trying to hack at the sea serpent. Gideon ran among them.

  Ethan looked within the creature and saw the demon possessing it—the same which had been protecting the enemy ships. That was why the sea dragon, usually never seen, had come up from the depths to attack them. The beast struck again, becoming entangled in the rigging. Gideon jumped up and grabbed some of the ropes tangled about its head. He thrashed it with his blade.

  “Shoot the body!â€� Levi commanded. The Man-O-wars were still approaching fast. The beast held the Trinity in place as the wind fought against the sails to drive them forward.

  Cannons exploded, striking the beast where it draped over onto the deck. The sea dragon lurched and screeched, pulling away from the rigging ropes. The head sped on over the other side of the deck with the long body following like a shimmering blue archway over the ship. “Gideon!â€� Ethan cried.

  Gideon disappeared over the side, still tangled in the ropes about the dragon’s head. Ethan leaped after him into realm shift, entering the spiritual plane to follow. Gideon tried to free himself, gouging the beast with his sword, giving it all of the effort he could muster.