By Alissa J. Zavalianos
Pushing off the embankment, I crouch low in the hollow craft, hoping the reeds cover my retreat. I shift the bundle in my arms, all the while my heart thumping in my ears.
I’d built this boat with a single purpose. To escape. Taking something with me wasn’t part of the plan.
I’m a dead man. A thief.
Shouts echo from behind as my crude vessel distances from the water’s edge. They sound angry, vengeful even.
I peer up from my hiding spot and hold the bundle closer, scanning the retreating shoreline. Sure enough, I spot two figures stumbling into the clearing: Salazar and Grimbold—my father’s men. They’re dressed in long, billowing cloaks with the Imperial colors, and in their hands are weapons of a cruel making such as knives and swords.
“Where’d the little rat go? You see him?” Salazar’s eyes dart to his left and right.
“He ran south, but I lost him… Do you think…?” Grimbold’s expression turns cold as he scans the shoreline. His gaze doesn’t reach me.
Salazar shakes his head. “Rikkozath isn’t that big. And any confounded boat off this island has been destroyed by the king’s fleet. His Imperial Majesty’s made sure of that, remember?” He scoffs. “Even his son wouldn’t be mad enough to dare trying to escape.”
Grimbold shrugs. “Where to now?”
“We keep looking. The Emperor’s madness deepens the longer that… thing goes missing. If we’re too late, that little miscreant of his will become a murderer.” Salazar grips his sword tighter until I can see the whiteness of his knuckles.
Murderer. The accusation sits heavily in my gut. What have I done?
I tug the bundle closer to my chest and swallow hard.
My rough-hewn craft glides through the remaining stretch of reeds and spits out at the last curve of the peninsula. The shore shrinks and the hairs at the nape of my neck rise the farther I drift away.
What now? I never imagined freedom could be so directionless.
The waves lap against my craft, and I taste the gentle spray of salt as it smatters across my face. My body shakes against the hull.
Is the ocean safe?
I’ve heard the tales that creep up your skin and settle on your chest. I’ve heard noises in the night. I’ve seen strange shadows lap against our shores… I guess that was how my father’s madness began.
In his pride, he’d set out on a voyage many years ago to tame the seas. But he didn’t get very far. The tide had raged against his ship, stolen his wife, and washed him up on the shores of Rikkozath. Within the same month, he remarried the Empress and built himself a cage out of his fears.
He hasn’t left since.
Now, he sits enthroned on a seat of gold, stewing in his misery, and hardly keeping his hands off his precious talisman.
“What is that, Father?” I’d asked him one day, eyeing the twisted figurine that always rested in his lap.
“It’s nothing of importance,” he replied. But the way he stroked the statue told me otherwise.
“Then why can’t you tell me?”
“It’s for Rikkozath’s safety. I keep close what needs watching. That’s all you need to know.” He shooed me away after that, shielding the talisman from view.
Since then, I’d never been able to get my hands on it…
Until now.
I peel back the layers of cloth and reveal the object within. Smooth bronze stares back at me, twisted and molded into the shape of an octopus. It has emeralds for eyes, and its mouth is filled with razor teeth.
A shudder trails down my spine. Why would my father keep this?
Suddenly, the wind shifts and the boat rocks unsteadily from side to side. The swells churn my stomach, and my shaking hands struggle to hold the talisman.
What’s going on?
A wave crashes violently against the hull and dips the bow forward. My heart leaps to my throat. Icy water floods the small craft and topples me overboard, the talisman following suit.
I try to grab it but fail, getting a mouthful of water instead. I spin around, flailing my limbs and looking for my boat, desperate to touch something solid.
There!
The stern peeks around the churning waves, and as it dips below the surface, so does my composure.
The sea rumbles as if from an earthquake deep underneath. Bubbles spring up all around me, and a massive shadow moves toward the surface just below my feet.
My heart is no longer in my throat; it’s drowned somewhere at sea. My father was right to fear the ocean… Why had I been such a fool to leave home, to try to flee my father’s insanity only to discover my own?
The shadow draws nearer until a mottled, reddish blob breaks through the waters and towers above me. Something slimy and snakelike winds around my body, suctioning against my skin. Giant, emerald eyes stare at me as it brandishes a mouth of jagged teeth.
It takes only a moment for me to recognize what this is.
My father’s talisman? But how…?
My vision blurs, either from fear or delirium, and I find it hard to catch my breath. Surely, this is the end. I’ll be eaten!
“Cuumghh whhuughh muughh,” the monster roars, the gargled sounds strangely coherent. Come with me.
“With you?” I shake; the only thing keeping me steady is the octopus’s arm. “Why?”
“Yuugh wuughh suughh.” You will see. The monster wraps a tentacle around my head, suction-cupping my mouth.
It drags me below the frigid waters, and the world above disappears as shadows consume me. We dive deeper, and something like oxygen fills my lungs.
Blessed relief.
I open my eyes, and a brilliant light floods them. Standing before me is a woman. I’m struck speechless at seeing my own likeness in her face.
Where am I?
“Lukka.”
She knows my name?
“Welcome home… son.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OHHH???
This is cool! :D
Thanks so much! :)
crackling tension… surprise ending.
I like twist at the end! I had to read it again to catch your clever phrasing, “stolen his wife.” Great story!
It’s here! Great job on the heart-pounding-ness of this, Alissa. I was getting low-key anxious while reading it.
Well, THAT took a turn I wasn’t expecting! Very good, and spooky, and enjoyable.