7. From the Illyminum Codex

There are certain beings who, according to Illym’s will, defy the limits of the corporeal body to rise to the highest levels of wisdom and power. These are the Illymatars, Illym’s star children. When their journey through the world of men is complete after passing through many lifetimes, these beings will make their final entry to the Heavens, becoming one of Illym’s stars of pure spirit and light.

Chapter 40

Starlex kept her eyes shut tight as the small craft rode the crests and valleys of deep waves. What little contents she had left in her stomach had already shot from her mouth to the floor of the raft. Beyond humiliation, she thought only of survival now.

She clung to the horses' bridles. If the raft split apart, she would grab hold of one of them. In all her years pleasantly sailing off the coast of Oran, she never went farther than the rock promontory that had been her playground and quiet sanctuary. She had no idea the sea could be this rough, throwing their small raft around like a toy. Below her feet, the logs creaked and groaned, and above her, the sail stretched to its limits.

Through salt-stung eyes, she viewed the jagged coastline of Kadaar bobbing in the distance. She turned to Leiffen, who struggled to steady the sail against the raging wind.

She shifted her gaze to the figure of Bonn Skaard at the stern. Every other second, a wave would splash down on him, and each time she thought he had gone overboard, he would reappear again, his shoulders square against the pounding wind and sea.

Even with her rudimentary nautical experience, she knew that to sail into harsh winds was beyond foolish. She wondered what possessed Bonn Skaard to put them all at risk other than his eagerness to reach his home had impaired his senses. She longed to stagger over to him and offer her advice, but fear kept her wedged between the two beasts on board, whose instinct she trusted beyond the foolhardy Skaard.

Leiffen, still clinging to the mast, raised one arm to point in the near distance. His blue Illymium eyes seemed to glow with fear.

“What is it?” Starlex shouted. The wind snatched her words with the cold greedy hands of a witch.

The sea which swelled into a white capped peak before the raft. Beneath the thin veil of blue water, emerged the enormous tail of the underwater dragon.

Leiffen slid down the mast and positioned himself behind Starlex. He gripped her waist just as the craft mounted the wave, pointing its stern skyward. Bonn Skaard stood in defiance as the head of Zetax, the mythical sea dragon, rose from the depths. He lifted his ax as the dragon opened her jaws, ready to swallow them whole.

The mast cracked and fell, taking the sail with it. The horses squealed. She reached her hands out desperately and caught the stallion's saddle, looping her arm under the girth strap before the raft exploded.

There was a horrible feeling of spinning, of the great horse's thrashing limbs. But by far, the worst part was her awareness of holding her breath, the knowledge that she couldn't hold it forever, and as the cold blackness surrounded her, she knew that in her next breath, she would take in the cold sea and fill her lungs with agony. Then her body would sink to the bottom of that blackness, never to be ...

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Her bare foot scraped against a rock, then cold sand. She was still gripping the stallion's saddle when, miraculously, the horse surfaced and began to swim.

Desperately, Starlex climbed, hand over fist, to the top of the saddle. Grabbing onto the pommel, she hoisted herself onto the stallion's back. Vomiting seawater that had lodged deep inside her lungs, she rested her head against the animal's mane and prayed the horse would make it to shore. Whirling her head, she looked around. The remnants of the raft, mere sticks bobbing over waves, fanned out behind her. A sick feeling gripped her at the thought of being the sole survivor.

But at least I'm alive.

The stallion's legs stiffened as they found the sandy floor, made a few listing steps onto the sand before toppling over. Starlex rolled off its back, curled into a tight ball, and took in grateful, shuddering breaths as darkness surrounded her.

She awoke to the smell of smoke and the sound of crackling wood. Incredulously, a fire burned on the beach. Its red glow fanning out into the darkness illuminated a figure.

"What?" Her head popped up from beneath a wet fur, Bonn Skaard's capelet.

"Hello, princess," Leiffen Skaard smiled at her.

"I thought you drowned," she said, sitting up.

"We thought so, too, didn't we?"

Bonn Skaard entered the firelight's glow, carrying a skinned rabbit on a stick. Behind him stood the two horses munching on brown grass.

"Better come closer to the fire, princess," Bonn said with a grunt. "You're still shivering."

"I thought you didn't care if I lived or died!" The words escaped from her mouth before she could call them back, nor did she want to. Her former self would always err on the side of politeness, but after what she had been through, she scarcely cared whom she offended, especially this man who had threatened to toss her overboard.

Bonn chuckled. "We lost a good raft, but we made it ashore.”

“And we have a good tale to tell about it to boot,” piped Leiffen, looking worse for wear in his soggy leather attire. “Not many a man, nor woman, has ever come that close to being eaten by Zetax, the sea dragon. Now, at least we know she’s real.”

Leiffen opened his leather sack and peeked inside. “Good thing my balls survived.”

Bonn laughed.

“And me pipe.” Leiffen produced a wooden flute and turned it upside down to let the water drain out. He played a few watery notes on the pipe then began to sing.

Zetax comes from the watery depths,

Making a meal of me friends and me pets.

But Illym had another plan

And landed our asses ashore on the sand.

Bonn Skaard grunted and said, “Needs work.” He gestured toward Starlex. “Come and eat, princess. You need your strength."

The fire's warmth drew her to it despite her pride. The scent of the roasting meat made her mouth water.

"Why? Where are we going?" she asked.

"Beyond the mountains," Bonn said, lifting his chin. "Home."

"What about returning me to Oran?"

The Skaard warrior's ice-blue gaze penetrated the wavering flames between them. "As I told you before. You are my bounty now."

He turned to Leiffen and said something in the Skaard tongue. Both men chuckled.

"Speak the common tongue, please," she said.

"Making demands again, princess?"

"No," she faltered. "It's just that it's rude."

Bonn tore a piece of rabbit meat with his teeth and swallowed. He pushed a stick with a skewered piece of meat toward her. She picked it off with her fingers and chewed. The meat juices slithered down her throat, instantly warming her blood.

“We need to keep you alive. You're worth more to us that way. Tomorrow, we'll travel beyond those peaks to my village. We will have fresh clothes for you and more provisions there. But for now ..." Bonn Skaard patted the ground beside him.

"What?"

"Princess, you have very little clothes left on you."

She looked down in sudden shame. All that remained of her Nazeer wedding gown were thin green rags, barely covering her nakedness. Her bluish-white skin trembled violently.

"I plan to bargain with Scipio Davadas using your fine flesh as a wager. Therefore, I must take care of it. Come now." He waved a thick hand in her direction as if he were calling a pet to his side.

Realizing she had no choice, she moved toward him. Despite her inner protestations and feelings of intense humiliation, she did find herself relaxing in the warmth of the fire and the protection of the Skaard's strong body, that smelled of saltwater and sweat. Before long, she had let go of any feelings of resistance as sleep overtook her.