Chapter six

We encountered rough seas through most of the voyage. Then two days before our arrival at Trianix we were attacked by a gurtash. Our ship was besieged by the sea monster and it's brood. They scampered about awaiting for whatever food it gave them.

This creatures were rumored to be big and fierce. The one we met was gigantic.

It had a serpent-like body covered by huge, thick scales. The gurtash was a dark green color with a lighter colored underbelly. Two sets of clawed arms extended from it's thorax. The mouth was crowned with dozens of dagger-like teeth and its head was covered with sharp horns.

One swipe from the powerful creature rent our main mast in half. Some of the men were swept of the ship along with it. The juveniles awaited for them on the waves. Ragged screams from the dying men filled the night air .

I cowered in a corner of the deck , my back against the cabin-wall. Desperately I covered my distended belly as if to protect the one within. I could not move , the monster had me pinned. Any abrupt movement would call it's attention to me.

Yet , it somehow sensed me because it stared straight at me. I knew in mere seconds it would lunge itself against me.

How unfair it all seemed we had come so close to freedom !

The monster dove , his mouth agape, ready to engulf me. Then it stopped, centimeters away from me. A greenish light engulfed it preventing it from reaching me.

The creature retreated , a bit perplexed as to what was going on. I felt the same way.

Who could be powerful enough to stop such a creature dead in it's tracks?

Antianne! He stood before me . Nothing in him conveyed fear. Such strength was embodied in him that it was arresting. How could he contain such might?

I had never paused to reflect on his advanced spiritual level. He was a priest , yes, but one so young would merely know the most basic of spells. It took nearly a lifetime of training for someone to master spells such as the kacte'eni , yet they came so effortlessly to him.

Even the creature was taken aback by his charged aura. It kept eyeing him with hesitation, not daring to attack.

He gave me a side-glance, I could see the whites of his eyes had turned as red as his pupils. They were to crimson pools of blood. The air around him shimmered making him look like he was in a totally different dimension from the ship and the creature ... and me.

The look he gave me in that instant shall always haunt me , so full of love and understanding. It seemed to say that he would always be with me.

Unwillingly I felt my tears rise. Deep in my heart I knew, though he had not meant it that way, he was saying good-bye.

He raised his hand before him and a blazing sword appeared . Blue and black flares danced over the blade. Suddenly he leapt against the gurtash. The creature startled out of it' s indecision counter attacked with a powerful swipe of it's claws. Antianne avoided it deftly, coming closer to the animals body with each pass.

They continued their death dance , Antianne thrusting with his sword and retreating , the beast blindly swatting anything that moved.

Finally Antianne penetrated it's defenses moving close to it' s underbelly. With a potent slash he opened the creature's belly.

A foul smell erupted as it's innards spewed onto the deck, spilling from there to the sea. Black blood oozed from it's wounds staining the water beneath it.

Loud shrieks came from the gurtash as it's own offspring began to devour it's intestines. Desperately it thrashed about trying to escape the tiny monsters. It's massive body crashed against the ship making it tremble down to it's hull. The vessel could not resist for long.

Antianne called forth a gale wind to propel the ship away from the dying creature.The wind was so strong we were all holding on for dear life.

My hair was flailing about caught in the strong breeze. I raised arm to keep it away from my face just in time to see Antianne flying over the railing.

He had been concentrating on the spell and failed to notice the aimless limb heading his way. With it's last dying effort the creature took Antianne and two sailors.

Quickly I ran to railing searching the waves for him. But the sea was a churning black mass. Thousands of baby gurtash were feasting on their mother's corpse.

Horrible screams came from the men in the water as the creatures attacked them. There was nothing to be done, already our ship was moving rapidly away.

Over and over I called his name , he never answered. Only when I could no longer see the blackened waters, or hear the sickening crunch of breaking bones did I stop screaming.

My mind was an empty hazy plane and for a brief moment I wondered if it would not be better to just die. To end it all and rest. But then the first pains of labor set upon me. With a sorrowful moan I sank to my knees. Death would have to wait.

The sailors were no help. They did not have the smallest inkling of what to do. I myself had no idea. It was expected that we would reach Trianix before the birth. Having no experience, I, just went along with the flow.

I had no idea of how my child would come out of my body. My body is that of a man , which means there is no convenient orifice for the baby to pop out off. Stripping off of my clothes I settled down as best I could to watch my body for any sign of how it would occur.

After two hours, of the most excruciating pain I had ever felt , my abdomen began to feel numb. Though I could sense the baby was moving very actively. Then, right before my startled eyes a tiny hand, then a foot stuck out from my belly. It was as if the skin were immaterial.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the seamen praying on their knees. They were probably recalling stories about Nightshadow demons.

At the moment I could not care less. All I knew was that I was hurting badly, and I wanted to be done with it as quick as possible.

Gently I inserted my hands into my body and lifted the baby out. It was almost dreamlike, that moment. Dazedly I looked into my sons eyes, as red as his father 's eyes had been. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Surely enough , there was the red spot near his groin.

A small movement caught my eye. Another little hand was sticking out of my flesh. Foolishly I counted the arms of the babe I held in my arms. When I convinced myself he had all his appendages , I was really frightened. No one had ever heard of a twin birth in my family . Not once in a thousand years had it happened. Could it be a demon?

I put my baby down beside me really slowly, because my hands were trembling fiercely. Hesitantly I gathered my second child . It was a perky little girl who shared all my physical attributes.

Holding my children in my arms, I thought of how Antianne would have cherished them ; and I cried until early dawn , because he would never see them.

Original story by Angela M. Meléndez

E-mail [email protected]

1998