Sailing on a ship through the air was actually quite different than I had imagined. Due to sudden gusts of wind, the flying ship sometimes heaved over to the one side, then another gust of wind and I almost fell off on the other side. It did not help that Cahal was not very good at steering the ship either; almost flying into trees and mountains a couple of times. But when we finally left the forests and mountain landscapes behind us and were now flying over some kind of wasteland, and Cahal didn�t have to try to avoid mountains and trees anymore. I leaned against the railing of the ship, looking out on the land and Raghnall came to stand next to me.
�So, what is this Morvyn city like?� I asked him.
�I have never been there myself either, but from what I have heard, the city is next to the sea. It has the biggest harbor of all the cities surrounding it, living purely of what the sea gives them.� Raghnall answered.
�I have never seen the sea, have you? My dad has been on a ship once, when he was on one of his journeys. He told me it was huge and when you were sailing and you saw water everywhere around you, that it made you feel very small.�
�Only once, and never again. I am not too fond of the water, as most Elves are. Trees and land are much better, in my opinion.� The Elf said.
�I hope it isn�t much further, I am getting kind of tired.� I wondered out loud, then looked at Teagan who was standing a few feet away from us, also leaning against the railing, looking lost in his thoughts. I walked over to him and then whispered in his ear:
�Boo.� The man almost jumped then and looked at me in shock.
�Shaylee! Don�t ever do that again, please. You nearly gave me a heart attack!� He said while trying to get his breathing under control again.
�Sorry, didn�t mean to scare you!� I laughed. The dragon slayer regained control over himself again and leaned with his back against the wooden railing.
�So what it is what you want, then?� He asked.
�Shaylee and I were just wondering how long it would take to get to Morvyn.� I heard Raghnall say from behind me.
�Hmm, not very long. I suppose with going at this speed, we will arrive there in about a day.� Teagan answered, and I saw Raghnall behind me nod. A day?
�Are you saying that is not very long?� I moaned while just hanging myself over the railing again. The gusts of wind were back, all of a sudden, and the ship was heaving from one side to another again.
It was a good thing I hadn�t eaten much that day.
~
�Morvyn ahoy!� I heard Cahal yell after, exactly like Teagan had said, a day. And it was a good thing too, as I thought I was almost going to die from boredom. From the moment we had left the forest behind us, there had been nothing but wasteland around us, not a single tree or animal in sight. I could see it was bugging Raghnall too; he was just staring into nothingness, leaning against the railing. And it was not like the Kayne or Teagan were much fun either, as they were doing the exact same thing. There was only one thing left to do, and that was listening to Cahal�s endless babbling. I could not believe that anyone could talk so fast and so much without breathing, but this man seemed to be the living prove that it was possible. The only thing that kept me from throwing myself overboard was thinking about Aislin, how terrible she looked and how I knew she desperately needed our help. As long as I could block out Cahal�s never-ending stream of words, I was safe.
So you can imagine my relief when Cahal yelled the words that I had been waiting for all day. I stood up from the place I had been sitting, namely the front of the ship, and looked if I could see anything. The other guys also seemed to be up out of their reverie and walked to the front of the ship. And yes, there it was, a little dot on the horizon: the big fire tower of Morvyn that Teagan had told me about just hours earlier. As we moved closer to the tower, I could see the striped red-white-red colors that were painted on it, and later the big torch in the top of the tower that was put on at night to warn the ships on sea that there was land there. The ship slowly commenced further, and we could see more of the tower that was standing on a little hill, and further, so we could see what was lying behind it.
Nothing.
Where the city of Morvyn should have been lying, there was nothing but sea. Endless, slightly green sea. There was a small strip of sand behind the fire tower that was the only sign that once there had been people living here.
�Um�are you sure we are at the right place?� I asked to no one in particular.
�I�Yes, I am sure.� Teagan answered, completely stunned. �That fire tower, I remember climbing in it when I was a little boy. I just don�t understand��
As we came closer to the fire tower, I saw that Teagan was right. Various items were randomly placed on the beach; a shoe, a porcelain doll, broken glasses and plates, some clothes and a painting of a young, rich looking woman with bright red lips sitting on a chair. And although there was nothing unusual except for the things lying on the beach, the air around me felt odd in some way. Then Cahal stopped the ship and I jumped off it, right on the sand that was still wet from the sea. The others followed me and looked around a bit awkwardly, not sure of what do to next.
�So�what now?� Cahal asked.
�I don�t know. Shaylee, are you sure Aislin said she was at Morvyn?� Kayne said.
�I told you before, she said Mor�yn. Teagan was the one who said it was Morvyn!� I answered angrily. Surely it wasn�t my fault that we had ended up here!
�Hey now, don�t go blaming me for all this. It is not like I knew that something like this was going to happen. And listen, I don�t think it is anybody�s fault, and I surely don�t want to fight you just because it this!� The dragon slayer exclaimed.
�Would you shut up already and take a look at this?� Raghnall said, sitting back on his heels a few feet before us. He seemed to be looking at something on the ground, and when I moved closer I saw they were tracks. Footprints, to be precise, and some kind of trace that looked like someone had been half dragged. They pointed into the direction of�
�Into the sea?� I asked, puzzled.
�Keir�� Kayne whispered suddenly, sounding frightened.
�What? Where?� Cahal said while holding his scythe up high, ready to strike.
�He was here.� The wizard said, while kneeling and touching the traces softly with his hand. �Keir did this. He destroyed the city of Morvyn and hid Aislin under the sea. That is what Aislin meant when she said she was in Morvyn.�
�Destroyed the entire city?� I gasped. �He can do that?�
�He is a God, he can do whatever he likes.� Raghnall answered for Kayne. �Now, I suggest we go and find Aislin.�
�And how do you suppose we are going to do that?� Teagan asked. �She is hidden in the sea, right? Can you hold your breath that long? And I don�t know about you, but I am not that good of a swimmer��
�Yeah, me too�� Cahal said, looking very anxious all of a sudden.
�I will create a bubble around us, so that we can breathe. Please, everyone, gather around me so I can do it.� We did as he asked us to do and stood right next to him. I heard the wizard mumble some kind of spell in a language that I did not understand, and he made a circle-like motion with his arms. And suddenly, a large, grayish bubble formed around us. I touched it lightly with my fingertips, then pushed harder with my hand, and stated that it did not burst like normal soap bubbles. Kayne mumbled another incantation and the bubble floated up in the air, and right into the greenish water with a slight splash, and then the water closed around us.
At first I could not see a thing. The water was even greener here than I had seen on the surface, and it took a while until I could see what was around us. Like on the beach, here too were floating items that proved there had been people here. I could see parts of wooden planks, a lot of pots and pans, forks, knives and spoons, more clothing and a lot more things. It seemed like the entire population had been wisped away by the God, just like that. And even though I had met Keir twice, I could not believe that anyone was capable of doing such a thing. As we descended in the water further, fish began to swim around us, giving us odd looks. The water became darker and darker, until I couldn�t see anything anymore. Kayne seemed to have the answer for this too; he pulled a stone out of his sleeve and rubbed it; it promptly began to glow a bright yellowish light. And that was when I saw it.
We were nearing the bottom of the sea, and instead of the usual muddy ground that one would expect, I saw the city of Morvyn. From what I could see, it was entirely intact; there was a big church in the middle, with an equally big bell in the tower. Little houses, alleys and pubs. Keir had not destroyed the city after all. He had merely let the sea flow over it. Somehow I did not want to know what he did with all the people�
�Morvyn. I knew we were at the right place.� Teagan said weakly, looking pale in the light of Kayne�s stone.
�Where do you think Keir has hidden Aislin�?� I asked.
�There. In the church, I see a light coming from it.� Raghnall pointed out. And he was right; from the windows of the big church was a faint light coming. Kayne moved the bubble closer to it, but as soon as we came within a few feet radius to it, we were sucked into which seemed another bubble around the church. The bubble Kayne had created burst as soon as we came in the bubble around the church, and I fell to the ground, right onto the street around the church. The others seemed to be more fortunate; they somehow managed to land right on their feet. Kayne put away his stone and I saw Raghnall made a move to help me up, but Cahal was faster than him. He grabbed me right by the arms and pulled me up, a little too fast, so that I almost flew forwards. I managed to keep my balance, though, and looked at the church.
It looked even more impressive from up close. The front consisted of a big tower of about 10 feet tall and build with brown, old bricks. Huge doors were made to let the people in, but were now closed. In the highest part of the tower, there was a place where a big, old, copper bell was hanging that looked as if it hadn�t been used in ages. Behind the tower there was the actual church, made of the same brown bricks, but it wasn�t as tall as the tower. The roof of the part behind the tower made an upside down V shape and was made of grayish roof tiles. There were small windows on both sides of the church, and a big, round one on the front of the tower, made of colored glass and it seemed to be made in such a way that the colored glass looked like a man holding a yellow shining cross in his hands. And, as Raghnall had seen before, from those windows was a coming a faint, bluish light.
�Do you suppose we should just storm in, or what?� Cahal asked.
�No, I don�t think-� Kayne started, but was interrupted by the two big doors in front of us opening. The blue light that at first had been faint was now coming out with full force, blinding me. Then, it suddenly was gone, and I had to blink a few times to get rid of the stars on my retina. When I finally could see clearly again I saw Keir.
The God of Death was standing in the middle of the church, between the benches. He had his arms crossed and did not look amused at all. His hair was shining a bright red for some reason, and his eyes looked even blacker than in the previous times I had met him. Right behind him I could see an altar with behind it a huge cross and to my surprise and shock, he had tied Aislin to it. The Goddess was hanging with her hands tied to the horizontal part of the cross and her feet tied together, completely still. Her eyes were closed and her head was drooped, and looked like a skeleton, so thin as she was. Then, some kind of invisible force made us fly into the church and the doors closed shut with a bang. Keir began to speak.
�And again. I told your little friend over there to keep out of this, as this is a personal matter between Aislin and me, but would you stop? No, of course not. You petty little humans have to pretend to be heroes, trying to �save� Aislin. Did I not tell you to leave us alone?�
�We could never leave Aislin at your hands, Keir.� Kayne said bravely, although I noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. �She is the one that keeps our world together, and now that she has been gone for so long, is it falling apart. Do you really think we would let that happen just like that?�
�I do not care about you mortals, or about the Earth. All I know is that you are like a pest to me, and pests are to get rid of. I did so with those pathetic humans that lived in this city, and I will do so with you. If you just would have listened to what I had said the first time, it would not have come to this. You humans are just amusing me sometimes, and I can take a little joke or two. But you have been bothering me for so long, I cannot let you go anymore. Now, all that I have to say is farewell.� And with that, Keir put his right hand in front of him and produced a small, glowing blue ball of energy. I truly prepared myself to die right then, as we clearly stood no chance against the God, if Aislin hadn�t interrupted.
�Keir��
Keir spun around while letting the blue ball of energy disappear, and I saw that Aislin had awoken. She had lifted her head slightly and looked at us with her eyes only half open.
�Stay of out this, Aislin. This is a personal matter!�
�One that does�involve me as well�� The Goddess said weakly. Keir frowned and fired a blast at her that exploded right beside her head.
�Be quiet, now. If you know what is best for you, you will listen to what I say.� The God of Death was now completely turned to Aislin while talking to her, and Teagan took his chance. The earth split open before his feet, making a path of destruction to the God. He then pulled out his sword from his back and began to run towards Keir. The dragon slayer completely ignored the �No!� Raghnall yelled at him and swung his sword to the God.
�Never turn your back to armed dragon slayers!� He shouted, but before the sword could even as much as touch Keir, the God has turned around, extended his arm and threw Teagan backwards against the wall with an invisible force. Teagan hit the wall with a loud smack and slumped against it, not moving.
�What a fool!� uttered Keir. �Did he really think he could kill me, the God of Death? I really do hope you don�t think the same.� He slowly moved his hand upwards and before one of use could even move, a huge energy beam came out his hand and hit Teagan and went right through the wall of the church. The church moaned in objection and for a second I thought it was going to collapse, but it didn�t. When the dust around the source of impact cleared, Teagan was gone.
�You�you killed him!� I gasped while looking back at Keir. The God just let out an amused chuckle.
�Yes, I did. And if you are not out of here in ten seconds, I will do the same to you. Go on, little critters, run and I might let you live. Maybe.�
�You killed him!� I yelled, stepping closer to Keir. Something inside me was brewing, something I had never felt before. It made me feel my whole body was on fire; my ears were ringing and breathing hurt. There was a serpent inside my body, slithering, desperately trying to get out. It hurt and I felt like doubling over, but I somehow I could remain upright, staring right at the God. For some reason I was no longer scared of Keir.
�Shaylee, don�t!� Raghnall said while grabbing my arm. I pulled myself loose from his grasp with a force I did not know I had before.
�Do not try to stop me.� I said in a voice that sounded not like my own.
�Feeling brave today, little girl? Do you want to end up just like that friend of yours? I will make sure that he will feel himself at home quickly�in one of my dungeons.� Keir smirked.
�Shut up!� I shrieked, not sure if I was talking to Keir or the voices that were shouting inside of my head. I put my hands against my ears and doubled over. Then I and blew up. Literally. The heat inside of my body seemed to force its way to the outside, outside my body, and a glowing purple aura surrounded me, and then blew up much like a bomb would do. It consumed the whole church, Raghnall, Kayne and Cahal, Aislin and Keir. The last thing I saw was the shocked look on the God�s face.
Then I blacked out.
~
When I woke up, I was back on the beach. My whole body felt sore and tired and I felt like throwing up. But at least I felt better than before; there was no burning sensation inside my body, my ears weren�t ringing and there were no voices in my head.
�Shaylee!� I heard a voice coming from my right side, and I turned my head a bit too fast, causing my stomach to churn over and I threw up while someone was holding my head. When I was done, I looked up to see it had been Raghnall that was holding my head and Kayne and Cahal standing behind him, both with worried looks on their faces.
�Are you okay now?� Kayne almost whispered.
�I�I�m fine. But�what happened back down there? How did we end up at the beach?� I asked, as I had no idea.
�We have no idea either. There was a purple light around you and then suddenly everything blew up. Kayne had created a barrier around us just in time, or we surely would have died there too. We went to the surface and when we got there, we saw you lying here, passed out. You have been out for almost two hours and you know the rest.� Raghnall explained.
�And Teagan?� I questioned although I knew the answer already. Raghnall and Kayne just hung their heads and Cahal looked like he was about to cry.
�Even though he was mostly mean to me, he did not deserve that! Whoosh! Right through him. That looked like it hurt. Poor guy!� Cahal commented.
�Yes, he certainly did not deserve that�� Raghnall said while looking at the sea, wistfully.
�Um�what happened to Keir and Aislin? Did they�die, too?�
�No,� answered Keir, �I saw them leave the church. Although I have no idea where they are now�Maybe it would be better if we would just give up.�
Raghnall jumped up at that. �Are you kidding me? We can�t just give up now that we have come so far! We were this close to our goal and this is just a minor setback! It would be crazy to stop now!�
�Minor setback? We just lost Teagan, get it through your thick skull. He died back there. You are calling that a minor setback?� Kayne shrieked.
�Guys-� I started, but they would not listen to me.
�I am just saying that we should continue, even though we have now one man less. I will not give up!�
�Guys!�
�No, we do not have one man less, we have one friend less! You are saying it like it is no big deal!�
�GUYS!� I yelled. They finally shut up and looked at me. I scraped my throat. �You are both right. Raghnall, you are talking about Teagan like he did not matter at all. But I do believe that we should continue. Teagan would want us to continue. Besides, this is the world we are talking about! Who is in?�
�I am!� Raghnall immediately said.
�Kayne?� I looked expectedly at the wizard, who sighed and gave in.
�Okay, you have persuaded me. Count me in.�
�Right! So, I suggest we go back with Cahal�s ship, to the nearest city. We eat and sleep there and then he will think of something. Sounds like a plan?�
�Wow, Shaylee, I never knew you were such a leader!� Raghnall laughed. I blushed a little but he did not seem to notice. �But okay, what are we waiting for, then? Let�s go!� He pulled me up and we started to walk back to the ship, when we heard Cahal say:
�Don�t I get a say in this?�
at which we all shouted:
�No!�
