Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [172]
Suddenly a hail of hot stones falls on the ship and those getting aboard from where they had been belched from the belly of the emerging volcano. One stone strikes James in the head, causing him to falter and fall to the ground. Jiron helps him to his feet and then half carries him across the gangplank to the ship’s deck.
Miko turns and gasps when he sees one armed Black Tooth in the fore of the advancing mob. From somewhere he’s acquired a sword and has it gripped in his remaining hand. When their eyes lock, an evil grin spreads across his face as he quickens his pace to reach Miko.
“Miko!” James yells from where he stands on the ship. “Hurry up!”
When Miko and Essin reach the gangplank, the captain is there and he takes Nate from them as they board the ship. Two crewmen pull in the gangplank as the wind fills the sails and the ship begins to back away from the dock now that James is no longer holding it captive.
Before the ship is able to put enough distance between them and the dock, a few of the people running toward them try jumping the distance between the dock and the ship. Most land in the water but a couple manages to reach the deck, Black Tooth is one of those to make the ship’s deck.
Crying out as he lands on the deck, he turns toward Miko who’s only a foot away and raises his sword to end his life. Miko looks up at death coming for him and then closes his eyes as he braces for the end.
As Black Tooth strikes down at Miko, he suddenly gasps and falters. Miko opens his eyes and sees a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, blood beginning to flow down the front of his body. Staggering to the side, he looks down at the bolt sticking out of him. With a cry of animal ferocity, he again lurches toward Miko, intent on killing him with his last ounce of strength.
Another bolt strikes him in the shoulder causing him to drop his sword. Coming forward with the crossbow still in his hands, Essin approaches and says, “This is for killing my crew!” Using his right foot, he kicks Black Tooth in the butt which causes him to stumble over the ship’s rail. Leaning over the rail, Essin watches as he hits the water and proceeds to sink beneath the surface.
Only one of the others who made it to the ship still lives, another slave Essin knows and will vouch for his good behavior.
As they continue to pull away, the others remaining at the dock cry and plead for them to return, but the captain orders his men to make all speed to open water. “Put this god forsaken island behind us!”
“How is he?” the captain asks Miko as he comes over to see how his cousin Nate is doing.
“I don’t know,” replies Miko. “He was poisoned, the others who were poisoned are all dead, but he didn’t drink as much as they had.”
“Guess we’ll know after awhile,” states the captain. “Never thought to see him alive again.”
James comes over to the captain and offers his hand. When the captain takes it, he says, “Appreciate you allowing us on, captain.”
“Didn’t do it for you,” he says, “though after what you did to the guards I was of a mind to allow you on anyway. But when I saw Nate here, that clinched it.”
“We appreciate it anyway,” he assures him. Suddenly from the north end of the island, a gigantic explosion throws a tremendous volume of rocks and magma into the air. Several other spots on the island begin to erupt as well.
Steam rises from the ocean off the northern point of the island and soon, magma can be seen shooting upward through the water.
“Damn!” the captain exclaims at the sight.
“Full sails!” he hollers up to the men in the rigging. To the man at the wheel he shouts, “Straight away to open water!”
“Aye, aye captain,” the man at the wheel replies as he alters the ship’s course accordingly.
As the ship sails away, James can see several different areas where the magma is bursting through the surface of the sea. A whole chain of volcanoes is being created and the heat from them can be felt even from this distance. He feels bad, everyone that had been left on the island is most likely dead or will be. He can’t conceive of anyone