Chapter 23

  “How long do ye think those clouds will threaten us?” Jonathon asked. Despite their ominous appearance, they had sailed through the whole day yesterday without incident.

  “Unsure, Cap’n,” Beckett answered, “but the longer they sit there watchin’ us, the more concerning they become.”

  Jonathon opened his mouth to make a joke when a shudder shook the entire ship. Jonathon grabbed the railing to steady himself as Beckett began to struggle with the helm. “Everything alright, Beckett? What was that?”

  “Not sure, Cap’n,” Beckett replied, grunting with exertion as he fought the helm. “She just stopped respondin’ to me. It’s like somethin’s muddied up the rudder. Can ye go see if ye can see if anythin’s goin’ on back there, Cap’n?”

  “Aye,” Jonathon replied as he ran back and looked over the edge of the railing. Jonathon’s stomach sank as his eyes immediately found the cause of the issue. A massive, coiling tentacle was slowly creeping its way around the rudder and up the backside of the ship.

  Jonathon quickly ran back toward the helm, leaned over the railing to the main deck, and yelled, “Kraken! Man yer stations, lads!”

  He could see the panic set in as the superstitious fear that had been lulled to sleep by their uneventful journey to the island immediately reawakened. All chatter stopped as his inner crew began shouting their orders, preparing for the battle ahead.

  Jonathon saw Ryden sending the powder monkeys below deck for powder, Cassie directing the men into their respective groups, and Dryden ordering the management of the sails as he jumped in to make adjustments himself. He also noticed that Naomi was commanding a group of men and equipping them with pistols and spears. Seems Cassandra had found a role for the girl after all. If he hadn’t been so distracted by the immediate danger, he might have appreciated this development. Instead, he looked to his Navigator. “What do we do if it’s wrapped up in the rudder?”

  Beckett, who was still struggling with the unresponsive helm, grunted out, “Not. Sure. Cap’n. But. We need. To. Untangle the beast. Before. She–”

  The ship shuddered violently again and Jonathon heard the splintering and snapping of wood as Beckett's struggle with the helm immediately ended, and the man fell to the deck–all resistance from the helm gone.

  “Shit!” the man swore. “Cap’n, the rudder’s gone! The beast must’ve snapped ‘er off. We’re dead in the water!”

  Fear quickly turned to panic as the ability to maneuver and possibly outrun the beast, should it prove too strong, was lost. He pushed the feeling down as he mustered all the courage he could feign and said, “Then we’ve only one option remaining. It’s a good thing we kept hold of all that poison. I’ll head down to Thayer and start moving the poison up top. If ye’ve nothing to do at the moment, report to Cass and see what you can do to assist the rest of the crew.”

  Beckett nodded. “Aye, sir.”

  As they both ran down the companionway from the quarterdeck to the main deck, Jonathon glanced over the side of the ship. More tentacles slithered over the railing, their flesh glistening like oil under the dim light. Strange, circular suckers lined its underside, each one pulsing, flexing like the throat of a hungry beast.

  Then it twisted, revealing tiny, jagged spines protruding from its edges–spines that dug into the wood like claws. Jonathon’s panic quickly evolved to dread as he tried to picture not only the size of the beast that had hold of them but also what it was going to do to them if their plan failed.

  He could see a similar evolution on the faces of the crew as they saw him running. He paused at the top of the ladders going below deck. “At ease, boys! We’ve beat worse odds than this, and we’ve planned for exactly this situation. Remember, it’s just a single creature. A large one, yes, but still just one. We’ll send ‘er back to the depths and continue on our way.”

  Whether his little speech helped or not, Jonathon couldn’t know, he had ducked below deck before he could see.

  “Thayer!” he called out as he approached the cook.

  “Sir, what’s goin’ on? I felt the lurch. Did we hit a sandbar?” he asked, his own fear beginning to rise as his captain made his way below deck to find him.

  “‘Fraid not, Thayer. Turns out the rumors were true. A beast currently has its tentacles ensnaring us. The lurch you felt was it breaking the rudder.” Thayer’s fear skipped panic and dread and went straight to despair as he imagined the hopelessness of the situation. Jonathon grabbed the man’s shoulders and shook him. “Thayer, calm yerself. We’re not lost yet. We need to start moving this poison up top. How many men do you need? How long will it take?”

  Thayer’s catastrophic stare returned to the present. He shook his head and regained his composure, a steely determination forming in his eyes. “Aye, sir. Yer right. I’m sorry. Send as many men as ye can spare. The more, the better. At shortest, it’d take a full thirty minutes to get the barrels up top. You’ll ‘ave to hold ‘er off ‘til then.”

  Jonathon nodded and ran back to the top deck. “Cass,” he shouted as he approached his quartermaster, “whatever men can be spared need to be sent below deck to bring the poison up top.”

  “Aye, Cap’n,” she said and turned to the deck, “Jack. Billy. Tiller,” she cried to three of the men over near Ryden. “Grab yer boys and get below deck to Thayer. Move those barrels up like yer girl’s told you she’ll be home alone tonight. Any slower and I’ll have ye all start running drills between the decks every day fer a month!”

  The men jumped at the threat and immediately sprinted into action.

  “And Tiller,” Cassandra continued before the man disappeared, “make sure that in their haste, the boys don’t drop any of the barrels. It won’t do us any good if everything spills inside the ship.”

  “Yes, Quartermaster,” the crewmate yelled, standing at attention before following the men below deck.

  She turned to Jonathon and said, “What now, Captain? I can’t imagine those barrels will be up here anytime soon.”

  Jonathon shook his head. “No, they won’t. Thayer figures we’ll have to fight ‘er off for at least thirty minutes before everything’s up top. Unfortunately, we’re going to both need to help in the fight while maintaining our usual duties with the crew.”

  Cassandra smiled and said, “I’m sure between the two of us, we can handle it.”

  Jonathon turned to Naomi. “You ready to earn yer keep, girl?”

  Naomi smiled playfully, the only one seemingly unaffected by the monster’s presence. “Do I not do this every day, Captain Harding?”

  Jonathon heard some of the men near the railing scream and turned to see the tentacles beginning to wrap around the railing. “Alright, men,” he said, turning to his new group. “The beast has taken out our rudder and is wrapping the rest of its limbs around the ship. We need to hold off whatever this beast has planned until the poison can be brought above board. We’ll split into four groups. Cassandra, Beckett, Naomi, and Adam,” he said, pointing to one of the other crewmates, “will lead each group. That will leave three other men to each group. I’ll float between the groups as needed and keep track of the poison as it’s brought up. Do everything you can to stop this creature’s plans.”

  “Aye, Cap’n,” they all cried in response as they divided amongst themselves and quickly made their way along the side.

  Jonathon approached Ryden. “Ry. I’ve left you with two groups. You have my permission to fire whenever you see the opportunity. Don’t wait for permission; don’t wait for orders. For this fight, you’re in total command of these men!”

  Ryden’s eyes widened with the sudden responsibility, but he nodded and said, “Aye, sir. We’ll give ‘er what for.”

  Jonathon felt a tilting of the ship and looked towards the railing as the tentacles had found purchase and were tensed in contraction. The tentacles expanded as the beast relaxed and contracted again. Jonathon felt the ship right itself and quickly tilt itself back toward the contracting tentacles. His brows raised as he cursed to himself. “She means to capsize us, lads,” he called out to his men. “Focus yer attention on severin’ ‘er tentacles!”

  The teams moved in unison, swinging at their respective tentacles as they fought against the ship’s worsening lurches caused by the beast’s relentless endeavor. Jonathon moved to the nearest tentacle and swung his cutlass. He had expected he would make swift work of the tentacle, quickly hacking it away. Instead, he felt as though he had just struck a rock. The force of his strike reverberated up his arm all the way to his shoulder. He looked to make sure his attack had actually landed. It had; he could see a slight indentation where he had struck, but not enough to even pierce the outer layer of the beast’s skin. Jonathon felt the dread creeping back up his throat as he wondered how they were going to fight the beast back for half an hour when they couldn’t even injure it.

  He turned to the rest of his men. “The beast’s hide is tougher than it looks! Try everything you can think of to pierce it. Shoot it. Stab it. Saw it. Bite it. Anything! We have to keep this creature at bay until the barrels are brought up!”

  The men nodded, and he saw them all implement their own various tactics for piercing the beast’s hide. After about twenty minutes, all of their efforts were beginning to tire. They had found a modicum of success with carefully placed shots from their pistols followed by direct stabs from their cutlasses, but nothing they did deterred the beast from its endeavor. Meanwhile, the rocking had gotten progressively worse. Every rock now required bracing from the crew, and Jonathon had to assign one of his men just to stay with the barrels that had been brought up.

  The only encouragement Jonathon found was that he had noticed a slowing in the increase in severity of the rocking with each successive pull of the beast. While the fear of capsize was still present in his mind, he was becoming increasingly confident that either the ship was too large for the beast to capsize, or it was too weak itself to do it. Thayer’s theory about the creature likely being hungry or injured crossed his mind again. If this was the creature when it was weakened, he would truly hate to see its power when it wasn’t.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Fire!” he heard Ryden scream for the first time. He looked over just in time to see chunks of tentacle fly outward from the ship and into the sea below.

  A victorious roar erupted from the men as the tentacles immediately loosed their grip and began retreating beneath the waves.

  There was an air of uneasy relief as they all looked around the water’s surface; the ship rocking to and fro, still trying to steady itself. Slowly, Jonathon’s hope was squashed as he saw the tentacles reemerge at the bow and aft of the ship, avoiding the center of the ship that had damaged it. The men stood, unsure of what to do as the tentacles now split themselves to either side of the bow and aft of the ship, rather than gripping along the starboard side as before. Again, the tentacles found their purchase, gripped, tightened, and pulled. Jonathon wasn’t sure how, but he felt a different intensity from the tentacles. They had angered the beast. Whatever it was attempting now, capsizing them was no longer its goal.

  As he was thinking this, he heard the creaking of wood. He looked around but was unable to determine where the sound was coming from. It sounded as though it was coming from all around him.

  “Find the injured tentacle and give it hell!” he screamed, his dread rising even more.

  The first group of four crewmates managed to find the injured tentacle first. They quickly ran to it and swung with all their might, hoping the compromise in the skin’s integrity would be enough to finally cause some damage to the beast. Their swords connected, and they felt a shuddering from the beast as the injured tentacle quickly loosened its grip.

  A brief moment of relief swept through Jonathon as they found the success they so desperately needed. However, that relief and sense of victory was quickly dashed as the tentacle curled inward towards its attackers and enveloped three of the men inside of it. He heard the men scream, then a sickening crunch as the men’s bones snapped in the beast’s tightening grasp, then silence as the tentacle pulled the lifeless bodies beneath the water. A moment later, he heard more screams as two more men under Dryden’s command screamed. He looked to see another tentacle had grasped more of his men. He heard the same gut-wrenching sequence of screams, crunch, and silence as another group was taken underwater.

  Shit, Jonathon thought to himself. “Away from the railings, lads!” He called out to his men. “She’s learned we’re food! Regroup in the center!”

  The men retreated to the safety of the center of the main deck as alternating tentacles would curl inward and probe the sides, searching for another meal. After a few more attempts, the creature must have realized its snack time was over. He heard the creaking return in earnest as the beast resumed its new tactic.

  “Cap’n,” said a voice behind him.

  Jonathon turned, surprised to see his cook up top. The man had been too scared to be on the main deck during battle since he lost his arm. “Thayer, what are you doing up top? Is everything okay?”

  “Aye, Cap’n,” he said. “We just finished bringing up the last of the barrels.”

  As he finished this, Jonathon finally realized where the creaking was coming from as one of the railings near the center of the ship cracked and splintered. She means to split us down the middle! He turned back to Thayer. “Perfect timing! Given what I’ve seen, I’m inclined to agree with your theory about the beast being hungry, but let’s hope that truly is the case.” He turned to his men. “Dump the barrels overboard!”

  “Cap’n,” Thayer called out, “they need to dump some of the barrels themselves overboard.”

  “What?” Jonathon asked. “Belay my last,” he called out as some of his men started moving towards the barrels. “What do you mean? Why?”

  “Because I fear the poison that’s soaked into the meat may not be enough. Most will disperse in the water once it’s dumped. More will be lost the longer the meat sits there. We need the monster to know there’s food in the water, aye, but we need to make sure that we utilize what we have to its fullest. I’m ‘fraid there’s no room for mistakes here. If we had the rudder, just dumping everything overboard would likely be good enough to slow it down enough for us to get away. But with the rudder destroyed, I fear our only hope now is to flat kill the creature.”

  Jonathon nodded. He turned back to his men and called out, “Empty half the barrels overboard. The rest need to be thrown in whole. Be careful to avoid the injured tentacle! The beast scooped up some of the others who stabbed at it earlier.”

  The crew jumped into action, acting as quickly as possible to get the contents emptied into the water. Once they were in the water, Jonathon and the crew watched as the creature’s tentacles retreated beneath the surface. Slowly, the chunks of meat that had been emptied disappeared below the surface as the creature scooped up the floating chunks. The barrels, however, remained untouched.

  A few minutes after the last bit of meat had been consumed, the tentacles returned their ascent up the side of the ship. The crew backed away as the threat of being scooped up returned. Despair began to envelop them all as the squeezing, tension, and creaking returned to the ship.

  “Damn,” Jonathon swore. “Why didn’t it eat the barrels?!”

  “Because it didn’t know they were also food,” Thayer yelled, his voice further away than it had been before.

  Jonathon looked to see the man near the stern of the ship, on top of the quarterdeck, near the newly-positioned injured tentacle…and next to one of the barrels that had not been dumped overboard. Before Jonathon could react, the man stabbed at the injured tentacle.

  The beast immediately loosened its grip and grabbed again at the source of its pain. Jonathon’s heart sank, and he couldn’t help but avert his eyes.

  He heard a gasp and cheer from the remainder of the crew. Jonathon opened his eyes again just in time to see the barrel of poison sinking its way below the edge of the ship, and Thayer standing free on the quarterdeck. He had managed to jump out of the way just in time!

  A moment later, the creaking of the ship slowed to a stop, and the tentacles began to untangle themselves again. Jonathon felt a rush of relief, Thayer’s plan must have worked. It must have realized the barrels contained the food it wanted.

  Jonathon turned to congratulate his cook on saving the day as he was coming down the companionway. “Good work, Thay–”

  His words were cut short as another shudder shook the ship. He watched as Thayer, unable to fully steady himself with his singular arm, stumbled and fell overboard and into the waters below.

  The crew sprang into action, grabbing the nearby rescue lines and tossing them overboard.

  They watched the waters in desperation. Finally, they saw a hand reach up and grasp one of the floating barrels they attached to the rescue lines. A sigh of relief swept the crew as a group of men began pulling him in, calling out words of encouragement to the man.

  He had made it halfway back to the ship when one of the beast’s tentacles emerged and wrapped itself around both Thayer and the floating barrel he was holding onto. The men who had been helping to pull him in screamed as the sudden force of the beast’s pull dragged them all overboard. They all watched as Thayer, all of the floating barrels, the men, and the poison were all subsequently pulled under by the creature.

  Jonathon felt the ship lurch as the creature’s pull strained against the rescue lines and the ship began to tilt again. “Cut the–Cut the lines!” he shouted, his throat suddenly dry and his voice heavy with the weight of the command.

  The rest of the crew moved to cut the lines, and the ship began to right itself again.

  Then there was silence. A silence that continued as Jonathon and the rest of the crew stood frozen, hearts pounding in their ears. Every muscle tensed as the reality of what had just occurred gripped them. The shock lingered, numbing their senses. But there was more…dread was slowly creeping back in, a dark shadow looming over them as they braced for the inevitable return of the creature’s tentacles.

  But they never did. The seconds turned to minutes as everyone aboard maintained their frozen stances. After what felt like an hour, Jonathon’s tension began to ease. He put aside his grief and solemnly said, “Alright, boys, either the beast is dead, or has given up its attack. Let’s get to work on repairing the ship. First and foremost is the rudder.” A wave of fear swept through the men aboard at the mention of entering the water. “I know the fear you all face at the prospect of entering the water, but if we’re ever to leave, it needs to be done, lest we’re set upon by another of these creatures without barrels of poisoned meat to subdue the beast.”

  The men’s fear slowly transformed into determination as Dryden recovered his bearings and began shouting orders to his men for the repairs. Jonathon turned to Cassandra and Beckett, his voice heavy with grief. “I need to speak with you two in my cabin.” The two nodded and followed him back toward the quarterdeck.

  His chest felt heavy. His head was light. Every step up the companionway felt like a trial. When he made it to the place where Thayer had fallen over, he paused, looking out over the water. He silently prayed to himself that he would see a hand shoot up at any moment and his cook–his friend–would be pulled aboard. But no such thing occurred. Eventually, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued to his cabin.

  As they entered the cabin and took their seats at the table, a solemn air settled between the three. They all sat in silence for a few minutes, each individually reflecting on the events of the past hour.

  Finally, as Jonathon regained his composure, he said, “I can’t believe Thayer’s gone.”

  Beckett nodded. “Aye. I can hardly believe it meself.”

  Cass nodded solemnly in agreement. “Did he have any relatives? Anyone we can tell or send his money to? I don’t know of any myself.”

  Jonathon shook his head. “As far as I know, we were the only family the man had.”

  Another wave of silence washed over them as they processed Jonathon’s revelation. After a few minutes, Beckett spoke up, “Then we’ll be the ones to mourn him, as his family.”

  Cass grunted in affirmation. “I’ll have Dryden and the boys set aside a spare piece of sailcloth for…” she paused as she remembered there was no body to wrap in sailcloth.

  “Sadly, there’ll be no need for any preparation,” Jonathon said. “Just tell the men that there will be a ceremony held at sunset for Thayer and the rest of the men we lost today.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Cassandra almost whispered.

  ~~

  “The sea is a dangerous place,” Jonathon said as he looked out on the weary faces of his remaining crew from the quarterdeck. “We take to her waters knowing the dangers we face and the likelihood of our deaths. Still, for those who are left behind, the inevitable occurrence of those deaths still weigh heavy on our shoulders. William, John, Tom, Jack, Bill, Mike, Frederick, and Ned all served this crew valiantly. Whether they were helping direct our sails or filling our enemies’ sails with holes, they all brought success to our journeys and made our crew all the better for their presence. They will all be sorely missed.” He paused as the crew solemnly nodded and reflected on his words.

  After a moment, he continued. “These men were sadly not the only ones lost today. Our dear cook, Thayer Shelley, gave his life for our survival. Had he not been up top to manipulate the creature into grabbing that barrel, we’d all likely be resting in our watery tombs at this very moment. He had no family to speak of, save for the one he made aboard this ship. His presence will be missed, not only in the galley but in every meal we eat.” He gave another pause for a moment of reflection as he surveyed the crew–some wiping their eyes, others nodding silently along to his sentiments. “Let us take tonight to mourn our brothers’ losses, but let us take solace in the fact that they will always be with us in every wave and wind that carries us forward as they are committed to the very sea we find our freedom, livelihood, and eventual death on.”

  At this, Songbird lifted his voice and began to sing Fiddler’s Green, the haunting melody filling the air around them.

  "...Dress me up in me oilskins and jumper,

  No more on the docks I'll be seen,

  Just tell me old shipmates, I'm taking a trip, mates,

  And I'll see you someday on Fiddler's Green."

  The crew stood in silence, heads bowed, each lost in their own thoughts of the men they’d lost. Silence fell over the crew again as Songbird’s melody lingered, carried away on the wind.