32. Brinhelga

Three days—that's how long I've been hiding. I have no idea where Tiago is, as we split up as soon as I released him. I also don't know if Carlos has discovered the journal is a fake, but I do know the crew has been looking for the missing officer. I've had to move three times to avoid them, and I think there's a good chance I'm going to be discovered soon.

I sit behind a stack of crates in the hold, in a cubby that's protected by another crate on top. It's a tiny space, almost impossible to squeeze into. I think that's why they haven't searched this area yet.

But several men are standing directly on the side of my hiding spot now, discussing whether they need to move cargo to continue their search.

The imprisoned monster's screams are frantic. Even the ship mage is unable to keep him quiet. At first, I felt sympathy for the miserable creature, but now I just want him to stop his incessant howling.

I hear footsteps too close to my hiding place, and I scoot deeper into the shadows.

"You're a fool if you think Tiago could fit through there," a man says. His voice is close, like he leaned down to inspect the gap between the crates and the wall.

I freeze, terrified he'll hear my frantic breathing.

"It's big enough for a cat," another man says.

"Is Tiago a cat?" the man snaps, cursing.

"Carlos said to thoroughly search the hold. We can't do that if we don't move the cargo."

"I tell you, there's no way he got in there, and those crates will take five men to move. It's not worth our energy."

"All right, then why don't you go tell Carlos that?"

"Fine," the man finally snaps. "We'll move the wretched crates."

I'm scrambling for a plan when there's a thud under my feet.

"What was that?" one of the men asks, sounding spooked.

We're on the lowest deck, the very belly of the ship. There's nothing below us but the sea. We either ran into something or…something ran into us.

In a hushed whisper, another man says, "You don't think it's Brinny, do you?—"

The ship jolts, shoved to the side—not carried by the sea but moved.

The men holler, their booted feet echoing in the space as they run to the stairs and up and out of the hold.

The monster's screams are joined by the urgent cries of the crew. Again, the ship is jolted. This time, we're thrown. The crates slide above me, and I duck just in time, almost decapitated by the shifting cargo. Now I'm trapped in an even tinier space, surrounded by crates I'm not strong enough to move. My exit is gone.

Panic builds in my chest as the dark closes in on me. It's pitch-black now, the space completely closed off from the rest of the dimly lit hold.

Then the crates shift again, this time to the left. The darkness is lifted as the cargo pulls away from the wall. Several crates that were on top crash to the ground, spilling their supplies. I leap up, clutching my satchel as I rush over the splintered wood and loose potatoes that roll on the floor. I nearly trip on one of them, twisting my ankle.

But I keep moving, my feet propelling me up the stairs and into the crew's section of the ship. It's pandemonium, seamen running like chickens. All of them are on a mission, but no one seems to know what that mission is. The Sea Rose gets tossed again, and I crash into a wall, cracking my head against the hard wood.

Around me, the men's hammocks sway, and trunks slide across the floor. No one notices me or cares that I'm here. They have greater things to worry about.

The words "sea monster," "Brinhelga," and "attack" are tossed about the space. All I can think about is the skurmidge that found Captain D'vain. That horror was bad enough. What creature is large enough to toss a full-sized galleon?

The crashing boom of several cannons makes me jump. The explosions are quickly followed by more, these a little further away—the Serpent joining our fight.

I run up the stairs, pushing past men as they hurry down. But a screech stops me in my tracks.

The mole troll—it's still locked in the brig. If the sea monster sinks the ship, it will go down with it.

It's just a monster, I tell myself.

But my feet take me to the brig. No one is on this deck any longer—no one is concerned about the monster they kidnapped and locked away.

My hands begin to shake when I'm near the cell. Thankfully, magelights still burn, casting the space in bright light. The creature shies away when it sees me, darting back into the corner.

"You just stay there," I warn it. "Keep back."

With trembling hands, I fumble for the key. There are only a couple on the ring, as the Sea Rose only has a few holding cells.

The monster goes still when the lock clicks open, its head lifting and its squinting eyes meeting mine. My blood runs cold.

"I'm not going to open the door," I tell it, backing away slowly. "You're going to have to turn the lever yourself if you want out."

That should give me a few minutes at least.

With one last look at the monster through the small, barred window, I turn on my heel and run down the hall, hurrying to the stairs and joining the chaos. The creature's survival is in its own hands now. Just like the rest of us.

I burst onto the main deck and run into Tiago. He's hollering orders, apparently out of hiding now that we're under attack.

Suddenly, the Sea Rose is hoisted out of the water, waving about in the air. I scream, clutching Tiago's arm as we're sent careening toward the port side. He grasps hold of me, yanking me away from the rail as a massive tentacle reaches over the side of the ship.

Kraken.

Brinhelga is a kraken.

And not just any kraken—one large enough to pick up a galleon.

Cannons fire from the nearby Serpent, their chain shots hurled toward the monster's great arms.

Without warning, the ship falls, crashing back into the sea. Water splashes over the railing in great waves, washing several men overboard. They scream as they're swept away.

I gasp as a wave washes over Tiago and me, holding tight to the rail's rope netting. Water foams on the deck as the waves slosh back to the sea, and I gasp in a lungful of air.

"Can you swim?" Tiago yells, the ship moving violently as it tries to right itself.

"Yes!"

"You must get to the Serpent!"

We're picked up again as the sea monster's arms and tentacles wrap the ship in their writhing embrace. The ship groans as beams splinter under Brinhelga's mighty grip.

The Sea Rose won't make it out of this. She's going down, and we'll go with her if we don't jump.

"What about you?" I yell to Tiago.

"I'll be right behind you."

Clinging to the railing's rope netting, I make my way toward the rear of the ship, leaving the rail to climb up the forecastle.

"FELICITY!" Davyn yells across the sea that separates us, his voice small in the chaos. He's so far away, two hundred yards at least.

The Sea Rose waves in the air, held by the kraken like a child clinging to a toy boat.

The Serpent sends another round of chain shots, the smoke from their cannons creating small clouds at the rail. In a moment, the creature will drop us again. This time, we might capsize, and I could be trapped under the ship. I need to jump.

I need to jump now.

"FELICITY!" Davyn yells again. I can't hear what else he's saying, but I know what I must do.

Gathering my courage, I wrap my satchel's strap firmly around my body and climb atop the rail. Then I take a deep, ragged breath and dive into the churning water below.