| Fantasy Fiction posted May 16, 2021 | Chapters: |
1 -2- 3... 
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Lord Abram and clan set out for the journey.
A chapter in the book The Chronicals Of Bethica: The Rise
The Chronicles Of Bethica
by amahra
| Background Taking advice from the oracle, Lord Abram, along with wife Brehira, Youngest son, Dinary, soldiers, and servants, leaves his home of Volaria and journeys across the Endless Ocean to a hostile land. |
Chapter Two
The Necklace
"So, you "are" an idiot," Khimah said to Dinary.
"Come on, Khimah, give it a rest. We've been through this." Dinary folded a shirt and placed it in the trunk.
"I'll give it a rest when you and mother come to your senses."
"Look! I don't like this any more than you do. If you want to stay, Khimah, then stay. I'm not letting mother leave here without one of us going with her; and that's that," Dinary said slamming down the top of the trunk.
Khimah's face softened. He walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Then...please, take care of her," he said quietly.
Dinary looked into his big brother's eyes. "You know I will...and we'll see each other again. I promise."
Khimah pulled his necklace over his head and placed it around Dinary's neck. It was made of fine metal--a silver eagle in profile with an emerald eye and a sword for a tail.
Dinary looked up at his brother. "But I've never seen you without this. You once scolded me when we were children just for reaching out and touching it."
"It may someday bring you luck, my brother." Khimah grabbed and tightly hugged Dinary then quickly left the room.
The hour had arrived. There had been a big feast and fireworks the night before. All of the villagers had come out for the big send-off of the Abrams, their loyal servants, twenty ex-soldiers, and their wives.
There were tears and waves and children running beside the horses and carriages. Brehira couldn't stop waving at Khimah. She held a square piece of white linen to her runny nose the whole time, waving and throwing kisses his way--her cheeks wet. Dinary had to turn her around so she wouldn't strain her neck.
The ride was quiet. There was nothing left to do now but focus on the long journey that was ahead of them. When they reached the ship, the luggage was carried on by the servants, and everyone stood on the deck and waved to a few neighbors who had traveled to see them off. Khimah had refused to come because he said he couldn't bear it.
Gangus and Brehira settled into a luxurious cabin for the two-day trip to the next port. From there, they would make the Paradise journey.
Dinary was next door. Gangus had made certain that all in his company, his servants as well as the soldiers who chose to travel with him, were in luxury cabins. Brehira insisted on treating them no differently.
But not long after the ship had gotten into deep water, there came a terrible wind storm. The captain told everyone to stay in their cabins. The wind tore through the waves as they crashed against the ship that rocked from side to side, throwing passengers from one end of their cabins to another.
The hours wore on. Gangus, now shut up within his cabin, began to worry. Next door, Dinary looked out of the window. In the dark, the tall waves looked like giant bluefish foaming at the mouth and jumping in and out of the ocean. The wind continued to whip as the temperature dipped suddenly. The dark clouds had covered the moon, and there seemed to be no stars in the night sky. As the ship tilted to one side, Dinary hung on to the furniture for dear life and quietly cursed his father for making them trade paradise for death at sea.
Then, as quickly as the storm had begun, it became quiet and calm. Gangus noticed it and opened the cabin to find people moving about in the halls. He and Brehira decided to join them after being shut up for hours. Brehira knocked on Dinary's door. He opened and peeked around before coming into the hallway.
"I thought we were going to die," he said joining them on the walk. But to Gangus' surprise, people weren't going on deck but assembling in the dining area to listen to the captain. As they stood among the crowd, they heard the captain say, "Ladies and gentlemen." But before he could say anything further, the people broke out into a loud cheer for how well the crew had handled the ship during the storm.
The grateful captain smiled and motioned for everyone to be quiet. "I'm afraid that, although we managed the storm well enough, we've emerged off course and the fog seems to be thickening by the hour."
"What exactly are you trying to tell us?" someone in the crowd yelled.
"Quite frankly, we have no idea where we are."
There was loud muffled conversation among the people. There were only a hundred aboard ship, not counting the crew.
"I promise you we are doing the best we can," the captain continued. "You can travel outside your cabins but please not on deck. And dinner will be served at the ringing of the dinner bell. Thank you for your patience."
There was lots of mumbling as people filed out of the dining area. Gangus, Brehira, and Dinary strolled back to their cabins. Dinary decided to wait for the dinner signal with his parents.
A few hours later, while Gangus was reassuring Dinary that everything would be all right, Brehira who stood combing her hair and primping, gasped when a loud thud rocked the ship, throwing her into the wall with Gangus and Dinary tumbling after her.
"What was that?" she shouted, lying flat on her back.
"It feels like we hit something," Dinary said, helping his father, who had fallen next to him.
"Help your mother. I'm going out to see what's going on." He opened the door, and it was pandemonium. People were yelling and running about hysterically. There was flooding in the halls and water pouring in from the ceilings. Gangus turned back to them. "Grab your mother; we've got to get off this ship."
"What's happening?" Dinary asked.
"We're sinking, that's what's happening. Come on; we have to go," Gangus said motioning to them to leave with him.
Brehira broke away from Dinary. "But my things--I'm not leaving my things," She grabbed several bags.
"No! Leave them," Gangus demanded. "They won't let them on the rescue boat anyway."
"But..."
"Honey, come on, we're wasting time." She reluctantly dropped all the bags, but one--a carrying case with her jewels.
Gangus grabbed Brehira under her arm, and Dinary had her other. People were running into each other, falling; more water gushed out of the ceiling and from the right side of the ship. Gangus turned his head about looking for his servants and clansman. He spotted a few running towards him, headed by Celio. Gangus asked him where the others were.
"I don't know," Celio said. "Stay here; I'll see if I can find them."
Gangus and the others waited as long as they could but decided to leave when the water rose to their knees. Then Gangus told them they had to go.
Brehira looked at him. "What about the others?"
"They'll just have to find us."
As soon as they started up the staircase, Gangus heard Celio call. He looked back, and the rest of his clan was moving as fast as they could as the water was steadily rising. They joined Gangus, and all started up the stairs.
When they reached the deck, they were just in time to board the last remaining boat. The fog was so thick, they could barely see one another.
"Hold each other's hands," Dinary yelled. "And don't let go until we're all in the boat."
They held hands, and one by one climbed into the small boat. As the boat was being lowered down from the side of the ship, there was a loud cracking sound; the ship was going under while the boat was still attached to it.
Celio yelled. "Hold on!" The ship tilted forward. Celio stood on the edge of the boat, pulled out a small knife, and feverishly sawed the thick ropes that held the small boat to the ship.
"Hurry! Celio! Hurry!"
"I'm trying!"
The small boat tilted more, and everyone was holding on as tightly as possible. Brehira broke several fingernails as she gripped the side of the boat. And poor Celio continued to saw away as the boat continued to swing forward.
"What are you using, your teeth?" Dinary yelled.
Another loud crack and the boat hauled everyone forward.
"Jump!" Gangus shouted.
But Celio kept sawing away at the last thick piece as the ship began to sink.
"Let go, Celio, for god's sake, man jump!"
Dinary held on to Brehira, and he leaped from the boat. Gangus leaped, as did the others, and swam away from the boat as fast as they could before the ship created a whirlpool that would surely have them spiraling down with it. Blindly, they swam through the fog--staying close to each other by calling out. The water was cold. Something bumped Gangus' leg. A creature, coming to take a bite of him, he thought. Over and under, his arms smashed and lifted from the water as he swam through the fog. He thought he saw a massive creature jet pass him. He shot his head left and right, but saw nothing except the thick gray. He called out to his wife and son but got no answer.
Kicking as hard as he could, Gangus thought he saw a bright light breaking through the fog. He glared. He "had" seen it. He could barely make out shipmates in a rescue boat, and one had a lantern waving it from side to side. Gangus yelled. "Brehira! Dinary! If you can hear me, swim to the light! Everyone swim to the light!"
Another thirty or forty strokes later, he reached the boat. The shipmates pulled the women into the boat. Then Dinary got in and helped Gangus who turned to help the rest of the men and women. As Gangus lay back shivering and blowing a great sigh, he looked around the boat then suddenly shot up into a sitting position. "Where's Celio?" he snapped. Everyone squinted, peering through the fog yelling his name and listening. But sadly, Celio did not answer.
*****
Weeks passed. The nights were cold and days--scorching. The three boats of survivors had drifted miles from where the ship sank. Many, including the captain, drowned. But Gangus' clan, minus Celio miraculously remained intact.
As the quiet waves gently rocked the boats, everyone lay weak and sleeping. It was daybreak again, and the sky blazed orange with the dawn rays of the sun. Great black gulls flew overhead; each diving into the ocean and flapping their wings as if bathing, while the usual menaces dove into the boats and pecked at the slumbering crew. Dinary woke and smacked at one. He sat straight up, yawned, and scratched his chest. His eyes were a bit blurry, and he tried to make out a dark object that was moving fast towards them. He blinked several times until his eyes were clear and gasped at what he saw.
He shook his father.
"Umm...what?" Gangus groaned.
Gangus rubbed his eyes and sat up then called to the others. Coming towards them was a ship full of men waving frantically at them. The survivors were wide awake now, sitting up and waving back at the men like crazy. When the ship got closer, they let out a loud cheer.
One of the men from the ship yelled, "Ahoy there!"
Gangus blinked, widened his eyes, and said to himself, "Celio?"
Image: by Dantegrafice from Pixabay
Main Characters
Lord Gangus Abram Leader of his clan
Lady Brehira (Bree he ra) His wife
Dinary (Di nary) Youngest Son
Celio (Seal le o) Soldier and close friend
Princess Netrekka (Neh trek kah) Dinary's Lover/wife
Minor Characters
Khimah (Kee ma) Eldest Son
Captain Dulcy P Dordrecht (Door check) Captain of the Cristofur
Judian (Jew-dee-in) Second in Command of the Christofur
Kofius (Ko fee us) The Sail Master
The Necklace
"So, you "are" an idiot," Khimah said to Dinary.
"Come on, Khimah, give it a rest. We've been through this." Dinary folded a shirt and placed it in the trunk.
"I'll give it a rest when you and mother come to your senses."
"Look! I don't like this any more than you do. If you want to stay, Khimah, then stay. I'm not letting mother leave here without one of us going with her; and that's that," Dinary said slamming down the top of the trunk.
Khimah's face softened. He walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Then...please, take care of her," he said quietly.
Dinary looked into his big brother's eyes. "You know I will...and we'll see each other again. I promise."
Khimah pulled his necklace over his head and placed it around Dinary's neck. It was made of fine metal--a silver eagle in profile with an emerald eye and a sword for a tail.
Dinary looked up at his brother. "But I've never seen you without this. You once scolded me when we were children just for reaching out and touching it."
"It may someday bring you luck, my brother." Khimah grabbed and tightly hugged Dinary then quickly left the room.
The hour had arrived. There had been a big feast and fireworks the night before. All of the villagers had come out for the big send-off of the Abrams, their loyal servants, twenty ex-soldiers, and their wives.
There were tears and waves and children running beside the horses and carriages. Brehira couldn't stop waving at Khimah. She held a square piece of white linen to her runny nose the whole time, waving and throwing kisses his way--her cheeks wet. Dinary had to turn her around so she wouldn't strain her neck.
The ride was quiet. There was nothing left to do now but focus on the long journey that was ahead of them. When they reached the ship, the luggage was carried on by the servants, and everyone stood on the deck and waved to a few neighbors who had traveled to see them off. Khimah had refused to come because he said he couldn't bear it.
Gangus and Brehira settled into a luxurious cabin for the two-day trip to the next port. From there, they would make the Paradise journey.
Dinary was next door. Gangus had made certain that all in his company, his servants as well as the soldiers who chose to travel with him, were in luxury cabins. Brehira insisted on treating them no differently.
But not long after the ship had gotten into deep water, there came a terrible wind storm. The captain told everyone to stay in their cabins. The wind tore through the waves as they crashed against the ship that rocked from side to side, throwing passengers from one end of their cabins to another.
The hours wore on. Gangus, now shut up within his cabin, began to worry. Next door, Dinary looked out of the window. In the dark, the tall waves looked like giant bluefish foaming at the mouth and jumping in and out of the ocean. The wind continued to whip as the temperature dipped suddenly. The dark clouds had covered the moon, and there seemed to be no stars in the night sky. As the ship tilted to one side, Dinary hung on to the furniture for dear life and quietly cursed his father for making them trade paradise for death at sea.
Then, as quickly as the storm had begun, it became quiet and calm. Gangus noticed it and opened the cabin to find people moving about in the halls. He and Brehira decided to join them after being shut up for hours. Brehira knocked on Dinary's door. He opened and peeked around before coming into the hallway.
"I thought we were going to die," he said joining them on the walk. But to Gangus' surprise, people weren't going on deck but assembling in the dining area to listen to the captain. As they stood among the crowd, they heard the captain say, "Ladies and gentlemen." But before he could say anything further, the people broke out into a loud cheer for how well the crew had handled the ship during the storm.
The grateful captain smiled and motioned for everyone to be quiet. "I'm afraid that, although we managed the storm well enough, we've emerged off course and the fog seems to be thickening by the hour."
"What exactly are you trying to tell us?" someone in the crowd yelled.
"Quite frankly, we have no idea where we are."
There was loud muffled conversation among the people. There were only a hundred aboard ship, not counting the crew.
"I promise you we are doing the best we can," the captain continued. "You can travel outside your cabins but please not on deck. And dinner will be served at the ringing of the dinner bell. Thank you for your patience."
There was lots of mumbling as people filed out of the dining area. Gangus, Brehira, and Dinary strolled back to their cabins. Dinary decided to wait for the dinner signal with his parents.
A few hours later, while Gangus was reassuring Dinary that everything would be all right, Brehira who stood combing her hair and primping, gasped when a loud thud rocked the ship, throwing her into the wall with Gangus and Dinary tumbling after her.
"What was that?" she shouted, lying flat on her back.
"It feels like we hit something," Dinary said, helping his father, who had fallen next to him.
"Help your mother. I'm going out to see what's going on." He opened the door, and it was pandemonium. People were yelling and running about hysterically. There was flooding in the halls and water pouring in from the ceilings. Gangus turned back to them. "Grab your mother; we've got to get off this ship."
"What's happening?" Dinary asked.
"We're sinking, that's what's happening. Come on; we have to go," Gangus said motioning to them to leave with him.
Brehira broke away from Dinary. "But my things--I'm not leaving my things," She grabbed several bags.
"No! Leave them," Gangus demanded. "They won't let them on the rescue boat anyway."
"But..."
"Honey, come on, we're wasting time." She reluctantly dropped all the bags, but one--a carrying case with her jewels.
Gangus grabbed Brehira under her arm, and Dinary had her other. People were running into each other, falling; more water gushed out of the ceiling and from the right side of the ship. Gangus turned his head about looking for his servants and clansman. He spotted a few running towards him, headed by Celio. Gangus asked him where the others were.
"I don't know," Celio said. "Stay here; I'll see if I can find them."
Gangus and the others waited as long as they could but decided to leave when the water rose to their knees. Then Gangus told them they had to go.
Brehira looked at him. "What about the others?"
"They'll just have to find us."
As soon as they started up the staircase, Gangus heard Celio call. He looked back, and the rest of his clan was moving as fast as they could as the water was steadily rising. They joined Gangus, and all started up the stairs.
When they reached the deck, they were just in time to board the last remaining boat. The fog was so thick, they could barely see one another.
"Hold each other's hands," Dinary yelled. "And don't let go until we're all in the boat."
They held hands, and one by one climbed into the small boat. As the boat was being lowered down from the side of the ship, there was a loud cracking sound; the ship was going under while the boat was still attached to it.
Celio yelled. "Hold on!" The ship tilted forward. Celio stood on the edge of the boat, pulled out a small knife, and feverishly sawed the thick ropes that held the small boat to the ship.
"Hurry! Celio! Hurry!"
"I'm trying!"
The small boat tilted more, and everyone was holding on as tightly as possible. Brehira broke several fingernails as she gripped the side of the boat. And poor Celio continued to saw away as the boat continued to swing forward.
"What are you using, your teeth?" Dinary yelled.
Another loud crack and the boat hauled everyone forward.
"Jump!" Gangus shouted.
But Celio kept sawing away at the last thick piece as the ship began to sink.
"Let go, Celio, for god's sake, man jump!"
Dinary held on to Brehira, and he leaped from the boat. Gangus leaped, as did the others, and swam away from the boat as fast as they could before the ship created a whirlpool that would surely have them spiraling down with it. Blindly, they swam through the fog--staying close to each other by calling out. The water was cold. Something bumped Gangus' leg. A creature, coming to take a bite of him, he thought. Over and under, his arms smashed and lifted from the water as he swam through the fog. He thought he saw a massive creature jet pass him. He shot his head left and right, but saw nothing except the thick gray. He called out to his wife and son but got no answer.
Kicking as hard as he could, Gangus thought he saw a bright light breaking through the fog. He glared. He "had" seen it. He could barely make out shipmates in a rescue boat, and one had a lantern waving it from side to side. Gangus yelled. "Brehira! Dinary! If you can hear me, swim to the light! Everyone swim to the light!"
Another thirty or forty strokes later, he reached the boat. The shipmates pulled the women into the boat. Then Dinary got in and helped Gangus who turned to help the rest of the men and women. As Gangus lay back shivering and blowing a great sigh, he looked around the boat then suddenly shot up into a sitting position. "Where's Celio?" he snapped. Everyone squinted, peering through the fog yelling his name and listening. But sadly, Celio did not answer.
*****
Weeks passed. The nights were cold and days--scorching. The three boats of survivors had drifted miles from where the ship sank. Many, including the captain, drowned. But Gangus' clan, minus Celio miraculously remained intact.
As the quiet waves gently rocked the boats, everyone lay weak and sleeping. It was daybreak again, and the sky blazed orange with the dawn rays of the sun. Great black gulls flew overhead; each diving into the ocean and flapping their wings as if bathing, while the usual menaces dove into the boats and pecked at the slumbering crew. Dinary woke and smacked at one. He sat straight up, yawned, and scratched his chest. His eyes were a bit blurry, and he tried to make out a dark object that was moving fast towards them. He blinked several times until his eyes were clear and gasped at what he saw.
He shook his father.
"Umm...what?" Gangus groaned.
Gangus rubbed his eyes and sat up then called to the others. Coming towards them was a ship full of men waving frantically at them. The survivors were wide awake now, sitting up and waving back at the men like crazy. When the ship got closer, they let out a loud cheer.
One of the men from the ship yelled, "Ahoy there!"
Gangus blinked, widened his eyes, and said to himself, "Celio?"
Image: by Dantegrafice from Pixabay
Main Characters
Lord Gangus Abram Leader of his clan
Lady Brehira (Bree he ra) His wife
Dinary (Di nary) Youngest Son
Celio (Seal le o) Soldier and close friend
Princess Netrekka (Neh trek kah) Dinary's Lover/wife
Minor Characters
Khimah (Kee ma) Eldest Son
Captain Dulcy P Dordrecht (Door check) Captain of the Cristofur
Judian (Jew-dee-in) Second in Command of the Christofur
Kofius (Ko fee us) The Sail Master
When Lord Gangus Abram is awakened by a mysterious voice in the night and told to seek out the Oracle Naman, he must make a journey across the Endless Ocean to destroy the Nordoxz, an undefeated race of humanoids that are controlled by powerful forces of evil.
Lord Abrams plunges into a perilous trek to obey the gods and settle in Bethica, a land of dragons, cannibals, Fallen Angels, Amazonians, and Dark Lords. He is joined by his wife, Brehira, youngest son Dinary, comrade and friend, Celio, Shapeshifter and Beast Master, Olutunji, and 750 people willing to risk their lives for land and freedom.
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and 2 member cents. Lord Abrams plunges into a perilous trek to obey the gods and settle in Bethica, a land of dragons, cannibals, Fallen Angels, Amazonians, and Dark Lords. He is joined by his wife, Brehira, youngest son Dinary, comrade and friend, Celio, Shapeshifter and Beast Master, Olutunji, and 750 people willing to risk their lives for land and freedom.
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