A Dragonson Vignette by Walter G. Esselman
SOS, the Spell Otter, ran to the edge of the canal excitedly and then back to Brianna, barking furiously. Brianna leaned down to pet the magical creature but SOS sprang back to the edge of the canal eager to get in the water.
“If you want,” said Brianna to the otter. “Go ahead. We’ll be there in a moment.”
SOS vacillated for a moment, hopping in anticipation. Brianna had created SOS one day using too much magic. The otter’s fur was several shades of blue but otherwise, a wonderful critter. The otter slipped into the water and Brianna smiled.
“What are we looking for?” asked Regent.
Brianna turned to her mentor. Regent, tall and cool, was standing over several of the Lords of Bon Su Pear. The old men had to look up at him with their long beards and robes. They shifted nervously.
“It’s a box about this big,” said Lord Sizzle, and he gestured with his hands to show that the box was easily carried. “It was on the Laurali. The captain was supposed to keep it in his cabin, if the cabin survived the sinking.”
Brianna looked out on the sapphire blue water of the bay. That had been a terrible day when Bon Su Pear was attacked by sea. The Ships of Iron that attacked the city had first sunk the ships in the harbor before turning their guns on the port city.
“This is very important,” said Lord Sizzle. “If we could send our own troops to get it…” The Lord wrung his hands.
“They probably would have trouble breathing underwater,” nodded Regent. He and Brianna were water nymphs. “But what is in the box?”
The old men looked at each other for a moment and then Lord Sizzle replied. “Something from the island nation of Cor’aveadrincmate called Cognac. A powerful potion.”
“Booze in other words,” said Regent with a wry smile.
“It should be an easy swim down and back,” said Lord Sizzle quickly.
SOS jumped out of the water and began skipping back and forth, barking for attention. Brianna walked over to him. “Don’t worry,” cooed Brianna. “I’m coming.”
“We’ll get it,” said Regent to the lords as he walked toward the canal. Brianna ran ahead as SOS danced excitedly. She leapt into the air and hit the water with hardly a splash. SOS dived in after her.
“She seems eager,” said Lord Sizzle.
Regent looked back at the Lords. “And really who can blame her.”
Grinning, Regent uttered a whoop as he dove into the water. It instantly rejuvenated the old soldier. His lungs switched from air to water as he kicked down the canal. He saw Brianna up ahead moving out into the bay. Light streamed down like beams through the blue water. As Brianna nosed down, SOS swam circles around her in joy.
At the bottom of the harbor was a graveyard of ships, both intact and broken. They had only gone down a few months ago and already sea life had claimed the ships as their new home. Catching up with Brianna, Regent switched to Deepspeech, the ancient language of the nymphs, using clicks and whistles.
“There it is,” said Regent, as he pointed to the Laurali. There was a terrible hole in its hull from where the Ships of Iron had torn into it.
“Poor thing,” said Brianna. “Probably didn’t know what hit it.” They drew close and SOS skirted around the edge of the hole in the ship. “SOS, be careful.”
Brianna started to move forward when Regent cut in front of her. He held on to the jagged hole in the edge of the ship as he looked at her. She looked at him quizzically.
“From the reports I’ve read,” said Regent, “the Laurali went down with all hands.”
“Meaning?” asked Brianna.
“It means that it’s just us down here,” said Regent. “Inside is not going to be pretty.”
“You want me to stay out here?” asked Brianna, indignantly.
“No, no,” said Regent quickly. “I am merely offering you the chance to stay out here. No one will know.”
The Duchess Brianna raised her chin. “I will know.”
Swimming into the ship, Brianna and SOS disappeared. Regent let a little smile form and then followed her inside. A moment after he slipped into the ship, something big passed by the entrance. It paused long enough to lick the edge of the hole where Regent had gripped the wood.
Inside, the ship had settled into the mud at a 45 degree angle which made the corridors seem off. As they passed from the sunlight, Brianna scratched SOS’s back and while doing so, gave him a boost of energy. The Spell Otter began to glow bright blue. Following Brianna’s lead, they found the captain’s cabin easily. The cabin was angling down toward the mud. She tried the door but it wouldn’t budge.
“Let me try,” suggested Regent and Brianna swam back.
“I can always magic it open,” said Brianna.
“Let’s try brute force first,” said Regent. The passageway was tiny. Bracing his back against the wall, Regent pushed in the door. It gave and he shot forward as something bobbed out. The gruesome fetid face of Captain Shore shot up at Regent.
“Gah!” cried Regent as he pushed the body of the captain away. Brianna laughed and Regent gave her a sharp look.
“That was pretty funny,” said Brianna defensively, and Regent reluctantly smiled.
“Get in there funny girl and find our buried treasure,” commanded Regent.
“Aye, aye captain,” saluted Brianna, and she went into the captain’s cabin. She looked around. “Wow, rank doth not have privilege here.”
“Why do you say that?”
“This cabin,” she said, spreading out her arms and touching either wall, “is not very big.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure of what?
“This might be the state room,” said Regent, and Brianna turned around.
“And that would be so sad.”
“Means everyone’s on deck most of the time,” said Regent. “Now if you’re finished planning how to decorate the place…”
“Some curtains would be nice,” suggested Brianna.
“Brianna!”
“All right, I’m going. I’m going.”
SOS swam around the room casting light everywhere.
“Ah-ha!” cried Regent. He held up the box. “Found it.”
Neither Regent nor Brianna wanted to dawdle in the dead ship. They swam quickly toward the hole and smiled when they saw the sun. SOS, still glowing bright blue, shot out the side and, turning to look at them, did not see it coming. The monster flashed across Brianna’s vision and then disappeared from view. SOS was gone.
“That…THAT…” snarled Brianna in rage. She swam quickly for the edge but Regent grabbed her pulling her back. “Let…let go of me!”
“No,” said Regent quietly as she struggled against him.
“IT ATE SOS!” howled Brianna. “Can’t you see that! It’s dead! I swear to the Goddess, it is dead!”
Regent pulled the young girl close and held her as she trembled. The anger began to turn to tears.
“You okay now?” asked Regent.
“I can’t believe it,” whispered Brianna.
Regent held her suddenly at arms length. “Okay soldier. Don’t weep yet. We’ll have time enough after the fight. Right now, hold on to that anger, don’t let it go. Can you do that?”
Brianna’s eyes narrowed and she nodded quickly.
“Right, it already made one mistake,” said Regent. “What was that?”
“Um.”
“It messed with us,” said Regent. “Now its just sushi that doesn’t know it yet.”
Brianna’s shoulders straightened and slowly Regent let her go. “What can I do?” she asked.
“We need to know what it is,” said Regent. “I need you to create one of your big watergolems to walk out there.”
Brianna’s hand shot out turning bright blue, fingers straight. A large watergolem formed out of the seawater looking like a blue soldier. The watergolem walked out of the hole and looked around.
The fifteen foot monster shot down and bit off its top half. As the watergolem lost cohesion and dissolved back to water, they saw the confused creature that had tried to eat walking seawater.
“Is it a bull?” asked Brianna. “But no, it’s got fins.”
“It’s a Camahueto,” said Regent. “The top half is bull but the rest is fish.”
“I’ve never heard of one,” said Brianna as the monster shot off.
“Not surprised,” said Regent. “This is the first one I’ve ever seen.”
“Lucky you.”
“I lead a charmed life.”
“Where did it come from?” asked Brianna. “The deep ocean?”
“Actually, I’ve heard they’re from inland,” said Regent. “They are born up in the river system and migrate down as they grow.”
“It’s big,” said Brianna.
“I think that it’s a teenager,” said Regent, and Brianna just looked at him. “Those sailor tales of giant monsters attacking ships are not all…well, fish stories.”
“What do we do?”
“We run.”
“What?” cried Brianna.
“We’re outnumbered and outgunned,” said Regent. “We get up to the surface and find a bunch of badass soldiers that like sushi and then we come back.”
“Okay,” said Brianna at last.
“Now,” said Regent, “those little watergolems you make…”
“My tiny dancers.”
“Those are the ones.”
The side of the ship seemed to explode with blue light. Small watergolems that Brianna called her tiny dancers flew out into the water. There were hundreds. The monster dove into them but became confused. It could not find anything to eat.
Flying behind it and up toward the surface, Regent held Brianna as the swarm of tiny dancers spun around them. Brianna now saw the wisdom of Regent carrying her. The spell was hard enough to hold as is, not to mention holding the box that the Lords wanted. The Camahueto flew back and forth through the horde of tiny dancers but could not find meat. It could smell the meat, but it could not find it.
Brianna suddenly felt tapped out. “Can’t hold on much longer,” she murmured.
“Almost there,” he said.
Regent turned for the canal and broke out of the cloud of dancers as they lost cohesion. He saw the steps leading out of the canal. The Camahueto roared as it spotted its prey. The steps were slick with algae. Regent made a mental note to clean it later, if there was a later. Kicking up, he dove out of the water. Tucking Brianna in close, he rolled with her. There was a tremendous splash as the monster raced through the canal past them.
Coughing up seawater, Regent sat on the warm stones for a moment. Brianna lay against him now holding the box. She looked so sad. “Now we cry?” asked Brianna, almost as if seeking permission.
Before Regent could speak, the Lords ran up. Several of Bon Su Pear’s soldiers came up to them holding up their spears.
“Oh, you got it!” cried Lord Burntleaf as he took the box from an unresisting Brianna.
“What happened?” asked Lord Sizzle, who was more of a people person than the others.
“It…it happened too fast,” said Brianna.
“What?” asked Lord Sizzle.
The Camahueto exploded out of the canal. Dropping its huge clawed feet on the stones, the bull head roared. Regent pulled Brianna back while trying to push back the Lords as well. One of the soldiers ran forward with his spear.
Swiping the soldier with his clawed foot, the poor man was tossed up in the air to finally splash into the water. Pulling itself fully onto land, the Camahueto glared at Regent and Brianna. Moving back, Regent pushed Brianna, still weary from all that magic, toward Lord Sizzle.
“Take her,” said Regent. He snatched the spear from another soldier. “Who wants sushi?”
Howling, Regent dashed in. The monster dipped the horns on its head. Regent feinted left and then dove right. He drove the spear right through the Camahueto’s foot and into the stone beneath, pinning the monster. As it cried in pain, Regent drew his dagger and stabbed at its side, but the monster’s hide was too thick.
“Here!” cried one of the soldiers. A sword spun across the stones toward Regent. The old soldier trapped it under his boot and then tucking his foot under, threw the sword up to his hand. In one practiced motion, Regent sliced a huge gash in the monster’s side.
Regent cut two more gashes into the Camahueto when the side of a bull horn caught him in the shoulder. The old soldier was thrown down to the stones. The monster raised its tail to smash Regent flat when a voice called out.
“You ate my friend,” said a dark and dangerous voice.
The monster looked to see Brianna standing in front of it. The girl’s hands glowed bright blue. She dropped to one knee and touched a drain for rain water that entered the canal. There was a small rivulet of water in it. The rivulet suddenly glowed blue and it followed that water right down to the canal.
The monster opened its mouth to bite off the girl’s head when the water from the canal stood up. Five watergolems bore down on monster. It immediately knocked one apart with its tail, but the other four watergolems fell on the Camahueto and began to tear it apart. The monster raised its bull head in surprise a moment before it saw Regent’s sword. Brianna jumped back as the monster’s head hit the stones. The watergolems kept at their attack.
Suddenly, the box was torn from Lord Burntleaf’s hands. Regent was there holding the box up high.
“What do you think you’re…?” started Lord Burntleaf.
“What’s in the box?” demanded Regent.
“Cognac,” said Lord Burntleaf after a moment as he remembered what their lie was.
“Wrong,” said Regent and he dropped the box. The Lords cried out but Regent caught it again. “We almost died for this box. SOS…”
Suddenly Lord Sizzle realized who was missing in all the commotion. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes,” snarled Regent. “So I ask again before I pitch this into the ground. What…is…in…the…box?”
“We won’t tell you,” said Lord Burntleaf, stupidly.
“He doesn’t mean that,” said Lord Sizzle.
“I don’t?” asked Burntleaf.
“No you don’t,” said Sizzle, and he looked at all the Lords. “We have to tell him. They have earned it.”
One by one all the lords, including Burntleaf at last, nodded their heads. First, Lord Sizzle sent everyone away until it was just Regent and the Lords.
“You must keep this close to your chest,” said Sizzle. “Word cannot get out about what is in the box. If anyone asks, tell them that it was cognac. Make up a more foolish story if you wish. Anything but the truth.”
“More foolish?” asked Regent in confusion.
“There is an old tradition of the Lords dating back to the time of King Gideon,” said Lord Sizzle. “We, up in the castle, can often lose sight of what’s really important in government…”
“Taking care of the people,” supplied Burntleaf.
“I don’t understand,” said Regent.
“Every year, the Lords are to help people in our city but, and this is important, it must be anonymous,” said Sizzle. “It was old Higgins who had a great idea.”
“You know about the Wailing Flu that has been making everyone so sick,” said Lord Higgins.
“Especially in the Blue Shine district.” Regent nodded.
“In the box is a medicine that should cure the people,” said Sizzle. “But no one can know about this.”
Regent opened his mouth and then closed it. Suddenly, he held up the box again.
“No,” cried Burntleaf.
“So that’s what this was all about?” cried out Regent so all could hear. “Some imported booze? This is unconscionable! I should throw it back in the water for risking our lives.”
“Quiet,” said Brianna from behind Regent.
Sizzle did not hear what she said as he gave a small smile and then looked abashed. “I’m so sorry to deceive you like this,” said Lord Sizzle a little too loudly to Regent.
“SHUT UP!” commanded the Duchess Brianna and everyone looked at her.
Regent furrowed his eyebrows. Sometime during his conversation with the Lords, Brianna’s watergolems had stood back, the water of their bodies now brown with blood. Brianna moved closer to the monster. She turned to Regent. “Hurry! Your sword!”
Burntleaf grabbed the box and held it close as Regent ran to Brianna. She pointed toward what was left of the Camahueto. Regent stopped breathing for moment, and then he heard it – a soft barking sound. He looked at Brianna who had tears in her eyes.
After a few minutes of careful surgery, Regent reached into the monster with his long arms. He lifted out a gooey but breathing SOS who barked happily. The blue Spell Otter jumped from his hands and into Brianna’s arms.
“You poor girl,” soothed Brianna. “You got swallowed whole.”
Holding SOS close, despite the stickiness of her fur, Brianna looked up at Regent who grinned.
“Damnedest thing I ever saw,” said the old soldier.
“Let’s get you home to a nice bath…” Brianna sniffed. “Maybe two and a lot of food,” she said to SOS, who barked happily at the thought.
© 2010 Walter G. Esselman
Original fiction debuting at Residential Aliens.
Tags: fantasy, humor, short story, Walter G. Esselman