Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Seven: Leviathan

It was day three of being on the ship when Akira no longer felt her Warrior. It was like he left the realm or died. No, she would feel something deeper if he died.

“Are you sure you no longer feel him?” Wolfric asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

Akira nodded as she buried her face into her Wolfie’s chest.

“How can this be?” Darius asked.

“Maybe he left this realm,” Julianne said with a deep frown.

They have been getting closer and closer to Akira’s fourth Warrior, and now, poof, he is gone.

“We can stay in this area for a couple days and hope he returns,” the captain said, watching the Havent and her party.

At first, he had not believed that the girl was a Havent. Her eyes are so dull. But he has seen how the large men react to her, and she healed a couple of his sailors. She is an enigma, and he is proud to be a part of her journey into who she was meant to be.

“Are you sure?” Akira asked, turning from Wolfric to look at the captain.

The captain nodded. “Of course. It will be our pleasure to help you,” he said with a bow.

Akira nodded. “Maybe he’ll come back into my radar.”

“That’s right. Keep good thoughts,” Wolfric said, pulling her against his chest.

“While we’re here, the chances of Akira dying increases,” Stella reminded them.

Everyone turned to the Troll.

“Nothing has happened so far,” Darius said.

They all stood there and watched the Troll tap her right foot.

Stella threw up her hands. “Fine,” she said, then turned and went back to her watch post.

“She has a point,” Julianne whispered.

“Let us eat lunch. We can discuss this later,” Wolfric said.

The group walked inside and found their way to the dining hall.

“Stew today,” the cook said with a grin when he saw them.

“Beef stew?” Akira asked, excitement flashing in her eyes.

The cook nodded. “Only the best for the princess.”

Akira grunted but said nothing as they sat at the table, and the cook served them.

Nibbles jumped onto the table and devoured his bowl of stew before anyone even took a bite of their own. Akira chuckled and smiled when the Al-Mi’Raj laid down and started cleaning himself.

The cook chuckled as he left the room.

“I will miss his cooking when we get off this ship,” Julianne said as she took a bite of the beef stew.

Akira nodded and did the same.

“Maybe he will travel with us,” Wolfric said with a smirk.

Akira chuckled in between bites.

The ship shifted, and their bowls slid to the other end of the table. It shifted again, and the bowls slid back to them.

Darius caught Nibbles as he fell off the table.

“This can’t be good,” Malique said, staring at his bowl of stew.

“It’s not,” Wolfric said as he got to his feet. “Let’s get up above.”

Akira stared longingly at the stew and groaned when Wolfric took hold of her arm and dragged her out of the dining hall.

“What’s going on?” Wolfric asked the captain once they were on deck.

“The waters are choppy,” the captain said, then hollered an order to one of his men.

“Didn’t you see it coming?” Darius asked, watching the commotion as everyone worked around them.

“No,” the captain said, looking at the Warrior. “It came out of nowhere. It should have been clear waters all day; even tomorrow shows clear….” The captain fell over as the ship was turned onto its side.

Everyone hollered, bellowed, screamed, and cried out as they grabbed whatever was closest and held on until the ship righted itself.

Wolfric held onto Akira and sighed with relief when the ship rocked back into place.

“Something isn’t right,” Jules said, looking around.

Julianne’s head exploded, and she fell to the deck.

“Shit,” Leviasen growled as he fell to his knees and held Jules in his arms.

“What’s wrong?” Akira asked panic in her eyes for her best friend.

“Premonition,” Levi said, holding Jules.

Jules opened her eyes and blinked up at Levi.

Levi smiled down at Julianne. “What did you see?” he asked.

Jules looked at Akira and frowned. “Dragon,” she whispered.

“Dragon?” everyone asked at the same time.

“Is Sevean coming to this realm?” Levi asked.

Jules shook her head and looked out into the ocean. “No, a Sea Dragon.”

“Sea Dragon?” the Warriors asked at the same time.

“Are they for real?” Akira asked.

Julianne looked at them and nodded.

“Leviathan!” a sailor bellowed, pointing into the waters.

“Fuck,” Wolfric grumbled as he watched a giant snake-like Dragon come up out of the waters.

“Sea Dragon,” Julianne whispered, staring at the Leviathan. “Protect Akira!” she screamed, pointing to her best friend as she pulled herself to her feet.

The three Warriors surrounded Akira. Nibbles jumped out of Darius’s arms and hissed at the giant snake-like creature. The two Trolls moved in front of Akira, both taking their fighting stance. The Warriors pulled out their swords, and they too stood, ready to attack and protect their beloved Havent.

“We need to help protect Akira,” Julianne said, looking at Leviasen.

Levi nodded. “Of course,” he said, then moved to stand with the Trolls, Jules next to him.

Akira frowned. How can she help if everyone is keeping her out of harm’s way?

The words of the Banshee flew through her mind, and she wanted to curl into a ball at Wolfric’s feet.

“It’s okay, little one,” Wolfric said, pulling her closer. “We will protect you.”

Akira nodded and took in a deep breath. She has not been this afraid since the day the plane crashed all those years ago.

“Save the ship!” the captain bellowed.

“Save the ship!” the sailors chanted.

“Can we survive a Leviathan attack?” Akira whispered.

“I believe we can,” Wolfric said with a nod.

“We are your Warriors,” Malique said as he held his sword above his head.

“We will fight anything for you, princess,” Darius said with a wide grin, knowing how much that nickname annoyed his Psychi.

Akira stuck her tongue out at her Pegasus, and Darius laughed.

“Feel better?” Wolfric whispered into his Psychi’s ear.

Akira looked at her Warriors and her four friends in front of them, then down at her Al-Mi’Raj and nodded. Together, they can defeat anything that comes at them.

The Leviathan attacked the ship with its long thick tail.

Akira and her party were thrown to the other side of the ship.

“No, no, no,” Akira said, panic in her voice.

She cannot get separated from her Warriors!

“Akira!” Wolfric shouted, then shifted into his wolf and jumped toward her.

Akira sighed with relief when her Wolfie landed beside her.

‘I will always be here for you, little one.’

Akira nodded at the wolf and patted his side. She leaned down when she felt something rub against her leg and picked up Nibbles.

Malique and Darius were already fighting the giant Sea Dragon. Wolfric stayed at Akira’s side and snapped at the Leviathan’s tail when it got too close to his Havent.

“Look out!” someone shouted.

Wolfric looked up just in time to have the giant head of the Leviathan slam down on top of him.

“Wolfric!” Akira screamed.

Nibbles jumped out of her arms and headed for the Dragon, then stopped when a loud growl came from under the beast’s head. The Leviathan’s head was tossed off the ship.

Akira sighed with relief when she saw her Wolfie was okay. He had shifted into his human form and tossed the Leviathan off the ship.

“My hero,” she whispered.

Wolfric looked over at her and grinned, then his eyes widened, and he screamed her name.

Akira turned and screamed. The Leviathan’s tail swept her off the ship and into the deep dark waters.

“Akira!” Jules screamed as she and the others ran to the edge of the ship.

Nibbles whimpered at Jules’s feet, and she leaned down to pick him up. The creature let her touch him, and she set him on the edge of the ship as they looked for his mistress in the deep ocean.

“Do you see her?” Levi asked as he searched the waters for Akira’s head coming to the surface.

“Akira!” Wolfric bellowed. “I should have been there—this should not have happened!”

“Calm down,” Malique said as he laid his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Wolfric shrugged off his friend’s touch and searched the waters for his Havent, his Psychi, his Soulmate.

~⚔~

Akira tried to swim to the surface of the water. She had been thrown deep into the waters and was barely going to make it in time. She made it to the surface and pulled in gulps of air.

“There!”

Akira heard someone shout. They must have spotted her.

“I’m going in after her!”

She recognized her Wolfie’s voice and smiled.

“Don’t be stupid!” someone shouted.

“Akira!” Jules called out to her.

Akira found that she could not use her voice, so she raised her hand and waved.

“We will get you out of there!” Malique called out.

Akira shivered and closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping her head above the water.

“Look out!” someone shouted.

Akira opened her eyes and screamed as the head of the Leviathan came crashing down on her. She took in a lung full of air just before she was forced under the water again.

“Damn it!”

She could hear her Wolfie cursing.

The Leviathan swam over her, probably aiming for the ship again.

Akira pushed herself toward the surface again. She better make it soon—she is running out of oxygen in her lungs. She could hear people screaming and cursing above her in the ship but could not hear what they were saying, except for the profanities Wolfric was shouting. She wanted to laugh but could not, not if she wanted her air to last.

Just before she got to the surface, the Sea Dragon’s long tail slammed into her stomach, knocking the little bit of air she had in her lungs out into the ocean. She tried to fight it, tried to make it to the surface, but it was too late. The tail was too heavy for her, and it pushed her further and further into the deepest parts of the ocean.

The last thing Akira saw was a rainbow fish swimming past.

Her final thought was of her Warriors and how they should have stayed away from the ocean.

~⚔~

Wolfric stopped shouting and stared at nothing as a searing pain tore through his chest.

Malique and Darius fell to their knees and ripped off their shirts. They cried as they watched their Havent’s mark vanish from their skin.

“No!” Julianne screamed as she fell to her ass and cried into her hands.

Leviasen sat beside Jules and pulled her into his arms as tears slid down his cheeks. Nibbles hopped over to them and laid on Jules’s feet.

The three Warriors were bellowing and tearing at their skin as if they were possessed and had to reach their hearts before they exploded.

The Trolls knelt and bowed to the lost Warriors.

The ship captain and his sailors were still fighting the Sea Dragon, but none of our Heroes gave a damn.

Akira was gone. They will never see her smile or hear her laughter again. They will never look into her dull yet bright eyes or hear her call them by her special nicknames.

Akira is dead.

The light in their life has been snuffed out.

Wolfric pulled his shirt off and looked at the place Akira’s mark had once been.

“Akira,” he whispered.

“We should have stayed away from the water!” Jules cried out. “We should have listened to the Banshee!”

“I should have stayed at her side,” Wolfric whispered, his once bright eyes dull.

“I can’t believe this is happening!” Darius bellowed as he threw himself face-first onto the deck.

“What do we do now?” Malique asked, his mind and body numb.

“No use in looking for her fourth Warrior,” Jules whispered. “Only Akira can find him.”

Wolfric screamed and punched the side of the ship, creating a massive hole, making the captain take notice of the grieving Warriors and their friends.

“You’re going to have to pay for that,” the captain said, watching them.

Wolfric growled and ran at the man. He lifted him off his feet and slammed him onto the deck.

“We just lost our Havent! Do you seriously think we give a shit about your fucking ship?” Wolfric spat in the man’s face.

The captain’s face turned green when he saw the look in the wolf’s eyes.

“Wolfric,” Jules said, gently touching his shoulder.

Wolfric turned to her with a growl.

Jules jumped but didn’t back away.

“You can’t kill him,” she whispered. “Akira would not like that.”

Wolfric’s face turned from anger to sorrow. “I can’t live without her,” he said as he stood and walked away from them.

“Wolfric,” Malique said as he walked toward his best friend.

Wolfric shook his head and took several more steps back. “I can’t,” he said, then turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Nibbles whimpered as he watched Wolfric disappear.

Jules cried into her hands. Levi came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“He won’t survive in the shadows for long in the state he’s in,” Stella said, watching the others around her.

“We need to get rid of that fucking Sea Dragon!” Darius shouted when the Leviathan attacked the ship again.

Jules looked at Levi, and he nodded. They popped into their Fairy form and went after the Sea Dragon; the Trolls rolled away from the Warriors to help the Fairies.

“I don’t give a shit what happens next,” Malique grumbled.

“Akira would want us to carry on,” Darius said, looking out into the ocean.

Nibbles sat at the Pegasus’s feet, a small tear sliding down his wet nose.

Malique sighed deeply. “Can you carry on as if Akira never existed?”

Darius looked at his friend and shook his head. “It’s the end of our life as we knew it.”