SECRET IN THE HOLD
The crew onboard the slaver ship desperately tried to get away from the larger vessel pursuing them. Cannon fire continued to erupt from both ships. Everyone on deck threw themselves to the ground as another volley smashed through equipment and rigging, sending showers of splintered wood through the air.
Ethan flinched as things popped and smashed around him. He knew the physical dangers could not harm him. Still, it took getting used to. He’d already seen one demon, but Ethan sensed, somehow, it had not been the only one.
The slaves must be kept in the cargo hold down below, Ethan supposed. He walked across the deck as the men onboard passed through him, trying to keep the ship elusive and remain alive at the same time. It was a curious thing to Ethan. He walked upon the physical deck just as he would in his natural state, but the men passed right through him-even the cannonballs, the ocean spray, and the wind itself simply passed through.
Then Ethan thought about what he had already seen. He remembered the demon, who had appeared in the rented room at the Weary Traveler Inn. The demon had come right through the floor and then stood upon it. Maybe that’s all there is to it, he thought. If I think about what I want to do then perhaps that changes what I can do. If I think I want to pass through this deck then-
Instantly the deck gave way and Ethan descended. He quickly stopped himself, landing below the upper deck of the slaver in a dark hallway. Well it’s down, he reasoned, so I’m going in the right direction.
Men appeared in the hallway, startling Ethan. They ran right through him in the dark without the slightest notion that a fourteen-year-old boy was there. He shook his head at his reaction. It was going to take time to adjust.
Ethan continued down the hallway slowly. He did not have to be concerned with men, but demons were another matter. And they were present somewhere onboard. Ethan felt them like a fog in the air. His body tingled with pricks of darkness in their presence. He wondered if he produced the same sensation in them.
He came to a door. Even in the dark, Ethan’s preternatural eyes saw well. The door was locked with an iron bolt at the top and bottom. He started to gauge its strength. Then he remembered he was in the spiritual. But what if-
Ethan concentrated on what he wanted and reached out for one of the bolts. To his joy, he grabbed it and was able to apply pressure to it. The bolt was stiff, but it slid back out of the doorframe. He had touched the physical world from the spiritual realm. He was so excited about the discovery he almost forgot why he was there. Elspeth.
He left the other bolt alone and fastened the one he had undone. Ethan did not want someone to discover anything amiss, if they happened to come this way.
Ethan passed through the wall. Once inside, he found the room completely devoid of light except for a sliver of gray coming through the cargo bay doors above. Ethan heard the sound of the sea raging against the hull all around him. The hollow boom of the cannons echoed within the walls and gave the room a larger feel as the sound reverberated around.
Ethan found it much more difficult to see in here despite his spiritual sight. The darkness was more than just an absence of light. He felt it. Ethan heard heavy breathing, living things here in the dark. He grabbed his sword which became luminescent in his hand.
Forms became visible in the darkness, lying on beds of hay. But these were far too large to be humans. Ethan cautiously walked over to one of them. It was a man of some sort, but a giant man. From head to toe, he was easily three times the size of a normal human being. The giant slept, unaware of him.
Ethan gazed within the man. The tingling in his body grew stronger now as he drew nearer. What he saw amazed and terrified him at the same time. At least one hundred demons resided within this single giant man. As he stood there, mesmerized by the sight, he realized more giant men were moving in the dark around him.
He reacted on pure instinct, striking at movement behind him. One of the giants let out a horrible cry of pain. A hundred cries from the demons within mingled with it. Ethan suddenly realized he had stumbled into a terrible situation. The compartment came alive around him.
They could see him, or at least, the demons within these giants could see him. Ethan had gotten himself into serious trouble. Demons leaped out of the giants in large numbers, leaving many more within the hulking warriors to control them.
The demons drew their weapons for battle. Some held swords while others brandished huge maces. Ethan whirled around trying to take in as many of his opponents as possible. Evil laughter rose from the ranks of giants and demons.
Ethan noticed another sword had appeared, floating by his left hip. He removed it quickly with his right hand, shifting the first to his left. It felt good. Shaddai, help me to do your will, he prayed within himself.
Demons moved in. Ethan whirled the twin blades in tight circles, striking anything he could reach. The giants moved away from him as the demons encircled him. Ethan noticed the giant man, the one he had initially hit, bleeding from a deep wound to the chest. I actually struck his flesh with this sword, Ethan realized. No wonder they’re moving back. The demons mean to protect these giants.
Any further consideration of why Mordred would transport these giant men on his slaver vessel left his mind as the battle for his life ensued. Demons lunged at him from every direction. Ethan struck out with both swords. He countered assaults, parried swords, ducked a swinging mace, somersaulted over a demon, then struck the creature down.
Every time he managed to create an opportunity for escape, more demons swarmed in upon him. It did not appear that Ethan could win this fight. He now faced too many opponents in too confined a space. Ethan searched for a way of escape. He could pass through the physical walls, but not through the spiritual creatures hemming him in.
A thought kept bouncing around in his mind. Why are these giants sailing for Emmanuel? Ethan tried not to think about it-after all, he was fighting for his life. But the thought would not go away.
The giants backed as far away from the fight as they could. The demons blocked Ethan at every turn. He remembered the old woman from Tilley-the one controlled by a single demon. That woman had been nearly one hundred years old, yet she had fought with the strength of ten men. Even Gideon could hardly handle her in the fight. If Mordred built an army with these demon-possessed giants, then what normal army could hope to stand against him?
Ethan still did not know how many giants were even in the cargo hold. But if Mordred had more ships, bringing more giant men, then…the thought was terrible. Ethan had to destroy the giants. Bonifast was trying to sink this ship, but with the storm raging around them, it might not happen. And for all Ethan knew, Gideon may have convinced him to hold his special ammo until Ethan returned.
He was losing ground fast, barely defending himself at this point. He had nowhere to run. Ethan looked toward the walls of the cargo hold. The hull was blocked. Demons hovered above him, even standing upside down upon the ceiling of the cargo hold, all barring his retreat. There was no place for Ethan to go but-down!
Ethan immediately used both swords to hack through the floor beneath his feet-not because he couldn’t pass through already, but to allow water into the cargo hold. The brilliant blades cut through the sturdy wood like hot knives through butter. Ethan dropped down as the wood gave way. He sank down into the lower hull, which housed the spine of the ship. With his swords illuminating the dark confines of the space, Ethan ran across ballast stones toward the spine and began slicing through it.
Demons dropped into the enclosed space with him. When they spotted him and saw what he was doing to the ship, they immediately rushed after him. Ethan made his final cuts, then hacked through the last layer of the hull beneath his feet. The last thing Ethan saw was astonished demon faces.
Water erupted into the compartment, filling it quickly. Ethan let go of the physical completely, while the ship sped on, away from him, taking on water. He was in the Azure Sea now, but he was not wet, not drowning. He needed no air in this state.
Ethan rose toward the surface. As he came to stand upon the water itself, he saw the Maelstrom pass him, still in pursuit of the slaver-its cannons blazing after its prey.
