A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 51: Agony of Pain

Jack blinked away the salty water from his eyes and flipped himself over on his back. He was lying on a rocky beach, the roar of the crashing waves constant and neverending. Above him was a cloudy sky and a cold wind blew past, chilling his soaked body to the bone.

He sat up slowly, his body wracked with pain, and groaned as he felt stabs of agony pierce him all over. He remembered falling and hitting the water, the liquid feeling more like solid stone, and then blacking out. Everything else was nonexistent. There was only then and now. What had happened in between was a mystery to him.

Jack looked behind him, where earthen cliffs rose up for a few dozen feet, the long grass on their tops swaying in the wind. He could climb them easily enough, once the pain subsided somewhat, and from there find out where he was. Judging from where the naval battle had taken place and where he had hit the water he would probably still be in Noyr, which meant caution.

He shifted his gaze to the water and scanned the foggy horizon closely. Captain Hook might have seen him fall and may be surveying the coast for him. The captain wouldn't simply abandon him, that much Jack knew for certain. Yet, there were miles upon miles of coastline and Jack was one man. The Noyran coast wasn't safe for the captain to sail near either as coastal forts were formidable and dangerous obstacles.

"He won't give up on me," Jack said to himself with certainty.

A light rain began to fall and Jack shivered. As much as he wanted to wait for Captain Hook to find him, he couldn't do it out in the open in the rain. He would need shelter and something to eat and drink. This rocky coast offered nothing of the sort.

Jack was about to stand up and start walking when he noticed something rising out of the water to his right. It was huge, spiky, and covered in dark scales. Water spilled off the creature's body in a multitude of tiny waterfalls as it crawled out of the sea, its long, serpentine head hanging low. The body was covered in a myriad of cuts, gashes, sores, holes, and ruptures and many spears, swords, and axes still lay embedded within the flesh, poking out like quills.

The young man watched the black dragon crawl out of the sea, limping heavily, until it was mostly on the rocks and then collapse in a heavy heap. The dragon empress lay there for many minutes, unmoving, until eventually she changed form. The huge dragon body glowed with violet energy and rapidly shrunk into a tall, slender, dark-haired woman. The embedded weapons clattered to the ground, their blades and tips dripping with dragon blood. Though the weapons were no longer within the empress, the wounds remained.

Jack glanced at the weapons and the empress. She appeared on the verge of death and far too weak to defend herself. All it would take would be a simple sliced neck or impaled organ. The tools to get it done were there, in plain sight, and the prey was defenseless. Jack had, if he wished, the power to change Faeryum's future. All he needed to do was get up and grab a weapon.

He noticed the empress watching him, her eyes nearly shut in weariness. She lay on the rocks and made no effort to rise or defend herself. She coughed out some sea water, the motion seeming to drain her of even more energy, and moved her lips.

Jack's body tensed. She could be casting a spell and he wouldn't know it. Fighting the pain, he stood up and walked toward the nearest weapon, a long merfolk spear made of coral. Picking it up and clenching it tightly, he stepped over to the empress and looked down at her.

She blinked slowly and met his gaze, her golden eyes dull and nearly lifeless. "You won't...do it."

Jack's eyes widened in anger. "I have the power to end the war now, Rhiannon. It wouldn't take much energy for me to simply drop this spear into your cold heart. I can and I should do it!"