arms and legs. When his body hit the sea surface with a splash, the captain said:
– What steel. Come on, let’s all go inside! Immediately! Let’s continue to have fun.
There was silence for some time. They didn’t like Lew, but it was not humane to throw a comrade out to certain death. Although he deserved it. A blow with a sword in a fair (or dishonest – what’s the difference) duel is a completely different matter.
Only two remained outside. Lew held on to the empty barrel that was dropped on him as the only way to avoid drowning. And Rakon stood on the deck, holding a pipe in his four-fingered hand.
– Old man, save me! Ask! I’m not out of malice, I believe your stories.
– I will gladly save us all. It’s not for nothing that you didn’t believe me – I didn’t tell my comrades the whole truth.
And then Rakon looked somewhere into the distance and began to whisper:
– Come, lord of the sea! I call to you! I need your help. Accept this sacrifice and fill our sails with wind! Let us get to dry land.
The sea surface suddenly opened up for a second. A huge tentacle emerged from it, which in an instant dragged poor Liu under the water. The old man did not reveal the secret to anyone. One day, while searching for treasure, his ship crashed on a reef, and he and his crew ended up on a desert island. The provisions quickly ran out, and the sailors began to attack each other and eat the weak like animals. But Rakon turned out to be the most insidious. At night, when the full moon rose, he cut off his ring finger and summoned the monkfish. He appeared, shrouded in a thousand tentacles. Racon offered him a deal – he gave his comrades to be devoured by the monster, and in return received life. The next day, a merchant ship sailed to the island. Over the years, Rakon has brought many victims to the sea evil, so this time too the monster appeared at the first call. And a few minutes later the wind filled the sails with air.
The sailors jumped onto the deck. They were ready to jump for joy, especially the captain. No one ever found out what the cost of their salvation was.
The sailors drank rum and bawled songs.
Yo-ho-ho, the bottomless expanse sleeps,
We know no peace, only rum and robbery,
We don’t want to die here
Have fun, friends, our motto is simple!
Only the guy who was picked up after the shipwreck was sitting in the corner. He was silent, just drank and sadly looked into nowhere.
– Why don’t you, Tram, have fun with everyone? – Liton approached him. – Are we not nice to you as interlocutors? Of course, I understand, we are not sirs, we do not have the same manners as land lords. But, you know, we are all from a noble family. I am the illegitimate son of King Silerin, Dukat the Second. My stepmother expelled me from the capital while my father went on a campaign. So I have been wandering all my life across the seas and oceans. My stepmother has long been dead, but the way to land is closed to me. So life has made me rude and cruel. And other guys have secrets too. It is not common for us to remember our past life, but we all have reasons for living such a life. Outlaw.
– What are you talking about, Liton? You are friends, that’s what we need. If it weren’t for you, I would have fed the fish at the bottom of the Erin Sea. Moreover, I myself have been an exile for many years. But I’m just not in the mood for fun right now.
– Understand. You are the only one left alive from the crew. Do you think that because I am a rude person, the feeling of loss is alien to me?
The captain lowered his head for a moment – he remembered the girl Lucita, the only one he had once loved. While I still knew how to love.
– That’s not the point. I didn’t even know those on the ship at all. They sailed together, but before that they met in the port of Suthering.
– You can trust me. I am the captain of the ship, I must know everything about everyone from the crew. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your secrets. But there should be no secrets from me.
Tram looked at Liton for a few seconds, studying him. It seems like he can be trusted. He doesn’t look like a spy. He was tired of carrying all this burden on his soul alone. No one could be trusted! But sometimes I wanted to share the secret with someone else.
– Shamon is back again.
The captain retreated a few steps.
– They don’t joke with something like that, Creator forbid!
The ancient demon was put to sleep by the ancestors two hundred years ago. He then conquered half the world. Dark Lords cannot be killed. They can be deprived of their strength for a while, they can be put to sleep for many centuries. But there is never a complete guarantee that one day he will not return. There were others before Shamon, stronger than himself. Antimonik, or the same Dell, were much stronger than the last fiend of evil. Zaymond was used to scare naughty children. But Chamon was the last, and, unlike the others, he was not just a legend. After his death, he left behind many spies who served his ideas for many years. Evil is not so easy to root out.
– I saw him. With my own eyes. But I must get to Eldoras, my hometown, to warn the inhabitants of the danger. The main thing is to get there before Shamon gets there with his army.
– If this is true, why do you need to go where the war will soon begin?
– I am one of the Seven.
If Liton had been a believer, he would have fallen to his knees right now. He silently took a sip of rum. He was no longer looking at the guest from above. On the contrary, there was reverence in him. The pirates continued to sing:
Yo-ho-ho, I’m dreaming of the blue distance,
We’re burning bridges and our pockets are empty
But I don’t feel sorry for the past at all,
Gallows or bonfires await us!
– You know, Tram! I have never done anything unless it was beneficial. As long as I’m a captain, I have to do this. But I will help in some way – we will direct the ship to the port of Khenei, which is closest to Eldoras.
– Thank you, Captain Liton. I will not forget your kindness!
Here the ship tilted. The drunken pirates hit the wall.
– Captain Liton! Looks like we’ve hit a reef!
The sailors got out of the ship and swam to the island. Liton ordered a fire to be lit, and several people went deep into the forest to get dry branches. No one noticed how Rakon fell to his knees and began to whisper:
– I appeal to you, lord! Come! Come to me! Get this ship out, don’t let it die. And I will make a sacrifice for you – I give them all to you!
He suddenly emerged from the sea. The entire green body was covered with tentacles, and instead of hands there were huge crab claws.
– Take them, master! – the old man shouted. – Take them all, but save me, I pray!
– Oh, you’re a disgusting nit! – Liton fired, and Rakon fell to the ground. Several shots are fired into the monster’s chest, but it’s all useless. The monkfish easily scattered the sailors, taking their lives. Then Tram said:
– I am the keeper of the Ancient Secret! I order you, monster – perish!
A bright beam of light flashed from his hands. The monster writhed in pain. But it immediately roared and rushed at the Guardian. Tram pulled out a sword – his blade shimmered with a thousand small runes. A couple of blows from the claws almost knocked the monk off his feet, but he resisted. He thrust the shimmering blade into the monster’s chest with all his might. The monster roared and fell to the ground. Until the black spirit of the