Free The Last Portal by Robert Cole Page B

of Batarr or
Altac.
    ‘How long has
it been like this?’ Chris asked, after half sliding across the
cabin floor to his friends. The boat lurched sideways again and
everyone slid across the floor. Chris slid into a bench, followed
by several soldiers and Joe.
    ‘Maybe ten
minutes,’ Joe said, in a voice wavering with fear.
    Chris clambered
over to one of the portholes and looked out. The sea was already
mountainous.
    ‘What about the
other boats?’
    ‘We’ve lost
contact with them,’ Joe yelled above the rising noise of the
wind.
    Even in the
short time he had been awake, Chris noticed the light had faded
markedly. The rest of the company was also gathering around the
portholes. The sounds of thunder could now be clearly heard over
the chatter of the soldiers. Joe and Susie pushed their way to
Chris’s side. There were now frequent lightning strikes and the
waves were being whipped to foam by the wind and rain. Another wave
hit the boat, sending the crew and soldiers sprawling across the
floor again. The boat lurched sharply and there was loud crash as
the whole deck vibrated. Chris looked out the porthole to see the
main mast hanging over the side of the boat.
    The hatch flung
open and Altac appeared amidst a torrent of water. A lightning
strike lit up his face. His eyes were wide with fear and his scar
stood out, dark and jagged, against his pale features. He barked
orders at his soldiers and four Taal rushed outside, slamming the
hatch behind them. The darkness outside was now almost complete.
There was a loud thud on the deck, then another and another. Soon
the deck vibrated like a huge drum, as thousands of hailstones,
some the size of human fists, pounded the boat. The crew huddled
close, then first one porthole, then another, cracked and smashed,
spraying glass fragments and water everywhere, and sending the crew
scurrying to patch the holes with whatever clothes, or other
material, could be found.
    The hatch flung
open again and this time Batarr appeared. He looked around quickly.
When he saw Chris, he pushed he way through the knot of soldiers
still clinging to each other on the floor and gripped him by the
shoulder.
    ‘You must help
us, Mytar!’ he bellowed over the fury of the storm. His green eyes
locked Chris in their stare, filling him with terror.
    ‘What can I
do?’ Chris shouted back.
    ‘I can’t reach
them.’
    ‘Reach
who?’
    Batarr didn’t
answer; gripping him by the collar, he dragged Chris to the hatch
leading to the sleeping quarters and threw him in. Chris started
looking around for something he could use to defend himself. Batarr
jumped down and closed the hatch behind him as Chris retreated to
the far corner of the cabin. But in the next lightning strike,
Chris saw that Batarr’s eyes were fixed intently on him in hope,
not fury. Batarr pulled what appeared to be a large tooth from his
coat.
    ‘Remember when
you used the knife to locate Zelnoff?’ he said.
    ‘Yes...’
    ‘I’ve been
trying to contact the Wassin, who live in these waters. They’re
like the dolphins on your home planet, except much larger. The
boat’s engine has stalled and the mast’s broken. They’re the only
ones who can help us now.’
    He thrust the
tooth toward Chris. ‘Clear your mind and concentrate on the tooth,’
he demanded.
    Chris took the
tooth. Another lightning strike momentarily lit up Batarr’s face.
There were deep lines on his forehead and shadows of exhaustion
under his eyes. ‘Where’ll I tell them to go?’
    ‘Once you make
contact, I’ll direct them here. Hurry.’
    As previously,
Chris held the tooth loosely in his hand. The visions came
immediately. A pod of about ten Wassin was swimming just below the
surface. They were huge, with bulbous heads and rows of sharp
teeth. He concentrated on the lead Wassin. Immediately images
started flowing into his mind. The Wassin had already found the
wreckage of the other two boats and were aware that Batarr and his
people were in trouble.