Free Ocean Of Fear (Book 6) by William King Page B

chopped two-handed at the brute’s rear leg, severing it just below where the knee would have been in a man. It flopped down, massive jaw impacting the ground in front of Terves. The soldier stabbed down with his sword driving it through the creature’s eye. Its head tilted to one side and it began to rear up, refusing to die.
    Kormak leapt onto its slippery back and drove his blade downwards into the base of the creature’s skull where the head met the spine. Vertebrae severed. The beast let out one last frantic croak, twitched and lay still. Terves stood nearby, panting. Kormak took a deep breath.
    Zamara clambered down, prised open the links of the creature’s collar and then pulled the gem and its setting out from below it. He gazed into its depths as if hypnotised by what he saw.
    His jaw went slack and he licked his lips. “There are things inside this gem, thousands of things,” he said. His face looked ghastly in the red light from the gem. He shook his head as if to clear it. “We’re rich,” he said. “You could buy a kingdom with this.”
    “And I will,” said a voice from the gallery. Ironic applause rang out. Looking up Kormak saw a face peering down at him. The Kraken did indeed bear a resemblance to King Aemon. Beside him were more pirates.  
    The crossbowmen tried to bring their weapons to bear, but arrows streaked down at them, taking them in the stomach.
    “I must thank you for your help,” said the Kraken. “The Spawn Mother proved stronger than my Quan ally anticipated. Its powers worked better on the tadpoles than their parent. I confess I expected to have to re-think my plans. I had not expected such potent allies to appear. I will thank my half-brother for sending you when I claim his palace as my own.”
    “We have the gem. You’re going to have to come down and get it,” said Kormak.
    “It is more than a mere gem, my friend. I would not advise you to hold onto it if you value your sanity.”
    “What is it?” Jonas asked.
    “The Teardrop of Leviathan, lost during the ancient wars of the Elder Races. It was taken as spoils and immured here after Tritureon slew Dhagoth. It is a talisman of great magical power.”
    “I assume you are not going to put it to any good use,” Kormak said.
    “On the contrary, I am going to reclaim my birthright with it.”
    “First you’re going to have to reclaim the gem.”
    “I had hoped you would see reason. You’re outnumbered. You’re looking a bit battered and I will spare your lives if you cooperate.”
    “Like you spared the lives of the people in Wood’s Edge?”
    “That flyspeck village? My companion needed to feed and quite honestly I would have left the damn villagers alone if they had provided me with what I requested. They declined to do so and paid the price, as you will if you don’t see sense.”
    “I fear we must reject your kind offer,” said Zamara.
    “A pity.” He shrugged and tossed a black egg down into the pit. The marines dived for cover. The Kraken vaulted over the barrier. His huge cloak billowed out from his shoulders, revealing the alien armour encasing his body. It was dark and chitinous, ribbed around the chest in such a way as to make it look as if the wearer’s skeleton were on the outside. Black tubes emerged from the chestplate and flowed into veins of the Kraken’s neck. They pulsed as if feeding on his blood.
    The armour bulged and flowed in odd places as the Kraken moved. It gave the impression of being alive and grafted to its owner’s body. Kormak had seen such things worn by Old Ones in the past.
    The sorcerer drifted down rather than fell. A ruby ring on his left hand caught the light. Kormak had just enough time to notice this before the Kraken spoke a word of power. Clouds of inky black smoke emerged from the shattered crystal egg he had thrown. A strange peppery odour reached Kormak’s nostrils and his eyes began to sting.
    “Hold your breath!” Jonas shouted. “Close your