Chapter 23

Astrid was losing her mind here in Elbing. Even doing her utmost to avoid that shrew of a woman, the few interactions they had were enough to send her into a frenzy.

She was staying in Elbing because of Wil, his return to his family would be short, and he had forbidden her to follow him there, or to Aachen, where he had stashed the Tiefling away.

Astrid would have preferred to have not interactions whatsoever with Annabelle Quentin, but she was worried that Wil would appear to her here in the merchant’s offices, which he had done several times, and she would miss him.

Tactfully, she had commandeered a desk just outside Quentin’s office, her senses trained to catch even the barest whiff of Wil’s magic. Already, she had spotted him twice, returning from Aachen or Brookmoor.

The second time she had been quick enough to catch him, dragging him to a nearby restaurant for a long discussion. She still remembered how he had smiled when he saw her, the worried look around his eyes fading.

Sighing, she returned to her book, one of several she had borrowed from Quentin’s personal library. As much as she detested her, Astrid had to admit the woman was well learned, with a collection of books that would put a scholar to shame.

Flipping through the pages, she was interrupted by the building shaking around her. A stack of files and ledgers on a table nearby fell to the floor, scattering parchment across the hardwood.

A shattering sound echoed through the room, an inkpot smashing. All throughout the building, Astrid heard panicked cries as people struggled to protect their important items from destruction.

As suddenly as it came, the shaking stopped. Curious, she went outside, intent on helping anyone who required it. Her wand of healing was already in her hand, ready to cast divine healing magic to cure wounds.

Outside, thoughts of helping were driven from her mind as she looked at the sky.

The black moon above appeared to be splitting, oozing with tar. In the center, Astrid could faintly see a figure, deep within the dark void. It was a mass of tentacles, writhing around a single, white eye.

Staring at the opening, her mind reeled, and she stumbled as if struck in the head by a heavy blow. Profane Runes and symbols covered her sight, burning into her very soul. She screamed, covering her eyes with her hands, but the sight of the single eye continued to persist in her mind.

Collapsing onto the ground, she lost all awareness of who she was or what she had been doing. The lidless eye was all that existed.

“-trid, you need to get up! Come on!” A voice shouted next to her, and she felt a hand grip her shoulder, shaking her awake. The runes faded, the image of the Eye retreating, and she became aware once more.

Annabelle Quentin kneeled next to her, shaking her roughly. The Merchant’s face carried an expression of worry and intense fear. Next to her, an older man stood wearing well-worn armor. He had a sword drawn, and he stared at the pair of them with a frown on his face.

“Bell, help me carry her. Come on Astrid, we need to go! Now!” Quentin said, lifting her by one arm while Bell grabbed the other. Together, they managed to get her back on her feet.

“What…What’s happening?” Astrid stammered, trying desperately to shake off the effect the Eye had on her.

“The bloody world’s ending, that’s what. Something is driving people crazy and there’s fighting in the streets.” Bell said gruffly, leading them away from the balcony.

“The moon…” Astrid tried to speak, following along, but everything was difficult. Next to her, Quentin maintained her firm grip on the silvered hair woman.

“Never seen anything like it. Something’s tearing the moon apart from the inside. We need to make for the docks, grab a ship and get out of here before whatever is happening destroys the city.” Bell responded, kicking open the main doors to the office.

Outside, it was chaos. People were lying on the ground, screaming, and clutching their faces. Others were clearly deranged, attacking each other, or harming themselves. Astrid saw a man slamming his head against a wall repeatedly, until his skull cracked.

“We need to set sail and wait for this to end. Maybe it’s only happening in Elbing. We can try Aachen, the Legion has a significant presence there, they should be able to calm them down.” Quentin said.

“Maybe, first step is to make it to the docks. Watch out!” Bell cautioned, stepping forward just as someone threw themselves out of a nearby window. Snarling like a beast, the man crashed onto the ground.

Unfazed by the fall, he regained his feet and leapt at Bell.

Not slowing down, Bell slashed out with his sword, sweeping the blade horizontally, separating the crazed man’s head from his body. Kicking the headless torso out of his path, Bell ignored it as he continued to lead the way.

The docks were surprisingly sparse, only having a handful of people seeking to leave on one of the few ships still at the harbor. Quentin’s ship was waiting at the end of the pier, the crew had been offloading cargo from Lund when Night had fallen.

Climbing the gangway to the ship, the trio found the crew on the deck. Most appeared fine, but they were holding down several of their fellow shipmates, who were screaming and struggling. To Quentin’s surprise, there were a few families aboard, with children huddled next to their parents in fear.

“Edvard!” Quentin yelled, looking around the ship for the captain. On her second try, the man appeared from below deck, his face carrying a grim expression.

“Miss Quentin. I’m glad to see that you are alright.” Edvard greeted her.

“You as well. You’ve had a similar idea?” Quentin asked, gesturing to the supplies, crew, and passengers aboard.

“Indeed. Whatever is happening, we’ll be safer with some distance between us and the shore. We’ll let this storm pass us out at sea.” Edvard replied. He began to give orders to the crew, securing the screaming members of the crew down below and hauling the gangway in.

Ropes were loosened and the ship was preparing to leave Ebling temporarily, when the waters of the bay surged upwards. A large wave struck the dock, rocking the ship and knocking Quentin and Astrid onto the deck.

“What in the hell is happening now!” Bell cursed, scrambling to the rear of the ship for a better look.

A drop of tar had fallen into the ocean from the Black Moon, striking the water. Instantly, the surface of the ocean around the bay began to boil, large bubbles deforming the surface before popping. Bell could see an oily sheen covering the water, shimmering in the light of the city in a kaleidoscope of colors.

A foul smell permeated the air, a scent of sickness and death.

“Edvard! We need to leave, now!” Bell shouted, turning to find the captain already pushing off from the docks, the crew using long polls and oars to gain some distance before the sails could be used.

The waters of the bay began to roil and churn, the boiling waters sending jets of oily liquid into the air. From the center, a gargantuan figure slowly rose. It was a creature, covered in sticky black tar. Its skin was rotten and putrid, the smell of death grew as more of the monster emerged from the waters.

Its head was as large as their ship, with fangs that had once been white, dyed black with rot. The creature was warped and twisted, mutated by the tar. Long tentacles emerged from the ocean, flailing, and writing in the air, before slamming down on the water’s surface.

In the darkness, a pair of bright red eyes stared balefully at the ship.

“Kraken!” Edvard yelled, spinning the ship’s wheel in an ineffectual attempt to avoid the creature. It was too large, filling the entire bay. They had nowhere to go, as the misshapen Kraken opened its mouth, its teeth hovering above as it waited for the vessel to close.

Astrid stared in terror at the creature, and her last thoughts were of Wil, of the mistakes she had made, and the love she felt for him. She wished there was a way she could see him again before the end.

Startled from her thoughts, she dug into her bag, desperately searching. Her hand closed around an orb, something that she had taken from her mother. Pulling it out of her bag, she flung it against the deck with all her might.

“Wil!” Astrid screamed.

The orb shattered, and a wave of magic engulfed the vessel. The magic formed an orb around them, cutting off the front figurehead and half the mast of the ship. With a sharp yank, the magical pulled them into a portal, just as the ship was about to be swallowed.