What he'd said didn't make much sense, but I guess it didn't really matter as my continued existence seemed to have come to an end.
I was led out onto the deck back into the orange glow of the shifting overhead clouds. I saw Colt already lined up against the railing and I rushed to him.
"I'm sorry Colt, but I couldn't let them hurt you anymore"
Colt stared back at me solemnly and said "That's how I feel about you. I'd have squealed the first moment they'd laid a fist to you."
"You would have?" I asked softly.
He shrugged, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you Kim."
Tears spilled down my face as I looked up at him with my heart in my eyes, "I love you too Colt!"
His swollen lips parted in a smile and I tearfully followed suit with a watery one of my own.
The sound of bolt action recievers on rifles being engaged caused us to both glance over at the row of men bringing rifles up to aim at us.
I turned back to Colt and pressing close to him I said, "Hold me Colt!"
He was already holding me, but at my words his hold tightened. I couldn't help it as I began to cry again. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair!
"Kim!"
The urgency in Colt's voice shook me out of my misery and I glanced up to see the men with rifles lowering them.
Why were they doing that?
I glanced the other way and gasped and held on to Colt tighter. Before me was a beast like no other!
It was a beast that looked an awfully lot like a mythical dragon in combination with the body of a dinosaur. It had partially pulled its great bulk up out of the sea and latched onto the ship's railing with its massive forepaws, which had crumpled the railing into a misshapen form of mangled steel that bespoke of awesome power.
I must've been really lost in my world of private sorrow not to have felt the ship dip over under the weight of the monster that clung to the side of it.
For a beast it seemed to possess a great intelligence, if it's imposing gaze that drifted back and forth over the ship's crew was any indicator to go by. Then most alarmingly of all, the beast spoke, "Where is the captain?"
Shaken hearted sailors pointed toward the bridge and the great head of the beast swiveled in that direction.
The voice of the beast spoke again more loudly than before, "You were warned of what would transpire if you continued to search for the scroll. Not only have you transgressed the will of my masters but you have also decided to add to your list of crimes the slaughter of innocents. You full well know that the Sea People are a tolerant people content to leave those on the surface to their own devices, but you have breached that etiquette by threatening the life of the sister of a Sea Prince and for that your life is required in return."