The Lore Wain and Her Nephew Pt. 45

After about an half an hour of peaceful sailing, the front of the ship tipped upward higher than usual, as if the ship ran over something. The back end followed in doing the same strange motion. This unusual event caused a stir among the crew. "We hit a sea monster!" Alagatha shouted frantically, running to her station. "Sssea monster?! That musta been a rock! Don't freak me out, Laggy!" Nibble argued as he climbed to his station, which was the crow's nest. Celeste quickly exited her cabin with her nephew in her arms with Clef. "What was that?!" She shouted as she hurried up the stairs to where the Captain's wheel was. "We hit something!" Kinabrick shouted as he held the wheel steady. Ramger looked as pale as a ghost. "What did we hit?!" Celeste asked again, looking at Ramger. "What did you see?!" "S-Something big. S-Something... Quite scaly." Ramger nearly fell over but he kept himself from falling. Clef ran to the very front of the ship and looked over the railing. "The ship isn't damaged!" He looked towards the back of the ship and his face immediately went pale like Ramger's. Celeste saw Clef's expression and quickly looked where he was looking. Swimming behind the tail-end of their ship was massive sea creature with indigo colored scales- it was, in fact, a sea dragon. "What- what does it want?!" Celeste shouted in a panic. Echo, who was in Celeste's arms, started to cry. What was strange about him crying was how fussy he suddenly became. He started the throw his hands about and tug on the sling he was being held in. It seemed like it wasn't just the worried adults that was bothering him. Celeste looked down at Echo and tried to soothe him. "Echo, please, cal-!" Before Celeste could get the words out of her mouth, something shook her to the core and caused her to become speechless. Clef looked at Celeste and saw the look on her face. It was entranced. He quickly came to her and held her by the shoulders. "Celeste!" Celeste seemed missing from her mind a while, staring past Clef at the sea dragon following them. Before anyone knew it, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "DROP THE ANCHORS!" Hearing the urgency in her voice and the panic of the crew on deck, Clef turned towards them and repeated what Celeste said. Despite being anxious and terrified of the dragon, Celeste's crew quickly got to work at stopping the ship. Alagatha and Zarabean helped close the sails while Nibble found his way down quickly and dropped the anchor. The ship was stopped in record time. There was silence after that, as the crew looked to Celeste and then back at the sea dragon, which had stopped behind the ship. Celeste ignored everyone there, even Echo who was still upset. She carried him down the steps and over to the back of the ship to meet the dragon. This indigo dragon had golden eyes and reflective scales that shone more purple in the sun. Its head came out of the water and leaned down a little bit over the ship. Everyone on board was frozen. Celeste looked into the dragon's giant golden eyes and reached her hand out and touched its snout. Echo continued to cry and fuss. "Pay attention, Lore Wain of Anneria," Celeste heard in her mind, "Your parents don't lie far from here. However, beware the pirates southwest, for they have it out for your blood." Celeste responded, "'Lie'? Does that mean they're living or... passed?" She asked without moving her lips. "Who are you?" "I am Lyresa, daughter of Noutel. You know not of my lineage." The sea dragon snorted and pulled back her head to look at Celeste clearly. "As for your parents, they live. They have not heard of what's happened to Anneria." "You know?" Celeste asked audibly, causing the crew to seem more perplexed by the interaction. The only ones not confused were Ramger and Kinabrick. Lyresa blinked with confirmation, "Your cries of agony were heard across the sea." Celeste looked down as if searching for understanding before looking back at Lyresa. "Then why didn't you come sooner?" "I was prevented." Lyresa replied vaguely before looking deeply into Echo's crying blue eyes. Echo locked eyes with the dragon and whimpered. He did not like that he was involved in hearing this mysterious conversation... Or perhaps he saw something Celeste didn't see. "Little King knew I was here before you did." Lyresa remarked curiously before slowly sinking back into the water. Celeste quickly ran to the edge of the boat and looked down at Lyresa sinking into the deep. "Wait! Where are you going?!" "Ensuring you have clear passage. Beware the southwest. Heed my call and you and your crew will be saved." Lyresa left as quickly as she came, still nudging the ship a little as she swam underneath it. The crew was in a dead silence as Celeste slowly turned and looked at them. Ramger was first to speak, "What did the sea dragon say?!" "Sea dragon's don't talk?" Clef remarked with confusion as he looked at Celeste with intrigue. Ramger faced Clef with a huff. "Well, not to you, obviously, but..." He looked back at Celeste. "They speak to Annerian blood bearers. Sometimes they even offer visions." "We need to avoid the south west sea." Celeste replied with a look of perplexity in her face. "Pirates..." She tried to state loudly but it came out weaker than her first statement. With that, she retreated into the Captain's Cabin to be alone. The crew looked at each other with utter confusion of what event had just transpired. "Well, it sure was pretty..." Cynthia softly smiled, hoping to break the silence. "Pretty terrifying." Nibble said with a voice crack. "That thing could of gobbles usss up in seconds!" Alagatha was shaking, "I've never seen one that close before!" Clef didn't know what to do. One moment, he was discussing with Celeste their plans when they arrive in Torrboro. The next, they ran over a sea dragon and it gave them a warning? He knew nothing about sea dragons. Clef slowly looked over at Ramger and admitted, "Perhaps I can tag you in for this one...?" He seemed to ask with a worried tone coated with a playful question. Ramger looked at Clef up and down suspiciously before heading down the steps and entering the Captain's Cabin.