Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries Read online

  “What… what did you say?” she stammered.

  Then again from the shadows the smooth voice echoed the name, this time more slowly and more precise. “Nina.”

  Her mind was racing now. How did he know her father? Did he find him? Had he tracked him down looking for the skulls?

  Dragos spoke again as if reading her thoughts.

  “Yesss,” he said. “Now you see what this has cost you, don’t you?”

  No, please, please not that, she thought. He was all she had left. He had raised Terra almost singlehandedly since the age of five following her mother’s death.

  It was in that moment Terra remembered something her father once told her. In one of his many tales of his adventures, he had mentioned a rare breed of vampires that possessed remarkable abilities. They were unlike most of the bloodthirsty hunters Terra had encountered over the years. These vampires her father spoke of had psychic abilities with which they could probe their victims’ minds. Although rare--and perhaps more folklore than anything--the idea was not entirely beyond the realm of possibility.

  Psychic vampires dig deep into the mind, soul, and emotions of their victims, as well as their mental processes, he said. Processes that take place within the individual are not visible or measurable in the physical world.

  Is this what Dragos was doing? Was he looking into her mind, digging deep to find out what haunts her, what she values, what she holds sacred? Was he trying to kill her from within?

  Then her answer came in a surge of relentless pain, sending Terra to her knees as waves of uncontrollable pressure came crashing into her mind.

  It was at that moment Dragos emerged from the shadows. His movements were slow, methodical, and agonizingly graceful. The vampire's shadow stretched across the wooden hull, creeping toward Terra. back to top

  Retribution

  Still on her knees, she looked up at the vampire. His right hand gripped his silver cutlass, and in the left hand was the Skull of Aries.

  Long black hair fell like a curtain around his face, and his violet, cat-like eyes pierced through the shiny black veil. Dragos wore a black vest with matching trousers, tall black boots, and a cloak. Dangling from his left ear was a long earring that resembled a shark tooth. He wore four rings on each hand, the facets of the various jewels reflecting the flame of the Vanquisher as he approached.

  “Is this what you were looking for?” he asked smugly.

  Terra could not respond at first. Her hands were trembling, and she could barely keep her grasp on the Vanquisher.

  “Dragos… Funny finding you here,” she gasped. “Looks like you could really use some sun there, big boy."

  Dragos smiled, his long white canines visible now. “Surely you didn’t think you could win? That you could outsmart me, little girl?”

  Terra lowered her head to the floor of the hull and screamed out in agony. The throbbing pain had reached the top of her spine and began numbing its way down. She knew it was only a matter of minutes before complete paralysis set in. She had to do something and do it quickly.

  “You know this is no way to treat a lady,” she said, panting. “I might have to gut you for this!”

  She was obviously in no position to do anything of the sort; it was more of a ploy to keep him distracted. Dragos was a vampire, but first and foremost he was a man, and all men love to boast, especially egotistical maniacs like Dragos.

  “Yes, quite painful, isn’t it?” he asked mockingly.

  “How… how are you doing this?” she cried out, her head rolling from side to side. She did not care how he was doing it; she just needed it to stop.

  As Terra gasped in pain, she slowly reached for the Amulet of Demons. She grasped it in her fist and through gritted teeth spoke the incantation.

  “You see, Vixen, you are just a frail child--a mortal child at that.”

  Pain and anger intertwined, fusing into rage just as the bow hatch behind him burst open and the Sea Ghouls emerged. Dragos turned just in time as the first Ghoul approached. With pallid skin and bloodshot eyes, the mutilated corpse stabbed at Dragos, filled with an eerie vengeance.

  Dragos parried the sword downward and countered with a vicious swing to the neck. The Sea Ghoul’s head flew into the air and onto the floor as three more engaged.

  Now was the time to attack, Terra thought. With the pain still swirling around in her head, she leaped forward, thrusting the Vanquisher deep into Dragos’ back.

  Dragos screamed in pain, arching backward with both arms held wide. The Vanquisher’s blazing blue tip protruded from the vampire’s chest. Dragos’ sword fell from his hand, but he continued to grasp the Skull of Aries.

  Terra withdrew the Vanquisher from behind as the three swords of the Sea Ghouls simultaneously impaled Dragos’ chest. Again Dragos screamed out in pain as he fell to his knees.

  “Stop!” Terra yelled.

  The three Sea Ghouls froze, their swords embedded deep in the chest of Dragos. Their heads turned in unison, staring at Terra, their long, blood-stained teeth visible now. They were hungry. They needed to feed and they wanted Dragos badly.

  “Withdraw,” she commanded.

  The Ghouls withdrew their swords, sheathed them, and took one step back as if they were soldiers. Terra moved to the side of Dragos, who was panting and spitting up blood now. Once in front of him, she began to smile.

  “I think you have something that belongs to me,” she said casually.

  Dragos’ pale face was blue from the reflection of the Vanquisher. A small, fleshy hole lay smoldering in his chest where she had impaled him from behind.

  “How… how are you able to control them...” he grunted. “What sorcery have you done?”

  Still smiling, Terra stepped closer to Dragos. She wanted to look him in the eye. He seemed scared now and in pain. Just the way she liked her vampires.

  “It’s not sorcery, Dragos. It’s the Vonnel charm. Some men just can’t resist.”

  She raised the Vanquisher so he could feel the heat of the flame on his face. “This is going to sting a little, handsome.”

  With a quick downward stroke, Terra severed Dragos’ arm, which held the Skull of Aries. Dragos screamed, his body cringing as the arm fell to the floor with a thud.

  “You see, you hurt me, Dragos,” she said, staring into his violet eyes. “I told you that was no way to treat a lady, and I meant it.”

  Suddenly she could feel her head beginning to tingle with another twinge of pain. He was doing it again, trying to get into her mind. He was not as strong this time, she thought. He was too weak now; the pain was causing him to lose focus.

  Terra moved the Vanquisher’s tip to his throat. The flame singed his skin. She leaned in closer and whispered, “You disappoint me, Dragos.”

  She reached down, her eyes fixed on his, and removed the skull from the hand of the severed arm. Gradually, with the Vanquisher still at his throat, she moved backward between the Sea Ghouls.

  She paused, giving Dragos one final look.

  “There is something you should know about me, Dragos. I don’t like head games. No girl does.” She grinned. “Kill him!”

  In an instant, the Ghouls had Dragos surrounded. His screams rang out, loud and agonizing at first, but gradually they faded away into the carnivorous consumption of the bloodthirsty Sea Ghouls.

  Terra turned and walked back through the dark hull, stepping over the dead bodies, her eyes fixated on the silver skull with horns and emerald eyes.

  The battle was over, and she had won. Finally, she had retrieved the missing piece to unlock her destiny. She was one step away from having everything she ever wanted, and there would be nothing to stand in her way. back to top

  Home

  Once aboard the Aspen, Terra removed her weapons and placed them on the small table in her cabin. Cannon fire rang out as the Sea Ghouls lay waste to the Mont Delia, sending her and the remains of her crew to Davey Jones’ Locker.

  The flicker of soft candlelight illuminated
the dark walls of the captain’s quarters. After years at sea, the Aspen had become more than just a ship to Terra; it had become her home. The Aspen was a rare, magical vessel. It was the only ship known to man to have been built by witches. The Witches of Montoria had built the Aspen back in the late 1700s. A period referred to as the “Burning Times” had led to the execution of about half a million witches throughout Europe. This battle raged on from the 1400s until 1792, when the last of the witches had been destroyed. In a last ditch effort, High Priestess Ersilia Aspentainia commanded the Witches of Montoria to build their first and only battleship. It was said that Ersilia had given her power of healing to the great ship, a transfer of magic that in the end cost Ersilia her life. Bearing the name of her creator, the Aspen set sail. Quickly it became known as “the ship of a thousand lives.” Whenever it was damaged in battle, the ship was known to miraculously heal itself as if it were alive. The ship itself was responsible for destroying several hundred armadas during the war. It became the most notorious ship on the high seas and feared by all. In the end, not even the Aspen could save the witches from complete annihilation. Only a handful of Montoria Witches remained as a crew when they set sail into the unknown, never to be seen again. Some say the witches committed suicide; some say they joined Ersilia, giving their souls to the ship. No one knows what really happened. The Aspen was never heard of again--until two years ago, when Terra discovered her adrift in a fog bank near the city of Tunis in the Mediterranean. To this day, Terra was unable to explain what drew her to the coastal waters. Part of it stemmed from a dream she’d had the night before. In the morning, she gave Coven the coordinates for Tunis, not knowing why she should go, knowing only that she must.

  Two years later the Aspen had become as famous as she was back then. Nothing about her appearance had changed except for her sails, which no longer carried the insignia of the Montoria coven. Instead, the Aspen was fitted with blood-red sails and the crest of the Sea Vixen, which consisted of the sun, the initials S V, two dragons, two revolvers, and the Vanquisher.

  Terra stood as if in a trance. She was tired now, and even with the Skulls of Aries in her possession there was still more work to be done. The bright moon that had finally emerged from the once billowing clouds poured through the four large windows on the port side of her cabin. Just under the windows was a map table, a red-cushioned chair, and a half-bookshelf with a large Victorian oval washbasin. The floor and walls were the same charcoal gray as the rest of the Aspen, with accents of red in the form of pillows, rugs, and drapes. A short, winding staircase set in the center back wall led up to the top loft, where her bed, clothes, and a small writing desk were. Small artifacts littered the shelves on the starboard side of the room. It was Terra’s private treasure collection, which had been acquired during past adventures.

  “Where would you like this, Vixen?” a voice asked from behind. Terra turned to see Coven standing there holding a rucksack in one hand and a mug in the other.

  Coven was a tall, thin pirate with neck-length brown hair and hazel eyes. He wore a white collared shirt and burgundy vest inlaid with Asian embroidery, black pants, and boots. His weapons of choice were two Italian revolvers given to him by her father for his eighteenth birthday. They were strapped to him at all times in crisscrossing holsters around his chest.

  “On the table is fine,” she said and moved her weapons to the side to make more room.

  Coven placed the rucksack on the table and handed her the mug.

  “You best drink it while it’s still hot,” he said.

  “Tea?” she asked.

  “Yes, the green kind you’re so fond of.”

  Terra smiled. Coven’s innocence was at times charming. He was a pirate through and through so the finer things often escaped him. He was not one to appreciate the robust flavor of a good imported tea, or the comforts of a cabin that reminded her of home. For Coven his home had always been the sea, and his comforts consisted solely of his pistols.

  “It’s not really green, silly.”

  Coven smirked and stared back at Terra as if waiting to see if she were going to drink it.

  She looked at Coven for a minute and then turned the mug and peered inside.

  “It’s not green, is it?” Terra asked, a little worried now.

  When Terra looked back at Coven, the corners of his mouth began to curl upwards. “Will that be all, Vixen? I do have a ship to run, you know?” Before Terra could answer, Coven turned and walked out of her cabin, closing the door behind him.

  Terra looked back down at the mug and sniffed it just to make sure. To her relief she could smell the bittersweet combination of leaves and flowers with hints of citrus that she recognized as being from her father’s private collection back home. He had secretly packed it away for her before she left more than two years ago. She was just fifteen back then when she left home to complete the quest her father had become too ill to finish.

  Terra took a small sip of tea and realized Coven was right. It was hot, but it felt good on the back of her throat, especially now that it was still sore from the vampire’s chokehold on her neck.

  Terra sat the mug down next to the rucksack on the table. Now to find out the secret location of Mount Aries, she thought. back to top

  Answers

  This was a long time coming, and she hoped her father had been right… that apart from being gate keys, the skulls also contained a hidden map to Mount Aries.

  No one knew the true location of Mount Aries. There were plenty of stories of pirates that had run across it, but every story ended the same way. No pirate that ever found Mount Aries had lived to tell about it.

  Terra had her own theories about the legendary island, and hers were based on fact, not fabricated stories. After all, her father had met one of the ancient descendants that actually hid the Skulls of Aries to protect its treasure--a treasure thought to be too powerful for humankind. The race was called the Vendelli. Its members were human for the most part, but at the same time they possessed reptilian features. Their eyes were like those of a snake, with slits for pupils and no eyelashes. Their tongues were said to be forked under close inspection, and their skin had patches of scales visible only in the moonlight. Her father claimed they wore veils and long robes to hide their features. Legend had it they walked among us as diplomats and infiltrators, pretending to be humans.

  It was this Vendelli that her father had saved more than thirteen years ago in a battle in the Caribbean. Before succumbing to injuries sustained in battle, he told her father of the Skulls of Aries and the treasure they protected. It wasn’t until after Terra’s mother’s death that her father became obsessed with finding it. If the Skulls of Aries protected a treasure that could go back in time, then perhaps he could save his wife before the killer got to her. That was his plan anyway.

  Terra’s mother was his one true treasure. Piracy came naturally for her father, but his love for her mother was like no treasure he had ever found or would ever find again. It was a little over two years ago that Terra had taken her father’s place in searching for the Skulls of Aries. He had fallen ill, and from what she heard, he was not getting any better.

  The Skulls were just the first step to finding and saving her mother. They still needed to narrow down the date and, of course, find the killer. The date was a problem because her father had been away on a hunt as usual and Terra was only five at the time. Her mother was murdered in her sleep and not discovered until weeks later when her father had returned.

  As for the killer… there was a long list of suspects—even spanning different races--who wanted to see her father in shanks… or better yet, dead! The Goblins were at the very top of that list and with good reason. Terra’s father had been wanted by the Goblin race for as long as she could remember. In his youth, he had stolen their sacred artifact known as the Vanquisher, which in time he had given to his daughter.

  The magical weapon was forged as a gift for the Goblin king, Talon Kor, by a race known as the
Nitra. Terra’s father discovered its location the night before the ceremony and stole it from Nitra’s forge. Once King Talon received word the one of a kind sword was stolen he was outraged. In retribution for their carelessness the king ordered his armies of Goblins to destroy Nitra city. He spared no one, and for several years after the massacre the Goblins hunted down the remaining Nitra like animals until every last one was dead. They never did find Terra’s father, but somehow they managed to find her mother--or so Terra thought. There was still something that burned in her mind. Why would they kill her mother and leave Terra alive? Why not wait for her father to return and kill him, too? After all, he was the one that had stolen the sword. These were questions Terra would have answers to someday, she thought.

  Terra had survived on bread and water left in the house at the time. She still remembered crying at the foot of her mother’s bedroom door, hoping and praying that it would open. Those prayers were never answered. Her mother had been killed by someone, or something, leaving Terra alone.

  It was at the age of five that Terra knew one day she would find this person, this thing, and put an end to its life. She had the Skulls of Aries now, but she needed the Orb of Time if she was to go back and save her mother.

  Terra was a natural when it came to piracy. She had learned from the best, most notorious pirate that had ever lived. His family had remained a secret because he wanted them protected, kept safe from the people that hunted him. In the end, there was no place safe enough for the man she called father and the world called Bartholomew Roberts.

  Terra carefully opened the rucksack and removed one skull at a time, placing them carefully on the table facing her. The skulls were made of silver, with small horns that curled down and extended outward on both ends. The emerald eyes, made from some kind of jewel Terra had never seen, were set deep in the sockets.