Page 19

Dave almost ran to the cave and called out Jessica’s name repeatedly.

He had stopped carrying Edith as soon as they had entered the Hollow, she had gone off to search their rooms as Dave had run down to the nursery pool.

Only there was no sign of her. Nothing, except her notebook dropped in the sand at the cove.

It was then Dave saw it, the tell-tale sign of a boat that had landed upon the sands, in the very place he himself would lay his bulk in Kracken form.

His heart felt like it was about to stop, and the pain of being separated from Jessica tore through his very soul. Tilting his head back, Dave released a roar that would have never been possible from a human throat. The sound carried, filling the entirety of Kracken’s Hole and carried out to sea.

Dave was desperate to jump into the ocean and find her, but it wasn’t just him anymore.

If he had learned anything over the last few days, it was that they were family at the Hollow and they would work together, and this would be no different.

Turning, he found his family there waiting, there were no looks of sadness. Only determination.

Dave nodded at them all in thanks and pointed out to sea. “Jessica,” he said, and they nodded back. He watched at the girls clasped each other’s hands and bent their heads. As one they chanted.

“Darkness of night. Moon as bright. Our sister is far from our sight. Lend her our strength. Lend her our hearts. We hate to be apart.Reveal those who have done wrong. With magic in our song.So let it be so mote it be.”

Dave watched as a ripple of magic left the cousins, rippling out over the sea.

“Go get her, Dave, we will look after the hatchlings, bring her home,” Maeve encouraged.

Dave didn’t need to be told twice. He ran straight for the sea, ignoring the rip of his clothing as he dived in and shifted, his bulk slicing through the water as he swam.

Whoever had taken his mate had made one fatal mistake…

You don’t mess with a Kracken.

Bruce laughed as The Girthy Cock-Ral moved out to sea, they had managed to get their stolen bounty and had gotten an extra as well, not only that but they had gotten away Scott free.

“We did it, captain, we did it.”

“What if they come after us?”

“They won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because they won’t, I know these things.”

A groan followed that statement as their captive woke, they’d had to resort to good old fashioned brute force when it came to subduing the woman.

A quick bonk to the head had done it, but it had been getting her onto the ship that was the biggest task.

None of them seemed to have the strength needed.

“Ahh, she is awake,” the captain said and stepped forward, holding their sword at the woman’s neck.

“You will behave yourself or I will be forced to cause harm,” they announced as the crew stood on the deck. Petunia, one of the four pirates, placed their hand inside one of the barrels and pulled out one of the hatchlings.

“If you do not behave, I will hurt the creature.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” the woman screeched as she stood and moved towards the barrel, despite the sword to her neck.

“Whoaaaaaa, I have the power here, lady, I suggest you calm down,” Bruce stated, pleased to see her calm quickly and sit back down. Her neck, unfortunately, had been cut slightly and was now bleeding.

“Pansy, get a cloth, she has nicked her neck,” Bruce ordered. “You will be a good girl, and we may let you go after the creature has been delivered.” Bruce felt confident and yet the smirk on the woman’s face did not sit well.

“Do you realise who you have stolen from and where you have stolen from?” Her voice held a hint of amusement. Still, Bruce kept quiet, they didn’t want her to know that they maybe hadn’t done full research.

“You complete muppets, you’ve not only stolen from Kracken’s Hole, a place protected by magic where three insanely powerful witches watch over it.

And when I say they will be pissed, I mean they will be mega pissed, especially as those creatures as you call them are pretty much their babies.

” The woman paused. “But you have also pissed off the protectors of Kracken’s Hole, who also happen to be that creature’s big brother and my mate. ”

The crew members moved about nervously and Bruce tried not to react to her words.

“Are you honestly that stupid you thought you would get away with it?”

As the woman made her statement, a wave of what felt like wind ripped across the deck of the ship, it brought with it the smell of cinnamon and lavender. Bruce felt their whole body start to tingle.

“Captain, what is happening to us?” one of their crew members called out.

“Captain, help!” another screamed.

Bruce felt their body change in reaction to whatever that ripple had been. The woman had been right. They had no idea what they were up against… and they had lost.

Jessica stood on the deck in disbelief. From the moment she had awoken on the ship’s deck she had only one plan in mind, and that was to get back to Kracken’s Hole at all costs. But when they had pulled a hatchling from the barrel, she had seen red.

She hated to see the capture of something so young and pure, and she would happily take on a deck full of pirates for the little one.

Its cry had broken her heart, making her want to rip out the heart of the captain who had thought it a great idea to raid and steal not just from Kracken’s Hole, but from the Hollow and Krackens themselves.

Jessica had never been scared for herself; she knew that as soon as Dave had found out that she was gone, he would come for her.

It had been his roar from the town that had brought her out from being unconscious.

She had felt the magic as it had been released but what had happened, she was not prepared for.

How could she be?

You couldn’t write this shit.

After the magic had hit, all the members of the crew had been affected. The spell had reduced them to what they truly were. Reaching down, Jessica picked one up by its neck.

“You have got to be kidding me; I was kidnapped by five fucking chickens.” Shaking the one that had been the captain, she growled in its face.

“You kidnapped me and a hatchling for what profit? I should throw you overboard and see if chickens can swim.” Instead she dropped the chicken and watched it scuttle off the be with the others.

“We will be having words when we get back to Kracken’s Hole,” she shouted as she walked to the barrel and pulled out the hatchling, letting it hold onto her with a vice-like grip. “Shhh, it’s okay, they won’t hurt you,” she cooed.

Then felt and heard it; the groan of the ship as something big took hold of it. Like a scene from a very famous pirate movie, tentacles swept up and over the vessel. Engulfing it until a face appeared above the railing.

Only Jessica was far from scared. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the chickens. She had never seen one faint before, she had now seen five do it, and in sync too.

“Hey, honey,” she called out and walked to the rail. She placed her hand on Dave’s head and kissed his Kracken nose. “Thank you for coming to rescue me.”

The grumble he released made the whole boat vibrate, and it only grew deeper when he spotted the cut on her neck. Tentacles shot over the railing ready to flatten the chickens where they fell.

“Don’t do that, we need to take them back to the Hollow to be interrogated,” she admitted before she looked at him and smiled.

“Dave, will you take us home?”