The Mad Raven's Tale (The Accarian Chronicles Book 1) by Andrew Walbrown (little red riding hood read aloud txt) 📕

the roaming patrols, they finally arrived in the Whaleport. Amantius’ heart sank when he saw the last ship in the harbor, for he had hoped the captain would have become too anxious and fled the city already. He still could not believe what was happening; his whole life had been turned upside down. Only a week ago everything was perfect and serene. Now, it was confusing and chaotic.

“That’s their ship,” Marinius said, pointing to the lonely vessel floating in the harbor, “We need to get you onboard right now, the harbor will be closing any minute now.”

As they approached the second of the two bells began to ring, followed by the blaring of horns. Men on both sides of the harbor began working in tandem to close the Seawall, a large iron-barred gate spanning the entrance of the harbor. Amantius grew excited as he watched, his desperation allowing him to believe they were too late. The feeling quickly gave way to a sense of triumph, as though he had just won a bout against time and fate.

“I guess that means I have to stay,” he said as he quickly turned towards home, but before he could take any more steps, a pair of hands yanked him from the dock. Suddenly, he found himself on the deck of a merchant's vessel.

“Set sail, you worthless lot!” A gruff voice yelled over the noise. “We’ll all be swingin’ by our necks if we’re not out of here within the next fifteen minutes!”

Amantius tried jumping to his feet, but the rocking of the ship caused him to stumble. The excitement and sense of victory were gone, replaced by confusion and terror. “The harbor is closed! Why are we still going!?”

“Ya think this is the first blockade I’ve ever snuck past, lad?” The captain said with a sneer, “Ya don’t make a good smuggler if ya follow the rules.”

“Mother!” Amantius yelled, ignoring the explanation. He tried to climb out of the ship, but as he stepped forward Ulam jumped onto the deck, the Orc’s massive body too huge of an obstacle for him to surpass. “Mother!”

Pelecia practically jumped into the harbor after them both, and would have too if Marinius had not grabbed her at the last second. She was screaming, her words an incoherent mess, as the moonlight highlighted the tears on her cheeks.

Amantius continued to yell for her as he struggled to get around Ulam, but the Orc was not allowing him to escape. No matter how hard he pushed, punched, or kicked, Ulam was as immovable as a mountain. Eventually, Amantius crashed to the deck, emotionally and physically exhausted.

“Can we not take her with us?” Amantius’ voice was raspy from his shouting, “Why can’t we, Ulam? Why?”

Ulam said nothing. Instead, he quietly sat down beside Amantius and wrapped a big, green arm around him, squeezing tightly. Around them, the sailors scrambled to their rowing benches as the captain barked orders at them. Within moments the ship pushed away from the dock and was heading for the edge of the harbor, the Seawall still not completely closed. The night’s wind blew hard into the sail, propelling them forward, as the sailors strained to get them through the gap.

Amantius sat in the middle of the ship and watched with a cold numbness as his mother grew smaller and smaller. By the time they blasted through the blockade and into the open sea, Pelecia and Marinius were nothing more than a pair of silhouettes on the docks, statues at the base of a city in shadows.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye!” Amantius broke down into tears, shaking uncontrollably. Ulam embraced him tightly, pressing Amantius’ head against his shoulders. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye, Ulam. Or tell her that I love her.”

Ulam patted him on the back. “She knows you love her, Little Brother, she knows.”

Chapter 8

Ulam

The ship swayed to and fro, a sensation Ulam had never felt before. Though his legs were as strong as oak, he felt as weak as a newborn babe as waves crashed into the hull. He had been mentally prepared to retch over one of the sides, but to his surprise, his stomach had been remarkably calm. He thanked the Gods for this because nothing could have been worse than spending every waking moment vomiting over the side of the ship.

The sting of saltwater pierced Ulam’s nostrils, a sensation he had never experienced. As they sailed further and further, the call of seagulls faded, and their snow-white bodies no longer dove into the sea for dinner. The only noises he heard now were those of sailors yelling to one another about riggings, the wind pounding into the woolen sails, and the creaking of wood beneath his feet.

Ulam daydreamed about his future for so long that when he returned to reality they were a great distance away from Accaria. He could not tell how far they had sailed, though he knew they could not have been close. Kevea’s Spear had long disappeared over the horizon, as had any semblance of the city. The only part of the island still visible to the naked eye was Mount Meganthus, and even it was no more than a speckle of green and brown.

Ulam was surprised by the way he felt; after watching Pelecia and Amantius fall to pieces before his eyes he somewhat expected to join them. After all, he too had left everything he had ever known behind in Accaria. Instead, he only felt emptiness, a void taking over what he thought should have been sadness or even regret. The only part of his situation that brought him emotion of any kind was knowing he would most likely never see Pelecia again. Though she was not his real mother, he was eternally grateful for the life she had given him. He could not help but think there was something they could have done for her, some way they could have smuggled her out of Accaria as well. But as