Chapter 3
A New Life

    His eyes burned from smoke and a small stream of dried blood came to a pool on the back of his head. When he opened his eyes his whole body trembled weakly. Everything sluggishly turned from white to their original colors in his eyes. Tymat squirmed into a sitting position. He turned his head to face the mast. It was in splinters. The sails were torn and burned. The ship was not, by any means mobile.
    Rubbing his eyes, Tymat looked for someone, anyone. As he scanned the ship for any life, he noticed several hunched-over figures sitting on the poop deck. One however, was standing and looking off into the calm, deep waters of the sea. Tymat recognized this man as the captain. The loyal captain’s men had won! But something was wrong. There was no celebration.
Tymat picked himself up and with a few aches and pains, started to walk towards the rest of the men. As he got closer, he could see the soot covered face of Captain Griel, his singed, black hair swaying contently in the wind and his black beard, also singed, covered with a thin crest of dried blood. Tymat approached Griel.
    “What are we ta do now boy?” said Griel soberly. “We’ve lost more than half a crew, our sails are burned, our mast is broken, and so are our spirits. We have nothin’ to keep us agoin.’ I fear the sea shall be our grave. There is no hope for the Rilitorians anyway. Only a few of us know this boy, but the Rilitorian army is runnin’ short a’ soldiers. This war has taken a great toll on the morale and the strength of our armies. All that’s left are a few of us privateer vessels and one or two warships I suspect. The only strength we have left lies on Crescent Moon, and now we won’t make it there to reinforce them there.”
Tymat did not say a word. He simply walked over with the rest of the sailors and crouched down, defeated.
    Griel stood thinking. “How could me best mates betray me so? How could I have ever trusted a pirate band in the first place? Sure, they wern’t best of men I could have known, but yet, they wern’t like those of the Pirate Islands. Those is the ones you have to worry about. We will never get to Crescent Moon. What a fool I am… wait! What is that? That thing in the distance?”
    Griel’s eyes rose slightly and squinted at an object hovering over the water. “Here, here! Come and see! We have rescuers!” Shouted Griel with a new enthusiasm.
Confused at first, the crew got up from their sorrowful posture and scurried up to where the captain stood. Looking out into the water, the crew’s expressions lit up. Barely visible at first, a small platoon of elven Pegasus riders swooped in closer to the damaged ship.
    “A rescue party from Crescent Moon!” Tymat said excitedly.
    Five armored Pegasai flew up gallantly in a graceful weaving pattern. Their armor shined proudly in the sun, which was just rising above the water. As they finally landed on the ship, Captain Griel approached the rider who appeared the be the leader of the scout group.
    Just as Griel was about to greet the scouts, the leader of the troupe spoke, “I am Scout Captain Vallore. We saw smoke erupting from this ship from the Isle of Crescent Moon. King Xalamath has sent us to scout out the apparent distress call. What has happened here?”
    Griel spoke, “Captain Vallore, me and me mates here have been battling a group of mutineers as it be. Last night I was betrayed by one of me most trusted of sailors, Snaketooth. He and his band of rebels attacked me and me loyal crew. We battled them near until daybreak. This young boy Tymat struck down Snaketooth, and the battle was near ended after that. We do not ask much of ye, just safe transport Crescent Moon Isle. We can fend for ourselves from there.”
    Vallore took another step toward Griel. “Captain Griel, do not make it so hard on you and your crew. You have been fighting for a night and need much tending to I shouldn’t wonder. Please, take comfort in the hospitable arms of Crescent Moon. Have your crew and yourself stay with the King for a night until you can get off on your feet again.”
Griel then spoke somewhat defensively, “ Sir Vallore, I don’t believe that us scalawags deserve to be in the company of one so honorable as the King. We be just fine if ye drop us about as soon as we touch soil.”
    “Griel, you seadog. You and your rapscallions need assistance, now are you going to take up our offer or do we have to leave you here to die on this unseaworthy ship?”
    “No, no me mate. Please, I was just tryin’ to save ye some troubles by acceptin’ us privateers as yur guests. But, if ye must insist on it, then, well, I cannot stop you then. To Crescent moon we go, into the hospitable arms of the royal elves.”
    “Ah, I figured you would come to your senses sooner or later.” Vallore chuckled.
With that, Vallore and Griel clasped hands as a symbol of friendship and soon all of the crew was whooping and cheering, they were, indeed going to Crescent Moon and dining with the King even! Before they could grasp what was truly happening, the elves were loading up men onto the backs of their Pegasai. It only took about two trips to transport all of the men to Crescent Moon.
    Tymat hopped off of the Pegasus and thanked the Elf. He looked around. He was standing in a court on the top of a flat plateau, covered with the greenest grass that glittered with dew that resembled dazzling emeralds. Thick walls surrounded the plateau with sentries at their posts and cannons on the top of it. From the wall there was a strait drop down to the beach where starfish lay baking in the sun.
    Tymat turned his head at the sound of Griel calling him to the group. He walked over to what was a long stone walkway leading to the keep. Two Griffins stood guard at the gate. With a deep groan the gates opened to the most magnificent sight Tymat’s eyes had ever seen…

Main • Introduction • Chapter One (Struggling to Start) • Chapter Two (Mutineers)
Chapter Three (A New Life) • Chapter Four (In the Court of the King)
Chapter Five (Good Night…It Will Be Your Last) • Chapter Six (Holding the Fort)
Chapter Seven (The End of an Alliance) • Chapter Eight (Journey to the Pirate Islands)