When the Longships Came

They reached the line of breakers less than a half league before the following longships. Bjorne stood at the bow shouting commands while Kendra ignored the spray splashing across her body as she concentrated on the cliffs ahead. It was high tide and the breakers were crashing right beneath them. This was on the northern side of the peninsular for the Northumbrian knights and soldiers were still their maintaining the siege on the monastery from the southern beach. A few moments earlier the army had assembled on the shore waiting for battle.  Hav Slange’s sail was still bellowing in the wind, they were riding on the unbroken swirls but within seconds would be caught in the breaking waves and crashed against the cliffs.

Stein was the only person on an oar, an outside one that he used to help steer while Kendra and the other women except Cora held sail ropes in their hands. Though wanting to help, Cora was ordered to lie on the deck beneath the spare sail. She didn't though. Instead she sat near the cliff side of the vessel and helped guide them in. They were too close! The gigantic wave right behind was curling over the ship. In seconds it would break.

Kendra and the others pulled their ropes in a hand over hand movement to lift the bottom of the sail. It didn't look very professional but it folded up, lost the wind and collapsed in on itself. The vessel dropped with a tremendous crash into the wave ready to break.

But Steinn knew his job for his oar turned the whole ship. They were now in the precarious position of being sideways to the wave. If it broke now, they'd be swamped or flipped over and smashed to pieces against the cliff. They continued to turn when the wave finally broke. A mountain of water surged over the deck and swept everything not tied down or holding on into the thumping surf.

The cliff was beside them! Kendra could see the slip they had created when the sheep track was collapsed. The new tunnel Rodmaf had used when he had kidnapped her should be beside them. Kendra wiped water from her eyes.  It was! Also two men were there holding out long poles, My God it was Wuffa and Alric! She screamed and waved, reached for one of the poles and found a hook to grab. She held on but it was slippery. Her hands couldn't maintain a grip.

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After four hours, the exhausted refugee came to one more bend and another patch of nothingness. Thoughts turned to her family, husband, father, mother, elder brother and almost everyone else she knew. They were all dead. Her only other friends were those at the army camp. If for no other reason, she owed it to them and the unborn child within her to survive and to tell NATO of the atrocities that had befallen her people. God, she was hungry. Her stomach rumbled while the unborn baby kicked. She staggered as the scene in front became blurred and the trees above began to spin. No, she was not about to give in. Somewhere ahead was her own kind, someone to help.

Niana gritted her teeth and rose once more to her feet. Another bend was ahead, more snow, more trees, the weak sunlight and another bend. She stumbled forward and blinked. There was something else. A farm wagon covered in snow was parked on the roadside as if it had pulled over, perhaps to let an oncoming vehicle pass. Linked to the front of it, looking so bright in the white world, stood a tractor; a red tractor. Hope surged through her. The depression and fatigue of a second before disappeared as she broke into a slithery run.

“Hello,” she screamed. “Is anyone there? Hello.” 

But all was quiet. Not a sound returned. She reached the wagon and grabbed a canvas cover tied to the wooden side. Shaking with anticipation, she lifted the corner of the flap and gazed into the dim interior. Four enormous brown eyes ringed in terror gazed up at her and children's sobbing filled the air. 

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Terra Incognita- Science Fiction

In this sequel to The Truth About Terra, Zorell, Evan and Anneke are pulled through to an unknown world in their hovercraft. They arrive in an ocean where they rescue two humans, Questa and Landon from a kayak and learn about this divided world where humans are discriminated against by the local Waxon, humanoids with web hands and signs of gills in their bodies.

Questa recognizes Zorell but how can this be so in a far world in an unknown universe?

Enter a world where the line between computers and humanity is blurred, electronic butterflies compete with intelligent bees and the way home to Terra seems to be all but impossible.

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