Kell's Legend

tense.
    The boat suddenly rocked and there came a slam from beneath; it swayed violently, turning around inthe current. Something glided beneath them, snapping the oars with easy cracks; broken toothpicks.
    “I don’t like this!” wailed Nienna.
    “Shut up,” growled Kell. “Take out your swords. If you see anything at all, stab it in the eyes.”
    The boat was slammed with tremendous force from beneath, lifting out of the water, then slapping down again and spinning, turning, all sense of direction lost now, gone now, in the turbulent storm. The boat was hammered again, and it shuddered, timbers creaked, and a long crack appeared across the stern.
    “We need to get back on land!” shouted Saark.
    “We have no oars,” said Kell, voice calm, axe rigid in steel-steady hands. “We will have to kill it.”
    Abruptly the canker emerged, mighty jaws ripping free the prow of the boat and Saark ran with a scream, sword raised, as the canker released the boat and lunged, grabbing his leg and dragging him backwards, his body thumping from the boat’s prow and disappearing suddenly over the edge…
    Everything was still.
    The river surged, and the water levelled.
    “Saark!” screamed Katrina. But the man was gone.
    With a curse Kell dropped his axe to the floor of the boat, and leapt into the black river. He was encompassed immediately, swamped by darkness, by a raging thunder, merging with the gathered filth of Falanor’s major northern city. Down he plunged, unable to see Saark, unable to find the canker. He swam down with powerful strokes, and withdrew his Svian from beneath his arm; down here, Ilanna would beuseless. What a warrior needed was a short sharp stabbing weapon…
    Where is he? screamed Kell’s mind.
    His lungs began to burn.
    He thrashed, turning, round and around, but everything was black. He felt panic creep into him like crawling ivy; he had scant seconds before the canker drowned Saark, and that was providing the beast hadn’t ripped him apart with tooth and claw.
    Kell was saved by the lightning. It crackled overhead, above the boat, and for an instant the churning river was lit by incandescent flashes. Kell saw the canker, dragging Saark down, and powered after them, Svian between his teeth, straggled hair and beard flowing behind him. He found them in the darkness, and his blade slashed down, he felt it enter flesh, grind in cogs, felt the canker lashing out and he was knocked back, and everything was a confusion of bubbles and madness and darkness and something was beside him, huge and cold, a wall of smoothness that slid past and Kell felt, more than saw, Saark slide up beside him. He grabbed the unconscious man, his very lungs filled with molten lava as he kicked out, boots striking the smooth, gliding wall and propelling him to the surface…
    Lighting crackled again, a maze of angular arcs transforming the sky into a circuit. Kell looked down, and saw a battle raging beneath the river, between the canker, all claws and disjointed fangs, and a huge, silent, black eel. It must have been fifty yards long, its body the diameter of three men, its head a huge triangular wedge with row after row of sharp teeth. Ithad encircled the canker, was crushing the thrashing beast, its head snapping down, teeth tearing flesh repeatedly. Kell thought he saw trails of blood like confetti streamers in the black; then he burst from the surface, lungs heaving in air, Saark limp under one arm, and looked for the boat.
    It had gone, slammed down the river without oars on powerful currents and a rage of mountain snowmelt.
    Kell cursed, and half swam, half dragged Saark through the water, angling towards the high banks. He stopped, shivering now, teeth chattering, bobbing under the high earth walls too high to climb. He moved on, still dragging Saark’s leaden weight through the darkness, through ice-filled waters, until the banks dropped and wearily Kell rolled onto a frozen, muddy slope, dragging Saark up behind him, and he lay for a while, breath panting like dragon smoke, head dizzy with flashing lights.
    Eventually, the cold bit him and Kell roused himself. He shook Saark, who groaned as he came awake, coughing out streamers of black water. Eventually, he stared around, confused.
    “What happened?”
    “The creature dragged you under. I dove in after you. I’m pretty damn sure you’re not worth it.”
    “Charming, Kell. You would whisk away the pants from any farmer’s daughter without hindrance.