The Dolphin Rider by Bernard Evslin

Author:Bernard Evslin
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781497667051
Publisher: Open Road Media

The Beautiful Witch

Ulysses was sailing home with three ships and a hundred men. But in the first two weeks at sea, he lost two ships and most of their crew. One ship was driven onto a reef by a sudden gale and wrecked completely. Another ship was stomped to splinters by angry giants who would not allow anyone to land on their island. As for the men, many drowned, many more were devoured by sea monsters and man-eating ogres.

Now, in his third week at sea, Ulysses was left with only one ship and a crew of thirty men. He was in an unknown part of the sea, among strange islands. He did not want to risk another landing. But food and water were running low, and he knew he had to take the risk.

He moored his ship off a small, heavily wooded island, and ordered his men to wait on board until he signaled to them. He wanted to explore the island alone before disembarking his crew. Ulysses rowed toward shore in a small skiff, beached the boat and then struck inland. He climbed a low hill, then up a tree near the top of the hill. Now he was high enough for a clear view on all sides.

A feather of smoke, rising from a grove of trees, caught his eye. He climbed down and made his way toward the smoke. Glimmering through the trees, he saw what looked like a small castle of polished gray stone. He did not dare go near, for he could hear strange howling sounds. A pack of dogs, he thought, but they sounded unlike any dogs he had ever heard.

He left the grove, and made his way back toward the beach. He couldn’t decide whether to sail away immediately or take a chance on having his men land. He didn’t like the sound of that howling. There was something in it that chilled his bones. Still, he had no real choice. His men were hungry and the little island offered plenty of game to hunt and streams of pure water. So Ulysses signaled his men to come ashore on five small boats. When they landed on the beach, he divided them into two groups. One group he led himself. The other he assigned to his most trusted officer, Tyro. He ordered Tyro to scout the castle, and then, with his own party, left to explore the coastline.

As Tyro and his band of men approached the castle, they heard the strange howling. It grew louder as they approached. Some of the men drew their swords. Others notched arrows to their bowstrings as they pressed on preparing to fight. When they passed the last screen of trees and came to the walls of the shining gray castle, they saw a terrible sight. A pack of wolves and lions were running together, like hounds, racing around the walls.

When the animals caught sight of the men they flung themselves on the strangers. So swiftly did this happen that no man had time to use his weapon.

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