One of the joys of writing is creating your own toys to play with.  And once you create them, you get to name them.

I just created and named a new ship, an Italian ship, for the new, as yet, untitled book.

I call it the Agnello Triste (Sad Lamb).  It serves but a minor role, transporting the protagonist and a small militia of armed men from Parthenope to Capri to do battle with a supernatural force of creatures in the Blue Grotto.

This is the fourth ship I believe I have created for The Crystal Crux series.

There was also the Seppioline.

“Excited, her heart racing, Anthea Manikos clenched a wet rail on the starboard side of the Seppioline, a large merchant ship breasting through strange blue waters.  She leaned precariously into the wind, her fresh tan face catching cool ocean spray, long brown hair whipping wildly behind her, her golden dress ruffled and snapped, clinging ever so taut to her young body.  Around her neck hung a choker of fine pearls, glittering gems only serving to enhance her already immaculate, radiant smile.  Anthea had not stopped grinning since the day they departed Greece.  June had finally come and she was going to be wed.” – Excerpt from The Blue Grotto

As we well know now, that arranged marriage proved disastrous and nearly destroyed Anthea’s spirit.

The next ship is The War Queen.

“The English had no fear of Italian law or the Mondragonesi regulars… Not one member of the crew had yet been detained, apprehended or incarcerated.  The regulars learned their lesson and avoided them.  Still, a host of dubious agents from that agency had been assigned to tail the English and report on their activities.  The War Queen’s crew had worn out their welcome and should have shoved-off days ago.”
– Excerpt from Cold Knight

The War Queen is Merle Gilmore’s ship.  Merle Gilmore, also known as The Rose, is Francis Whitehall’s former squire and had been the one tasked with bringing Anne Whitehall safely back from England to be with her parents in Capua for her 15th birthday.

Thanks to an uncooperative tide, the War Queen was unable to raise anchor and leave Mondragone when scheduled.  During the night, news filtered into the port city of the siege at Capua.  There was no way Francis Whitehall was leaving Italy until he learned the fate of people who were dear to him like family.

The final ship went unnamed and was sunk.

“Another sinewy bolt of lightning or fire blasted the mast, cracking the thick wood all the way through, causing the whole frame to snap and fall into the sea with a mighty crash.  The shadow of some enormous, flying beast passed briefly overhead.  It released a monstrous shriek which rent the air.  The hull of the ship began to twist and bow as cold sea water rushed into the bottom.  A great hand composed of black water, lean and transparent, reached up from the depths of the ocean and snatched the ship simply enough, dragging it down towards the nethermost.  Viridian watched in horror as her parents were all aglow, eyes burning with a strange but content light, smiling, laughing and holding hands.  They slipped with the ship further and further down into the abyss.  Once it was gone, the sea stilled.”
– Excerpt from Cold Knight

Viridian, we learned early on in Betrayal, was only twelve when her parents were lost at sea.  Her uncle, Gherardus Fabbro brought her to Parthenope and adopted her.  He hoped Viridian’s presence and need for a mother-figure might help his wife, Bertina Fabbro, recover from her madness.  It didn’t help – and when Viridian awoke on her own from her despondency and grief, the elation manifested itself in a completely unexpected way.  Little did Viridian know the heated urges buried in her psyche by her parent’s religious beliefs.

In an off-handed way, there were probably two other ships or “boats” that could have been included  They didn’t have names and played minor roles.

There was the ship Viridian stowed away on to get nearer to Rugerius.

And there was the small craft piloted by Animalis used to transport a desperate Viridian by night to Port Hell.

“Animalis knotted the ends of a rope together creating a large loop.  He flung it blindly but knowingly towards a shadowy space behind him.  It hooked onto the only piece of rusted metal out there, a post rising from a dock.  Tugging hard, Animalis willed the boat backwards towards the pier.  When he reached the berth, he climbed out on the wood planks and continued pulling on the rope until the prow came even with him.”
– Excerpt from Cold Knight

Be sure to pick up your copies of the first three books in The Crystal Crux series – Betrayal, Blue Grotto and Cold Knight.  Share them with friends, family and acquaintances – with anyone who enjoys reading.  Be sure to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and everywhere books are sold.  Word of Mouth is a self-published authors best form of advertising.  I’m always grateful to those of you who help to keep people engaged.  Bless you.  🙂

CLICK HERE to see author Allen M Werner’s Amazon Author’s Page