As Aleksi swung, however, time seemed to slow and the youth watched Luka easily lean away from the blade’s path. Aleksi tried to reposition his sword and use its momentum to strike downward across Luka’s chest, but the nobleman moved to the side and slipped his knee behind Aleksi’s legs. Time sped up again as Luka then pivoted, throwing Aleksi to the deck.
As Aleksi wheezed for breath, Luka turned toward the last remaining set of sails. Suddenly, a sharp crack cut through the air and Luka’s arm was raised aloft by Fa’ell’s whip. Before the nobleman could free himself, Nara grabbed Luka and put the man into a powerful headlock. Despite his weakened state, Nara held Luka long enough for Kefta to jab a long dagger up under Luka’s ribs and deep into his right lung.
Choking up blood, Luka elbowed his still regrowing left arm into Nara’s gut and the large man let out a grunt as he staggered back, clutching his chest. As Kefta tried to stab again, Luka slid to the side of the blade and, freeing his arm from Fa’ell’s whip, grabbed Kefta’s wrist with his right hand. Using Kefta’s forward momentum, Luka brought the young man around in a tight arc and then, dropping his weight and pivoting, flipped Kefta over his own blade, snapping his wrist and elbow. Kefta thudded to the deck, clutching his mangled arm, as Aleksi got back to his feet and rushed in to strike again.
As Aleksi swung his sword, Luka effortlessly caught the blade in his glowing palm. Despite the blood running down Luka’s side, the man smiled. While Aleksi struggled to free himself, another deckhand rushed up behind the nobleman. The sailor tried to slash down with his sword, but Luka stepped to the side and tripped the man with his boot.
The falling sailor’s blade accidentally lunged toward Aleksi’s chest and the youth’s eyes grew wide. Just as the man’s sword was going to impale Aleksi, however, Luka knocked the blade safely away with the still re-forming flesh of his left hand. As the sailor fell to the deck, the skin of Luka’s arm then finished reknitting itself and its floating Runes grew dim.
“Aleksi, after these men are dead,” Luka said, wiping the blood from his mouth with his newly formed hand, “we will return to Asura and you will learn the truth of your bloodline. He will be so very pleased to welcome you home.”
“No,” Aleksi shouted, still struggling to free his blade from Luka’s hand. “Only if you spare the crew will I go with you!”
“You just don’t understand, do you, boy?” Luka laughed as the wound on his side started to heal itself. “This will be your first lesson—you do not possess the power to defy my will!”
“You are wrong!” Aleksi yelled, feeling the Runes embedded in his arm flood with life. Suddenly, everything slowed around him—this time, however, Aleksi knew that he was the one in control. Aleksi felt his hand burn beneath his bandages as a new strength suddenly surged through his body. Luka’s eyes shot wide with surprise as Aleksi channeled the energy of his Rune into his sword.
The youth felt the new power flow through the metal of the blade and penetrate the defensive Runic barrier of Luka’s hand. Thrusting down, Aleksi’s sword now sliced through Luka’s flesh with ease. As Aleksi’s Rune burned with life, he continued to cut downward and his sword carved through Luka’s palm and forearm. Following through with the strike, the tip of Aleksi’s blade bit into Luka’s chest, causing deep crimson to sprout from the nobleman’s breast.
Time sped up again as the wounded Luka leaned back and smashed his pulpy forearm into Aleksi’s temple. The blow caused the youth to stagger back and Luka raised his left arm, palm out. The nobleman then let out an angry snarl as vibrant Runes began to glow around his hand. Aleksi looked on in terror as Luka’s palm once again erupted in flame.
Suddenly, Fa’ell’s whip cracked and tethered itself around Luka’s glowing wrist. Fa’ell pulled his hand up and away from Aleksi as Luka’s Rune-infused palm cast its stream of flame high into the sky. Before Luka could regain his balance, however, Nara towered behind him once again. Using the last of his strength, Nara lifted Luka off his feet and dragged him to the quarterdeck’s gunwale. Fa’ell then freed her whip from Luka’s wrist, and Nara hurled the wounded nobleman over the side of the ship.
As Luka splashed into the water, Nara collapsed to the deck, clutching his chest and wheezing for air. Aleksi rushed to the side and tried to look into the water to see if Luka was swimming—but as the youth came to the gunwale, searing pain overtook him. Aleksi clutched his bandaged hand and felt the Runes on his wrist dig deeper into his shoulder. It felt like molten steel crawling under his skin and slithering its way into the marrow of his bones. Aleksi let out a cry of agony as he doubled over and braced himself on the deck.
Across the deck, Domadred continued to claw at the severed hand that still gripped his neck. Despite being detached, it retained much of its former strength and several sailors had to pry it off with a knife before they carried Domadred away from the burning sails.
Having failed to douse the flames on the mainmast sails, the rest of crew didn’t even try to ease the blaze of the mizzen sails. Fire licked along the ratlines and fully engulfed the thick coils of line on both masts’ fife rails. Those that were not aiding the wounded just watched in shock as the Illusive Diamond’s sternmost sails, rigging, and tackle burned in a crackling roar. The blaze rose higher and higher, casting billows of black smoke to the sky above.
“Keep that fire from the foremast, you fools!” Kairn shouted as he threw a bucket to an idle seaman. “Get up there and keep the sails wet—if we lose them, we’ll be dead in the water!”
Brayden was already aloft in the foremast’s rigging, trying to keep the fire from spreading forward. The flames had begun to lick across the main topsail, and Brayden used his belt knife to slash the sail’s lines from the foremast. The great sheet fell from its tackle in a whoosh of flame and splayed across the deck and port gunwale. Brayden then cut another, and Aleksi heard a loud hiss as the sheet hit the water. Although now beginning to slow, the Diamond was still moving swiftly, and as the main topsail hit the sea, the ship momentarily trailed the half-burnt sail behind her. Aleksi then watched as the large sheet slipped over the gunwale and was lost in the ship’s ashy wake.
Trying to suppress the agony of his arm, Aleksi saw men run up to the quarterdeck and drag the wounded to the front of the ship. After depositing their comrades away from the fire, the remaining crew then ran up the forward ratlines to join Brayden with buckets of water. Regaining his composure, Aleksi rushed over to Kefta. The youth had to cover his face and duck low to protect himself from the blazing heat which radiated off the crackling inferno above. After Kefta was on his feet, they both helped Fa’ell and Nara stagger to the foredeck while flaming debris and ash fell upon their heads.
As they neared the foremast, Aleksi suddenly heard a loud snapping sound. Looking back, the youth saw the stern end of the mainsail’s massive boom fall to the deck with a thunderous crash. Smoke and sparks were cast into the air as the flame licked over the boom and ashy debris flowed across the deck. By now, the fire had consumed nearly all of the mainmast’s sails and rigging, and the mizzenmast was not far behind. After setting Nara next to the forward chaser cannon, Aleksi went to the gunwale to try and look past the stern of the ship. Sooty froth and bits of burning debris littered the water behind them, and Aleksi could tell that the Illusive Diamond was continuing to slow down. The youth did not, however, see Luka anywhere in the ship’s wake.
Suddenly, Aleksi felt a hand grip his shoulder.
“Just like Beck, it seems that I, too, owe you my life.” Aleksi spun and saw Domadred standing behind him. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry . . . ,” Aleksi said, looking at the sails as they burned. “I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough.”
“None of us could have known the bastard was a fallen Master,” Nara said, still clutching his chest.
“Not fallen,” Aleksi said, shaking his head. “His eyes are not black.”
“But why would a Master do such a thing?” Fa’ell asked.
“Whatever h
is reasons were,” Nara continued, as he struggled to his feet, “shouldn’t we be getting off this boat before the whole thing goes up in flames?”
“Yalmalrah,” Domadred replied as he rubbed his throat, “does not burn . . .”
“What?” Nara asked in confusion.
Domadred did not answer but looked back at the ship’s wake, lost in thought.
“The ship is made of yalmalrah wood,” Levain answered. “Lucky for us, it’s not flammable. The sails and rigging are a different story—this fire will just have to run its course. After it’s died out we can make some makeshift sails from the extra cloth and line we have below. Where is Valen? He knows our current inventory.”
“He didn’t make it.” The voice belonged to Marlen. The doctor was kneeling over Kefta, doing his best to reset the young man’s broken joints.
“How many?” Domadred asked, still looking past the ship’s stern.
“By my count,” Marlen answered, “we lost three from Luka directly and another four from his fire.” Marlen then gestured to the handful of wounded men around him. “On top of that, we have half a dozen with bad burns.”
“We were lucky.” Domadred’s voice was tight and harsh.
Aleksi followed Domadred’s gaze to the stern of the ship. Without their sails, the masts and suspended spars looked like the branches and trunks of burning trees, charred and barren. The boom tails had fallen, but their heads, much like the spars, were still held in place by their strong metal brackets and hung limply from the masts. With only her foremast square sails and bowsprit jibs catching the wind, the Diamond had been stripped not only of her majesty, but also the vast majority of her speed and mobility.
We must move quickly; a Master would have survived that fall even with a knife wound, Aleksi thought darkly as he looked back towards the ship’s wake. And why was Luka so surprised by Domadred’s answer about Saiya’s location?
Aleksi stepped closer to Domadred and spoke in a low tone. “The girl Saiya. What did you mean when you said she was closer? You didn’t mean that she—”
Before Aleksi could finish, a voice called down from the foremast. “Captain!” It was Brayden and his tone was urgent. “Ten ships on the horizon!”
“Friend or foe?” Domadred called back, ignoring Aleksi’s question.
“It’s Lenhal’s ship, the Fury of Aruna, with nine more beside!” Brayden answered. “And they are coming in fast!”
“Shift one,” Domadred called out to the crew, “stay in the rigging with Brayden and keep those sails free of any flame! Shift two and three, clear the deck of ash and prepare to string new sails!”
“They must have seen the smoke,” Kairn said, as he climbed down from the foremast’s rigging.
“But how could they have followed us?” Levain asked. “No ship could keep pace with our speed.”
“They didn’t,” Domadred answered, shaking his head. “They must have been waiting for us near Vai’kel. Luka no doubt used Runes to stay in contact with his men, keeping the ships just out of our sight. The nobleman has been hedging his bets all along, the bastard.”
“Captain,” Kairn said, looking at the smoldering masts, “we have only one choice. We can’t engage Lenhal and his fleet like this.”
“I know . . . ,” Domadred said, letting out a great sigh.
Levain’s eyes went wide. “You can’t mean—”
“Yes,” Domadred answered, rubbing his throat again. “Men, get ready to enter the Ice Floes.”
CHAPTER XXVII
Sailors quickly descended from the forward rigging and threw buckets of water across the fire and smoldering ash on the main deck. Once the majority of the flames were doused, the crew cleared the deck and stamped out the last of the embers with their boots.
“Captain,” Levain said, “if we had a full crew, it would take us days to completely retackle both masts. Even just the fore and aft booms will take hours to reline, let alone resail.”
“I know,” Domadred answered, still anxiously watching the ship’s wake. “Take shift two and raise new tackle for the main boom while I take shift three to prep new sails. If you can get the main boom up in time, we will string a new storm trysail. If not, we will have to hope the squares and rudder will be enough to keep us in the current. We have to hurry, though; once Lenhal is on us, we will need the crew to man the guns. Besides, by then the winds will be too great to raise any new sails, let alone reline the tackle.”
“Understood, Captain.” Levain called out to several men still in the rigging and went down a hatch to the decks below.
“Quartermaster,” Domadred said, turning back to look at Kefta, who was sitting with his back propped up against the forward chaser, “are you fit to work?”
“Yes, sir!” Kefta answered as he struggled to his feet. His left arm was tightly bound in a makeshift splint and held to his body by a sling.
Domadred looked over at Marlen and the doctor nodded. “Alright, Kefta, you and Mareth lead the men as they continue to clear the top decks. Once that is done, prep the guns to engage Lenhal’s ships. Meanwhile”—Domadred then turned to the sailing master—“Kairn, once the debris is cleared and it’s safe to reenter the navigation room, plot us a course through the Ice Floes and then direct Brayden as he mans the helm. Have him take us in on the eastern current. By the looks of our speed, once we turn for the storm, we should hit its outskirts very soon.”
The three officers nodded and Kefta and Mareth went to assist the crew on the main deck. Kairn, however, stayed at the bow and continued to look at the brooding storm clouds before them.
“Guests,” Domadred continued, now looking at Fa’ell, Nara, and Aleksi, “things are about to get rough. Help where you can, but once we hit the floes, please, for your own safety, stay belowdecks. You three already saved the ship once today—now let the Diamond return the favor.” Domadred then shouted to several members of the crew to meet him in the storeroom and disappeared through a hatch belowdecks.
As Doc Marlen continued to tend to the wounded crew about them, Fa’ell walked up to Kairn. “What exactly are these Ice Floes?” she asked, following the sailing master’s gaze to the dark clouds on the horizon. “I take it they are dangerous?”
“Yes, very,” Kairn answered, still looking past the starboard bow. “The real danger of the Ice Floes, however, is caused by the cluster of storms surrounding them. When the warm waters and winds of the eastern current swirl into the cold waters of the floes, it causes powerful storms to be locked in a perpetual vortex off the coast of Vai’kel’s northeastern tip. Much of the warm water is spun off back into a gyre current around Vai’kel, but enough of the stream is sucked into the floes to create a number of permanent tempests around the points of conversion.”
“I’ve heard of the ice there,” Nara said, coming to the gunwale and leaning heavily on its railing. Dark bruises were already forming where Luka had struck him, and his face was pale. “It’s unnatural, if you ask me.”
“Yes. It’s a violent mess of hot air and warm water swirling around a lot of ice that really has no business being there in the first place. Why the Guardians created the Ice Floes is unknown, but with the Diamond damaged as she is, we have no choice but to try and lose Lenhal in their storms and ensuing fog.”
“But if it’s ice,” Fa’ell said, “why is the wind blowing toward it?”
“Good question. According to the scholars, the air gets sucked into an updraft. The current’s waters are much warmer than the ice, but strangely the ice does not melt when they collide. Because of this, there is a vortex of low pressure directly over the clusters as the warm air rises up and the cold air is pushed out as fog.”
“My teachers said that it’s kind of like the eye of a storm,” Aleksi interjected. “With nowhere to go but up, the hot air from the eastern current is spun into a number of whirlwinds as it’s kicked out back to the ocean, high up in the sky. This makes the actual Ice Floes themselves free of any turbulence—the storms outside the fl
oes, however, are another matter entirely.”
“Yes,” Kairn said, eyeing Aleksi keenly. “And we will use this to our advantage and ride in on the current’s wind using the square sails. If we are lucky, we won’t have to tack against the gusts of cold fog as they are pushed out of the vortex.”
“In truth,” Marlen said gruffly, without looking up as he bandaged a crew member’s burnt arm, “without fore-and-aft rigged sails, tacking will be impossible. Luka saw to that.”
“Indeed he did,” Kairn said, looking back to the barren masts. “Let us hope that Levain and the captain can raise some storm sails, or all we will have to rely on is the mercy of Aruna and his Guardians as they blow at our back.”
“Well,” Fa’ell asked, “how can we help?”
“At this point, the crew knows what to do; it’s just a matter of doing it before we get broadsided by Lenhal’s cannons or swept over by the storm.”
“Then I’ll help the doctor tend to the wounded. I know a fair bit about burn treatments from back home. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Nara to ensure he does not further injure his broken ribs.”
“I’ll be fine,” Nara answered. The large man was still tenderly clutching his chest, however, and his face was growing paler by the moment. “Getting belowdecks sounds like a good idea, though. Let’s get the injured to safety before the storm hits.”
After Fa’ell, Nara, Marlen, and the wounded sailors all left to go belowdecks, Aleksi walked up next to Kairn at the ship’s bow. “Domadred mentioned something about Saiya,” Aleksi said slowly as he looked out at the approaching gale swirling in the distance. “Is she on this ship? If she is, I want to see her.”
Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles) Page 38
