Eva appeared from his stateroom and bounded up the steps to the aft deck. “Yes, darling?”
“I will need you soon.”
“Are those ships flying?” she asked as she looked at the vessels sailing above the horizon.
“They are, and that is what I need you for. I need to get our men onto the flagship. Can you open a gate onto their deck?”
“I should be able to, but using the gate is disorienting. They will be vulnerable for a few seconds until they get their feet back under them.”
Daebian smiled slyly. “Not a problem. The enemy will be sufficiently distracted.”
Nonessential crewmen began shuttling over from the other ships in Daebian’s fleet and soon filled the hull and decks of his flag ship. Once aboard and prepared for combat, his ship set an intercept course for the flying armada. The fear aboard the human vessel was palpable, and the smell of sweat permeated the decks. Men gripped swords and knives in trembling fists and said prayers to Serron.
The flying ship drew closer and matched his course to intercept. Apparently, the invaders were as interested in him as he was in them. Creatures swarmed the gunwales and scurried through the thick, web-like rigging, looking eagerly down at the seemingly helpless human ship.
“Gloom, find me an open window so I might slip inside and introduce myself.”
The crow squawked an acknowledgement and flew toward the Scion ship. Daebian watched the vessel grow larger through Gloom’s eyes and was soon circling above it. Scores of four-armed insect-like creatures swung from rigging and scampered up masts and across yardarms with gravity-defying sureness. He picked out his point of insertion, stepped into the shadowy doorway on his vessel, and emerged on the deck of the enemy ship.
Daebian leapt from the darkness with blinding speed, slashing at the creatures, rigging, and lines in an effort to create as much chaos as he could. Despite their heightened alert status, nearly a dozen creatures fell to his black blade before the hue and cry of a general alarm began sounding across the ship. Daebian ran from shadow to shadow, leaping out of the darkness to cut down an enemy before darting away and appearing almost instantly somewhere else on the deck.
From high upon the rigging, Daebian saw the glimmer of Eva’s gate rippling in the air near the center of the main deck and begin disgorging his crew. He used his abyssal power to conjure a fog as black as night and shrouded the deck around the portal in darkness. Accustomed to fighting on the rolling and pitching decks of a ship, his people were quick to regain their balance and took up defensive positions, fired crossbows into the inky fog, and waited for the monsters to leap out of the darkness.
“Tobias!” Daebian called down from his perch.
The first mate looked up from the eye of the black fog and spotted Daebian in the rigging. “Yes, sir?”
“Fight your way to the wheel and keep us away from the other ships!”
“Aye, sir!”
Daebian began to clear away the black miasma so his people could take command of the wheel and hopefully the ship. Leathery-skinned, multi-limbed crew leapt through the vanishing haze, stabbing and slashing at the human invaders. His crew fought back valiantly despite the disconcertingly freakish nature of their foes. The humans gained the momentum, largely thanks to Daebian’s surprise assault and their sudden arrival via Eva’s gate, and began cutting a path toward the stern.
A slight tremor in the line alerted Daebian to the presence of an enemy who must have extraordinary stealth to be able to nearly catch him unaware. He ducked just in time to avoid the sword aimed to take off his head. The blade struck the mainmast with a dull thud and buried its blade nearly an inch into the glossy substance. Daebian looked into the furious, multi-faceted eyes of one of the spider-creatures as it wrenched its blade free. Its leathery carapace was a deep burgundy instead of the dull grey of its crew.
“You will pay for your brazenness, pathetic human!” the creature hissed.
Daebian narrowly avoided the creature’s thrust and quickly came to the conclusion that he was at a significant disadvantage when it came to fighting and maneuvering in the rigging. His escape options were limited, and a swift kick completely eliminated them. Daebian twisted as he fell, desperately searching the rapidly rising deck for a shadow. He spotted the long sliver of darkness created by the mast, but he was on the wrong side of it. Sending his demonic power outward, he grabbed the shadow, pulled it beneath him, and opened it wide.
He fell into the shadow and vanished into the deck. Failing to identify an exit before diving in, he flew through the shadow ways and risked a blind jump using his intuition. Daebian tumbled out of the shadow ways into a room steeped in darkness and stained with a faint red light. His body came to stop when it struck a wall of fleshy solidity and quickly leapt to his feet. He clamped his mouth shut to stifle the gasp struggling to get out and held his breath. Thousands of ravagers packed the hold from wall to wall and seemingly stacked on top of each other as they gazed at the glowing red orb floating several feet over their heads. A few of them rumbled at Daebian’s sudden intrusion but did not move. Daebian slowly let out his breath as he saw that the ravagers were in some kind of torpor, likely the only way to transport the vicious creatures without them tearing each other apart.
“That’s all right, don’t get up. I was just leaving,” Daebian said as he stepped back into a darker patch near the hull and leapt onto the deck.
The deck was awash in yellowish ichor and streaked with red blood. Bodies of both human and monster lay scattered about like unsecured cargo crates tossed around in a storm. Tobias and his boarding crew were near to gaining the wheel, but they struggled against fierce resistance from both their front and rear. Daebian hacked at the backs of the mob trying to get to his men and forced a large number of them to turn their attention to him. He leapt from shadow to shadow and cast sections of the deck in darkness that only his eyes could pierce, striking out like a phantom to thrust his blade into the backs of his enemies.
A large portion of main host broke away to deal with him and relieved the pressure on Tobias’ forces enough to resume making headway toward the ship’s controls. Daebian’s superior reflexes and ability to use the shadow ways kept him from harm’s reach until the ship’s captain nearly dropped on top of him. He rolled to the side just as the Captain plunged from the rigging and carved a long divot into the deck with his sword.
“Stand and fight me, cowardly trickster!” the creature snarled as it charged in, swinging a pair of crescent blades.
Daebian leapt away and to the side, narrowly avoiding the dual strikes. The red creature was fast, and it took all of Daebian’s demonic enhancements to match him in speed and strength. He looked for a point to access the shadow ways, but the creatures had him surrounded, and the Captain’s assault was relentless.
Sensing his opponent’s intention, the Captain shouted, “Keep him from the shadows!”
Daebian charged a knot of creatures, cut two down in rapid succession, but three more took their place to deny him the shadows he sought. The attempt cost him as he felt the searing pain of a blade cut across his back. He leapt into the air and tried to flip over his foe’s head, a move that would have worked had it been human. The spiderish captain leapt upward and easily intercepted the human’s trajectory. Using one of his free hands, he grabbed the invader and slammed him down onto the deck. Daebian twisted away from the plunging blade and kicked the creature in the abdomen with enough force to knock it away.
He leapt to his feet, but the furious Captain was already charging back into the fray. Discarding finesse to the wind, he ignored the human’s thrust and felt the black blade carve a deep gouge in his leathery body plate. He grabbed the human’s sword arm with one hand, his belt with the other, lifted him from the ground, and charged through his own crew to slam Daebian against the mainmast.
The captain leaned in as he drew his blade back. “Time to die, vile human,” he hissed.
Daebian smiled as he glanced at the shad
ow the creature cast over him. “Not today.”
Daebian focused his energy on the shadow and fell into it, pulling the spiderish captain into the shadow ways. Daebian emerged near the far rail and promptly closed the dark portal, leaving the two halves of his foe occupying opposite sides of the ship. Seeing Tobias and his forces having a hard time securing the wheel, Daebian called out to his companion.
“Gloom, go find Eva.”
Gloom dived from a lower yardarm straight for the ship sailing below. The ship and sea rushed toward him as Gloom swooped onto the deck and lit upon the rail near the wheel. Eva gasped when Daebian appeared from nowhere and grabbed her wrist.
“I wanted to keep you away from the ship, but I need you.”
“It’s too far away for me to open a gate now.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.”
“Okay, what do you need me to do?”
“Follow me, brace yourself as we step into the shadow ways, and then start kicking some serious butt.”
Eva put on a brave smile. “All right, I’ll come save you.”
Daebian returned her impish grin and pulled her into the shadow ways. She gasped as the world went black around her and an icy chill caressed her warm flesh like the cold hand of death. She breathed deeply and luxuriated in the touch of the relatively warm sea air when she and Daebian emerged onto the deck of the flying ship. Not even the sight of the carnage and furious battle between humans and monsters prevented her from relishing being out of that hellish passageway.
“Be a dear and clear my ship of these creatures,” Daebian said with a smile.
Eva did not return the look but did as she was bid. Focusing her mind beyond the physical world, she called out to the Source, shaped it to her will, and unleashed fire and destruction into the rear of the Scions’ minions. Daebian defended their rear from the few stragglers or those scampering through the rigging while Tobias and his men finally got the break they needed to push through to the ship’s controls.
A large host of the defenders stopped their assault on the humans to their front, turned, and charged headlong toward the hated human wizard. Eva raised an invisible wall and smiled as scores of monsters slammed into the barrier like a flock of birds flying into a giant window. She then split the wall down the middle, rotated it outward from the center, and used it to shove the creatures toward the railing. Dozens of the monsters were forced over the edge while others clung desperately to the rail or a fellow creature.
Tobias and a handful of men reached the wheel, dispatched the operator, and formed a bulwark atop the aft deck stairs. The wheel looked much like any ship’s wheel, but several levers also stuck out of deck like corn stalks, their purpose incomprehensible to him. The first mate grabbed the wheel with both hands and kicked one of the levers with his foot. The ship lurched hard to port and plummeted, shaking dozens of the enemy and a few humans off the deck. Tobias grabbed the lever he had kicked with one hand, pulled it back into place, and straightened the wheel.
“Ray, Leon, Kardal, grab those levers!” Tobias ordered. “That one is sway, that one surge, and that one heave. Let’s not do heave again.”
Daebian appeared behind Tobias and asked, “Do we have it?”
The first mate visibly jumped. “I really hate it when you do that! Aye, sir, I think I got the gist of it. I saw Eva. Is she okay by herself?”
Daebian looked out across the deck and saw Eva leap through one of her gates, appear on the bow, and strike down half a dozen more of the spiderlike crew. “Yeah, she’s fine. My father’s people have trained well for this. Now get us away from those ships.”
Several of the smaller vessels swooped in and were close enough for the crew to try and leap across from their higher decks and yardarms. Tobias spun the wheel and tapped Ray on the shoulder.
“Hard to starboard, Ray. Everyone hold on!” Tobias shouted.
The ship rolled right and slid away from the nearest enemy vessel. The sudden separation caused most of those trying to leap across to find nothing but empty air beneath them and plunged hundreds of feet before striking the open ocean.
“Commodore, they’re catching up! I don’t think we can outrun them in this tub unless I’m not doing something right.”
Daebian thought a moment. “We need to lighten the load. Any volunteers to hop over the side? No? Okay, wait here, I have an idea.”
Daebian stepped into the shadow ways and quickly found the shadow leading to the ship’s hold. Once again, the packed ranks of ravagers barely acknowledged his presence as he squeezed past them and made his way to the port bulkhead. He found the ropes attached to what appeared to be large doors or ramps set in the sides of the ship to facilitate loading and unloading. Daebian hacked several of the ropes free and stepped back onto the deck near Tobias.
“Everyone get a good grip! Tobias, roll us hard to starboard.”
“Aye, sir! Ray, hard to starboard on my mark…mark!”
The pirate shoved the lever all the way to the right and held on for dear life as the ship rolled its deck nearly vertical. Ravagers began pouring out of the hold by the hundreds and plunged into the ocean. Fireballs streaked past and lightning raked the exposed hull as the chasing ships began firing their weapons in an attempt to slow them or, failing that, destroy them altogether.
“Tobias, straighten us up. You men get on those deck weapons!”
The ship regained an even keel, and Daebian’s remaining pirates ran to the rail and manned the strange weapons attached to them. The weapons vaguely resembled heavy crossbows or scorpions except they were heavily rune-inscribed and the arms did not have a string with which to launch a projectile. Unsure of what else to do, the men loaded rods made of a strange metal and also inscribed with runes into the groove, aimed them at the pursuing ships, and squeezed the trigger. The rod shot from the weapon as if it was an ordinary bolt, but shortly after leaving the weapon, the runes flared and it became a bolt of lightning or a fireball. Accuracy was hampered by both sides performing evasive maneuvers, and most of the shots went arcing across the sky without causing damage, but enough were hitting them to cause Daebian and his crew some concern.
Time seemed to stop, the wind from their forward motion ceased, and no one on the deck moved. A dreadful aura of menace and supreme power fell over the ship like a dense fog. This was the moment Daebian had been dreading and expecting. This was the moment where his brazen gambit would pay off, or he and his crew would die.
“Enough. I will not have you destroy my ships no matter how amusing your little display.”
Daebian focused his thoughts into the soul stone. Klaraxis, can you draw part of my essence into the gem and keep safe my secrets?
It is feasible, but only if the creature does not look for them here. You are toying with gods, not some mortal wizards you can easily fool.
You had best try your hardest, particularly in regards to your existence. And, demon, if you try to do me any harm, I will toss your gem into the ocean where the most exciting thing you will see is the underside of the occasional fish for all eternity.
I know my place, my son. More importantly, I know what is best for me.
It took all of Daebian’s substantial will to draw his thumb over the razor edge of the blade exposed above the lip of its sheath. A rivulet of blood welled up and disappeared as the soul blade pulled it in along with part of his soul and the memories it contained. Not even the powerful influence of the Scion could prevent the shudder racking his body as part of his very existence was stripped away and forced into the black gem.
The Scion’s voice filled his head. “Tell me why I should not kill you immediately. You may speak now.”
Daebian felt the invisible constricture around his body slacken. He turned around and found the Scion towering over him. The creature was impossibly thin, like a voluminous robe hanging on a broom. Its flesh was a pallid grey and it had no mouth, nose, or ears. Its eyes were overly large and looked as though they were carved out of the
clear, night sky with stars gleaming and far away galaxies swirling in an endless black universe.
“For the very reason you have not done so. I am interesting,” Daebian answered.
“You destroyed a great many of my minions. Do you think so highly of yourself that I will not exact retribution? Your actions are an affront to my power. For this alone you deserve death along with the rest of your kind.”
“Your minions are meaningless tools whose only value is in achieving your goals, for which you have plenty. Good leaders are far more valuable and much harder to find. It takes a great act to warrant the attention of someone so powerful. Anything less than what I did would not be paying proper tribute to your greatness.”
The Scion paused as it considered the strange human’s words. “I am Zyn, but you will call me master.
Daebian knelt and delivered his line with the smoothness and mastery of the world’s greatest actor and with the conviction to fool even a god. “I am yours to command, master. I am Daebian—.”
“I know everything there is to know about you, slave.” Zyn held his long-fingered hand a few inches over Daebian’s head. The Scion’s psychic probing felt like nails being driven into his brain. “You are the son of the false guardian, but there is no love lost between you. How incredibly interesting. You struck him down but did not kill him.”
“It was the only mistake I will admit to ever making in my life,” Daebian responded. “I thought I could cause him greater pain by letting him live for a time.”
“Indeed. You have an unusual power, but you are not a wizard or sorcerer. That blessing has saved you from immediate execution. However, there is a wizard amongst your crew. She will of course have to die.”
“Master, I beg a boon in addition to you graciously sparing my life.”
“You wish me to spare the woman. This cannot be done. She and her entire tainted bloodline will be exterminated.”
The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) Page 21
