by Shawn Sodman
Fernando finishes drinking the water. He looks up at Fidelma and answers, “I am not trying to be difficult, but if enduring pain is what I must do to protect Ariella, then that is exactly what I am prepared to do.”
Fidelma looks over at Ariella, who looks frustrated. She then looks at Samantha and Annalee and says, “You two can take a break.”
Samantha replies, “Yes, Captain.” Before leaving the room, she turns to Fernando and says with a grin, “I’ll see you soon.”
Fernando smiles at her and says, “You know where to find me.”
Samantha leaves, and Annalee follows behind her. Fidelma says to Ariella, “Come on, let’s give him some time to think.” She looks at Fernando and says, “Perhaps Mr. Greythorn can think of a way to tell you what you need without putting you in danger.”
Ariella doesn’t say a word. She stares at Fernando as Fidelma leaves the room. After a few moments of looking at him, Ariella finally turns and leaves. Ariella climbs the steep stairway to the deck above. The crew is looking off to the distance. When Ariella looks to see what they are staring at, she spies a dark cloud stretching across the horizon over the sea.
“We have to go,” Fidelma says. “That storm would likely tear us apart.”
Ariella says, “I have no doubt that there are Orcneas in the center of that storm.”
Vindalia says, “I was just about to come and warn you.”
“Get us out of here,” Fidelma orders.
“Aye, Captain,” Vindalia replies. She lifts her fiddle and rests her chin on it. She draws her bowstring across the strings of her instrument, and soon a strong breeze begins to push the Sea Griffin away from the storm.
Chapter 14
Orphans
To the north, Chance and King Arioch’s armies have been making their way south to the city of Sheathelm. Chance is talking with his friends, General Levin and Damion Richardson. “From what I can see from above, the Orcneas are not following us,” Chance says.
Levin replies, “Let us hope that they haven’t taken ships to the south, otherwise they will reach Sheathelm before us.”
“Why don’t we just go through a magic gate?” Damion asks.
“It will be two more days,” Chance says as they walk along, “before the people of Dury reach Sheathelm. We have to make sure that we are between them and the Orcneas.”
A soldier behind them calls out, “Halt!”
Chance turns around to see one of the soldiers holding back the dark haired young man, Namos. “I am sorry,” Namos says. “I just wanted to speak with him.” Namos is wearing leather armor. He looks at Chance and says, “I am sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
“It’s all right,” Chance replies. He nods to the soldier holding Namos by the arm, and the soldier lets him go. “You are Namos, am I correct?” Chance asks.
“Yes, sir,” Namos answers.
Chance turns and continues to walk as Namos catches up with him. Chance asks, “What can I do for you?”
“I have spent so much of my life studying history, sir, and I was wondering if these were the other men who are in the tapestry on the wall?” Namos asks, gesturing to Damion and Levin.
Damion asks, “What is he talking about?”
Chance turns to Damion and explains, “At the Monastery on Sapphire Lake, there is a tapestry depicting the Dragon War in the main dining hall.”
Damion asks, “Are we on it?”
“Yes,” Chance answers. “We are.” He turns to the curly haired Namos and says, “Damion, here, took part in the Dragon Wars. Levin, however, is not in the tapestry.”
Namos nods to Damion and says, “It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Damion smiles and says, “I didn’t know we were famous.”
They laugh and Chance remarks, “I heard you did well defending the injured in the healing tent.”
“Thank you, sir,” Namos replies, “but I only did what I had to.”
“So, how does a young monk like you end up here, in the middle of a war?” Chance asks.
“I am not a monk, sir,” Namos answers. “Not yet, anyway. Brother Edward says I am welcome to return if I choose, but it was his suggestion that I try to find myself outside of the monastery’s walls. I have always longed to help others. I want to help heal those who are hurt in battle.”
“Very noble,” Chance says. “I remember, years ago, Brother Edward telling me that they had taken in an infant from Ofarin.”
“Yes, sir,” Namos answers. “My parents died in the plague that killed off most of the people who lived there.”
Levin laughs and says, “So you are an orphan from Ofarin.”
“Levin,” Damion scolds, “don’t say that.”
“I'm sorry,” Levin replies, “but it does have a certain ring to it.”
Namos smiles and nods his head. Chance looks at him and says, “Don’t pay Levin any mind. You know, I am orphan too.”
“You are?” Namos asks. “I guess that makes sense. The Amazons of the Silver Moon don’t raise their male children.”
“You are correct,” Chance answers. “We are usually left at Elonfar and cared for by the elves there. My father, however, convinced my mother to leave the sisterhood and take vows with him.”
“How did he do that?” Namos asks.
“By getting severely hurt,” Chance answers with a laugh. “He fell from a drake and broke his leg. Even with healing spells, it took some time for him to recover. My mother visited him and they fell in love. If he had not fallen off that drake, I may not even be here today.”
Levin says, “Lucky for you that your father had bad luck.”
“I thought your mother died in the First Orcnea War,” Damion says.
“Both of my parents were killed in the war,” Chance answers. “So, even though I was going to be raised by my mother, I still ended up being an orphan, and my sisters, Finna and Eveoh, were returned to the sisterhood. I was only two years old.”
A silence follows as the four men continue to walk. Finally Namos asks, “So when did you leave Elonfar to go out on your own?”
Chance answers, “When I was eight, I began to study magic as an apprentice. My master, Esfistis, was a powerful fire mage. I studied under him until I was old enough to be on my own. I was thirteen when I left Elonfar. I met my good friend Tharidin few years later, along with Kyle Drakesbane and Arioch. Arioch was not the King then. In fact, we didn’t even know he was the rightful heir at the time. Later, we met Damion, and that was essentially the group you see on that tapestry at the monastery.”
“So when you were growing up, was it hard to be an orphan?” Namos asks.
“I suppose I was lucky to be an elf,” Chance answers. “I have seen the way that humans sometimes treat orphans. Consider yourself lucky to be raised at the monastery. You didn’t have to deal with being looked down upon by others. Even elves can look down on other elves.”
“For me,” Namos says, “the biggest problem was not being looked down on, but rather not having anyone around to look at me at all.”
“I suppose it would have been quite lonely there,” Chance says.
“It wasn’t all bad,” Namos replies. “I did get to study a lot of magic, and, because of that, I am ready to give back to the world.”
“Good for you,” Chance says.
A magical gateway appears in front of the group. The men all draw their weapons and stand ready to attack. A hand sticks out through gate and motions for them to stop. An Amazon of the Silver Moon steps through. It is Yarwin Dri’el, the woman who helped protect Chance from arrows a few days earlier at Northwind. She looks at Chance and says, “Chance, King Arioch sent me. There is a very large storm approaching Sheathelm. From what we have been able to see, the orcneas' ships are inside.”
“We can’t get everyone through that gate,” Chance says.
“King Arioch just wants you to help with the ships,” Yarwin replies. “We will protect you the best we can with our spells,
just as we did at the city of Northwind. Your fire spells are our best option.”
“I’ll make sure it's not a trap,” Damion says. He walks up to the gate and sticks his head through to the other side. Suddenly, his body convulses. Chance looks at Yarwin, who seems to be confused. Then Damion backs up and pulls his head out of the gateway. “It’s safe, I was just joking with you.”
Chance sighs with relief and says, “That was not funny.”
Levin laughs and says, “Actually, I thought it was great.”
Chance just smiles and says to Levin and Damion, “You two keep leading the men to Sheathelm. I’ll see you in a couple days.”
“Be careful,” Damion says.
“See you soon,” Levin says to Chance.
Chance turns and walks through the gate, and Yarwin follows behind. Then the gate disappears in a flash.
Chapter 15
Shockwave
Chance finds himself in the throne room at Sheathelm. Arioch and A’ranah are there, along with an assembly of Amazons of the Silver Moon and some of King Arioch’s guards. As the magic gate closes, Arioch says to Chance, “The orcnea storm is already causing damage to the docks. Many of our smaller ships have fled to the south along the coast. A few have just entered the storm to try to engage the orcneas at sea.”
Chance looks at the storm raging outside the windows of the castle. He says to Arioch, “I will do what I can, but I may only be able to stop one or two ships before my mana is completely drained.”
A’ranah says, “We are more concerned with their shamans. There may only be a couple on each ship. Save your strength and mana for them.”
“You will not be alone, my friend,” Arioch says. “Elonfar has sent five of their best sky drake riders. They are each carrying fire elixirs. It should be enough to make an impact on them.”
“Where are they now?” Chance asks.
“They are high above the clouds,” A’ranah answers. “They are led by Commander Belron Swiftwind. I can see through his eyes as we speak. I will coordinate the attack from here.”
Leanara and Jadelyn are standing next to Yarwin. Leanara says, “I would go with you, brother, but I feel I would be more useful keeping you invisible, like I did when you destroyed the bridge at Northwind.”
Yarwin says, “I will cast a spell on you to protect you from arrows, and Jadelyn will protect you from lightning.”
Jadelyn, from the house of Dri’el, has an icicle painted on her left cheek and a lightning bolt painted on her right cheek. She says, “I am sorry I can’t protect you from cold and lightning at the same time.”
“It’s all right,” Chance replies. “I would rather be protected from the lightning of the storm than the freezing cold. Besides, the protection from cold wouldn’t protect me from any physical ice, like ice daggers, but Yarwin’s spell is effective against most projectiles.”
Jadelyn casts her spell on Chance, and soon a blue aura surrounds him before it appears to be absorbed by Chance’s skin. Yarwin casts a similar spell and says, “Be careful out there, and if a shaman dispels any of our protections…”
“I'll make sure that I'm careful,” Chance says.
A’ranah says, “I’ll keep in contact with you and the sky drake riders.” She places her hand on Chance's head and concentrates for a moment. Chance hears her voice in his head say, “Be careful.”
“I will,” he replies mentally. Chance turns to Leanara and says, “I am ready.”
Leanara steps forward and begins to cast her spell. She moves her hands around in the air, and soon Chance disappears, becoming invisible.
Arioch yells out to his guards standing at the main doors. “Open the doors!” He then turns to where Chance standing moments before. “Good luck, my friend.”
A few moments later, A’ranah says, “Chance is away.”
King Arioch nods to his men at the doors, and they close them tight before locking them with a large wooden beam.
As Chance flies higher and higher, he can hear A’ranah's voice in his head. “Belron is waiting for you above. He will not be able to see you, so let me know when you see him. I’ll relay it to him.”
Chance breaks through the clouds, and blue sky greets him. He can see five large drakes circling just before him, each with an elven rider on its back.
Unlike the drakes that the orcneas use in battle, sky drakes have no breath attack. They are, however, much faster and more maneuverable. They can fly the highest of all drakes, and this is what gives the sky drake its' name.
The riders act as weapons, and most know how to cast and throw spells. To maximize their speed, each rider wears only the lightest leather. They sit on a saddle that is mounted on the drake just above the wings. The saddle has several pouches, each containing an explosive fire elixir that the riders can drop down on their enemies.
Most elves have long hair, but those who ride the sky drakes keep their hair beneath smooth leather caps. Their commander, Belron, chooses to shave his head. His armor is stained black, and is polished so smooth that it has a glossy appearance. The black leather fits him tightly to reduce drag from the wind.
Chance says to A’ranah, “I see them directly ahead. Tell them to start heading out over the storm. I am right behind them. We should also go even higher, and look for an eye in the storm.”
Chance begins to climb higher into the air, and Belron motions to his men to do the same. Soon they are looking down on the clouds from the storm. Because this storm is magical in nature, the clouds are not as high as those in a naturally-occurring storm. Belron and the others are able to see a very large eye at the center of the vortex. It is over half a mile in diameter, and there are a dozen ships inside.
A’ranah says, “Belron told me that he and the others will keep the orcneas' attention towards the sky, if you want to land and take them by surprise.”
Chance says to her, “Tell them to stay where they are. I will go to the other side of the eye and attack the ship at the rear of the formation. With any luck, the other ships will not realize what is happening until it is too late.”
Chance begins to dive as the sky drakes begin to circle once again. Within the eye of the storm, the surrounding clouds are like white walls. Below Chance are three rows of ships. The first row has four ships, and the second has five. The last row contains only three ships. Chance heads for the one on his left. The orcneas below spot the drakes and begin to signal to one another. A few moments later, the walls of the eye begin to close.
Chance says to A’ranah, “They are closing the eye of the storm! Tell the others to move in now.”
“Do not worry, Chance,” A’ranah replies, “Belron can see through the storm. This will be to his advantage.”
Chance makes it to the ship on the far side of the eye just as the storm begins to cover the fleet. He lands on the back of the ship and transforms as the rain begins to fall around him. A shaman stands directly in front of him and is concentrating on a spell. His hands are glowing with blue mystical energy. There is another orcnea nearby at the wheel, facing away from Chance and the shaman. Chance draws one of his swords and drives it through the back and heart of the spell-caster. It is quick and quiet compared to the storm all around them. The orcnea at the helm is the next victim of Chance and his blade.
While this is happening, Commander Belron begins to dive as his sky drake folds in its wings and starts to freefall. Even though the storm has closed in now on the orcnea ships, Belron can see through the tempest. He pulls a fire potion from one of the pouches on the saddle. He takes aim at the far left ship in the front line. Belron studies the deck as he rapidly approaches, and can see two shamans concentrating on the spell that is powering the storm. One is at the stem of the ship, while the other is at the stern. Belron reaches for another potion to drop, and now holds one in each hand.
Belron’s dive is steep. As soon as the ship is within range, he yells to his drake, “Nimbus, up!” The sky drake pulls out of the dive and, Belron drops one of
the elixirs onto the front of the ship. Just as the small glass jar containing the potion hits the deck and explodes, Belron releases the second elixir, and it falls onto the stern of the ship.
The second potion is set off on impact, and the entire deck of the ship is engulfed in flames. Belron hangs on to Nimbus tightly as it climbs back into the sky to start another run.
In the back of the small orcnea fleet, Chance continues to make his way to the stem of the ship. He ignites the planks of the deck and masts with long jets of flame from his hands. The orcneas are caught off guard and offer little resistance.
The final orcnea on deck is a shaman holding a tribal staff. Seeing that his ship is in flames, he manages to put up a spell just in time to protect himself from the fire.
Chance begins to charge, but before he can reach him, the shaman casts another spell allowing him to see Chance even though the invisibility spell is still active. Chance swings his sword at the enemy, but the orcnea dodges the blade. The shaman casts another spell and creates a sudden burst of air that knocks Chance back and onto the deck.
The orcnea quickly summons another bolt of lightning and hurls it at Chance. Fortunately for Chance, Jadelyn’s protection spell absorbs the shock. The shaman looks surprised for only a moment, but then changes his grip on his staff and holds it like a spear. He takes a step towards Chance and tries to stab him with the pointed base.
Chance uses his sword to brush the attack to the side and stands up. He then uses his flame jet to obscure the shaman’s vision as he takes his sword and slashes it across the orcnea’s chest. The shaman falls to the deck. Chance makes his way to the railing of the ship and says to A’ranah, “I have cleared the upper deck of my first target. I am on my way to the next ship.”
As Chance begins to transform into an eagle, he fails to notice that the shaman he had just struck down is still alive behind him. Even though he is gravely injured, he manages to cast one final spell.
