"Another ship like this one," replied Mikal. "She is practically in the exact spot where the fishing boat disappeared, and she is coming this way."
"I guess there is more than one way to slow us down," said Max.
For a long time, no one spoke. Mikal shared the scope with the captain and the Ranger. One of the sailors finally spotted the ship and called out to alert the captain. When the scope was returned to him, Mikal watched the confrontation sailing towards them. Then unexpectedly, the Zaran ship turned. He watched intently with a puzzled expression.
"She's turning around," Mikal reported.
"Tacking?" asked the captain.
"She's turning around and heading west," Mikal repeated.
"Why in the world would she do that?" mused the captain.
"I have a bad feeling about this," declared Max. "She got just close enough to see what we look like."
"As if her captain didn't believe the fisherman's tale," nodded Mikal. "But what is her captain up to? Is there some advantage to meeting us further west than her current course would allow?"
"If there is a geographical advantage further west," reasoned the captain, "it is not apparent from the charts we have. There are some small spits of islands to the south, but there is plenty of deep water to maneuver in, and absolutely nothing to our north. Perhaps he was just afraid to do battle with us?"
For an hour the Zaran ship continued westward, barely visible on the horizon, as the Remora followed. There was a sense of foreboding in the captain's voice as he handed the scope to Mikal.
"Either these old eyes are seeing double," Captain Gomery said, "or there are now two Zaran ships."
"And the first is turning around again," Mikal confirmed. "That was the advantage her captain was waiting for."
"Can we possibly handle two of them?" worried the captain. "The last time we had surprise on our side and only one enemy ship. This will be something different entirely."
"We have little choice in the matter," replied Mikal as he handed the scope to Max Caber. "If we try to run, they will hunt us down. Besides, I am loath to allow another Zaran ship to reach Alcea."
Max focused on the two Zaran ships for a while and then handed the scope back to Mikal. He gazed skyward for a moment and then turned so his face was into the wind, which was blowing from the north. After a few moments, his lips spread in a broad smile.
"Turn her around, Captain," Max said, his voice beaming with promise. "Let's let these Zarans think they have us on the run."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Mikal.
"A game of cat and mouse," grinned the Ranger. "It's time to let the Zarans think that they are the cats. To succeed against two ships, we need to delay our fighting until after dark, and the best way to do that is to act as if we are running scared. Such an action will also give the Zarans a false feeling of superiority. They will become overconfident, and that is when we will strike."
Mikal nodded in agreement, and the captain shouted orders to bring the Remora around to an eastward heading.
"Do you have a specific plan of attack in mind?" Mikal asked the Ranger.
"I have the basis for a plan," answered Max, "but I think we should have a meeting about it. The others might have valuable input."
"We will have as much time as we need," interjected the captain. "The Zaran ships cannot make much better headway than we can even if they are traveling lighter."
Captain Gomery waved for Chanz to take the helm while Mikal and Max gathered the Rangers, elves, and Knights of Alcea. The group gathered in the stern of the ship to discuss appropriate battle plans. Mikal spent a few minutes making sure that everyone understood the situation before turning the meeting over to Max.
"We have some decent cloud cover moving in," Max began. "Add to that the dark of night, and I am thinking we can devise a plan to surprise the Zarans. My initial thoughts centered on the need to get over the horizon from the Zarans and then quickly change course to the north."
"Why the north?" asked Shawn Cowen.
"The winds are out of the north," explained Max. "If we turn around and attack them with the wind at our backs, they will not be able to maneuver directly towards us. They will either have to tack towards us or flee."
"We would be bearing down on them like a runaway bull," Captain Gomery nodded in agreement, "but they are gaining on us. They are gaining slowly for sure, but we will never get over their horizon."
"What if they thought we were over the horizon?" asked Clint McFarren.
"I don't understand the question," frowned the captain. "Why would they think that we were over the horizon if we weren't?"
"I've seen a lot of strange things in making charts," answered Clint. "For instance, when a light is right at the horizon on a dark night, it begins to flicker before it disappears." Captain Gomery nodded in agreement, and Clint continued, "If this night is truly going to be a dark one then I suggest we hang a bright lantern on the stern. It will give the Zarans something to focus on. Then as the night progresses, we soften the lamp ever so slightly. It will appear to them that we are gaining ground quicker than they are. Just before we are ready to change course, we make the light flicker for a while and then extinguish it."
"And they will think we have gone over the horizon," grinned Max. "I like it. While they are chasing a phantom ship, we will be moving to the north and preparing to attack."
"This is a plan I can buy into," agreed Mikal. "Even if they do see us coming in from the north, they can't be sure that what they are seeing is the Remora. They will hold their fire until they are certain that we are not another Zaran ship."
"And if there are K'sans onboard?" asked Tedi.
"We will torch both ships as we fly past them," answered Mikal. "If there are mages onboard either of them, they will have precious little time to react."
"And we will be prepared for that in any event," volunteered Yolinda.
Everyone accepted the plan, and the group dispersed. Mikal and Yolinda remained at the rail in silence for a while before Mikal asked the question.
"The last shielding was hard on you," Mikal said softly. "Are you sure that you can stand up to twice as many attacks?"
"I plan on sending out some fairies after dark," answered Yolinda. "I will know well before the attack what type of magic we might be facing. If there are two K'sans on each vessel, then we will have to change our plans, but for now there is no reason for alterations."
Mikal nodded. "Go below and get some rest. You will need all your strength for the attack."
Yolinda kissed Mikal and smiled. As she left to head below, Mikal returned to the helm.
"It might be wise to give some of the crew rest," he suggested to Chanz.
"The captain has already ordered it," the mate replied. "In fact, Captain Gomery is already below catching a few winks. The brothers are on watch with me. We will switch watches when it is time for the turn."
"I see that the ship is in good hands," smiled Mikal. "I am also heading below. Call me if needed."
Chapter 7
Turnabout is Fair Play
The hatch cover to the hold creaked ever so slightly, but it was enough of a noise to rouse Squirt from her slumber. The tiny fairy stared at the hatch as a figure stealthily slid into the hold. The man used a piece of cloth to hold the hatch opened slightly, and this intrigued the little woman. Sailors entering the hold were normally loud and in a hurry, but this one was purposely trying to avoid making any noise.
The hold was unlighted and darker than the black night outside. The fairy strained her eyes watching the stealthy movements of the intruder. While she could not see the person's face, she was able to see the pouch the man retrieved from under his tunic. When the Snake opened the cover of one of the water barrels, the fairy knew that she had to strike. Squirt darted across the dark hold and hovered over the man as she cast her sleep spell. The intruder got as far as untying the strings of the pouch before collapsing to the floor.
Squirt dar
ted out of the hold and headed for Yolinda's cabin. The door to the cabin was closed tightly and the tiny fairy frowned. She darted to the door of Tedi's cabin and was disappointed that it too was closed. Frustrated, the fairy darted back up the stairway and onto the deck. The rangers and the elves were sleeping on the deck near the stern, and she soared towards them. Squirt settled down on Shawn's nose and whispered a plea for the Ranger to awaken. Instead of awakening, Shawn mumbled under his breath as his large hand swatted at his nose. Squirt yelped and shot straight upward. That was enough to wake the dog.
Smokey's eyes popped open, and the dog stared with interest at the little fairy. When Smokey rose to his feet, the fairy quickly darted away. The dog growled menacingly, but with a twinkle in its eye. He faked a leap at the small fairy as if to scare her, but he landed squarely on Shawn Cowen. The Ranger woke up as if he were being attacked. Smokey scampered off and the fairy spoke quickly before the Ranger got distracted.
"There is somebody in the hold!" warned Squirt. "Come quickly!"
Shawn turned and stared towards the voice, but he couldn't see the fairy. After just a few moments, the Ranger's mind cleared and he shook Clint to wake him.
"Get Max up," ordered Shawn. "We have a Snake to snare."
The three Rangers raced towards the hold. When they arrived, Shawn opened the hatch and Clint jumped into the hold. Max immediately followed Clint, and Squirt swooped in afterwards.
"Where is he?" asked Clint.
"I do not understand," frowned the fairy. "I put him to sleep. He should be right there by the water barrel that is open. Look! There is the pouch he was holding."
Clint moved to the open water barrel, bent down, and picked up the pouch. He held the pouch to his nose and frowned. He tied the pouch closed and looped it under his belt.
"If there is anyone down here," Max remarked from the other side of the hold, "he is invisible."
"Count the sailors," Clint shouted up to Shawn. "I want every one of them accounted for."
"I do not understand," Squirt said. "I put him to sleep. How could he leave?"
"Perhaps you didn't complete the spell," shrugged Clint. "I am not the one to ask about magic."
"All the sailors are accounted for," Shawn announced from the deck.
"Stay here on duty, Squirt," Clint said to the fairy. "I think it is time to wake Mikal up."
Clint and Max climbed out of the hold and shut the hatch. While Max and Shawn watched over the hatch, Clint went and woke up Mikal.
"Someone tried to poison our water barrels," Clint reported as he handed the pouch to Mikal, "or at least I suspect that it is poison. Squirt thought she had put the Snake to sleep and then went for help. When we got to the hold, no one was there, but that pouch was on the floor next to an open water barrel."
"Let me see the pouch," requested Yolinda.
"Finding no one in the hold, I had Shawn check the sailors," Clint continued. "They are all accounted for."
"I don't know what it is," Yolinda conceded.
Mikal took the pouch back and led the way to the deck. When he reached the hold, he handed the pouch to Shawn.
"Shawn, tell me what that is," ordered Mikal. "Max, wake the sailors. All of them. Clint, you get the captain. We need to put a stop to this right now."
The only sailors not sleeping were the three brothers, and Mikal held no doubts about their loyalty to the crown. Chanz was at the helm and could not leave, even for a moment, which left him free of suspicion. Karl and the elves had been sleeping alongside the Rangers. With all of the commotion they had woken up and gathered around to see what was happening.
"It is Karary, Mikal," Shawn announced as the sailors began to gather around. "It is indeed poison. In water it would be undetectable by color, taste, or smell."
"What is going on?" grumbled the captain.
"Someone tried to poison our water supply tonight," answered Mikal, "and I think it is time for your crew to understand that we have a traitor amongst us. There is one among you who unlashed the water barrels before the storm. That is why we needed to ration water. That same person gave a message to the people on Turtle Key, which is why we have ships after us right now. Whoever this traitor is, he has no qualms about killing all of us, including himself. Tonight he entered the hold and tried to poison our water. Did anyone see him?"
The sailors were groggy from being woken up, but they glanced at one another with suspicion. Still, none of them spoke.
"Did anyone notice anyone else missing tonight?" asked Captain Gomery.
The sailors shook their heads, and Mikal sighed with frustration.
"Entry to the hold is forbidden without explicit permission from Captain Gomery or myself," declared Mikal, "and even then you will be escorted."
"Who are you to give orders on the captain's ship?" asked Feldskar. "There is no man above the captain, not on any ship I ever sailed."
"Mikal has my blessing," Captain Gomery declared without hesitation. "Besides, he will be the person executing anyone who defies this order."
"If there are any questions," Mikal continued, "ask them now. If not, you are free to return to sleep."
The sailors turned and drifted off. Mikal tapped the captain's arm and headed for the helm. The captain followed.
"Was that truly a wise thing to do?" asked Captain Gomery. "You did well before by trying to get them to work together."
"I know," frowned the Knight of Alcea, "but this Snake is outwitting us at every turn. What if your crew woke up in an hour and got water before the big battle? We would lose every man on the ship before we even realized what had happened. Besides, the lives of your crew are on the line here as well. Don't they have the right to be concerned about it?"
"He makes a valid point, Captain," Chanz said. "If the crew had been watching each other, none of the previous attempts would have come close to harming us. They might be at each other's throats for a bit, but I would rather chance that than miss the Snake's next attempt."
"I agree," conceded the captain. "I was just hoping that it could be avoided."
"If nothing else," Chanz added, "the Snake knows that we are onto him now. He will not be so brazen, and that will make anything he tries to do that much harder."
"Let's hope so," the captain agreed with resignation. "How far are we from the turn?"
"Cirris has the lamp as low as he can get it," answered Chanz. "I was planning on waking you the next time he came back. It should only be a few minutes from now."
"Then go get some sleep," ordered Captain Gomery. "I will take over the helm."
Several minutes later, Cirris came to the helm.
"We are ready to start the flickering," he said to the captain.
"Announce a change of shift first," replied the captain, "and then summon Mikal's men back here."
"Aye," nodded Cirris.
The Rangers and elves arrived a few minutes later. Karl went below and woke Tedi and Niki, and soon everyone but the sailors were assembled. Cirris continued to the stern and began waving a heavy cloth behind the lantern. He continued the flickering for a full five minutes before dowsing the lantern.
"We're running dark, Captain," Cirris called.
"Turning to port," shouted the captain. "Be lively lads."
"How much time do we have to get ready?" asked Mikal.
"You've got a few hours yet," answered the captain. "We will have to tack into the wind to get any distance between us and the track we've been following, but you'll want to get your men ready anyway. There can be no noise when we turn back on the downwind leg, and that return will be much faster. That is why I called for your people to be gathered now."
Mikal waved his men towards the stern rail. When they had all gathered around, he began.
"Prince Rigal," said Mikal, "I want you and your men on the masts with fire glue. That should extend your range a good deal. Aim for the farthest ship first. I have a slight concern that the Zaran ships might flee in opposite directions. As there is no
one quieter than an elf, I will leave it to you when to climb into your perches, but keep the captain's words about silence in mind."
"We will be ready," promised the elven prince.
"The rest of us will be on the harpoons," explained Mikal, "but I have a couple of twists in mind. Max, how many harpoons do we have left?"
"We started with three dozen," Max answered. "We have two dozen left. That works out to four per device. I would advise against firing three from each device if we can avoid it."
"I agree," nodded Mikal. "I am thinking of loading only one in each device as we can't know beforehand which devices will be fired. However, I am thinking of coating each harpoon with fire glue."
"That is dangerous," warned Max.
"I know," agreed Mikal, "but the potential damage from a single hit would be devastating."
"Agreed," frowned Max, "but once we coat the harpoons, we must fire them or abandon them to the sea. We will never get the fire glue off. I wouldn't dare to put them back in the hold."
"I concur," replied Mikal. "I am thinking of one other change. What do you think about the idea of threading a line through the eyeholes of two harpoons from the stern devices? I am not talking about a line anchored to a winch, but to the other harpoon."
"And fire the two harpoons into different ships?" asked Max with a look of surprise. "That is an interesting proposition. The line would have to be outside the Remora of course. We can't go having the line tearing off the stern of this ship, but the thought intrigues me. If we managed to get a harpoon into each ship, they would tear each other apart in short order."
"That is exactly what I was thinking," smiled Mikal.
"Let's try it," Max said enthusiastically. "The only caveat is that both harpoons must be fired before either one hits, even if there is no target to shoot at."
* * *
Captain Gomery completed the final turn and called out an order to maintain the sails. Off in the distance before the Remora were the lights of the Zaran ships. The lights were slightly to the right of the bow, but that was exactly the positioning that the captain was looking for. Clint and Max were situated at the forward harpoons, and Shawn and Karl were amidships. Tedi and Mikal were manning the stern harpoons, but Mikal kept trying to use his scope to keep track of the targets. Natia, feeling left out of the attack, approached Mikal.
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 9
