Cannon fire opened up behind him as the first strikes were made. If only they had captured these weapons earlier in their campaign against the pirates... they would have lost far fewer ships. He looked behind him to see several ships locked in combat. The powder filled ship was under heavy fire as it hurtled through the gathered forces in front of the gates of the Fortress. Bits and pieces of the hull rained down on the water as it was blasted by cannons.
As Elias watched, a bolt of black energy hurtled down from the top of the gates, and struck the ship on the deck, knocking down the mast. There was a slight delay, then a deafening explosion, the force of which Elias felt, even as far away as he was. Hot wind assaulted the ships, along with a shockwave through the ocean and air that caused even the Leviathan to buck and heave in the water.
In the split second before the blast hit and knocked him to the deck, Elias could see an expanding white wall of vapor, and it was with this wall the shockwave hit them. Shards of obsidian thudded into the Leviathan's thick hull and mast, slashing small holes in the sails. A few of the warriors on deck cried out, having been hit by pieces of stone or debris.
The ship had been destroyed well before it hit the gates; they still stood firm. The ships that had been near it, however, had been completely obliterated. There was no sign of them, except the quickly refilling hole in the surface of the sea. He didn't have time to do an accurate count, but by his estimation, Elias figured that at least ten of the ships facing them were destroyed.
Elias scrambled to his feet, struggling to maintain his balance on the heaving deck. He saw Marl clinging to the rail on the side of the deck, his staff in one hand, the other gripping a rope and belaying pin. Water began to rain down on them from the sea, having been thrown into to air by the explosion.
The large enemy ship that had been coming towards them had survived the explosion in relatively the same shape as they had, shaken but undamaged. They were no longer sailing at the same extreme speed they had been, but were more coasting along towards them, carrying on their course. Elias could read the name of the ship carved into the side; the Risen Dead. As they drew up alongside the Leviathan, Elias gave the command.
“Fire!”
The Leviathan had been outfitted with twenty cannons alongside her port, and they were all pointed at the enemy ship now. There was a moment's hesitation, but then the shots started ringing out, one after the other, growing in tempo until all twenty had fired their shots.
Shattered wood and planks were blasted from the other ship's hull as the attack ran along her starboard side, causing the black ship to shudder and groan. The Risen Dead returned fire with upwards of twenty cannons of her own. The cannonballs slammed into the Leviathan's hull, smashing through the thick timbers in a few places; the Leviathan's timbers were almost two hands wide, enough to repel most attacks.
A green bolt of lightning slammed into the enemy ship, playing over the deck like an electric beam of light, igniting the wet timbers as if they were parchment. Elias looked over to see Marl back on his feet, hanging over the edge of the ship, clinging to the rigging with his left hand, his right outstretched, clasping his glowing staff. It was from the end of his staff that the lightning came, in one long, continuous stream.
Elias had never seen the like before, and was dumbfounded. Before he knew it, the Risen Dead was sinking below the waves, deck on fire, the flames green and hungry, consuming wood and flesh with the same speed. He sprinted towards the helm, ducking under arrow fire from some of the nearer enemy ships, his own men gathering at the railing to return fire.
A great roar sounded from behind him, and he turned towards this newest threat. Coming in low, a bright, shining figure winged over the water. It was Sargoth, approaching from the east instead of the south, towards the gathered ships ahead of the Leviathan. As he flew closer, Elias shouted orders from the helm, piling on sail and veering to port, turning back towards the gate. Another roar overwhelmed the sound of battle, and Sargoth was upon the pirate vessels, which had begun to scatter in front of him, veering out of his path. He flew past the nearest vessel, strafing it with a long blast of fire from his mouth.
Elias almost lost himself watching the dragon attack; it was a thing of awe to see such a beast in full combat. Instead, he returned his focus to the task at hand, breaching the gates. His initial plan had failed, so now the only hope was to manually scale the gates and open them from the inside. This was about to get very bloody, especially with the four or five ships between him and the gate.
“Elias! The cannons are ready to fire again!” Geoff's voice caught his attention. Just in time, as well, seeing as how a ship that had been seeking to get on their port side was now approaching their starboard, on the left. As they drew up alongside, he signaled Geoff, who bellowed the command into the bowels of the ship. As they passed the enemy, the cannons fired in almost perfect rhythm, the shots colliding with the pirate vessel in nearly the same place, almost directly amidships.
The ship broke in half, capsizing almost immediately under the force of the onslaught. It had been a smaller vessel, similar to the Slingstone in that it had no lower decks and no hold. The pirate archers had barely had time to loose a volley before their ship sank out from under them.
Ahead of him, the battle raged between his ships and the forces of the Fortress. Most of his forces were engaged in active combat, boarding other vessels and fighting on the decks of their own ships as well as those of the pirates. It seemed at all of his ships were currently still afloat, while more than a few pirate vessels had fallen below the waves.
Sargoth landed on a vessel ahead of him, and ripped into it, his tail smashing into the hull like an enormous flail, his claws ripping off planks like so much kindling. As he spread his great wings and lifted into the air again, he blasted the deck with fire as arrows rained upon him, bouncing off of his scales harmlessly.
A bolt of black energy from the top of the gate struck the dragon, causing him to falter and almost fall into the sea. He regained his balance, and rose into the air quickly, pushing himself away from the island. Another bolt of energy narrowly missed him, and the dragon started circling higher.
Elias looked to where the black bolts had come from, and saw a tall figure on top of the gates, a flowing black cloak or cape blowing out from its back. It was too far away to make out any identifying features, but he could tell that it had its hand outstretched towards the dragon. “Marl! Marl, the gate! There's someone up there!”
Marl was by his side in an instant. He looked to where Elias pointed, and unleashed a torrent of green lightning at the spot the black energy had come from. The lightning crackled along his legs and arms, searing his skin where it passed, leaving trails of smoking flesh where it passed.
The bolt struck the stone near one of the hinges, blasting a small section of the cliff away. As soon as the stone started to fall away, Sargoth dove towards the island, tucking his wings in for greater speed, falling like a stone from a great height. He kept his mouth tightly shut, smoke trailing from his nostrils behind him. As he closed on the gate, he unfurled his wings and flipped around, slowing his descent, but only slightly, and coming in hindquarters first. He collided with the gate at a great speed, causing them to shake as he climbed up them. When he reached the top, he blasted the inside of the fortress with built up flame.
Marl fired another bolt of green energy, a battle cry ripping forth from him as the energy poured forth. It struck the gates near where the left upper hinge was anchored to the cliff, causing it to shatter and break free.
The gates, which were still supporting Sargoth, shuddered and listed inwards. Like some sort of great lizard, Sargoth crawled along the gate towards the shattered hinge, and braced himself between it and the stone. In one solid wrench, he tore it completely loose from its moorings, and cast it open. The shattered gate fell into the water, and promptly sank.
Boarding hooks grappled onto the railing near Elias, but he ignored them. The Leviathan was aimed d
irectly at the new opening, and was sailing towards it at full speed. Any pirates looking to board this vessel would have to do so while it was in motion.
What he saw through the gaping hole in the side of the island was staggering. The inside of the sunken volcano was entirely lined with buildings built over the water level on scaffolding, and dozens of smaller ships were inside. All of the buildings along the north face were burning from Sargoth's assault. The buildings that weren't on fire were lined with men and orcs, all brandishing weaponry. As soon as they were inside, they would be sitting targets for their archers who were currently focusing all their attention upon the great silver beast perched atop their walls.
There was the sound of cannons being fired, and the wheel was shattered in his hands. Elias was thrown backwards from the impact, and another cannonball bounced off of the deck in front of his head, barely missing him. The Leviathan was under concentrated fire from several ships as she plowed through the floating wreckage of battle towards the vulnerable front of the pirate stronghold.
Several smaller ships were trying to make their way out through the opening as the Leviathan passed through, the sinking gates scraping the bottom of the hull. The ship that had been roped to her side was drug along with her, and brushed off against the rocks, crushing it to splinters. The hooks held fast and tore off the railing of the Leviathan, but were eventually clear of the great ship. The smaller vessels were crushed under her keel like so much driftwood. The leviathan was a veritable juggernaut, despite the damage she was taking.
Elias clambered to his feet, moving to take cover from the arrows that would inevitably come. The wreckage building up in front of the Leviathan was slowing her, and they would come to a stop near the center of the open water in the middle of the island. Sargoth stayed at the top of the cliffs, prowling about and setting fire to the dry wooden buildings with his fiery breath.
There was a single great building built into the eastern cliff face, reminiscent of the lodge at Seagate that had been burned to the ground. It stood at least five stories tall, and looked almost as if an entire ship had been lifted up onto the craggy wall and stuck there as a foundation to build from. The roof was ablaze, but the lower levels were relatively sheltered from the dragon's onslaught.
On a balcony about halfway up, a familiar figure stood, looking down at him. Tall, broad shouldered, and covered head to toe in black armor, an enormous knight with a black insignia of the Felle on the breastplate looked town at him. An equally gigantic greatsword was held in one hand, resting on the figure's shoulder.
The figure gestured, and dissolved into a black shadow. The shadow hurtled through the air almost too fast for Elias's eyes to follow, and impacted the deck near the Leviathan's bowsprit. The ship shuddered as the shadow formed back into the armored knight.
Even with the entire length of the ship between them, Elias knew it was the same knight he had encountered almost a year and a half ago on the road from the Northlands to the coast. He dropped the harness that held his sword to his back off his shoulder, drew his greatsword from its sheath as he left the aftcastle deck and jumped down onto the main deck. The dark knight leapt down from the forecastle as well, causing the ship to shudder again.
Geoff darted towards the knight from where he had concealed himself in the forecastle, longsword in hand. He was about to drive his blade into the dark knight, but without even looking, the figure swept his hand at Geoff as one would swat away a gnat, and he was knocked backwards into the forecastle door. The knight may as well have not even seen Geoff for all the attention he paid him.
Elias squared off with the figure, keeping his sword between them. “You followed me from the mainland, now here I am. Who are you? Tell me your name before I kill you!”
The knight reached up and removed his helmet. Strong, familiar features topped by long silver hair looked back at him with eyes that resembled mercury. Pointed ears poked through the silver strands, and though his eyes and hair were both gray, his face was youthful.
Elias's jaw almost dropped. This knight looked exactly like him!
Chapter Twenty-Five
6th Waxing Grain Moon, Year 4369
Elias gripped his sword, standing his ground. “What sorcery is this? Why do you have my face?”
The knight stepped towards him, causing Elias to step back. “On the contrary, Elias. You have my face. I'm here to take it back.”
Elias gritted his teeth, moving to a more aggressive stance. “You speak in riddles and nonsense! Tell me why you're following me before I separate your head from your shoulders!”
The knight took another step forward, his blade pointed at Elias's right eye. “You were never supposed to be. Your power was supposed to have been mine, before you were even born. I am here to take it back. You're just a vessel to be drained, Elias.” He gripped his sword in both hands. “Go ahead and fight back, or do not. It makes no difference.”
Elias sprinted forward as cinders began raining down on them from the burning buildings. He swung his sword in a hard downward arc, cutting across the knight's body. Stepping back, the knight swung in a horizontal strike that Elias barely ducked under, following the momentum of his own strike. Lunging forward, he reversed the direction of his swing, wrenching it free of the deck. His blade encountered the knight's crossguard, and he rushed in to strike him with his pommel. The satisfying crack as he connected with the man's jaw sent his opponent reeling back, breaking their grapple.
The knight kept his blade pointed at Elias while rubbing his jaw. “You've gotten better. Good. A more powerful soul means more power to take.” Shadow flames began to rise up around him like before, spreading from where he stood out across the deck and along his blade. “You keep asking my name, Elias of Stromgard? My name is Darius Tessermyre, for what good it will do you.” He returned his hand to the hilt of his sword. “I have already taken everything you have ever loved. Now it's time to take you.”
Elias spat at him. “You talk far too much.”
Tessermyre grinned, a somewhat fearsome expression on his face. “But you'll listen nonetheless. It was I who caused your mother's death.” He started circling to Elias's left, and Elias circled to the right, matching him step for step. “We came from the same womb, you and I. We were supposed to be one soul. When we were born, your mother couldn't understand that I wasn't hers. When my true mother took me away, it broke her heart, and she couldn't survive the loss. She withered away and left you alone.”
Elias snarled and launched himself forward again, hammering blows down at the knight, each of which was parried. When he came in for a powerful lunge, Tessermyre turned it to the side, and hammered his pommel into Elias's breastplate, knocking him to the side. The knight was insanely strong, more powerful than anything Elias had ever encountered before. The knight laughed as he circled back again, looking for an opening to strike.
“Even when you found happiness here, I took that from you. You should have seen your woman's face when I took off my helmet. I've never seen so much terror and confusion in the face of one of my victims before.”
Elias narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. “You killed Coral!”
Tessermyre paused in his steps. “Yes, I killed her. I killed her and I enjoyed killing her. But know this. I did not rape her. She had been despoiled before I came upon her.“ He lowered his blade for a moment, looking directly into Elias's eyes. “I revel in killing; there is nothing in this world that gives me greater pleasure. What happened to her had no honor.“ He lifted his swordpoint, keeping it oriented on Elias's chest. “I may want to kill you, and I have no compunctions about killing anyone close to you, but I had no part in what happened to her.“ He frowned. “What I did was a mercy.“
Elias was no longer listening. His vision was red, his sight tunneled in onto Tessermyre. An inhuman howl tore from his throat as he lost all control and attacked Tessermyre with the savagery borne from grief. He swung his sword with both hands, his muscles straining under the exertion.
Sparks flew from the blades as they clashed, the ringing steel barely penetrating his senses.
Tessermyre's confident face slowly changed into a frown, then gained a furrowed brow as he fended off Elias's frenzied attack. He reached out with one hand to grab at Elias's sword, but Elias was quicker and grabbed his first. He wrenched with everything he had, and tore the greatsword out of the knight's hand, kicking him in the breastplate. He threw the knight's sword away behind him, and advanced on the prone figure, who was sitting up on his elbows.
Elias raised his sword to strike Tessermyre down, but a bolt of dark energy struck him in the chest, hurling him backwards against the second mast, knocking the wind out of him even through his breastplate. He gasped, trying to regain his breath as Tessermyre slowly rose to his feet. He stretched his hand out again, and another bolt struck Elias, crushing him back against the mast again, feeling like he had just gotten kicked in the chest by a horse.
Tessermyre retrieved his sword as Elias gasped, slumped against the thick mast.
“I had wanted this to be cleaner, but if I must destroy you with the power of the Abyss, so be it.” He raised his hand as if he was holding a sphere, and Elias was lifted off of the deck, a crushing grip tightening around his neck. “Either way, little brother, we'll be one once more.” He stepped closer and knocked the sword out of Elias's nerveless hand. “Just let it happen, let go, and your suffering will end.” Tessermyre's voice was deep, soft, not unlike his own. He could feel the edges of his vision start to fade as he struggled for breath.
There was a loud zap, a whooshing sound, and the smell of ozone, and Elias dropped to the deck, able to breathe again as a green glow faded away. Tessermyre was staggering backwards, clutching his scorched breastplate, looking towards the aftcastle. He lifted his hand towards the new threat, black flame gathering around his gauntlet, but another bolt of green lightning struck him, spinning him to the side and knocking him to the deck. He lay there, not moving, his sword fallen to the ground a few feet from him.
Rising Thunder (Dynasty of Storms Book 1) Page 31
