by Shawn Keys
Krizzilani didn’t hesitate. She was regaining her strength rapidly, and her pride was far more demanding than most people. She slipped away into the dark, hunting like a panther once again.
Ajax felt bad for anyone she found. No doubt she remembered each snap of the whips that had beaten her. These sailors might not be to blame, but they were part of the King’s navy, and thus one more element of his will. She would take satisfaction in reaping revenge from their ranks.
Ajax did as he said he would. He came back onto the decks and found the sea elf hard at work on the sailing lashings. “Can I help?”
She scented the wind and whispered, “The breeze is fresh and the tide is right. If we cut the lines holding us to shore and raise the foresail, it will bear us out of the harbor.”
“With but a single sail?”
She nodded quickly. “More will follow. We must separate from the jetty before they can throw hooks into us. Once away, all our efforts will be to raise more canvass and build speed.”
Understanding, he asked, “What do you need?”
“When I yell out, heave up the sail with all your power. This is one of the three large sails prepared for fewer men to raise and lower. But even so, it is normally the task of three sailors.”
For all the times Ajax had been out of his depth, this time he spoke with confidence he truly felt. “I’ll make the pull.”
Jyliansa’s eyes wandered over his broad shoulders covered poorly by his workman’s shirt. Her tongue licked ever so briefly over her lips. “I believe it. I’ll make the cuts to the shore lines with Helleanna. Callistia will take the wheel. She already knows to force the rudder hard over and let the wind turn us toward the harbor mouth, then hold us steady.”
Together, they finished cutting the sail’s ties. The sail flopped a little loose, as if eager to be pulled up into the wind. Ajax gave her a firm nod, grasping hold of the halyard that would grant the sail its wish. “Cut the lines. Yell when we’re free of them.”
Eager to be out to sea, Jyliansa raced to the landward side. Her knife flashed. Helleanna began cutting opposite her, further forward.
The first two hawsers snapped, and there was no reaction.
Then, two more. Only four remained.
On the ship in front of them, the Tidesmasher, one voice called out in concern. “Ahoy, Wavesword! I think one of your hawsers parted!”
Ajax grinned inside. Good. Delay. Keep thinking this is all an innocent mistake, he willed toward the sailor.
Two more of the ropes holding them to shore parted with a soft crack.
More alarm came from the same voice. “Are you awake back there! Your lines are… good lord, pirates!”
Ajax laughed again. Him? A pirate? Elements forbid! But there was no sense waiting any longer. Grasping hold of the thick rope, he heaved down with all his might. The weight of the sail groaned against him. It crept up the mast a few feet.
Only about a hundred to go. He laughed at the outrageous idea, took a huge reach upward, and dropped his whole body into the effort of heaving once more.
As he did, the two female elves cut the last of the lines. The one sailor who had been close enough to notice was whirling a grapple hook over his head. He tossed it with skill and it latched onto the bow rail. Jyliansa was there, and her knife made short work of the single rope. Not that a single line would have done much good, but she wasn’t about to let their enemies get even a single hold on them.
More sailors were spilling off the other ships and onto the jetty, rushing to the edge. But Wavesword was already pulling away from the dock. The gang-plank fell into the water with a splash. A few sailors tossed a couple more grapples. They still sounded fearful that this was some awful mistake. They could hear more questions than anger, and very few of the sailors were expecting a battle.
That was, until the first sailor once more screamed, “It’s bloody pirates, you fools! At them!”
A more strident voice blasted over the crowd, the sound of a watch leader taking charge, “Belay that nonsense! To the Tidesmasher! She’s the only one the wind can take off the jetty! Ready her to follow! After them, men! We’re not to have our trousers around our ankles today!”
Ajax was sure his muscles were tearing with the speed he ran the sail up the mast. He could hardly believe the feat was done when he felt the top of the sail hit the stay at the top. Fixing the halyard to a cleat, he ran for the main deck. “They’re going to be after us soon, Jyliansa! What’s next?”
“The main sail, then the mizzen. I’ll cut the wrappings if you lay out the lines!”
Ajax turned to Heleanna. “Anything we can do to lighten our load will help. They’ll come after us with as many men as they can to try and take us back. Throw everything over the side that isn’t needed for us to cross the ocean. Krizzilani is down there somewhere. Get her to help.”
Each with their own tasks, the small crew got busy. Already, the Wavesword was chopping through the water with steadily building speed. The sky in the distance was streaked with the first bright glow of the pre-dawn light. Ajax smiled inwardly, enjoying the idea that the King would look out from the Sun Tower in the midst of the dawn ceremonies and see them sailing for the horizon.
The main sail was twice the size of the foresail. Even with Jyliansa lending herself to the pull, the hoist took time. As they worked, he could hear splashes as the other women tossed away what they didn’t need. They emptied the armory in short order, keeping only a few weapons that suited each of the women’s tastes. Good choice, Ajax complimented them silently. Lots of metal, and the only thing all those extra swords are good for is giving boarding parties or enemies the chance to rearm themselves from our own hold! Once the weapons were gone, the women turned to the other ballast they could find. They left a trail of debris behind them. Unfortunately, not enough to choke the harbor and block the Tidesmasher from following them out. The other ship was already free of the jetty and was beginning her lumbering turn toward the harbor mouth.
By then, their main sail was set. Jyliansa was trimming the canvass with a keen eye, and gave Ajax a confident smile. “We have a chance. My only fear is they can out-pace us by getting more canvass flying faster.”
Ajax decided, “Then we’ll have to give them something else to think about.”
“What about the mizzen?”
“If I do this right, getting that sail up won’t be so much of a rush.” Ajax strode aft, mounting the ladders up the after castle and onto the after weapons platform. He strode around the massive ballista positioned there. “Callistia! Tie the wheel off and join me up here!”
It took a few seconds while she figured out the proper lashings. Then, she climbed the ladder to join him. “What is it?”
“We haven’t had the time to talk over your magic, My Lady. These ballista beasties look fierce, and you wouldn’t want to take a bolt from one to the belly. But against a ship, they are nothing. From tales of the sea that I’ve heard, captains rely on their sorcerers for either direct strikes or to imbue these weapons with power. Do you know any such tricks?”
Callistia considered him with a cool smile. “A small piece of advice, my knight? Sorcerers are not fond of having their abilities labeled as ‘tricks’.” She flexed her fingers, and Ajax swore he heard the crack of her knuckles over the brisk wind. He had never suspected her of being weak, but this was the first time he had seen a part of her that wasn’t delicate. Her yellow-enameled fingernails sizzled with a brief current of electrical energy. “I’ve never worked with such things, but I dare say I can make an impact.” She marched to the steel head of the ballista bolt. Her index finger flared as bright as the sun as she carved runic symbols into the metal.
While she worked, Ajax familiarized himself with the cranks that let him aim the huge crossbow-style weapon. He soon had the gist, though it would take time to get smooth at it. He took stock of the arms bracket next to him. Three more massive bolts were anchored in place. That gave him four shots without hauling
anymore from the other ballistae on the main deck or from the storage bay inside the ship.
Callistia appeared at his side. “It’s ready. You need to strike the ship to make it work. Best I could do on short notice.”
Realizing that using the special bolt she had made for his first attempt was not such a good plan, Ajax heaved the bolt off the weapon’s firing platform. Laying it on the rack, he took one of the unmarked weapons. It looked fierce, though it would do little more than punch a hole in their hull – unlikely to cause much harm unless it struck below the waterline. He wasn’t even sure such a shot was possible. “I’m going to take a ranging shot. No sense wasting your craftsmanship.” He paused, then chuckled. “I can call it that, right?”
Callistia inclined her head crisply. “Much better.”
He tossed his head at the other bolts on the rack. “Mind repeating the work on those?”
“Perhaps not the same. Always good to offer them a few surprises.”
Ajax turned back to the ballista and cranked it over so it was pointing toward the Tidesmasher. They already had twice the sails up, and he swore he could see the range closing. Ajax could make out sailors arming themselves on the deck. They were laying out grappling hooks and lines, ready to take back the ship on a raid. None of their own heavy weapons were armed. Probably don’t think we have the magic aboard. That, or they aren’t willing to scratch the paint on their Commodore’s flagship. That’s a mistake. Might as well show them the error of their ways.
Aiming along the iron sights, he squeezed the oversized, crossbow-style trigger.
Chunk! The steel wire snapped forward, launching the huge bolt into the mostly dark sky. It was difficult to follow against the still-black sky. Ajax swore he saw it splash down in front of the Tidesmasher’s prow. Range was too short. But not by much. Cranking the elevation up, he grabbed hold of the first ensorcelled missile. Got to make this count.
The winch was well oiled, and he reeled the wire back into tension. With the bolt fully seated, he was back on aim. The ship caught the first swells of the ocean, making his target toss up and down in his sights. He waited, patient, for the first chance at a stable platform. The wave action drifted into a lull…
Chunk! Once more, his bolt soared aft. This time, he didn’t miss.
The heavy bolt crashed into the figurehead, which for that ship was an elfish warrior with a huge club. The metal tip penetrated into where the wooden figure’s heart would have been. The visual was bad, but what followed the initial impact was far ghastlier.
Callistia’s lightning magic was unleashed. A sizzling stab of violent energy burned through wood, flesh and metal with equal disregard. The bow of the ship was peeled open. Blackened wood curled to each side and coils of smoke coughed into the air. Screams carried on the air as the thunderous blast faded.
Ajax stared at the other ship, willing them to back off. We aren’t worth the pain, you bastards. Break off!
They didn’t. There was a mad scramble on their deck. One man, the watch-leader who had whipped them all into motion, was beckoning a robed figure up from the lower deck. From the nervous way the supposed-sorcerer was moving, he didn’t seem all that confident.
Ajax thought it was worth mentioning. “They might be able to retaliate.”
Callistia paused in her efforts to peer aft in the dim light. “That’s an apprentice.”
“Can they do damage?”
She tried not to be dismissive. “Depends on how close to acceptance they are. No elf would be so obedient to a human.”
Ajax chuckled.
She fired him a saucy look. “Take care, my knight. You are perhaps the exception that proves the rule. If I am right, this is a human apprentice, and his capabilities will be limited. But a lucky strike can still kill our hopes.”
Ajax held out one of his huge hands. “Do you have another ready?”
She nodded. “Let it fall among them for best effect.”
Resetting the ballista became a race, and he wasn’t going to win. They had a team, cranking back the wire even as they set their bolt into place and the weapon-leader brought it on aim. The task-master yelled at the apprentice, who wobbled his hands over the tip and set it on fire.
Ajax cursed and pumped his hands faster over the crank. Not going to make it. Not going to make it…
The Tidesmasher launched. The fiery bolt arced through the sky, then came crashing down with explosive power on the main deck. The blast detonated inside the port ballista, but didn’t have the raw power to blow it apart. Flames licked out and set off a half-dozen secondary fires.
Ajax roared, “Put those out or we’re finished!”
Jyliansa, Helleanna and Krizzilani all converged on the scene, buckets in hand.
Trusting in their reactions, especially with Jyliansa leading the effort, Ajax went on the counter-attack. No matter how fast the other ship’s team, they didn’t have enough to man two ballistae at once. And they couldn’t crank fast enough to fire again before Ajax was ready.
Locking the new bolt into place, he elevated the tip higher. Doing his best to judge, he fired the missile on a long, high arch meant to rain down on them from above. He got what he wanted. The bolt came down almost vertically and hammered into the main deck where the bulk of their sailors were working to lift more canvass into place.
The tip exploded on impact. Spiderwebs of lightning slashed out in every direction. Each time it caught on a piece of metal, the energy was refreshed and stabbed out in a new direction. Wherever it went, it burned holes in flesh and anything less than a slab of wood. Even their main-mast took scorch marks, though it survived intact. When the cascade finished, only a few sailors survived of the dozens on deck. All that was left of the rest was scorched meat.
Again, Ajax snarled, this time audibly, “Back off, you idiots. You’re outmatched! Don’t make me do this!”
But the task master wasn’t listening. He whipped his team, pushing them harder to reload his own weapon.
Ajax grimaced. This wasn’t going to end until they ended it. “Is the last one done, Callistia?”
She gave no objection to his use of her true name. “Ready. Much like the first, it will spear deep inside the ship as long as you hit it.”
“Please, get down to the wheel. When you hear me yell, come hard to the right.”
She nodded and ran for the ladder.
Ajax threw himself into the task of reloading. His focus never left the efforts of the other team. They had been stunned by the horror on the main deck, but task master was lashing them back into shape. They caught their rhythm, and the race was on again to fire first.
The enemy team drew close, and Ajax bellowed, “Now, Callistia! Turn us now!” Ships took time. He had no idea if he was going to get this right. But they had to try something. He kept spinning his hands, winding back the wire. It clicked into place, and he grasped the trigger.
They fired at the same time.
The chunk of the wire snapping filled Ajax’s ears, and he watched in rapture as his bolt flew high. The two bolts crossed in mid-flight: his sparking with Callistia’s gift of lightning, theirs sputtering with magically conjured fire.
Ajax’s strike struck the forecastle of the Tidesmasher in the midst of their firing team. A blinding glare strobed into the early morning sky. A thunderclap rolled over the sea. The blast ripped into the ship at a steep angle. Combined with the first impact he had delivered, the weight of the fore-mounted ballista made the scorched timbers creak, then groan, then shear clean off the rest of the ship. Sailors dove for the safety of the main deck, but only a few managed the leap. Most of the team, including the uncompromising task master, were carried down into the sea tangled in the remains of the massive weapon. The sailor behind the wheel of the ship panicked, turning hard to port and veering way from the pitched battle. Their sails flapped pitifully as they lost the wind and their speed stalled.
Wavesword heeled to port as she carved toward starboard. The deck pitched under Aj
ax’s feet as they hit a wave badly. He staggered against the guard rail, halting himself from plunging into the water and being left behind.
The turn wasn’t quite enough to avoid the firebolt. It skipped off the side, scorching the paint and once more igniting secondary patches of fire before plunging into the ocean. Helleanna was busy beating back another fire already festering. The added rush of flame surged the heat into her face. She was forced back against a nearby cluster of barrels. Fire drenched debris collapsed above her, pinning her in place.
This time, Ajax wasn’t forced to remain above. Whether the Tidesmasher returned or not, he wasn’t leaving Helleanna to die. He leapt down to the wheel-deck in one leap, absorbing the impact with his powerful legs. Taking three pounding strides, he vaulted over the next railing and down to the main deck beyond.
He converged on the fire at nearly the time as Jyliansa. He never broke stride. Hitting the smoldering wooden beam pinning Helleanna with his shoulder, he shoved it hard to one side. Searing agony smoked along his skin, but he growled away the pain. Behind him, Jyliansa grasped on to Helleanna’s wrists and dragged her free of the danger area.
Then, they were in a fight for their lives. Bucket after bucket they dropped into the sea then sloshed over the magic-infused fire. It was like fighting pure lantern oil set ablaze – thick and stubborn, unwilling to give up its heat. Ajax found a stash of heavy wool blankets and used them to beat back any sparks that fell before they could start new fires while the ladies dashed gallon after gallon of water over the heat.
Finally, there was more smoke than heat. The stubborn fires receded, and were at last smothered of all life.
Chapter 9
Unable to rest, they took stock of their enemies and the shore.
Tidesmasher had fallen away, and seemed to be adrift. Their sails had fallen. They were now several miles astern, too distant to make out what the remaining crew was doing. Whether they survived or not, their chase of Wavesword was undoubtedly over.
The dockyard in Dunsmuir was a couple miles further away. Details were impossible to see, but hundreds of torches and lanterns had lit up all along the wharves. Ajax could imagine the beehive of activity as they tried to understand what happened, then recall enough sailors to put another ship or two to sea to continue the pursuit.
