by Rosie Scott
“Kai,” Cerin protested below me.
“Shh!” I hissed, before chuckling nervously and pulling myself up another foot. My arms felt as if they were burning.
“How does that much determination come outta somethin' so little?” Maggie pondered aloud behind me.
“I'm gonna be honest,” I breathed, as I pulled myself up another foot, “I'm pretty sure I still have a little bit of a leeching high running through my veins.”
Anto laughed at that revelation. “There's your answer, Maggie.”
“Best use of excess energy I've ever seen,” Nyx called out sarcastically.
“Shut it,” I retorted, fear piercing my heart as my boot slipped off the iron-side of the ship. I held firmly onto the knot in the rope as I struggled to regain my footing. When my body stilled again, I exhaled in relief and pulled myself up again.
“I'm getting on the rope behind you,” Cerin said below me. I realized then just how much progress I'd made. With a glance upward, I noticed the edge of the deck just a few feet away from my hands.
“You both look absolutely ridiculous right now,” Nyx told us. The rope was taut within my grasp, holding the weight of both Cerin and me.
“You look absolutely ridiculous all the time,” Cerin retorted. I couldn't help but chuckle. I loved when the two bickered like this. Their constant teasing reminded me how much they liked each other. Nyx enjoyed Cerin's company far more than she'd ever liked being around Silas, so though my best friend didn't understand our monogamy, at least she got along with him well.
The deck came into view a moment later, and I grabbed onto the railing gratefully, pulling my body up onto solid footing at last. A rush of blood flowed through my arms when they were back down at my sides again, and my muscles were sore and stiff with my efforts. The battleship was gigantic, and it felt like I towered over the ocean. The deck of the allied ship below seemed tiny in comparison. The naval battle in the sea beyond was easy to see from here, and I could even see just a hint of Makani's harbor, even though we were almost a full day's travel away.
“The view from here is incredible,” I told the others.
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing,” Cerin grunted, pulling himself up the hull for another foot or two.
“You're still facing the ship,” I replied, confused.
“Yeah, but you went up the rope first.”
I finally realized what he meant and chuckled. “All right, I'm finding a blade to cut the rope.”
My lover laughed as he grabbed onto the side of the deck, pulling himself up with a grunt of effort. “Too late.”
“Kai!” I glanced down at the other ship, where Cyrus was calling up to me with both hands around his mouth. “Dispel your dead!”
My eyes traveled to the captured dwarven galleon, where the corpses were shambling across the deck to try to follow me over the ships. They must have run out of enemies to fight. I dispelled them with a wave of my hand before calling back, “Make sure they did their job!”
“We'll check the ship, you two worry about that one. And be careful!” The second Sentinel called.
Cerin and I turned to the deck together. The wood here was scorched, and the dwarven casualties strewn over the surface were in sorry states. Many of the bodies had become so hot and burnt that their skin was melted into the hardwood. I could only hope these men and women were dead by the time they started to melt. Smoke still rose from a particularly damaged section of the poop deck. One of my meteors had been so powerful it cracked the wood of the quarterdeck at the center of impact.
I retrieved ammo from corpses on the deck, including two of Nyx's throwing stars and a few of Jakan's crossbow bolts. It was a disgusting job removing the bolts since many of them were sunken into eye sockets and coaxed the organs to come with them when I slid them out. I'd been involved with war for far too long to become queasy at such things, however, and I put the ammo in my pockets for safekeeping before moving to the stairway of the ship to go to the lower decks.
Sik le life. I rose a hand toward the stairway, seeking out enemies before they could become a problem. When no red energy popped up above my palm, I moved my hand around toward the lowest decks. A small sliver of red finally appeared. It was just one, and it didn't look to be moving, so whoever it was seemed to be hiding. Cerin and I exchanged glances before we quietly walked below deck.
The inside of the dwarven battleship was impressive in its scope. It was laid out much like a building, with ceilings meant to accommodate humans as well as dwarves and amenities intended for both comfort and enjoyment. The entire deck below the gun deck was meant for both dining and entertainment. Dart boards were hung on walls, and packs of cards were scattered over wooden tables. It was in this dining area that I used the alteration spell again, seeking the lone survivor. The red energy above my palm directed me into the far hallway, where a figure sat behind a closed door that I guessed was a closet for kitchen supplies. Based on the form of the energy, whoever was hiding from us was cowering in a corner.
My fingertips tingled with the anticipation of using spells as I opened the wooden door. I doubted the person on the other side was a threat to us, but I couldn't be sure. I heard the yelp of a woman as the door swung inward. Much like I'd assumed, this was a closet full of bags of dried foods and kitchen utensils. A dwarven woman with copper hair hanging down her chest in two braids shook in the corner, holding two trembling thick hands before her face.
“Please,” she murmured hoarsely, “I'm just a cook.”
Cerin glanced at me and made no move to kill her. I looked at the nearby canvas bags that held dried food and started to pull the rope from one of them. The dwarven woman glanced up, two green eyes watching the movement.
“You're imprisoning me?” She questioned, her voice trembling.
“We are at war,” I murmured, finally succeeding in pulling the rope from the bag. “I can't let you walk out of here free to use weapons on us.”
The woman looked up at me with teary eyes. “You...you're her.”
“I am,” I replied, before motioning to Cerin to help me. The necromancer followed me into the closet, blocking the woman's escape by closing the door behind us. “If you cooperate with us, you won't be hurt. I promise you.”
The woman shook as she stood up. “Where...where do you want my hands?”
“Behind your back.”
She complied, holding both arms behind her. Cerin and I secured her with the rope, double and triple knotting it to ensure she couldn't escape.
“What's your name?” I asked her.
“Why do you care?” She asked. It was not a cruel retort, just a confused one.
“I like to know who I'm speaking with.”
“I am Brita Gold,” she replied. “You are Kai Sera?”
“Yes.”
Brita's green eyes were full of fear as she took in my response, and she glanced over at Cerin. “You are the necromancer,” she murmured.
“We are both necromancers,” Cerin replied.
“Y-yes,” Brita said, shaking.
“Tell me what you know about the reason for Narangar's attack,” I requested.
“I...I don't know,” Brita stammered.
“Now isn't the time to lie,” Cerin warned.
“I'm not! I promise,” she replied, panicking. “I'm just a cook.”
“Yes, but it takes a moon to get to Makani from Narangar,” I told her. “You did not last that long on a ship full of gossiping soldiers without hearing something.”
Two thick copper eyebrows dipped together. Perhaps she had thought feigning ignorance would work on me. “Chairel is at war with Eteri. Our navy was simply sent to attack Makani. We did so. Eteri retaliated. I know that Queen Edrys has gold put out for your head, and...” she glanced to Cerin. “And yours. She also requests the deaths of the Eteri Sentinels.”
“Did Narangar believe Makani was unguarded?” I questioned.
“No, I don't think so,” Brita replied.
<
br /> “Does Chairel have spies relaying messages back from Eteri?” Cerin asked.
“I don't know,” Brita shook her head. “I'd have to assume that Eteri would attack us on sight. They always have. I doubt spies would have much luck getting there to begin with.”
“If they were dwarven.” I glanced at Cerin, who raised his eyebrows in agreement. Looking back to Brita, I asked, “What do you know about the attack on T'ahal?”
“Only that Hammerton's support was requested. Chairel desires Nahara's takeover for their dealings with you.”
“When were they set to attack?” I inquired.
“Their armies were going to leave Comercio as soon as Hammerton's reinforcements arrived.” Brita thought for a moment before she shrugged. “I think Hammerton's army was supposed to arrive in Red Moon of last year. I'm sure they have taken T'ahal by now.”
Pain sliced through my gut. It was true. If the combined armies of our enemies left in Red Moon, they would have arrived in T'ahal some time in Dark Star, right around the time I'd had such foreboding feelings. Previous conversations about the timing of Kirek's arrival to reinforce Nahara swirled in my head, unwelcome. She was also set to arrive in Dark Star. I could only hope the timing worked out in our favor. There was nothing else I could do.
“They thought T'ahal was only defended by the Naharans?” I questioned.
Brita stared at me with confusion. “...yes. There was no one else there. Queen Edrys said it was ripe for attack.”
“Because of her spies,” I said.
Brita only stared back, understanding that she'd given that much away.
“Tell me, Brita, what do you know of the dwarven mechanisms on this ship?” I asked her.
The dwarf shrugged. “This ship runs on a steam engine in the lower deck. I don't know much more than that.”
A steam engine. I'd never heard of an engine before, but I wondered if Maggie would know how to work one. The steam that had billowed out of the battleship as it sailed came to mind, and I figured the two were connected.
“Cerin,” I said, nodding toward the woman's restraints. Cerin grabbed ahold of her, pulling her with us as we slowly made our way back up to the deck. We had only spent the better part of an hour going through the ship, but within that time period, the battle between the other warships over the ocean was calming. The few dwarven vessels left were retreating to Narangar, and for once, Altan was letting them. The Sentinel's ship had its blue flag raised on its masts, meaning follow rather than attack. Altan's ship was now sailing toward us as if to assess the situation. After all, there were two dwarven ships still floating over the ocean, and neither of them were moving.
The sea surrounding the Eteri navy was spotted with corpses and broken wood. One of the allied ships was in the midst of sailing through the battle area, rescuing the soldiers which were still alive and had fallen overboard. Another allied ship was transferring soldiers over to a captured dwarven warship, preparing to take their prize back to Makani.
Cerin and I walked back to the edge of the deck. Cyrus and the others were still waiting below, while Uriel and a group of soldiers were in the midst of clearing bodies off of the captured galleon, dumping the corpses over the railing. Brita stiffened between us as she saw the scene.
“Maggie!” I yelled down to the giant. She was in the midst of talking with Anto, but the two quieted and she looked up.
“Yes, Kai?”
“You ever sail a battleship?”
The engineer laughed joyously. “Not yet, but I'd love to try!”
“Cyrus!” I yelled next, waiting until the Sentinel gave me his full attention. “You ever take a battleship?”
Cyrus chuckled. “Not until today, Kai. I have to admit, I'm impressed!” He nodded toward Brita. “You have a prisoner.”
“This is Brita. She's a cook.” I glanced at the woman, but she wouldn't look up to give eye contact. “I have promised her that her cooperation guarantees her safety.”
“Then it shall be,” Cyrus replied.
“Everyone is dead,” Brita murmured. “What good is safety if I am alone?”
“Would you rather us walk you off the ship?” I asked her.
She glared over at me. “No, of course not.”
“Then what would you have me do?” I questioned her openly. “We are at war. I am trying to be humane.”
“I would have you treat the bodies of my people with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Brita retorted, her green eyes staring at the dwarven bodies being thrown overboard.
“We are on the sea, Brita. This is how bodies are buried at sea.”
“I don't care where we are, those soldiers should be buried in the Hall of the Dead.”
The Hall of the Dead. As far as I knew, each dwarven settlement had at least one. It'd been so long since I'd heard the term that I had almost forgotten. The dwarves were notorious for their respectful treatment of the dead, which was a large part of the reason they hated necromancy so much. It wasn't just the soldiers and heroes of battle which were buried like royalty; it was everyone. I'd never witnessed a Hall of the Dead myself, but I'd heard from Bjorn as a little girl that the one he'd been in was magnificent.
“How many Vhiri soldiers are buried in the Hall of the Dead in Narangar?” I questioned her next.
Brita visibly gritted her teeth, but she didn't reply. That told me all I needed to know.
HUUURRRNNNNN!
The war horn pulled our attention to Altan's nearing ship. The first Sentinel stood by the railing of the bow, and his arm waved widely as he took note of my bright red hair and realized it was me. I waved back, waiting until he had his ship pull up beside our captured vessel to speak.
“Son of a bitch, Kai!” Altan yelled up to me, as he jumped the gap between his ship and our line of decks to be heard. “First time I see you in nearly a year, and you've conquered a dwarven fortress, of all things!”
“It was all my doing,” I jested, nodding toward the others on the ship around him, watching as he gave both Cyrus and Uriel friendly embraces. “None of these bastards did a thing!”
“I'm sure!” Altan laughed heartily. “Gods, am I glad to see you all! I'm putting the men to work cleaning up everything, and we have a ship or two that needs to go back to Makani. By the looks of it, yours will need to go as well. I see you were hit by the scissor ballista.” The Sentinel waved a finger over to the right hull of the ship, where the bladed rope had punctured and secured our galleon.
“The what?” Uriel retorted.
Altan laughed. “That's what the soldiers have been calling them. Got these two blades at the ends of the rope that puncture the wood, and then they split and secure the hull from the inside. We had to send one ship back to Makani a few nights ago because they can rip the things back out and take out whole sections of the damn ship.” The heavily damaged ship in Makani's harbor came to mind.
“New invention, I'm guessing,” Uriel commented.
“Seems like it.” Altan looked around at all the work to still be done with clearing the ships and moving our soldiers between them. “Let's get everything cleaned up for tonight. I'm sure there are lots of updates we have to tell each other. Maybe we can plan to eat dinner together tonight on our new prize, huh?” He jerked a thumb to the battleship.
I thought about asking Altan if he planned on continuing the fight until we reached Narangar, but I remembered Brita standing beside me and decided to wait. We would talk tonight. In the meantime, I would simply be happy with our small victory.
Twenty-four
The selection of food before us could barely be considered a feast, but given the different varieties of food the dwarves stored on their ships compared to the Vhiri, it would be a special day compared to the rest. The dwarves loved their meat, and with our capture of the battleship, we had access to hundreds of pounds of stored dried meat of all different types. Many of it was meat I hadn't eaten in a good while given I hadn't seen my home country in four years. Even though it
was dried and not cooked, the flavors still filled me with nostalgia.
Altan was true to his word and joined us on the battleship for dinner. The first Sentinel was in the midst of filling glasses from a barrel of dwarven ale, a line of mugs for all of us sitting beside him on a serving table. I was glad to see him safe and relatively happy. On the one hand, I was enjoying my time with the Sentinels, and as with most people I met, I tried to befriend them. On the other hand, however, they were beholden to a queen I didn't trust, so there was the thought that one day our relationship would be severed. After all, I could foresee that the queen would turn on me at some point in the future once the goals of our alliance were completed. It was possible that the Sentinels would one day fight against me in battle.
“Gah, I have to admit, that smells delicious,” Altan rambled, as he lifted a freshly poured mug of ale to his nose. “The metalhuggers know how to brew, that's for damn sure.” The Sentinel grimaced at his wording and glanced back to Maggie. “No offense.”
“How should I take offense?” Maggie replied. The engineer sat on the floor beside the table, because no available chair would seat her. Even without a chair, her face was even with all of ours given her taller stature. “I sneak metal into bed with me every night. It likes to cuddle.”
Altan snorted a laugh, before bringing a mug of ale to the engineer. “Just for that, my dear, you get the first mug.”
We waited for the first Sentinel to finish serving our ale. Every muscle in my body was aching with the events of the day. After joining up with Altan, we'd done our part to clean up what we could. Maggie had spent some time in what she called the engine room trying to figure out how to sail the battleship. She'd made some quick explanations about how the ship ran by utilizing water itself, which made little sense to me. I was just happy she could understand it and work with it. We had planned to send the battleship back to Makani and move our crew to an allied ship that hadn't been injured in the day's battle, but Maggie suggested against it. The Vhiri were mostly ignorant to the ways of machinations, and unless Maggie were to leave the rest of us and sail the ship herself to Makani, it would be up to others which would take a while to teach. Thus, we were slowly settling into the idea of taking the massive ship itself. We would be without shields, but the huge vessel would be well-protected against the siege weapons of the dwarves given its extra armor.