by Jon F. Merz
“Not smell per se,” said Jysal. “Even if we could outrun them, he would no doubt manipulate the weather to force us inland.”
“Where did he get a ship?” asked Ran. “His castle sits in the middle of a plain. I didn’t see any river leading out to the sea. Where did it even come from?”
Jysal shook her head. “Perhaps he conjured it. It’s possible.”
“Or else he has an agreement with Malkyr and the army to the north,” said Kancho. “They may have supplied him with one. It is of a different style than the transport vessels or even this raider.”
Neviah was watching the sails. “We’re not going to last out here much longer. We’ll have to make a run for it.”
“We can’t outrun him,” said Jysal. “His magic will be too strong.”
Kancho eyed Ran. “What do you think?”
Ran looked at the approaching ship. Its prow cut through the waves like a spear, and the Chekhal aboard numbered at least a dozen, perhaps many more belowdecks. Kan-Gul’s ship’s sails were blown out fully by the wind, and its path would bring it across the bow of the raider. They had the advantage of position. Ran considered reversing course, but the maneuver would take too long, and by that point Kan-Gul would be within striking distance.
A huge wave broke over the bow as the raider speared through the swell. Seawater drenched them all. Neviah frowned. “We can put in by those cliffs, but there’s no guarantee it’s going to be an easy mooring. We’ll have to jump into the sea and try to make our way to land. That’s about the only way I can see us getting out of this.”
“What if we rammed him?” asked Ran.
Neviah shrugged. “We could try it, but this ship is smaller, and any damage would likely be on our end, not Kan-Gul’s. Plus, he may have a reinforced hull that we can’t see. If that’s the case, then he’ll turn us into splinters, and we’ll be in the water anyway.”
“Those Chekhal will try to board us as soon as we make contact,” said Kancho. “They do not have any fear of the sea. And our attention will be diverted at that point, making the prospect of ramming not a good idea.”
“Agreed,” said Ran. “Jysal?”
“Yes?”
“Can you do anything to slow them down?”
Her brow furrowed, Jysal thought for a moment. “I don’t know what I can do, honestly.”
“It’s too dangerous,” said Neviah. “Jysal’s power is untapped. Making her take on such a daunting challenge right now might lead to explosive consequences none of us might recover from.”
Ran frowned. “We don’t have a lot of options.”
From behind the boat, they heard several shouts. Ran turned; their prisoners had untied the skiff and were trying to escape toward Kan-Gul.
“They’re getting away,” said Jysal.
Ran held up a hand. “Not for long.” A huge wave crashed over the skiff and dumped the sailors into the water. They floundered in the swells, and then more waves broke over them. Amid the churn of whitewater, Ran caught a glimpse of the sharks. A few screams punctured the air over the thunder and lightning, but the ocean quickly claimed the men for its own.
Ran turned back around. “We’ll head for the cliffs. There’s no other way.”
Neviah nodded. “As soon as we hit the rocks, everyone needs to get off of this boat as fast as possible. We’ll need to claw our way up those cliffs if we’re to make any sort of defensive stand.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Ran saw more movement behind them. When he looked, he didn’t know what to think. “Another boat.”
Neviah turned. Sure enough, she saw the ship coming out of the channel they’d left behind. With three sails, the ship was large and powerful, and it moved with a steady speed through the water, regardless of the storm’s power and current. “I’ll bet my last dagger that is Malkyr.”
Ran nodded. “So would I.”
“Two ships converging on us,” said Ran. He grinned. “So much for a fair fight.”
Kancho shifted his sword in his belt. “We’ll take as many of them with us as we can.”
“You can bet that Malkyr has a lot of men on that boat. Add that to the number of Chekhal that Kan-Gul will have at his beck and call, and we’ll be facing impossible odds.” Ran shook his head. “We might be better off taking our chances with the sharks.”
Neviah shrugged. “We don’t have any choice. Our best bet is to get to land and try to lose them there.”
“But for how long?” asked Ran. “We keep running and they keep pursuing us. Kan-Gul won’t let Jysal go free, and he won’t stop until we’re all dead. Sooner or later, he’ll manage to get us into a situation where he will win and we will lose. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my immortal soul eaten by the stuff of nightmares. That’s not my destiny.”
“Nor mine,” said Kancho. “But I fail to see what other choice we have. As Neviah has said, there is little she can do when the storm is raging like that and Kan-Gul employs magic. If we try to run, he’ll simply sink us.”
Ran frowned. There had to be a way to even the odds. He looked back to see Malkyr’s ship closing fast. Ran estimated it would be upon them within ten minutes. Meanwhile, Kan-Gul’s ship nosed ever closer, still on track to cut across their bow.
“Stay on this course,” he said quietly.
“What did you say?” asked Neviah.
“Stay the course,” said Ran. He nodded to himself. It would probably not work, but it was worth a try.
“If we stay this course, we’ll ram into Kan-Gul’s ship,” said Neviah. “I thought we decided that was a foolish move.”
“We did,” said Ran. “But that was before we noticed Malkyr on our tail.” He smiled at Neviah. “How fast can this ship turn?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really know. If I can gibe the sail and work the tiller hard enough, we might be able to turn within one boat length. But I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say for certain.”
“Would you at least agree this is the most maneuverable of all three ships?”
“Without a doubt. These raiders are designed to be fast and agile. If we didn’t have this storm to contend with, we could easily outrun Kan-Gul. He knows that. That’s why he’s had to resort to using magic against us.”
Ran eyed Malkyr’s transport vessel. “I’d wager that is the least maneuverable of the lot.”
Neviah nodded. “He needs a lot of room to maneuver. Once those ships get moving, they’re hard to stop.”
“Excellent.”
Kancho cocked an eyebrow. “What are you planning?”
“We’re not going to ram Kan-Gul’s boat,” said Ran. “Malkyr is.”
“You really think you can get him to commit?”
Ran nodded over his shoulder. “He’s already committed to the path. We just have to make sure that he stays on our tail and thinks we’re trying to get away from him.”
Jysal frowned. “Kan-Gul may see that trick.”
“It doesn’t matter if he does,” said Ran. “They can’t communicate with each other, and I’d bet that Malkyr is so angered at having been bested by us that he is driving hard to get his hands on us before Kan-Gul. We’ll use that desire against him. Keep us on the same path, and at the last minute we’ll turn and scoot for open ocean. If they hit, neither one of them will be in any condition to give chase.”
Neviah smiled. “I like it. It’s risky, but it could work. We’ll all need to work together, though.”
“Just tell us what you need us to do,” said Kancho.
Neviah pointed at the mast. “You’ll need to stand by on that sail. The idea is to drop all the wind out of it, throw the tiller hard, and then get the sail into the wind again to gain separation from the two other ships. If we do it correctly, it should work. But only if we don’t have any mishaps. With the weather this severe, there is no room for error.”
Kancho and Yuki headed to the mast and started readying the knots on the sheet that held the mainsail. Neviah eyed Ran.
&nb
sp; “The idea is sound. Risky. But sound.”
“Let’s save the congratulations until after this is all over. It could still turn out to be a horrible idea.”
Neviah laughed. “I like you, Ran of Gakur. You don’t get locked into only thinking that what you suggest is the right way to do things. It takes a strong man to be able to keep his ego in check and listen to others. You’d make a fine battlefield commander.”
“Probably not,” said Ran. “My path lies elsewhere. I’d rather leave the battlefield stuff to others who are more experienced in such things than I am. People like Kancho are suited to that life.”
“Kancho is a professional soldier. He’s not a thinker.”
“He knows strategy.”
“Strategy for individual and small-unit combat,” said Neviah. “You have a better grasp of the bigger picture. Those who are able to do that are few and far between. Regardless of whether they are Murai . . . or not.”
Ran grinned. “Thank you. Now, how can I help make sure this gambit has a chance of working?”
“Stand by the tiller,” said Neviah. “I need to be up front to judge our distance better. Watch my hands. I’ll point in the direction you need to move the tiller. You’ll know how much by how far apart my hands are. Close together, small adjustment. Wide apart, big adjustment. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly.”
“Excellent. When the time comes for the full turn, I’ll raise both arms and bring them down at the moment of the turn. When I do, you move that tiller all the way over as if your life depends on it. Because it does.” She eyed Ran. “Clear?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Neviah dropped down onto the deck and headed for the bow. Ran watched her move across the ship. She might not have thought herself worthy of being a captain, but she certainly seemed capable enough to Ran.
“That leaves just the two of us,” said Jysal over the howling wind. “Not exactly the best weather to try to talk to each other in.”
“Certainly not,” said Ran. “Are you worried?”
Jysal waved him away. “Why would I be worried? There’s some creepy sorcerer who wants to make me his wife and do godawful things to me and force me to live in his terrible castle filled with the undead. What girl wouldn’t want that?”
Ran chuckled. “At least you can joke about it.”
“If I couldn’t make a joke about it, I might get caught up in the fear I feel. And that might immobilize me, quite honestly. I don’t want Kan-Gul to get his hands on me.”
“Neither do I.”
“So I’ll try to keep fighting, and we’ll see if this plan of yours works. Or not. Either way, it will at least prove frustrating for Kan-Gul. And I’m all for that.”
“Good,” said Ran. “Let’s hope his desire to have you for himself makes him as predictable as Malkyr’s ego back there.”
At the bow, Neviah studied Kan-Gul’s ship and glanced back at Ran with a nod. Ran smiled through the rain that spattered his skin. The plan could work if everything came together perfectly. Even still, it was better than simply making for the cliffs and hoping they could outrun their pursuers.
The sea kicked up more swells, and keeping the tiller from being jerked out of his hand proved more difficult than Ran would have imagined. But he gritted his teeth and kept to the course that put them on a collision track with Kan-Gul. He looked behind and saw that Malkyr’s ship had closed some distance between them. It was still a good thousand yards back, though. Kan-Gul was roughly five hundred yards off their port bow.
And closing fast.
The raider ship bucked another swell. Ran wondered how much magical energy Kan-Gul must have been exerting to make this storm happen. Surely he couldn’t keep this up indefinitely. It would prove too exhausting, even for a sorcerer of his skill. He didn’t yet have Jysal to enhance his power. Perhaps he had bound other sorcerers in the past, but Ran had been able to see through some of his illusions. And if his power was so absolute, why had Kan-Gul worked so hard to impress Ran with his power when they first arrived at his stronghold? Ran knew this, but the sheer fury of the storm caused doubt to gnaw at him.
And Kan-Gul had plenty of Chekhal. They concerned Ran greatly. If the ships drew too close together, then the Chekhal would surely leap aboard and start killing anyone they found. Ran wondered if dying by their hand meant his soul would be devoured as well.
The challenge was going to be turning tightly enough that Malkyr couldn’t turn and ended up crashing into Kan-Gul’s ship. Timed correctly, the resulting impact could potentially send both enemy ships to the bottom of the sea. Bad timing would result in Ran’s plan failing miserably.
The waves battered the raider as it rode another swell and crashed down into the trough. Another spray of salt water smacked Ran in the face, and he used his free hand to wipe it away. As dangerous a situation as this was, he still found it hard to complain. Back in Gakur, he could only dream of being out in the real world on an actual assignment for the clan. Now, here he was. He had several good friends to battle alongside and a large number of other people who wanted him dead.
He grinned in spite of it all.
A moment clearly etched in the timeless struggle between Life and Death. And he was a part of it.
Finally.
He surveyed the sea in front of him, trying to pick out his route through the next swells. The angry sea grew even more desperate to toss the smaller ship about, but Ran gave it no mind. His hand was set on the tiller, and the raider ship stayed glued to its course.
Then Ran spotted something that erased his smile.
Another variable. And it was one that he had not figured into the equation.
He just hoped it wouldn’t be enough to throw his plan into chaos.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Neviah saw the creature in the waves and yelled back to Ran. “Stay on course!”
Ran watched as the monstrous leviathan surged under the swells and launched one of its massive tentacles up through the waves closest to Kan-Gul’s ship. A Chekhal warrior near the bow was too slow to react and got swept off his feet by the limb that snatched him overboard and yanked him beneath the waves. More Chekhal warriors on the main deck of Kan-Gul’s ship brought out massive spears and started stabbing at the other tentacles that now threatened to overwhelm the ship. Kan-Gul stood calm in the midst of the chaos, directing his minions. While the tentacles came close to him, they never actually touched him.
But the Chekhal were having problems, and even as the ship kept its course to intercept the raider, more of the undead warriors fell overboard into the surf. As far as Ran could see, they weren’t all that adept at swimming. Or else, as soon as they hit the water, the monster simply devoured them or drowned them. Ran couldn’t tell which, and keeping the tiller on course meant his vision was limited to only what he could see standing on the deck.
Kancho rushed to the bow with Neviah. He had his sword drawn, but for the moment, the sea monster wasn’t interested in attacking the raider. Ran nodded. If that beast kept them distracted, the chance of making this collision happen were better than they would be otherwise.
Something whizzed past his ear, and he ducked as he heard the dull thunk over the boom of another thunder clap. Ahead of him, a massive bolt had embedded itself into the main mast. There was a rope attached to it, and Ran felt the raider shift off course as Malkyr’s men aboard the transport ship tried to gain control of the raider.
“Kancho! The rope!”
Kancho turned and immediately saw the problem. He leapt down from the bow and rushed toward the mast. Another bolt shot past Ran, and Kancho had to duck to avoid it as it fell harmlessly on the deck. It was about the size of spear and Ran wondered how much heavy artillery the transport vessel had aboard.
Kancho cut the rope, and it flew back off the ship into the surf.
Ran watched behind him as the transport continued to gain on them. If they kept their barrage up, the raider wouldn’t be able to stand too
much of it. The transport was now only a few hundred yards behind them. Whatever had shot that massive bolt had to have some serious draw power in order to get it through the wind and rain. Ran wouldn’t have wanted to be on the receiving end of such a weapon.
The Chekhal warriors on Kan-Gul’s ship were faring better against the sea monster. Ran saw the sprays of blood as they chopped through the tentacles and sent pieces of limbs falling amid the ocean swells. Ran frowned. If there hadn’t been sharks in the water before, all of this blood was certain to draw them like flies. And if Ran mistimed the direction change when Neviah ordered him to come about, they were all going to end up fending off the hungry sea predators.
Not good, he decided. But better than having your soul devoured.
Kan-Gul seemed to surround himself with a red aura, and then Ran saw him shoot an orb of energy at the sea monster. It hit and traveled down one of the limbs, sizzling even in the rain. Instantly, the tentacle shriveled and withdrew from the ship. Clearly Kan-Gul had decided to take a more active role in defending his ship. The sea monster was an unwanted distraction to his men.
Regardless, the sea monster continued its attack, and Ran made sure he kept the raider on course. Kan-Gul probably thought they were trying to outrun his ship and the transport behind them.
Neviah signaled another course adjustment with her hands and Ran adjusted the tiller until she nodded. The rain lashed all of them on the deck. Ran felt himself shiver in the cold spray. Between the sea and the rain, there was no part of him that wasn’t soaked through to his bones. He realized that he hadn’t been dry in many, many hours.
Another heavy bolt whizzed over the stern and hit the mainsail of the raider. Ran watched as it punched a hole in the top part of the fabric. The sail started to rip, but then held. Ran breathed a sigh of relief. They still needed to be able to move, and if they took out the sail, that would leave the raider dead in the water and at Malkyr’s disposal.
Unless Kan-Gul reached them first.
Kancho was surveying the damage to the sail but just shook his head and looked at Ran. “It should hold.”