Marl was at Elias's side as he regained his senses. His skin was scorched and charred, the blue skin burned deeper, almost black. He shook Elias, forcing eye contact.
“Elias. Elias, get it together! Get up!” He hauled on Elias, trying to lift the giant to his feet. Elias clambered to his feet, steadying himself with a hand on the mast. He rolled his shoulders, his bruised chest and neck protesting the motion. His sword lay on the ground between him and the fallen knight, and he cautiously retrieved it while keeping an eye on Tessermyre.
Marl leaned heavily on Elias, and approached the knight with caution. The magic the seer was using took an enormous toll on his body, and though he was strong, he was fading fast. Elias stood over the knight to deliver the final blow.
Tessermyre rolled suddenly, blasting dark energy out of both hands, into both Elias and Marl, sending them staggering back. Elias's armor protected him, absorbing most of the shock, split between him and Marl as it was. He swung hard, whipping his sword upwards, and grazed Tessermyre's face with the point, tearing a gash across one of his eyes. The energy slacked off, and Tessermyre clapped a hand over his eye, cursing in a language Elias had never heard before.
The ship shuddered as a great weight struck it. It was Sargoth, landing on the deck just behind Elias. He lunged in to snap at the dark knight, but struck only shadow and flame. The dragon cast about, looking for his quarry, and spotted him atop the eastern cliff face, looking down at them. Before he could take off to pursue him, Tessermyre vanished again, a burst of black fire spreading in a radius from where he had been standing, annihilating a small building that had been next to him.
Elias ran to Marl. He had landed on a pile of rigging ropes next to the steep stairs that had led to the top of the aftcastle. Geoff was crouched next to him, attending to him in earnest. A large, ragged hole in his side oozed dark blood where he had been hit by Tessermyre's dark assault, and a bloody belaying pin lay next to him. Elias could see Marl's innards through the wound, peeking out through the hole.
Marl's breath came short and shallow, blood tingeing his lips. His eyes were closed, but his reactions to Geoff's ministrations showed that he was still very much conscious. Elias knelt down next to him across from Geoff.
“What can I do? How can I help?”
Geoff shook his head. “You can't. All I can do is try to stop the bleeding, but he glanced off of the rigging rail, and that pin punctured his lung.”
Marl chuckled slightly, bloody spittle flecking his lips and chin. “It's fine, master Geoff. Don't waste those supplies on me. Even if you could heal these wounds, I would not live to see the morning.” He looked up at Elias, his shockingly white eyes shot through with red. “The gods demand their price, and they will not be shorted their dues.”
Elias cradled the shaman's head in his large hand. “Marl, I'm sorry. I tried to kill him, but he got away.”
Marl shook his head weakly. “We knew he would. This way, at least, I can go to my girls. They wait for me in paradise, under the branches of the great tree of bounty.” He closed his eyes again. “I just pray that they can forgive me for what I have done.” His eyes opened again, dimmer than they were before. The red flecks were spreading, covering his irises. “You know what you must do now. Pursue him. Find the scourge that killed our women, and make him feel the pain they felt.”
Marl took Geoff's hands in his, stopping the young medic from ministering to his wounds. “No, Geoff. Let me go.”
Geoff looked up at Elias, and he nodded, letting Marl's head rest back against the ropes of the rigging. After a few more ragged breaths, Marl's chest stopped moving, and his wounds stopped bleeding as quickly. Geoff shook his head, cursing quietly as Elias set his hand over the shaman's eyes. Marl's line had been completely wiped out.
~ ~ ~
The city inside of the island was in complete ruins. All of it burned; Sargoth had seen to that. There had been stores of blasting powder near the docks inside the Fortress, and as the store rooms burned, they went off one at a time, bringing sections of the thin cliffs down into the water.
Some of the ships that remained at the eastern side of the island reported that they had seen a black ship with an enormous skeletal figurehead rise out of the water, tattered and beaten, but floating nonetheless, and flee to the east, faster than any of them could sail. Elias guessed this to be the Risen Dead; it was no doubt brought back to the surface by the dark magic that Tessermyre has used to escape.
The pirate vessels had been completely routed, either burned and gutted or ripped to shreds by the dragon and cannon fire. Elias's fleet had suffered significant losses, but emerged victorious with the help of the dragon and Marl's magic. They sailed around the island, battering the remaining cliffs with cannon fire while Sargoth breathed his dragon fire against the bases. By their third pass, the walls had begun to slump and drop into the ocean. By the fifth pass, only jagged remnants stuck up above the water, no more than twenty feet at the highest.
The sun was just beginning to set as Elias and his remaining eight ships set sail for the Cursed Island. Jenna and Jonas had remained on the cannon line during the fighting but now oversaw the makeshift repairs to the Leviathan. Other ships fared better or worse, but of those still afloat, none were in immediate danger of sinking.
Tao and Martin took charge of directing the remaining ships and overseeing their repairs. Tao, who already didn't speak much, hadn't said a word since he was told of Marl's death. His connection with his warriors seemed almost telepathic, with them approaching him, asking him questions, and interpreting his nods and pointing as directives.
The night on the beach was a cold one. The villages had all been burned to the ground, so there was no shelter on the north end of the island. They worked in shifts through the night to repair the vessels to the point where they could sail to Rapa Matomato, using what wreckage they could find to fix the damage. Throughout the night, debris from the battle washed up on the shore, providing plenty of wood, and each ship carried some material for repairs anyways, pitch and planks to repair their hulls.
The Leviathan had a wealth of such materials, as well as a few specialty parts. Her rudder had been damaged, as well as her helm, but there were the necessary materials to repair them in her hold. By the time they were done, they had emptied the third deck entirely, which made plenty of room for Sargoth to lay down in. He was slender enough to tuck in his wings and climb through the cargo bays; it would be a functional, if not terribly comfortable room for his usage on the voyage back to the mainland.
By noon the following day, they were ready to sail again. Bodies had started washing up on the shore along with the wreckage; they had to depart before the decay set in, and disease started to spread. Each ship was captained by the most experienced sailors the sea elves had to offer, except for the Leviathan. Jonas took her helm, with Elias, Jenna, Martin, and Geoff on board. Elias maintained command, but Jonas wanted to be the one to pilot the ship.
Elias sat at the head of the large table in his quarters, Jenna to his right, Geoff and Martin to his left.
They sat in silence while they sailed, the sounds of the mariners on deck barely audible through the open windows at the aft of the ship.
Jenna leaned back in her chair. “So you've defeated the pirates.”
Elias shook his head. “I didn't defeat them. I didn't defeat anyone. Not a single person. The warriors of the islands defeated them. You defeated them. We defeated them. I did not do this alone.”
Geoff rested his elbows against the table. “When they write songs about this battle, Elias, whose names will be in them? Who will the stories be about for generations to come? You're so damn hung up on the semantics.”
Elias shook his head. “I know that they will be about me, but I'm not the one who did it. I was just the figurehead. And if it was all my doing, then I am also the reason why thousands of elves died. I am the reason that Coral and Marl and Jayd are dead. I'm the reason Delain died.“
Martin swa
llowed the bite of bread he was chewing. “Bullshit.”
Elias quirked a brow. “Excuse me?”
Martin shook his head, and took a swig from a flagon of ale. That man always seemed to be eating or drinking something. “Bullshit. You didn't hold a knife to our throats. You didn't order us to do anything. You didn't force any of us to sail or fight with you. You showed us all what the right thing to do was, and because you showed us, we did it.”
Jenna nodded. “If you hadn't forced everyone to stop sitting on their asses, then yeah, many would have lived. Many would not have died.” She kicked her boots up on the table. “Many of those who would have lived would have been pirates. Many who died would have done so under the lash, instead of with a bow or a spear in their hands.”
Elias nodded. “This is very true. I couldn't just sit idly by and let that happen.”
Geoff drank from his own cup of wine. “Well, four centuries of elves did just that. That in and of itself means that you're a cut above. You did what tens of thousands of warriors and a dozen chieftains before you couldn't do... you united the islands and drove off the pirates for good.”
They were silent again for a while before Jenna spoke up again.
“So what now?”
Elias lifted his mug of wine to his mouth and drained it. “Now, we sail to Port Greenreef, and finish the repairs to this ship, and the rest. I'll be taking the Leviathan back to Jetty, along with anyone who wants to come with me. Once there, I'm going to hunt down Darius Tessermyre and put his head on a pike.”
Martin nodded appreciatively. “Seems fair.”
Geoff nodded as well. “Aye, that's about right.”
Jenna sighed. “You realize that he's probably joining up with his Felle army buddies, and will very much so not be alone, right?”
Elias shrugged. “We just fought one army on boats. I can't imagine it would be any harder to fight another on land. Plus, we wouldn't be alone either.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
Elias shook his head. “No, we wouldn't. There's more than a few warriors on these islands that have no reason to stay, especially with their villages burnt. Some may wish to stay and rebuild, and I wish them nothing but the best. But there are some who want to leave and never come back. I'll offer them passage with me, a place in my camp, and Felle soldiers to rest their spears in.”
He set his mug down gently on the table. “The Lonwick army should still be fighting the Felle, if they're still battling, and the men of the North know me. They seldom turn down a good fight, especially if there are spoils in it for them.”
Jenna furrowed her brow. “What spoils?”
Elias gestured towards a chest near his bed. “That chest and four or five others are filled with gold. Just like you, I've gotten my share of the take from the pirates, as well as the bounties. I've had little reason to spend it, so it just kept piling up.” He shrugged, pouring more wine from a carafe. “To be honest, it's been an irritation to keep storing it and moving it. I'll give it all to them if they fight for me, as well as anything they capture from the Felle. Steel, horses, whatever.”
Martin drained his mug of ale. “And just like that, they'll fight, like mercenaries?”
Elias shook his head. “No. Not just like that. I'll have to convince an old friend, but I think he'll come around to it.”
He stood, pouring a large flagon of ale. “I'm going to see how Jonas is holding up.” He picked up the flagon and his own cup, and walked out of his quarters, headed for the helm. Jenna rose to go with him, but he held up his hand. “I want to talk to him alone.”
She paused, then slowly sat back down as he closed the door. The stairs leading to the top of the aftcastle were steep, but traversable even with both hands full. The helm was situated just to the left of the center of the ship, so as to keep the way forward visible to the helmsman. Jonas stood at the wheel, stoic and silent. One hand rested on the wheel, the other on his hip. His black hair, streaked with more gray than it had been upon their meeting, blew slightly in the sea wind as they sailed, the setting sun at their back.
Elias approached and handed Jonas his flagon of ale without a word. Jonas nodded appreciatively and took a long, slow drink. Smacking his lips appreciatively, he nodded his appreciation. “That was a good brew, it was.”
Elias sipped from his cup of wine. “How goes the voyage?”
“We're making excellent progress. The wind is strong and at our backs, the sea is calm. It's almost like those gods you spoke with are speeding our voyage.”
“Well, that wouldn't surprise me.”
Jonas nodded again. “Nor I.”
They stood in silence for a moment, Elias looking out over the ships in his small fleet. They had lost a large number of ships in the last month, more than half, and all hands with them. What was left was a very small remnant of what had once been a powerful force. The population of the islands had been severely depleted.
“Once the Leviathan is repaired fully, I'm sailing for Lonwick.”
“I know.”
“I'm going to hunt Darius Tessermyre down and kill him.”
“I know.”
Elias turned his head to look over at Jonas. “I'd be honored if you would come with me.”
Jonas grimaced, and drained his flagon. “What the hell do you mean by that? Of course I'm coming with you. You think you could get rid of me that easily?”
Elias shook his head, smiling slightly. “I'd never dream of it, my friend.”
Jonas held out his flagon towards Elias. “You'd better not, and if you do, you'd better wake up and apologize. You're stuck with me for a bit.”
Elias chuckled and took the vessel from Jonas. “More ale?”
“Nah, lad. I remember one smart-mouthed little whelp of an elf that once told me I drink too much.”
Elias looked down into his cup. “Whatever happened to that elf?”
Jonas was quiet for a moment. “I hear he died, not long ago, on a beach, near a woman he loved.” He set his cup down on the base of the helm. “You're not the same lad that I met on the road to Fairhaven.”
Elias leaned against the railing, and watched as they passed by Ahi Maunga. “So,” he said, changing the subject. “You and Jenna. How long?”
Jonas rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. “I honestly don't know. Women have a different way of measuring these sorts of things than men do.” He dropped his hand back to the wheel. “I figured it to be a two or three months. That was when she bruised my jaw for looking at a sea elf lass.”
Elias laughed. “Then I'd figure it to be at least six.”
“Aye, seems about right.” He sighed. “I'm a bit long in the tooth to be starting a family. Never figured I'd live long enough to do it.”
Elias looked down into his mug. “I'm going to be honest, Jonas, none of us have that guarantee. Where I'm going, I expect to see a lot more death.”
Without looking, Jonas reached out and patted Elias on the shoulder. “Don't worry. I'll be there to pull your bacon out of the fire before it burns.”
Elias set his hand on the man's shoulder. “I know you will.” He reached out and took the wheel. “Go ahead, go inside and get something to eat. I'll steer for a while. Get some rest.”
Jonas took his flagon from Elias and headed down the stairs from the aftcastle. The giant elf stood at the helm, steering the giant ship across a giant ocean. In the far distance, dark clouds gathered at the horizon. With the wind at their backs, the storm would most likely be pushed away as they sailed towards it. It wasn't enormous, but if they did happen to sail too close to it, they would have to anchor near one of the islands.
Lightning flashed from the clouds to the water, barely visible. Elias counted off the seconds as he waited to hear the thunderclap. Almost half a minute later, the faint rumbling could be heard. Yes, there was definitely a storm brewing, in more ways than one.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
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Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rising Thunder (Dynasty of Storms Book 1) Page 32