“The mid-day meal is long past, but I can get you something hot to warm your belly,” Jeffen Cormeen, the cook, offered while standing in the kitchen area.
The tall man was not just clean-shaven; he had no hair on his head, and a slight darkening on his scalp proved this to be a matter of choice. In his role as cook he wore a white apron, but would fling it aside, grab a helmet, and run below to the forward port arrow-slit if Captain Vermalien ordered a Ruby Alert.
“Perhaps later, Jeffen, I need to see to our driver if we want to reach the sea without him collapsing,” she replied, and went over to the narrow circular stairs to the far right. At this point she could go down the gangway to the lower decks or up to the bridge.
She climbed up the spiral steps and passed through the map-room, which had a sheet of what appeared to be glass, but was harder than steal, separating it from the bridge so as not to block the view to stern. Captain Vermalien stood looking out the large forward window, which was angled back forty-five degrees to deflect the wind, or so she had been told. His black beard possessed enough gray to give the impression the man was experienced and well-seasoned. She and the captain were the only ones on the boat over the age of thirty, but he was the only one who looked it, thanks to the restorative spells of the Maestro. Everyone aboard thought her to be about twenty and she felt no need to disabuse them.
Lieutenant Lloyd Loben’s beard was yellow and he seemed to be watching the Barracuda rather than what was ahead. She knew his peripheral vision to be excellent and understood his looking away did not mean he was unaware of what was ahead. Beardless Ensign Sloak stood to the left near the cushioned bench that started near the entrance, followed the perimeter of the room, and ended back on the other side of where it began. Four large windows provided an unobstructed view in every direction. Each man had a sword belt, daggerlance, nightstick, and miniature crossbow. The personal weapons were in addition to those mounted on the vessel.
A gold stand to the right of the wheel had three huge gemstones set within and two of them were the amulet part of the CAPUs. The emerald provided forward speed, the amber reverse, and the sapphire contained the spell, Spout a Leak, to empty the bilge water. Jennsen Laffen sat in a chair in front of the gemstand with his hand resting on the emerald. His shoulders were slumped and she could tell even from the back he needed replenishing.
Standing to his left, gripping the broad white wheel, Helmsman Len Kross kept the boat on a steady course. Behind him was a stool, should he choose to sit, and to his left stood a binnacle, a gold stand housing the large compass, which had been added to the Wager-class boats at the suggestion of Saul Tarpon. Two additional stools were formed from the deck beside the binnacle, one for the Lieutenant and the other for the Captain. Since Vermalien was on his feet, no one but the boat-driver would sit.
Ensign Sloak was the first to notice her and announced, “Accomplished on the bridge.”
Everyone except Len Kross turned to acknowledge her, even a familiar looking hawk. It clutched on a perch at the table, before the cushion, in front of the forward window and had come into view when the officers moved. Captain Vermalien’s right eye twitched, which seemed to happen every time she initially came in sight of him. Not everyone was at ease when in the presence of an Aakacarn, he appeared to be one of those, and yet he gave no further sign of discomfort. The man possessed nerves of steel. He glanced at Jennsen and then fixed his gaze on her. “Accomplished Kafiss, are you here to replenish our boat-driver?”
“It is as you say, Captain,” she replied formally, which was the usual way she spoke to him.
Vermalien responded immediately. “Ensign, you will relieve Boat-driver Laffen.”
Luis sprang forward. “It will be as you say, Captain,” he replied while hurrying to the gemstand.
Jennsen stood up while keeping his hand on the gem. Luis brought his hand down and for a few moments both of them were touching the emerald. One man slipped away, the other sat down in his place, and then Jennsen came over to sit on the bench. Lela sat down beside him. The change had taken place smoothly and without slowing the vessel.
“Take off your helmet and turn your shield amulet around,” she directed while summing the potential for, What Is This, and willing her personal shield away from her hands.
When he complied, she touched his forehead, focused on his reservoir, and then sent Vitality into the vat. Her burnished-brass hue began filling the non-Aakacarn’s container, which had been dangerously low. He might well have passed out if she had delayed much longer. The bridge crew was no longer paying her any attention so she concentrated on the boat-driver and spoke in a low voice. “Why is there a hawk staring out the window?”
Jennsen glanced at the bird. “This is Glimmer, she and Sheen belong to Sir Daniel, and I am betting her mate is watching his parents,” he answered and his sudden smile indicated the hawk being here pleased him. “The presence of our feathered friend shows the high degree of importance he is placing on our mission. So much so, he clearly wants to see what happens without waiting for a report.”
Lela nodded her head. The prospect of being sent on a mission of importance had been one of the chief reasons she had chosen the Defense Department. This assignment made up for the one thing that almost caused her not to join. Conductor Lassiter strongly encouraged members to link their minds to those of animals, but she had been a passenger living in a beastly body for the last sixteen years and consequently not in a hurry to join her mind to that of an animal.
When the liquid in his vat reached the top, she ceased all spells, leaned away from him, and declared, “You are fit for duty.”
Jennsen stood up and gave a respectful bow of the head. “Thank you, Accomplished.”
He exchanged places with Ensign Sloak and Lela stared ahead through the forward window and noticed dour-faced Lucas Rostur relieving Joreb Cession at the bow-gun. The gunner walked effortlessly to the hatch and soon made his way up the spiral stairs. No one announced his presence on the bridge so she motioned for him to sit beside her.
His pale green eyes seemed to be studying her face as he sat down. “We should be entering the Taltin soon. Accomplished, I ask to be replenished.”
“Take off your helmet and turn your shield amulet around so the gem is no longer in contact with your skin,” she instructed and then summoned the potential for the necessary spells. When he complied, she placed her right hand against his forehead and began transferring energy.
His eyes widened at the sudden warmth filtering into his body and his eyes locked onto hers. Unlike Jennsen this was the first time the bow-gunner experienced the sensation. “We were all caught by surprise when Sir Daniel gave the order for an Accomplished to be assigned to each boat.”
“No more than I when Marsha Obennen sent me to the Equalizer,” she replied, and did not add that it had only been days since she graduated from being a Talented to being an Accomplished and joined the Defense Department.
“You are doing well for someone new to being on the water. All of us were sailors before joining Sir Daniel’s muster and all we had to get used to is working on this incredible boat,” Joreb gave a nice complement, even though he must have seen her struggling to the hatch earlier. Clearly he was trying to be kind to someone he met only a few marks ago.
“My training in the guild was thorough. I understand the responsibilities of my position, all the relevant spells, and therefore am capable of carrying out my duty. What was left out of my training is the experience of walking on a vessel in motion,” Lela replied without mentioning the many other things in which she had no experience. Half of her of life had been spent as one of the Aakademneds. She now had to make up for the lack.
She sensed his vat to be full and ceased the spells. “You are fit for duty.”
Joreb put on his helmet and stood up smiling. “The ballast on this boat helps to stabilize the motion and makes it the perfect vessel for you to be aboard and gain experience on the water,” he told her even tho
ugh the intensity in his eyes suggested he might have other reasons why this was the perfect vessel for her to be aboard. He cleared his throat and his attention flicked from her to the bow. “The opening to the sea is about to come into view and I need to get back to my station; otherwise Lucas will have all the fun if we are called upon to open fire. Thank you, Accomplished, for the replenishing.”
Lela refrained from rolling her eyes at hearing the young man’s eagerness for battle. He exited the bridge and a short while later stepped out of the forecastle and took up his position at the tripod. The view from the bench was adequate so she remained seated as the Equalizer and the Barracuda cruised into the birthplace of the Mighty Hirus. The river spread nearly half a span wide at this point and she found it remarkable no human habitations were in the area, only snow-covered trees. The high speed of the current did not allow ice to form on the water and could also be why no one saw fit to dwell in the area.
“Reduce speed to half,” Captain Vermalien ordered, and the boat began to slow.
They entered the inland Taltin Sea, which was shared by Ducaun, Battencay, Fon Kay, and Pentrosa. The ovoid-shaped sea stretched about nine hundred spans wide and slightly over three hundred spans from its southern most point in Battencay and its northern most point in Fon Kay. The vast majority of the freshwater sea coast belonged to those two kingdoms with Ducaun and Pentrosa controlling the eastern side, up until recently, to about a hundred spans out.
“There should be fishing boats all around us and freighters from the three major ports,” Lieutenant Loben pointed out.
The Captain frowned. “Clearly the villagers along the coast fear to put out at all. I wonder how many fishing boats must have been sunk to cause this reaction.” He had been the skipper on a fishing boat before joining the Benhannon Navy.
“One is too many,” the Lieutenant replied.
Glimmer let out a screech, evidently the Maestro agreed.
They could go north about thirty spans and reach Port Valeen, southwest about twenty spans to Free Port, or farther southwest about a hundred spans and reach Keffer Greens, Lela had no idea where the captain would choose to go. She did know those ports were being protected by the Ducaunan Royal Navy and the rest of the coast was vulnerable to attack.
She noticed sails on the northern horizon slowly heading southwest and recognized the vessel, a frigate from the Royal Navy. “That is the ship assigned to protect the river entrance. Unfortunately the merchants have lost confidence in the crown’s ability to protect shipping and as you can see, all activity has stopped at this end of the Hirus,” Luis informed her. He once served on a freighter.
Lloyd turned from watching the Barracuda. “Captain Wigmon has signaled his suggestion to continue on our current heading.” So that is what he had been watching for.
“Signal, steady as she goes,” the Captain commanded.
The Lieutenant picked up the new device created by the Department of Design and Development. He began tapping the sapphire on the back of the copper box and light flashed out the other end in matching sequence. A reciprocal light flashed from the Barracuda. The Crescendo Powered Amulet within the box contained the spell, Ball of Light, and was only one of the new and creative ways the CPAs were being used. It impressed her to see the non-Aakacarns adapting to these new Aakacarn tools.
The patrol boats continued onward, the coastline became a faint blur, and a forest of tall masts soon dominated the horizon. Huge ships, hundreds of strides in length, floated on the waves. Lela recognized Fon Kayan Dreadnaughts with scores of ballista racks set and ready to launch on command, Battencayan destroyers, Pentrosan cruisers and frigates, and Demfilian freighters converted for battle with large individual ballista bolts mounted on their decks, and all of them were being serviced by countless smaller vessels. She recognized some of the ships farther back as being troop carriers.
“It must take a lot of provisioning to keep all those ships floating out here for so long,” she commented.
The Captain nodded his head. “The logistics involved are massive. I admired it more when they were a hundred spans out,” he replied. His eyes continually scanned the enemy ships as the Equalizer proceeded onward. “The Demfilian vessels are a new addition to the flotilla. Ducaun’s lack of a response has emboldened our enemies and I doubt not they will soon receive orders to attack. Driver Laffen, bring us down to wind speed.”
“It will be as you say, Captain,” Jennsen replied, and the vessel began to slow to that of an ordinary sailboat. The Barracuda slowed but moved farther to the right, putting greater distance between the two patrol boats.
“Uh, Captain,” Ensign Sloak apparently had something to share. “They will begin firing on us if we get much closer. Several of those dreadnaughts have raised sail and are turning in preparation to deliver a broadside assault and some of those frigates have their sails up and are moving, perhaps to come at us from the side.”
Lela turned from trying to count all the warships, there must be a thousand, and observed the other ships maneuvering exactly as described by Luis.
Vermalien’s eyebrows drew closer together and his gaze grew fierce as the frigates headed in their direction. “Ensign, it is not necessary for you to tell me what is before my eyes. Lieutenant, sound Ruby Alert. It is time to show them what a Benhannon Wager-class patrol boat can do.”
“It will be as you say, Captain,” Lloyd replied, then went and touched a ruby set within the binnacle. A blast of sound like a trumpet rang forth throughout the vessel and would continue to do so for as long as he kept his hand on the gemstone.
Luis practically flew out of the bridge and down the spiral stairs. He would be joining the men who were even now scrambling on the second level to reach the horizontal arrow slits, which should be opening. Lela sprang off the bench and went forward while pondering her repertoire and which spells would be the most useful. She drew the topaz silver-capped crescendo attached to her belt just as Lloyd removed his hand from the ruby. The trumpet blasts ceased.
Eight frigates were headed for the Barracuda and seven for the Equalizer along with a destroyer named, Cracken. Vermalien went over to the binnacle and touched the topaz stone. “When the first bolt flies from any one of those decks, all gunners are to launch at will with full destructive power,” the recently composed spell of the Maestro in the gem sent his voice into a tiny amulet in the helmet of each man.
The frigates were twice the size of the Equalizer and the destroyer, with towering masts and huge sails catching the wind, was half again the size of the frigates. The Cracken turned to port and came to a stop in the path of the patrol boat while the frigates separated into two groups, three ships to pass on the right and four on the left. Soon enough the Equalizer came in firing range of the destroyer and between the frigates.
Flaming bolts launched out of three racks of ten from the Cracken and flew up into the air. Joreb launched a stream of flaming stones into the mainsail of the destroyer. Fire spread to the riggings, onto the masts, and burning canvas dropped to the deck. He sent another stream at the bridge and half the crew became more concerned about putting out the fires than launching bolts. Rack loads continued to be launched in the direction of the Equalizer from every available firing crew. Scores of flaming projectiles were climbing into the sky and would soon rain down on the on the patrol boat.
While Joreb attacked the destroyer, destruction flew from the Equalizer’s port and starboard arrow slits. As the flaming bolts flew from the enemy ships toward the patrol boat, pebbles of flames shot out from the arrow slits, igniting the sails of the frigates, and lances of light shot through planking like pins through paper. Most of those shots were below the waterline and soon wood began to splinter, granting the sea access into the hulls. None of the non-Aakacarns could see what was ripping the bottom of their ships apart but they could see the results. Men lowered the life boats as each vessel began sinking beneath the waves. The men of the Equalizer ceased fire.
What is the Capta
in waiting for? Lela wondered as all of the bolts launched from the destroyed vessels were about to slam into the patrol boat. Was I supposed to try and stop them?
“Take us around that destroyer at half speed,” Vermalien ordered.
The Equalizer shot forward and to the left just as the flaming bolts from the other ships splashed into the sea where the patrol boat had been. Lela noticed the Barracuda heading off to the right and away from the burning frigates that had come after it. No one shot at the lifeboats and she was glad to see some of them were from the Cracken, which sat dead in the water and completely aflame. Sixteen enemy ships were destroyed in fractions of a mark. She wanted to see the enemy defeated, yet that did not mean they all had to die. Apparently she had done the right thing by waiting on the Captain.
The boat cruised around the chard boards that were once part of the Cracken and now every warship in the flotilla had their sails up and was moving forward. Vermalien smiled and began rubbing his hands. “Helmsman hard to the west and then hold the course steady,” he ordered and then touched the topaz stone in the binnacle. “Bow and stern gunners are to fire at will, arrow slit gunners; send a constant stream of destruction hitting the front line ships as we go by.”
The Equalizer quickly turned and streams of flaming pebbles and stones, lances and harpoons of light, flew across half a span of sea to reach the warships whose weapons did them no good from that distance. On a Benhannon Wager-class patrol boat, whatever a gunner can see he can hit, and this was evidently the Captain’s way of clueing in the recipients.
The harpoons of light, launched by the bow and stern gunners, were twice as long and wide as the lances of light being launched from the arrow slits. A harpoon struck the mainmast of a Dreadnaught, punching through several masts, while at the same time a stream of flaming stones hit the sails, and all of them came crashing down. Joreb was firing both simultaneously. Streams of flaming pebbles struck the ships and the smaller lances of light were punching holes through the planking of light and heavy cruisers, most likely passing all the way through and out the other side of those vessels. Scores of warships were on fire, including several more dreadnaughts by the time the Equalizer ran the length of the west half of the flotilla. The Barracuda had gone the other way and was in the process of reeking fiery havoc on the easterly half. This did not stop the ships behind the flaming vessels from sailing forward in mass.
To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) Page 25