Sacred Water, Book 2, The Time Before
Page 27
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Those that Heather had left behind worked hard to prepare for their battle, which began in the dark of night after the setting of the moon. Larby and Stan had "borrowed" a canoe and silently drifted down the northern edge of the river. In the silence of the night they could hear the guards talking aboard the ships and every little creak of the canoe seemed to echo in their minds. They whispered to each other using a combination of their native dialects and the dialect of those of the Forest. When they had drifted past the last of the ships of the Red, they turned and silently paddled upstream until they were about fifty yards from the last ship. While Stan steadied the canoe, Larby slipped overboard after having first removed his wooden peg. He swam like a fish upstream, making no noise for he was of the Sea. He rested but a minute against the stern of the ship before using his knife to sever the controlling ropes of the rudder. Despite the sharpness of his knife, the rope was difficult to cut and the sound seemed loud to Larby. He would stop and listen but heard only the normal shipboard sounds. He then dove beneath the water and working in the blackness tried to wedge the ropes together to further lock the rudder. It was only on the third attempt that he was successful. His lungs were aching for air and he feared those above would hear his breathing when he surfaced but no alarm was raised. He then silently floated downstream to meet up again with Stan and the canoe.
Getting back in the canoe was more difficult than getting out but they accomplished the feat without upsetting the canoe. While Larby rested, Stan repositioned the canoe and gradually made his way upstream to the next ship. They repeated this exercise six times before the overwhelming fatigue forced Larby to rest. They retreated to the north side of the river and began making their way upstream just as the first hint of daylight was showing.
Those of the Forest had spent the night soaking the hay and straw that they found with the oil of the Southern Kingdom. As the first beams of light showed over the hills to the east, their fire was started and set adrift downstream. The ship lookouts recognized the danger quickly but it took time to raise the anchors and the fire reached a dozen of the boats before they could escape. With the raising of the alarm, the boats downstream had the time to pull anchor and set sails. Sailing to the north side of the river allowed them to avoid the fire easily. Confusion reigned, however, with the most downstream boats for as they set their sails their boats responded not to the helm, and they began drifting downstream out of control. One of the boats dropped anchor but this was but a temporary solution, for the fire was drifting down upon them. Sandbars quickly captured those boats adrift.
The sounds of battle were evident as the army of the Southern Kingdom marched through the western gate and pushed against the flank of those of the Red. The cannon began firing from the palace, disrupting the defenses of those of the Red. The cannon balls created more fear and confusion than damage, but it was enough to disrupt the counterattack.