Best Laid Plans (32 page)

Podesta lowered the spyglass and pointed. ‘Two of the reavers are breaking away.’ He offered Shader the spyglass but there was no need. The black sails looked like rotten teeth at this distance, but Shader could clearly see them pulling back from the group and swinging towards the
Aura Placida
.

‘Decisions, decisions, eh?’ Podesta said.

Already there were murmurings amongst the crew, many of whom had stopped their work to gawp and gesture over the side.

The Captain squinted out over the waves. ‘If we take a south-westerly course, we might just make it close enough to Sahul for the Imperial fleet to get involved.’

‘Might?’ Shader could see the two reavers growing steadily more visible as they closed the distance. ‘We still have quite a lead on them. Surely we could…’

‘Maybe. Maybe not,’ Podesta said, scratching his beard.

For a moment he looked like the king of fools in his motley attire of garish colours, the tricorn crammed low on his head like a mockery of admiralty. The impression suddenly vanished, as if swept away by a gust of wind. Podesta drew himself upright, pulled back his shoulders and hollered.

‘Let go the mainsail! Hoist the lateens! Bring us about, Mr Dekker! Prow to the enemy and make it snappy! Let’s see if we can spear us a reaver with the bowsprit, eh?’

He gave Shader a mighty slap on the back and leaned out over the rail to observe the approaching ships. Cleto stepped out from behind the mast, gave Shader a sideways glance and moved to Podesta’s side.

‘Want me to break out the rest of the cargo, Captain?’

‘Good man, Cleto. Always like it when a sailor can read my mind. Ten men lining each rail to give the mawgs something to think about, the rest up on the aftcastle. That’s where we’ll make our stand if they board us. You know the drill. And don’t forget the oil!’

‘Captain,’ Cleto said as he hurried towards the hold.

‘Oh, and Cleto, tell the men, no firing till they get my order. Understood?’

‘Understood, Captain.’

Podesta turned to Shader, a grim expression on his face. ‘Don’t fancy our chances much,’ he said. ‘Best hope we have is to do the unexpected.’

‘Attack the two coming at us and then flee?’ Shader said, peering towards the main body of black vessels starting to surround the Templum fleet.

‘No, no, no,’ Podesta said. ‘See, even you expected that, and a mawg’s a much craftier creature than a knight or a priest, or whatever you are today. Straight down the centre.’ Podesta pointed to the channel between the approaching reavers. ‘Right into the heart of the swarm.’

‘You’re attacking the entire fleet?’ Shader said. ‘That’s suicide.’

Podesta shrugged and stared down at the waves. ‘Sometimes we don’t have all the choices we’d like,’ he said. ‘But if I’m going down to mawgs, it’s not going to be because they ran faster than me. And besides, I thought a holy avenger like you might appreciate the opportunity to save your friends.’

Shader didn’t think that was very likely.

So this is where it was going to end. He’d never considered death at sea. Not quite the slow fading from life he’d envisioned at Pardes. But this is what he was trained for, as were the fighting men he’d seen on the Templum flagship. They were Elect knights, sworn to serve the Ipsissimus; sworn to die for him and to see it as an honour. Shader gripped the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes against the squall. This is where Ain had led him. So be it.

Cleto’s barking voice ripped him from his thoughts and announced the commencement of the path they had chosen. Sailors who’d only minutes ago been coarse and carefree fanned out along the starboard rail with the same long-barrelled weapons Cleto had taken to the jungle. The rest were massing on the aftcastle, many of them also brandishing the Aeterna-tech weapons, others with cutlasses and crossbows. Cleto strode the length of the deck, shouting commands in exactly the same tone as the Elect drill-sergeants had used. It was a marvel to watch: a line of scruffy seamen loading lead balls, tamping them down, and then raising the barrels to sight the enemy. Once he was satisfied, Cleto ordered them to lower their weapons and wait. He then ran to the aftcastle and went through the same routine.

Podesta was beside Dekker at the helm, gesticulating with sharp cutting motions of his hands and repeatedly uttering ‘uh?’ and ‘eh?’

to make sure he’d been understood. Dekker looked pale, rigid hands clutching the wheel as if it were holding him in existence.

A tortured howl came from the galley. Podesta’s jaw dropped, and he turned to Shader, eyes wide and frightened, bottom lip trembling.

Sabas emerged from the galley with a hefty cleaver in each hand. He’d removed his apron and wore only breeches and a vest. He’d always looked a big man, but at that moment Shader saw him as a giant, all bulging muscle, whereas in his usual attire he’d appeared stocky and not a little fat. He acknowledged Shader with a nod. The humour had left his eyes. They’d grown feral, and his lips were drawn back in a snarl. He came to stand before Podesta and lowered his gaze.

‘The boy?’ Podesta asked, his voice quavering.

Sabas shook his head. Podesta’s hand went to his mouth, tears streaking his cheeks.

‘Maybe it’s good he don’t have to go through this again,’ Sabas said in a low rumble.

Podesta nodded and wiped the snot from his nose. He sucked in a deep breath and drew his shoulders back. He flicked a look at Shader, but there was no sparkle in his eyes.

Sabas made his way up onto the aftcastle, the other sailors parting for him out of either fear or respect. Shader guessed they’d seen this side of Sabas before and knew what was coming.

Elpidio was leaning over the edge of the crow’s nest to get a better look at the enemy. If the boy was scared, he was disguising it well. He noticed Shader watching him and waved.

‘You might want to join the others up top,’ Podesta said, clapping a hand on Shader’s shoulder. ‘They’ll swarm the decks in no time. At least from the aftcastle we’ll have a defensive advantage, eh?’

Shader indicated the men lining the rails. ‘What about them?’

‘One volley and then they fall back. Dekker’s the only one staying put. We need him to get us through and into the thick of it.’

Dekker was visibly shaking as he clung to the wheel, his muscles taut as a dead man’s, eyes fixed straight ahead, lips moving with silent words.

‘I’ll stay with him,’ Shader said.

‘But…’

‘If it’s that important we break through, someone needs to keep Dekker alive.’

‘Point taken.’ Podesta held out his hand and Shader took it. ‘May Ain be with you, my friend.’

‘And with your spirit,’ Shader said as the Captain turned and ran up the steps to the aftcastle.

‘Here they come lads!’ bellowed Cleto from up top. ‘Ready weapons!’

All around the deck barrels were raised in perfect unison. The two reavers were almost upon them. Shader could see mawgs packed onto the decks like rats clinging to driftwood. The channel between the ships was narrowing as the mawgs realized what Podesta was trying to do, but fast as they were, it was still too late.

‘I will stand with you,’
Osric whispered in Shader’s ear.

Shader nodded his thanks, but took little comfort. His palms were slick with sweat, and his breaths came in ragged gasps. Once battle had commenced he knew he’d be fine. It was the anticipation he couldn’t deal with.

The
Aura Placida
slipped between the reavers like she was threading the eye of a needle. The huge black barrels of thunder-weapons protruded from the sides of both galleons, but they dared not fire for fear of hitting each other. Dozens of mawgs leapt to the railings and started to fling themselves across to the
Aura Placida
.

‘Fire!’ Cleto roared.

There was a succession of thunder-cracks. Barrels smoked, and mawgs were punched back against their own hulls before plunging into the sea.

‘Fall back!’ Cleto yelled as another wave of mawgs prepared to leap from the galleon, jaws snapping, claws rending the air.

As the sailors scurried past on their way to the aftcastle, Shader drew the gladius and took up a position behind Dekker. The sailor was speaking audibly now, the same words over and over:

‘I love you Mary, I love you Mary, I love you Mary…’

The prow of the
Aura Placida
was already through the gap and the mawgs howled their frustration. The main decks of both reavers were heaving masses of fur. Yellow eyes glared their hunger at Shader as they passed, and some of the larger mawgs reared up and beat their leathery chests with razor sharp claws, gashing and gouging themselves. The spill of black blood whipped up a frenzy amongst the others.

Dozens more flung themselves across the waves. They were met with thunder and dropped like stones into the sea; all but two, whose claws found purchase in the carrack’s hull. They hung there for a few seconds and then started to drag themselves upwards. As the first reached the top, Shader ran over and hacked away its arm. The mawg screeched and fell, but the other one made the deck and pounced. Shader twisted clear of a vicious sweep with a claw and backslashed across the mawg’s throat. The thick fur saved the beast and it barrelled into him.

Parrying a bludgeoning blow as he stumbled backwards, Shader managed to put the mainmast between him and the mawg. It came around the left hand side, maw cavernously wide and filled to the gullet with thorny teeth. Shader thrust and the head pulled back behind the mast. It immediately reappeared the other side and he jabbed at it again. This time when it withdrew, he followed it. The mawg did as he’d expected and went back to the left. It roared its frustration when it found nothing but air, and then it screamed and thrashed as the point of Shader’s gladius emerged from its chest.

Shader whipped the blade free and danced out of range as the enraged mawg thrashed about with blood pumping from its torso. He watched it for a moment, gauging the pattern of its movements, and then lunged with the gladius extended. The blade skewered an eye, and Shader pushed until he felt it grate against bone and hit something pulpy beyond. The mawg dropped like a sack of potatoes.

A cheer went up from the aftcastle, and Shader saw that they had cleared the two reavers. He wiped his blade on the mawg’s fur and rejoined Dekker at the helm. Something shimmered behind the sailor causing Shader to start, but then he saw it was Osric’s insubstantial image catching the sea spray. Shader was about to say something about the wraith not helping, but then realized Osric had been fulfilling their task to keep Dekker safe.

There was a succession of muffled booms, and clouds of smoke billowed up from the main mawg fleet. Shader’s first thought was that it was a miracle, an act of Ain, but then he realized the smoke was coming from the thunder-weapons jutting from their hulls. Flames raced sky-wards along the masts of one of the lagging Templum ships. People were leaping overboard into the chopping waves as a black cloud rolled across the deck. The mainmast teetered and the hull lurched dangerously.

The reavers had the Templum ships encircled, but it was getting difficult to see what was happening in the thick banks of smoke now spilling off the sinking ship. Shader’s eyes were watering from the acrid fumes and his stomach churned as the Aura Placida plunged into the troughs and rode the waves. They were coming up fast behind the nearest of the black ships. Shader blinked and squinted in an effort to gauge the numbers on both sides. There were about thirty reavers and fewer than fifteen Templum ships. Each of the reavers was packed with at least a hundred frenzied mawgs. Even if the Templum fleet avoided the thunder-weapons, it would be overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers.

‘They’re coming about, Mr Dekker!’ Podesta shouted from the aft-castle. ‘Take us straight into the pack and keep running.’

Shader looked back and saw the first two reavers turning in wide circles. The Aura Placida was caught between a rock and a hard place. Podesta’s plan—if that’s what you could call it—reeked of desperation. It struck Shader as the death-wish of a man who’d never come to terms with what he’d witnessed at the hands of the mawgs as a child. Is that what this was, the result of the Captain’s obsession? Or was there really no other way? It was pointless worrying about it, Shader decided. The die was already cast. They were committed. All he had to worry about was keeping Dekker alive long enough to break through the reavers and scatter their formation. With any luck it would afford the Templum fleet some room for a counterattack, although what they could do against the thunder-weapons he couldn’t imagine. No matter the source of Podesta’s illegal Aeterna-tech, there was no way the Ipsissimus was going to have anything similar with his fleet. Not unless he was an utter hypocrite. Right now, Shader hoped that he was.