Chaos Descending (8 page)

“Is everyone armed and ready?” she called down to her first officer when he reappeared on the main deck from down below.

Slice wasn’t what many would consider officer material. His nose was crooked from being broken and he had a cruel look that would make most people nervous. Roleena knew she had a wild animal in a position of power on her ship, but as long as she kept Slice and his band of ruffians well fed with a steady diet of ill-gotten goods, she could trust him. If that ever changed, she wouldn’t hesitate to cut his throat and toss his filthy body overboard.

“Aye, and hungry for blood,” he called back.

“Good, get to your ballista and await my order. Make sure you've got plenty of cable.”

Slice nodded and then hurried to the bow of the ship. The ballista was essentially a large crossbow that was mounted on a pivoting platform. The bowstring was as thick as a grown man’s first two fingers and took four men to pull back. It fired long bolts that had various tips. One was a penetration point that was honed razor sharp and used to puncture a ship’s hull. Another looked more like a grappling hook and could be used to tangle up in the rigging of a ship. Both had long cables that were made of leather, not hempen rope. The leather was more difficult to cut away, even with sea axes, giving
Crest Dancer
time to pull the other ship close enough to board.

“Everything is ready, Captain,” called a tall, stoop-shouldered sailor named Daak. He was in charge of connecting the ships with a ladder that had hooks on either end to catch on a ship's railing. Most of Roleena's crew waited just below the main deck and would come pouring up to cross over onto the merchant ship. Her sailors were tough men, well armed and eager for plunder. She had delivered it to them before, first by taking control of
Crest
Dancer
, but also by overtaking a smaller ship that had been full of goods which she was able to sell in the northern ports. She had kept the lion’s share of the profits, of course, but she had used the money wisely, buying weapons for her crew and building the ballista.

Slice had asked if she had plans, and the truth was she had many. She had no desire to be a queen locked away in a castle, or even to rule a kingdom herself. She wanted not only the freedom and adventure of the high seas, but she wanted to be the master of every vessel that ventured into her domain. And she wanted to kill the wizard Zollin, but that would come in time. First, she needed more ships, more men, and most of all, more gold.

The merchant ship was signaling to them. Roleena could see the vessel had changed tack and was sailing toward
Crest Dancer
.

“They want to know what's wrong,” said the man at the large ship's wheel.

Roleena knew the seafaring language of colored flags and the signals they conveyed, but no one on her ship knew that. She liked the idea of knowing more than her crew, and she wasn't quick to share her own secrets, so she let them go on believing she didn’t know what the signals meant. Hewy was waiting for his next order. He would take her message up to the crow’s nest and ensure it was sent with his own set of flags.

“Tell them we're taking on water and need assistance,” she ordered.

Waiting as the two ships moved closer and closer was the most difficult part of the attack.
Crest Dancer
seemed to fly over the waves most of the time, but when her prey was in sight, the vessel seemed to almost crawl. It was taxing, but if they could keep up the ruse long enough, she would spring her trap and draw the merchant ship in.

She could see movement on the merchant ship, then shortly thereafter heard the sound of orders being shouted on board the other vessel. She needed the other ship to be close enough that the ballista would not only reach them, but the two ships could be pulled together before the cable was cut in two and the merchant ship could make its escape.

When she could make out what was being shouted on the other ship, she gave the signal. Slice sprang into action, firing the ballista almost immediately. The bolt flew in a lazy arc, then dropped onto the merchant ship, ripping sails and shocking the surprised crew before getting tangled in the other ship's rigging.

“Now! Now! Now!” Roleena shouted to the men awaiting her orders.

Two dozen men heaved on the leathery cable, which was made from thick strips of leather each two inches wide and braided expertly together by a blind leather worker in Skattle Point. The stiff leather had been checked every day and oiled regularly to keep the salt from drying out the thick hide and making it brittle.

Roleena felt the ship turn as the men pulled the rope. The shouting on the merchant ship grew louder and more panic-stricken. She felt a smile pulling on the corners of her mouth, but she clamped down on any outward expression that betrayed how she felt. The ships were almost close enough for the ladder to be dropped and her men sent across. Hewy had returned from his trip to the crow’s nest.

“Remind our men that I want that ship taken, not destroyed,” she ordered him. “And that means sparing enough of her crew to man the vessel.”

“Aye, Captain,” the young sailor said before racing down into
Crest Dancer's
hold.

The merchant ship's captain was screaming orders to his men, who were frantically trying to untangle the leather cable from their rigging. Pirates on the high seas were the harbingers of death, and most sailors feared them more than storms or even sea monsters. Sailors were superstitious individuals; most had little or no education and even less training with arms. Roleena could see the panic setting in on the merchant vessel and she was certain they would pose no real threat.

“Daak!” Roleena shouted the next order and the big man hefted the boarding ladder.

“Attack!” she screamed.

The sailors from
Crest Dancer
came running onto the main deck like rabid demons. They brandished their weapons and screamed blood-curdling war cries as they dashed across the ladder and jumped aboard the merchant ship. They were met by a feeble resistance, which quickly folded after three of the smaller ship’s crew were cut down by savage blows. Blood ran across the deck and the merchant sailors’ courage vanished. The captain of the ship surrendered his vessel before Roleena’s crew of bloodthirsty pirates could all cross the boarding ladder.

“Stand down!” Roleena shouted. “Slice, get control of those men.”

The first officer didn’t reply, but instead started shouting at the crew. It took several minutes before he could cross the boarding ladder and take control of the situation. A dozen of the merchant sailors were slain in the attack, but most had thrown down their makeshift weapons and surrendered. Slice threatened the lives of his own men if they didn’t behave, then sent the merchant ship’s captain over to
Crest Dancer
.

“What’s your name?” Roleen asked. She had come stumping down from the command deck, somehow managing to look graceful despite the thump of her wooden leg on the ship’s deck.

“Yorgi, Captain of
Eagle’s Cry
out of Selphon City,” he managed to say.

“Your cargo?” Roleena demanded.

“We’ve got red cedar from the Wahleta Mountains, furs, Rejee wine, some tobacco and coffee from the mountain growers.”

“A rich haul, no doubt.”

“Yes, my lady,” the merchant captain said, but his eyes kept shifting around as if he were looking for someone else.

“And do you carry news as well?” she asked.

“There’s very little news from Falxis. Almost no one traveling through the mountains.”

“I have a feeling you know more than you are sharing. Perhaps it is because I am a woman?”

“No, my lady.”

“You think I am not fit to command this ship?”

“No… I mean, yes, of course you are. I meant no disrespect.”

“I am the captain here, Yorgi of Selphon City. I became the commander of this vessel and these fine men when I killed the previous captain. And I killed him,” she said leaning close to the pudgy merchant sailor who was trembling before her, “because I wanted his ship. I want your ship as well, and all the treasure it carries.”

The men around her cheered, calling for treasure and asserting their claims. She ignored them all and continued speaking to Yorgi.

“He had no value to me,” she went on. “But you, perhaps you can be useful, if you loosen that tongue and tell me what I want to know.”

“I will, I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he said.

“Good! Take him below,” she ordered Hewy. “Slice, clear that rigging. I want Daughton and Baynes in charge of
Eagle’s Cry
.”

Roleena walked over the railing and shouted to the other ship.

“You men are now under my command,” she called. “Do your duty and follow my orders and you shall not only live, but share in the spoils of our great adventure. Why should some fat merchant in Selphon City grow rich on our labor? We shall take this ship and all its cargo for ourselves and when we’ve spent it all, we’ll take more. We’ll take whatever we find until every sailor on the eastern sea knows the name of Roleena of Shupor and quakes with fear at the thought of our ships sailing into view.”

The pirates cheered, but it was the looks of hope on the faces of the merchant sailors that she looked for. Most of them were relieved not to be dead, but some of them looked as if her words had struck a chord. She would have to watch them carefully. Many would not survive the voyage before them, but she needed loyal men who were strong and determined. She could always find more men who were hungry for gold. And there would always be more ships sailing the coasts of Yelsia to supply it.

Chapter 8

Zollin had forgotten the incredible feeling of flying through the air on the back of a powerful dragon. High over the mountains the air was cold and made his eyes water as the frigid air whipped past him. Close to the dragon's scaly back he could feel the intense heat of the huge creature as it soared through the air and swayed back and forth in a playful dance with Sorva, the black dragon that carried Brianna. Ferno's hulking, muscular frame looked almost awkward next to Sorva, who was graceful and sleek. Where Ferno had thick, bulbous muscles and massive wings that reminded Zollin of the sails on a large trade ship, Sorva was long and lean. The black dragon had a thin chest that widened to large haunches, powerful rear legs, and a long, whip-like tail.

On Sorva's back Brianna looked like a living, breathing star. She had foregone her clothes and was now covered in bright flames. Occasionally she would jump from Sorva's back and let the thermal updrafts carry her along, before wheeling and spinning through the air to land lightly on the black dragon's back again. Zollin had no desire to leave the safety or warmth of Ferno's wide back. In fact, small curving horns had sprung up on Ferno's shoulders, allowing Zollin to attach modified reins to the massive dragon. Zollin couldn't control Ferno, but the thick leather straps gave Zollin a much better way to stay safely seated on his green companion.

The oversized saddle bags Zollin had picked up in Brighton’s Gate were slung just behind the dragon's powerful wings, and Ferno had no trouble carrying his rider and their supplies. Zollin kept his thick, fur-lined cloak pulled tightly around his shoulders and his body angled down close to the dragon's back where the heat from Ferno’s body kept him warm. It wasn't necessarily a comfortable way to travel, but Zollin had a huge sense of gratitude as he watched the mountains speed by below them.  The dragons could fly in one day the same distance it would take Zollin a week to travel on horseback.

They had set out a few hours after sunup, and it was mid afternoon when Zollin saw the huge expanse of green covering the far side of the Northern Highlands lower range of mountains. Peddingar Forest was a welcome sight. The Northern Highlands were barren and rocky, and its snow-capped peaks were beautiful but inhospitable. Zollin knew the mountains were full of hardy animals that had no qualms about making the steep mountains their home, but the green trees and rolling hills of the forest seemed much more welcoming to him.

“Let’s land down there,” Zollin shouted to Ferno. Then he imagined the small clearing near the familiar trail that marked the central pass into the mountains.

Ferno sent a mental image back to Zollin, this time the way Ferno could see the clearing with the dragon’s incredible vision.

“That’s it!” Zollin shouted.

Ferno roared and began a slow, circling descent. Above them Sorva followed. Zollin couldn’t help but notice the black dragon was cautious, but he actually found that fact comforting. Brianna had a tendency to rush headlong into danger, so Sorva’s cautiousness would give Brianna a little balance, or at least Zollin hoped it would.

When they landed inside the clearing, Zollin slid down off Ferno’s wide back. He immediately pulled off the saddle bags and unhooked the thick leather reins.

“We’ll camp here tonight,” Zollin said. “You’ve done enough for one day.”

A mental image of a small herd of deer popped into Zollin’s mind, then another image of Ferno eating. There was a difference between the images the dragons saw and those they imagined. Ferno had seen the deer as they flew down to the clearing, but he only imagined eating the woodland deer as a way of communicating what the dragon wanted to do. Zollin laughed and patted the muscular neck of the green beast just as Sorva landed behind them.

“Go on, and good hunting,” Zollin said.

Ferno growled deep in its thick chest, then launched high into the air on its powerful hind legs. Sorva, having let Brianna dismount, sped after the green dragon. Zollin thought they were a magnificent sight to behold as they flew up into the brilliant blue of the autumn sky.

“So, what now?” Brianna asked.

“I thought we’d make camp for the night.”

“It’s a little early in the day for that, isn’t it?

“Yes, but I’ve been worried about the dwarves. We never heard from them after the Witch's War. I was hoping I might pop in on them and see how they’re doing.”

“So you want me to set up camp and do all the work?” she asked, smirking a little so that Zollin couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or not.