The Lore Of The Evermen (Book 4) (20 page)

Deniz watched the terrible destruction as the heavy iron
cannon
balls tore through the enemy vessels.

The air filled with the whiz of hurtling balls, and the
subsequent
crashes sounded like twigs snapping under the foot of a giant.
Splinters
flew in the air; masts and rigging came crashing down; and smoke obscured Deniz’s vision so that he cursed. Then a breeze
carried
the black clouds away, and Deniz saw a cluster of enemy ships sinking. Fires raged and bodies filled the water. An enemy
warship
exploded as her magazine caught, the detonation so
massive
it took down two clustered scout ships.

Deniz saw a number of enemy ships behind those he’d destroyed. Dodging the return fire, he called out to tack again, and circled around for another strike.

24

Scherlic caught a puff of smoke through his seeing glass, far away on the other side of the huge fleet: Deniz had made contact with the enemy. Scherlic saw the heart of the armada still moving inexorably forward, and marking an enemy flagship by its cluster of gold and red flags, Scherlic called out a series of runes, singing constantly as he sent the
Infinity
surging ahead.

The eight Buchalanti ships sailed forward together, and unlike the Veldrin and enemy ships, their weapons didn’t point from their sides in long rows. A ship faced forward, so its weaponry should face the same way.

The three storm riders led the pack like hounds on a scent, with the blue cruisers guarding the flanks and the dreadnoughts lagging behind. Two mortars jutted from the front of the storm riders, whereas each blue cruiser carried four of the Louan devices. The dreadnoughts’ weaponry was of an altogether
different
nature.

Scherlic glanced at the bladesinger standing on the deck, with one hand on the mast and the other shading his eyes. Scherlic knew the man’s goal: to find which ship or ships contained the enemy’s essence and to do all he could to sink it. Scherlic had been searching, but so far he hadn’t seen any sign of a vessel being
especially
protected
.

Scherlic returned his attention to his course. The point of a wedge, the
Infinity
struck directly into the armada’s core.

Realizing the threat from the deeper sea, the enemy vessels came around, rotating slowly to bring their cannon to bear. Clouds of smoke rose from the enemy warships and cruisers, the smoke seen a split second before Scherlic heard the thunderous roar that followed.

The cannons’ range was greater than the mortars, and Scherlic’s voice rose as he called on the runes built into the very fabric of his ship. The deck lit up and the
Infinity
came alive from planks to sails in a splash of vibrant color. A series of balls smashed into the storm rider’s side. Scherlic winced as he felt his beloved ship tremble beneath his feet.

Sparks followed each strike, but the lore held, and the heavy balls didn’t penetrate the
Infinity
’s enhanced superstructure.

Scherlic now led the Buchalanti vessels deep into the
armada’s
soft belly. Each of these enemy vessels stole wind from the other, but the lore built into the
Infinity
and her sister ships meant they could sail with impunity through the clusters. Scherlic’s voice rose as he used every bit of his skill to keep his ship
moving
,
to tur
n away from the broadsides and navigate around the s
maller shi
ps.

He set his eyes on a warship directly ahead; he was chasing this ship’s stern and would easily catch up to the slower vessel.

Scherlic’s weapon master lined up the twin mortars and fired a salvo of orbs.

The glowing spheres sailed through the air. One struck the
warship
on the outside, just below the waterline; another landed in the mass of grotesque revenants. Taking sight as he fired, the weapon master launched more orbs at the rigging.

The enemy ship burst apart with a series of detonations as the prismatic orbs exploded. Clouds of flame flung up splinters
of woo
d and pieces of bodies. In seconds the vessel sank below
the wav
es.

Scherlic’s crew didn’t cheer, but set their sights on the next enemy ship. Risking a glance around him, Scherlic saw more
warships
destroyed in the hail of prismatic orbs from the storm
riders
and blue cruisers.

Scherlic’s breath came ragged, but he chanted through the roar of blood in his ears, fear coursing through his body as his weapon master fired a salvo at an enemy cruiser. The sailmaster called on every rune carved into his ship’s hull to ward off the growing
frequency
of cannon fire. Another enemy warship exploded, and then Scherlic nearly cried out as he saw the storm rider on his right flank break up under a direct volley of leaden balls.

A blue cruiser came up to fill the gap, and yet another enemy warship went down, but Scherlic could see the blue cruiser’s runes had faded on half the decking. The lore was failing.

Scherlic looked for the Veldrin fleet but couldn’t see Deniz or his naval force. Then he forgot all about Deniz when he saw one of the biggest enemy warships he’d yet seen emerge from behind a screen of smaller vessels. Most of the enemy ships were painted in the garish hues the Veldrins seemed to prefer, but this ship was painted with black pitch. A small golden flag indicated it was a
flagship
. High on the mast a second flag displayed a black withered tree on a field of white.

Scherlic signaled and one of his men bellowed, “Brace yourselves! Ramming speed!”

Forgetting about the formation, Scherlic pointed the
Infinity
’s prow at the black warship. Below the waterline, the storm rider’s steel ram carved the sea, ready to plunge into the vulnerable
planking
of its enemy. Scherlic chanted the runes in quick succession, singing with all his strength, feeling his wondrous ship alive beneath him in the way a Hazaran rider must feel his mount.

Scherlic would strike from an angle so the enemy couldn’t broadside him. The black ship was doomed.

Then Scherlic saw a figure on the deck, calmly watching the approaching storm rider. He wore black clothing with embroidered silver thread, and his hair was the color of blood, slicked back to his head with streaks of black at the temples.

Scherlic felt red come to his vision as he roared the activation sequences now.

The black ship loomed over the smaller Buchalanti vessel.

The
Infinity
struck with a sickening crunch.

Scherlic lashed out a hand, grabbing hold of the mast to arrest his motion as the collision flung him forward. Buchalanti sailors fell from the rigging to land on the deck with shattering force.

Scherlic watched the figure in black rise into the air and
disappear
into the haze of the gun smoke. With satisfaction Scherlic saw he’d mortally wounded the black ship. It began to sink while the revenants swarming the decks launched themselves forward, running for the
Infinity
’s deck.

Scherlic called out more activations as he felt his ship tremble. A third of the symbols on the storm rider’s deck went dark. Finally the
Infinity
pulled away from its crippled enemy, but Scherlic’s eyes widened as he saw three revenants throw themselves into the air to land, sprawling, on the decks.

The Alturan bladesinger went into action.

His armorsilk flared up faster than the time it took Scherlic to take a breath, and his zenblade was suddenly alive in his hands. He threw Scherlic’s men aside as he lunged forward and before the first revenant, a woman in ragged clothing, could stand, he’d taken her head from her shoulders. The next snarling monster climbed to its feet and charged at the bladesinger, but the man somehow rolled under the blow, and his backswing cut the revenant in two. The third revenant, a big barbarian with a horned helmet, now faced the bladesinger and growled as it launched itself forward. It moved at a speed that belied its size, a blur of motion.

But the bladesinger was faster, and three successive blows sent putrid flesh flying in all directions. Panting, the Alturan checked his enemies by prodding them with the tip of his blazing sword. Finally, he threw the larger pieces off the ship.

The Buchalanti sailors cheered the Alturan.

Finally free from the grip of the sinking black ship, Scherlic willed the
Infinity
forward again as another enemy warship closed in, turning in a tight circle to present a row of cannon mouths. As Scherlic saw the unfolding disaster, a Buchalanti dreadnought appeared in the distance.

Scherlic called on his ship’s speed as he gave as much strength as possible to the weakened planking. He started to move away, but then the enemy broadside smashed the
Infinity
.

Splinters of polished wood flew in all directions as the cannon tore holes in sails and took chunks out of the deck. Scherlic prayed a hole hadn’t been opened up below the waterline, but though there was damage at all quarters, the storm rider could still sail.

Scherlic’s weapon master attempted a salvo of orbs, but the enemy warship’s range was greater; it was too far away.

The dreadnought fired.

A wide beam of golden light launched from the mighty
vessel
, striking into the heart of the enemy warship. The beam carved through the ship, instantly splitting it into two halves down the middle. In moments the warship was sunk, its clawing cargo of revenants dotting the water before they too sank.

Scherlic drew in a shaky breath, and the
Infinity
came up to support the dreadnought.

25

Deniz led his squadron down the line of enemy ships for the third time, but he knew this time he wouldn’t be as lucky as he had been thus far. The enemy had reduced his fleet down to eight warships, and though he’d sunk too many of the enemy vessels to count, still more targets presented themselves. Bodies filled the ocean, and the smoke of cannon fire and burning ships clouded the sea in a
dark haze
.

“Fire!” Deniz cried, and once more the
Seekrieger
lurched to the side as every gun in her port side fired together.

An enemy warship fired at the same time, and both ships
trembled
as they took crippling damage. Bodies and splinters of wood flew into the air on both sides. The
Seekrieger
shivered, and Deniz felt an immediate heaviness when he tried to keep an even keel steady to the wind, telling him that a hole had opened below the waterline.

Behind him the clustering Veldrin warships fired their own
salvos
, but it was ragged now as the loss of men and damage from responding fire took its toll.

Deniz wondered if he could tack once more and disengage, but then he saw ships flying enemy flags on both sides. He was embroiled, and his ship would soon sink. It would be a fight to
the deat
h.

Ahead of the
Seekrieger
a brightly-colored warship flew a golden pennant and a red flag with blue crossed swords. The ship was undamaged, and Deniz frowned when he saw a man calling out orders, standing with legs apart on the deck. The commander wore a three-cornered red hat and bellowed instructions to his crew.

Deniz remembered Beorn’s interrogation of the necromancer. He knew the standard, and he knew who the man was: Farix, the pirate king of Torian.

The
Seekrieger
wallowed and groaned as she took on more water.

“Bladesinger,” Deniz called to the Alturan who stood with one arm on a mast and the other holding a bared sword of shining steel. “It appears you may soon get a chance to use your weapon.”

The bladesinger turned and nodded. “I am ready.”

“Grapples!” Deniz called. “Prepare yourselves! We’re going to hold the enemy’s broadside and board her!”

Deniz could now feel the decks dropping beneath his feet as his ship sunk. But the enemy vessel was close. He fixed his gaze on the man in the three-cornered hat and urged the
Seekrieger
forward.

Commodore Deniz thought about his homeland. Better to die on a Veldrin ship than on foreign soil.

Farix called out an order, and a ragged blast of cannon fire tore into the crippled
Seekrieger
. Still Deniz’s ship came on, sluggish but moving, on a direct path for the pirate king’s flagship.

The crackle of musket fire sounded on both sides, and the air filled with whizzing balls. Deniz was now close enough to see the glowing runes on Farix’s neck and hands. Revenants snarled as the Veldrins threw grapples and hauled the two ships together.

“Make fast!” Deniz cried.

With a roar Deniz drew his straight sword and led his men forward, the bladesinger at his side. He leapt over the side of the
Seekrieger
and landed nimbly on the deck of the enemy warship, immediately ducking under the blow of a warrior with mottled skin and a thin line across his throat. Deniz countered and weaved around a second blow before slashing deep into his opponent’s neck, severing the spine so that the head lolled to the side.

Cannon on both sides continued to fire and muskets cracked. Warriors screamed with swords held high. Limbs were shattered by the flying balls.

The bladesinger reached the pirate king first. Farix turned white eyes tinged with pink on his new enemy and dropped into a
practiced
stance. Both swordsmen held blades blazing with the glow of activated runes. In contrast, Deniz’s sword was made of quality steel, but steel was all it was. Deniz now regretted turning down Miro’s offer of an enchanted blade.

Farix launched a series of blows as the eerie sound of the
bladesinger’s
song filled the air, audible even over the thunder of muskets and cannon fire. When the zenblade met Farix’s enhanced sword, sparks scattered into the air.

The bladesinger moved quickly; the zenblade flickered to meet each blow. Searching for his own opportunity, Deniz couldn’t fault a single strike.

Farix moved faster.

The two combatants moved in a dance of death, and Deniz could see they were both formidable swordsmen, their skills honed by years of practice. A strike from the pirate king smashed into the bladesinger’s armorsilk but was deflected by the supple material. The bladesinger thrust into the pirate king’s chest, tearing a fist-sized hole at the precise location of his heart.

But Farix kept going.

Around Deniz, Veldrin marines and sailors battled revenants while smoke filled the air, making it hard for Deniz to see
anything
but the bladesinger’s struggle. Timing his attack, Deniz came up behind the pirate king and hacked at a limb, but when his steel sword came forward, Farix simply wasn’t where he’d been a mo
ment ago
.

Another blow from the pirate king struck the bladesinger’s neck. The hood protected him from some of the blow, but a splash of blood dripped down the green material. Deniz struck at the pirate king’s leg, but Farix danced out of the way, and his backswing cut across Deniz’s cheek, opening up a wide gash from his ear to his chin. Deniz narrowly avoided the next blow, rolling out of the way an instant before the pirate king’s blade sliced the air.

The whirling swords increased speed until they could hardly be seen. Suddenly, the bladesinger was on the ground, gasping. Farix held his sword with both hands and thrust into the Alturan’s mouth. Blood gushed out, and then the bladesinger shuddered and died.

Deniz roared and launched his own series of blows, ignoring the battle around him, fighting with the skill that had seen him destroy his foes time and again when battling other pirates for
the Emir
.

Farix’s enchanted sword flickered out, almost contemptuously, and Deniz felt the burning blade slice across his throat.

He coughed and pressed his left hand to his neck. Blood spurted out and Deniz suddenly found himself on his knees, head lolling back, eyes looking up at the sky.

The smoke parted for a moment, and Commodore Deniz saw the blue and brown flag of Veldria, flying tall and proud from the mast of the
Seekrieger
.

Deniz pushed himself up onto one knee. He’d lost his sword. Where was it?

The crumpled body of the bladesinger was just near his feet. The bladesinger’s chant had only just stopped. The zenblade still sparked with red and blue fire.

Still holding his throat as his life force left his body, Deniz picked up the zenblade. It felt made for his hand.

Farix had his back to Deniz.

Holding the zenblade with one hand, the other clutching his throat, Deniz put all of his remaining strength into his strike. At the last moment Farix dodged, as if sensing the coming blow, but Deniz moved with him. The commodore felt the sword meet resistance as it struck the pirate king’s neck.

In the battle of lore, the zenblade won. Farix’s head came cleanly from his shoulders. The body fell down to the deck.

Deniz stumbled and then fell back to his knees, and finally onto his back. He once more stared at the sky. This time he only saw clouds.

He was tired. It was time to sleep.