Page 67 of Broken Fate
“Lucky.”
Clive chuckled softly to himself. “Yeah, maybe.”
What was the sudden talkativeness all about? Even making jokes? Hours ago, Clive hadn’t even wanted to acknowledge my existence. I opened my mouth to ask him what had changed, but before I could, a shadow loomed out of the darkness.
“Look out!” I shrieked as the Imperial Navy ship slammed into ours with a tremendous crash that spilled us all to our feet, even as wood shattered, peppering us with splinters. Someone nearby shouted in pain.
In the darkness, bells rang, and lights flared on the enemy decks. Shouts of “Board her!” went up while, behind me, the watch rang the bells to alert the crew. Not that they should need it after the impact of the other ship.
Sailors all around us responded to the attack with throaty cries, and others poured up from below decks, armed with short swords and round shields strapped to their arms. Clearly, we hadn’t been as caught by surprise as I’d assumed.
The first members of the Imperial Navy to clear the railing quickly formed a defensive wall, while those behind dropped lines over our railing, securing the ships together with the hooks tied to the ends of the lines.
Clive grabbed my arm. “Get below!” he shouted before leaping to the attack, lending his strength to the defenders as men jumped clear from one ship to the other.
Sailors from both ships fought to overwhelm the other. I staggered backward on unsteady legs until a pair of hands caught me.
“Easy,” Andi said, her voice as ragged and torn as I felt.
Neither of us was in much condition to fight, too weakened by our bouts of seasickness. We stayed, hunched in a corner, as the battle raged on. Men and women died on both sides, coating the deck with blood. Here and there, fires sputtered up on our decks as the attackers tried to burn it to the waterline.
“We’re not going to be able to stop them,” Andi said.
“No, we’re not,” Kiel replied as he and a group of others gathered to provide reinforcement.
“I have an idea,” Praksis said, outlining his plan.
“You’re crazy,” Andi hissed.
“Do you have a better idea? This ship is doomed. The others will either see or hear the fighting and will arrive soon. Even if they don’t, the fires will sink us before we can put them all out.”
“Damn,” I hissed, glancing at Andi. “I think they’re right.”
“Me, too. I just don’t like it.”
“Well, no point in waiting, is there?” Kiel said, standing up. “Let’s go see what we can do.”
Andi and I followed, shielded by the group as they crossed the deck to where the captain and his men stood at the center of the fiercest fighting. Over the din of blades clanging and men shouting orders, Kiel yelled the plan to our captain. The man stared at Kiel for a moment, then seemed to sag, accepting the situation.
“Let’s go!” Kiel bellowed, and our group raced to the stern of our ship. There, no more than twenty feet away, the frigate waited, the rear of our ship in line with the middle of her deck. She sat lower than us in the water, giving us a clear look onto her empty decks.
The captain and his men were giving way, backing down the length of our ship toward us, drawing the attacking sailors with them.
“Come on, our turn!” Andi shouted in my ear.
I glanced to the right to see she was right. It was only the two of us left. Kiel and the others were already executing the plan.
“Oh, shit,” I screamed as a sailor dropped dead in front of me, staring blankly into the night sky.
Summoning my remaining strength, I ran for the edge of the deck, jumping up onto the railing and flinging myself across the gap.
“This is insane!” I howled as I cleared the frigate’s lower-slung railing.
Almost.
The toes of my left foot caught the railing, whipping me down onto the deck with enough force to see stars.
“Ooooh,” I groaned, my entire body unhappily reverberating from the impact.
