Page 59 of Red Dragon
“Yes!”
“That’s a whaling ship, not a cargo ship.” Wise sounded confused.
Of course. With the exception of a couple of tribes, who acted more like pirates preying upon Kingdom ships, the stormers and especially the Sixteen Talons didn’t wantonly attack vessels unless there was a logical reason. Food to be acquired or a notorious enemy to be vanquished. They didn’t harass fishing or whaling vessels.
“Princess Syla is aboard,” Vorik called, though, as Wise’s superior officer, he didn’t need to explain his actions.
“Are we… kidnapping her, sir?”
Vorik almost said they wererescuingher, but Wise gathered intelligence, and Jhiton might very well have chosen him as much for his ability to read scrolls and advise Vorik as his willingness to spy upon him. Jhiton might want to make sure Vorik didn’t make any foolish decisions when it came to theKingdom and especially Syla. And since Vorik wasn’t even supposed to be coming to these islands right now…
“I want to question her again about the shielders, especially these components.”
Wise shook his head, but it might have been because he hadn’t caught all the words on the wind. He wasn’t the type to argue with his superior officers. Spy upon, maybe. Argue, no.
The dragons drew closer to the battle, more cannons firing and a boarding party readying itself to leap from one of the military vessels to the whaling ship. Vorik shook his head, at that moment not caring what his lieutenant thought. As he had once before, he spotted Syla.
She had her back to the wheelhouse—the roof Agrevlari had ripped off had been replaced—and she was staying out of the way, but not farenoughout of the way. Why didn’t that oversized limping bodyguard of hers hoist her over his shoulder and carry her belowdecks?
The harpoons on the whaling ship launched, and crewmen with bows and crossbows loosed their weapons at the surrounding vessels, but they were outnumbered.Greatlyoutnumbered.
Though the military vessels took hits, two soldiers appeared for every one that fell. A harpoon crunched into the hull of the ship with the boarding party, but it didn’t start taking on water quickly enough to keep it from drawing even with the whaling vessel.
Once close enough, the boarding party leaped over the railing. Swords clanged as the attackers crushed into defenders that swarmed forward, attempting to stop them. As the boarders surged forward, cannons from their ship fired to assist them. The projectiles blasted into the whaling ship’s defenders. A ball striking one man in the chest killed him immediately. The boarders succeeded in spreading out across the deck, ten menclad in black instead of wearing uniforms, with masks pulled down to hide their faces. Several angled toward the wheelhouse.
Grim, Vorik urged Agrevlari to descend rapidly. Those men could only mean to assassinate Princess Syla.
14
A battle ragedon the deck of the whaling ship. Syla and Teyla had retreated into the wheelhouse, though they doubted that would provide safety for long.
Eyes wide, Teyla crouched with her sword in hand, ready to attack anyone who got past Sergeant Fel. He stood in front of the door, firing his crossbow at men in black who’d leaped over the railing. They fought the crew of the whaling ship, but, with archers and cannons from their ship assisting, they steadily encroached upon the wheelhouse.
Syla gripped the reflex hammer from her medical kit in one hand and the red dragon figurine in the other. Warm against her palm, the latter was more likely to be of help, but when she attempted to call out telepathically with an urgent,Wreylith?she didn’t get an answer. Was it because Wreylith wanted Syla to prove herself?
“As ifbattleis how I would ever do that,” she whispered.
Teyla glanced at her. “Do you want to get behind me?”
“I’m already behind Fel.”
“Yeah, but he’s being set upon.” Teyla pointed her sword toward Fel, his crossbow firing with one finaltwangbefore he was forced to switch to his mace for close-quarters fighting.
“We’reallbeing set upon.” Syla hated hunkering inside the wheelhouse while others were wounded—or worse—but she feared Fel would soon be overwhelmed and the battle would come to them.
Two men in black and wearing masks attempted to flank Fel so they could attack him from both sides. The wheelhouse and doorway guarded his back, but he had to sweep his mace back and forth rapidly to keep them at bay.
When a second telepathic call didn’t bring a response, Syla pocketed the krendala. She wished she had a crossbow instead of the small hammer. Then she might have fired around Fel. Even more black-clad men were trying to get at him. No, they were trying to getpasthim and to her.
One of the masked men pointed a hand-cannon at Fel’s head.
“Look out,” Fel called over his shoulder as he ducked.
Syla had been about to yell the same to him but realized that when he lowered himself, the weapon pointed through the doorway ather. She leaped to the side an instant before it fired. The projectile slammed into the wooden wheel behind her, knocking off one of the handles.
Snarling, Fel deflected a sword slash, then sprang for the man with the firearm.
Though he tried not to let anyone past him, one of the black-clad figures slipped through the doorway, blue eyes bright and eager behind his mask. After glancing dismissively at Teyla, he charged at Syla with a spiked mace in his hand.
