Page 4 of Frostforge, Passage Six
Roran turned to Kaine."Man the cannons.Ashe, take the starboard rail.Thalia, port side.I'll handle the helm."
They moved to their positions with the efficiency drilled into them through seasons of training.Thalia drew her glacenite blade, its surface glinting with an internal light that seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat.She adjusted her grip, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon, trying to ignore the whispers that had begun at the edge of her consciousness—the blade's magic reaching for her mind.
Roran took the wheel, his stance widening as he planted his feet firmly on the deck.The air around him seemed to shimmer, heat and cold battling as he summoned his power.A gust of wind surged from nowhere, filling their sails with a snap that sent the ship lurching forward.
"Hold fast!"he called as the schooner leapt across the waves, accelerating with unnatural speed toward the gap between two Warden vessels.
The response from the blockade was immediate.A Warden on the nearest ship raised a conch shell to his lips and blew, producing an eerie, ululating cry that carried across the water.Signal flags whipped up and down, and deck hatches flew open as more Wardens poured onto the decks, weapons at the ready.
The first volley came in the form of harpoons, their barbed tips trailing chains as they arced through the air toward the schooner.Thalia ducked as one whistled past, embedding itself in the deck mere feet from where she stood.Another struck the mainmast with a thud that sent vibrations through the entire ship.
"Roran!"she shouted, pointing to the flaming arrows that now followed, their burning tips leaving trails of smoke against the pale sky.
He responded without looking, one hand leaving the wheel to make a sharp, slashing gesture.Water surged up from the waves, forming a momentary wall that extinguished the arrows before they could reach the sails.The display of storm magic was impressive, but Thalia knew it would cost him—each use of power drained energy that they couldn't afford to waste.
Another harpoon struck home, its chain pulling taut as Wardens on the enemy vessel began to reel it in.Kaine was there in an instant, his warhammer swinging in a devastating arc.The weapon's head—a blend of steel and magical ice—struck the chain with a sound like breaking glass.Frost spread along the metal links, making them brittle enough that a second blow shattered them completely.
The schooner surged forward again, now halfway to the gap in the blockade.But the Warden ships were closing, moving to eliminate the opening.On the nearest vessel, dark figures clambered up the rigging, preparing to leap across as the ships drew near.
The first of them landed on the schooner's deck with a thud, a tall woman with elaborate braids and metal beads that clinked as she moved.Her curved blade flashed in the diffuse light as she lunged toward Thalia.
Thalia parried the blow, her own sword meeting the Warden's with a clash that sent sparks flying.The impact jarred her arm, but seasons of training held.She twisted her wrist, disengaging, then struck again, aiming for the gap in the woman's armor beneath her arm.
The Warden was fast, but Thalia was faster.Her ice-glacenite blade found its mark, drawing a hiss of pain from her opponent.The woman retreated several steps, nursing the wound on her upper arm.
Thalia gritted her teeth against the whispers that echoed in her ears, the beginnings of the glacenite-induced hallucinations.The longer she wielded this weapon, the more intense the sounds and visions would become.She needed to end this fight before the illusions overwhelmed her.
Across the deck, Ashe had already dropped two Wardens with well-placed crossbow bolts and was now engaged in close combat with a third, her movements a blur of precise strikes and counters.More enemies swung across on ropes, landing on the deck with practiced ease.
The schooner's deck became a chaotic battlefield, the air filled with the clash of metal, the grunts of exertion, and the occasional cry of pain.Thalia fought with cold precision, each movement economical, each strike purposeful.But for every Warden she disabled, another seemed to take their place.
Something about their desperation struck her as odd.These soldiers fought with grim determination, as though driven by fear rather than bloodlust.They defended the blockade with the fervor of those protecting something precious rather than simply denying passage to an enemy.
Before she could ponder this further, a massive Warden with shoulders like boulders charged toward her, swinging a hooked blade that could disembowel her with a single strike.Thalia sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him past, then struck at the back of his knee.He stumbled but didn't fall, whirling with surprising agility for someone so large.
From the corner of her eye, Thalia saw Kaine disappear down the hatch leading to the hold.Moments later, a deep, resonant boom shook the ship as one of the glacenite cannons fired.The sound was unlike anything she'd heard before—not the sharp crack of black powder, but a deep, reverberating thunder that seemed to freeze the air itself.
The shot struck the hull of the nearest Warden ship, just at the waterline.Upon impact, frost spread rapidly across the dark wood, crackling as it expanded.The magical ice crept up the side of the vessel like a living thing, encasing ropes, freezing pulleys, immobilizing the mechanisms of the harpoon launchers.
The Wardens faltered, many staring in shock at the inexorable spread of the magical frost.Thalia took advantage of her opponent's momentary distraction, driving her sword into the gap between his chest plate and shoulder guard.He fell with a grunt, clutching at the wound.
Another boom from below, and a second glacenite shot streaked toward the warship directly in their path.This one struck higher, hitting the base of the mainmast.Frost engulfed the timber, making it brittle.When the next wave rocked the ship, the mast cracked with a sound like breaking bones, listing dangerously to one side.
Roran executed a sharp turn, steering the schooner through the widening gap with uncanny precision.Wind filled their sails—wind that moved against the natural currents, bending to Roran's will.The ship leapt forward, water foaming at its bow.
As they passed between the damaged Warden vessels, Thalia allowed herself a moment of hope.They might actually make it through.
Then she saw the third warship swinging into position, boarding hooks already flying toward them.These landed with metallic clangs, their barbs digging into the schooner's wooden rails.
Ashe moved to intercept, her crossbow raised again.She fired with methodical precision, picking off Wardens before they could slide down the ropes attached to the hooks.One, two, three fell into the churning waters below.
But they were too many.
Another group of Wardens rappelled onto the starboard side of the schooner’s deck, and Thalia found herself fighting three at once, her blade a blur as she parried and struck, retreated and lunged.A slash opened her sleeve, drawing blood from her forearm.She ignored the sting just as she ignored the voices screaming in her head, the pain pounding at her temples from use of the glacenite blade.She needed to focus on survival.
Above, the sky darkened.Thalia risked a glance upward to see storm clouds gathering with unnatural speed.Lightning flickered within them, responding to Roran's call.His arms were raised, lightning crackling along his exposed skin like living tattoos.With a shout, he brought his hands down in a violent gesture.
A bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the mast of the fourth Warden ship with devastating accuracy.Wood splintered, and flames erupted from the impact point.Wardens scattered, some diving overboard to escape the fire that now raced along their rigging.
