Antiagon Fire

70

By Solayi morning, the first day of Maris and, by the calendar, the first day of spring, Quaeryt felt far better, and could even hold light shields for a quint or so before having to drop them and rest. The weather remained the same, sunny and cool, with a wind out of the northwest that allowed fair speed and only moderate swells. Lundi was no different, and since his legs were steadier, Quaeryt had pulled on his riding jacket and stood on the low sterncastle beside Captain Sario, his eyes scanning the horizon, even though he knew that the lookout aloft would most likely see the sail of another vessel long before he did.

“How long have you been captain and master of the Zephyr?” asked Quaeryt conversationally.

“I have been captain for three years.” Sario offered a tight smile. “I cannot say I am master, for the ship belongs to the family.”

“Are you from Westisle?”

“Yes.” After several moments the captain added, “Almost all merchanters port out of Westisle.”

“Because it’s farther from Liantiago?” Quaeryt let a sardonic tone creep into his words.

Sario did not reply.

“Lord Bhayar won’t punish you for what you say. Neither will I. Besides, Bhayar has all of two warships at present.” If that. Who knows what might have happened to the Montagne and the Solis if they encountered the Antiagon imagers? “He’s always been friendly and fair to merchanters in Telaryn, and he is now to those in Bovaria.” So long as they don’t try to cheat him. “That won’t change. In fact, you’ll likely do better because all the ports in Lydar will be open to you.”

“One of the officers said you know Lord Bhayar well.”

“We have known each other since we were students. We had the same tutor.”

“And it is true that you married his sister?”

Quaeryt laughed softly, trying not to think what might have happened to Vaelora. “He was the one who insisted on it. We were both fortunate.” Quaeryt’s voice turned somber. “I hope we still are.”

“A man who has loved truly and been loved so is always fortunate, even when the Nameless turns from him.”

“I’d rather be more fortunate than that, Captain.”

“So would we all, sir.”

Quaeryt paused. “I’m sorry. You sound like a man who has experienced love and loss. I would not pry…”

“She died in childbirth. So did our son. I was not there. I was here.” Sario’s words were clipped.

“I am truly sorry.” After several moments Quaeryt asked, “Has your family always been from Westisle?”

“So far as we know.”

“Did you help build the Zephyr?”

Sario looked at Quaeryt. “How did you know that?”

“I watched you. You know every sound, and you don’t have to look. You know exactly what to tell your crew when the least little thing is not right.”

“Any good captain should know that.”

“The hull is cedar, isn’t it? From Hassyl?”

“Loboro. In the hills west of Hassyl. We have lands there.”

“The Zephyr is a fast ship, I suspect.”

“One of the fastest,” admitted Sario. “Except for the Boreal.”

“She’s a family ship, too, I take it?”

“Of course.” Sario did smile, if but for a moment. “You have the look and the manner of what some would call a lost one.”

“I’ve been called that. My parents died of the plague or the Red Death when I was so young I barely remember them. I didn’t even realize I was Pharsi until much later. My hair used to be whitish-blond.” Until Variana.

“I would not ask what…” Sario paused, as if uncertain as to how much to ask.

“Sail ho!” came the cry from the lookout aloft.

“What ships?” called Sario, immediately looking forward with greater intensity.

“Looks to be three ships, sir! Two Antiagon men-of-war and a ketch.”

“What’s their bearing?” called Quaeryt.

“A quint to starboard, sir!”

Sario looked to Quaeryt.

“Bring her onto a direct closing course, Captain.”

“There are three vessels, sir, and two are warships.”

“Closing course, as close to head to head as possible, if you would, Captain.”

Sario turned to the helmsman. “Half quint starboard.”

Quaeryt gestured to the duty ranker posted at the sterncastle ladder. “Have the undercaptains report to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zhelan appeared almost immediately. “Sir?”

“Antiagon warships. Likely the ones Aliaro dispatched to Kephria and then recalled. Whether they are or not, we’ll have to deal with them.”

“Sir…” ventured Zhelan, “I would not like to be the one to suggest this…”

“But they might have captives or prisoners? Is that it?”

“It is possible, is it not?”

“Possible, but hardly likely. The last time Kephria was attacked, Aliaro’s imagers killed every last one of the Bovarians. Second, I doubt that they would know that Vaelora’s there. Third, the very last thing she would allow would be to be captured. Fourth, neither would Baarl or Khaern.” Yet … even with all those reasons … Quaeryt shook his head. “So unlikely we can’t afford to consider it.”

“What about cannon, sir? We have none.”

“That’s another reason for the concealment and for a course straight at them. They shouldn’t be able to see us, and most guns are mounted midships. They’ll have to get close enough to see our wake to guess at where we are, and then they’ll have to turn to use them, and we should be close enough to use imaging by then.” You hope.

Zhelan’s nod only signified that he had heard Quaeryt’s explanation, not that he agreed with it.

While he and the major waited for the undercaptains, Quaeryt strained to see the sails reported by the lookout, but even as the imagers gathered, he still could not see any sign of the ships. Finally, he turned to the undercaptains.

“We have three Antiagon ships headed toward us. The lookout reports that two are warships. The third may be the ship sent to fetch them back to Liantiago. They likely have imagers aboard, as well as Antiagon Fire. We can’t let them get past us. Nor can we let them avoid us. The Zephyr is faster than they are, but they outnumber us. We’ll need to approach under concealment, and then attack.” Deciding not to mention cannon, he turned to Horan. “If you’d see to a concealment for now, and we’ll need shields when we’re closer.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lhandor … I’ll need you to remove a large chunk of the stem of the lead vessel, but not until we’re closer. Khalis … you’ll need to see to the second one. I’d like enough removed that she goes down fast.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Baelthm … just stand by to see what you can do.”

The oldest imager nodded solemnly.

A quint passed before Quaeryt could easily make out the three sets of sails, and there was no doubt that the lookout had identified the vessels correctly. The first two flew the maroon battle ensign of Antiago, while the third, a ketch, bore no ensign, although the rigging was clearly Antiagon.

“There’s no sign of another ship?” Quaeryt asked Sario.

“No, sir. The lookout would have called it out.”

Just where is the other warship? Still off Kephria? Was it possible that the Montagne or the Solis might have encountered it and sunk it? Or had the Antiagons sunk or damaged both Telaryn warships?

Quaeryt watched and forced himself to wait as the Antiagon ships drew nearer. Finally, he turned to Horan. “We’ll need shields now.”

“Yes, sir.”

The distance continued to close, and the Antiagons continued to hold their heading and course.

“In another few hundred yards, Lhandor…” Quaeryt began.

A large flare of Antiagon Fire exploded in midair, less than fifty yards from the bow of the Zephyr. At that moment Quaeryt could see the nearest ship begin to turn to bring her guns into play, and then a puff of smoke from the forward gun port.

Those are pretty good indicators that these are some of the ships that went to Kephria. But how did they know where we are? Quaeryt glanced to Horan. He could see the perspiration on the big undercaptain’s forehead … although his shields had held. But at least one of the imagers at the road wall had known where first company had been, even behind a concealment. “Just keep holding those shields, Horan.” Quaeryt turned, glad that whatever the Antiagon had fired had not struck the Zephyr. “Image the first vessel, Lhandor.”

Abruptly the first five yards of the Antiagon warship vanished. Totally. What remained of the forecastle and the bow plowed into the swells, and the entire vessel shuddered, coming to a halt in what seemed to be a handful of yards.

Quaeryt imaged two yard-wide holes in the hull amidships, just in case. Flashes of light flared across his eyes, and he could feel the unsteadiness in his legs. “The second ship, Khalis.”

Another fireball slammed into Horan’s shields, and then a third, before the stem section of the second ship vanished, and it too plowed into the swells and began to nose down.

Quaeryt could see the ketch swinging hard to port trying to get the wind full in its sails, in hopes of outrunning what had struck the two larger vessels. “Khalis … can you stop the third ship?”

“I’ll see, sir.”

A portion of the ketch’s stem disappeared, but not a large section, and Khalis went to his knees on the deck. “Harder to image over water.”

Abruptly parts of the sails of the ketch caught fire, and then the mainmast swayed and then toppled, as if some of its stays had parted. From beside the others, Baelthm staggered and sat down hard on the sterncastle deck.

“I can do a little more,” said Lhandor.

Another hole appeared at the waterline of the ketch, just aft of midships.

Almost inexplicably, both warships exploded into pillars of fire, burning fiercely.

“What?”

“How did that happen?”

It took Quaeryt a moment to realize what had happened. “Water … you must have opened the forward magazines to the sea, and cracked or severed a fire grenade or shell. That sometimes happens with Antiagon Fire.”

“They must not have had much left,” said Sario from behind the imagers. “Otherwise, the entire ship would have vanished. I saw that happen once when I was a boy.”

Must not have had much left? Quaeryt managed to keep his face impassive as he watched the ketch, hoping he did not have to image anymore, and wondering if he even could, but the fire had spread, and the smaller vessel was markedly lower in the water than even moments before.

“Can you circle here, Captain, until we’re certain?”

“Yes, sir.” Sario’s voice had returned to the impassive tones with which he had spoken earlier.

Quaeryt understood. He also knew that the captain didn’t understand all that was at stake, and there was no way to explain it, not to a merchant captain who loved ships and cared for those who sailed them. “Imagers. Stand down, but stay on deck here.”

Lhandor sat down, and Khalis actually stretched out on his back on the hard planks, his face pale and damp. “We’ll need some watered ale or lager here,” Quaeryt called to the duty ranker.

“Yes, sir.”

In moments, several rankers appeared with water bottles.

After another quint Quaeryt directed Sario to have the Zephyr resume its course for Kephria. By then, the undercaptains looked less worn-out. Quaeryt finally dismissed them, but he kept looking back, long after they had left behind the scattered debris remaining, moved up and down by the regular swells of the Gulf.

Behind him stood Zhelan, equally silent.

After a time, Sario eased over to Quaeryt. “You gave them no chance.”

“You saw those fireballs they sent at us.”

“Why did they do that? The Zephyr is an Antiagon schooner, with an Antiagon rig.”

“Because we raised imaging defenses, and that told the imagers on the warships that we were not friendly. I had not realized that they could detect those defenses,” Quaeryt admitted.

“Did you have to destroy them all?”

“Not to have done so would have risked too much.” At Liantiago, Aliaro would have given us no chance. Nor did he give Kharst’s imagers any chance. And then there was Chaerila. Quaeryt smiled sadly. “There are times when to afford mercy is foolish. This was one of those times.”

“These are terrible times, when whole ships go down in moments, and cities topple into dust.”

“I hope we can end these times before long,” replied Quaeryt. But how many warriors and leaders have thought that? Did Hengyst? Or Chayar? Or Kharst when he took Khel?

The captain eased away.

Quaeryt continued to watch where the third-and smaller-Antiagon vessel had gone down.

He kept thinking. Three warships and a courier or sloop or that ketch … What happened to the other ship? Is it still off Kephria? Or have we missed it entirely? And what did they do in Kephria?

Quaeryt was all too afraid that he knew. The only question was if anyone survived … and who.