Harvest of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) (40 page)

Sadie placed her arm around Wenda’s shoulders and hugged the priestess. “I guess even the magic of a seadragon isn’t enough to protect you from an Evil God.”

The group fell silent, watching the light approach.

The ship sailed close enough so Thaddis could make out the sea creatures with his unaided eyes. They guarded spumes of cross currents where the three beams met.

Others saw them as well, and gasps and excited exclamations raced around the crowded decks.

As he gazed upon the multitude of ocean creatures, the water in front of the ship parted, and the denizens of the deep swam to each side, making a pathway that led toward the lights.

~ ~ ~

Pounding at the doors of her dwelling woke Pasinae from an uneasy sleep. She rose from her bed and grabbed a scarlet robe, wrapping the garment around her.

Her maidservant entered. “A watcher has returned, Trine Priestess. He says a ship with dark sails approaches, sailing toward the captured God.”

I was right!
For the last two days, she’d had an uneasy feeling troubling her othersense and had set lookouts at various points on each island. She pushed past the girl and strode into the other room.

A small man, clad in an embroidered vest and short pants, stood there, panting from the run to bring her the news.

Pasinae recognized him as the watcher assigned to Triangle Island Two. She wrinkled her nose at the reek of his body odor.

Next to him, but not too close, stood Dorent.

She pointed at the priest. “Did you cover the crystal as I ordered?”

“Yes, Trine Priestess. And as the other watchers saw the light dim on my island, they too muted their crystals.”

Good.
“Return. Watch for my signal. When the crystal here flares strong. Uncover yours. And not a minute before!” Pasinae repeated the instructions she’d given several days prior. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Trine Priestess,” Dorent said, dipping his chin.

“Order the harbor master to send a messenger to Bent Cove. Deploy warriors in longboats toward the midpoint. They are to stay on alert and pick up any in the water who survive the sinking. The rest must climb the trail around the island and reinforce the guards at the crystal. They must protect the crystal at all costs.”

“As you command, Trine Priestess,” said the odorous man.

“Go.” She flicked her hand in an imperious wave.

The man bowed and exited, leaving a waft of reek.

Dorent remained. “I have news from my brother priest whom you stationed with our ships. They have sighted the invaders. Seems Ocean’s Glory has sent their entire armada after us.”

Pasinae sucked in a breath. “We lost so many during the attack on Seagem.” She cursed Thaddis for wasting the lives of the pirates in the first wave of attackers, although at the time she agreed with him that culling the ranks of the reavers was a wise decision. “Keep me appraised,” she ordered. “Go to the lookout. I’ll change clothing and come after you.”

Dorent cast a rueful glance at his short tunic and sandals. The vegetation along the path would slice his bare arms and legs. But he didn’t dare protest. Instead, he bowed and left.

Pasinae raced to her bedroom and began to dress in the trews and long-sleeved shirt she’d worn all too often lately.

She pulled on socks and boots and left her hair in the sleep braid. She took a drink of water, then hurried into the front room and out the door. In the street, she began to jog uphill toward the trailhead. Many times in the last couple weeks, she’d taken the path to the crystal cavern or to the embedded crystal high up on the mountain, inadvertently building her stamina.

I’ll need every bit of that endurance now
.
I need to get to the lookout before that ship crosses into my trap!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Thaddis stood in the wheelhouse, the captain next to him closest to the helm, watching the ominous pointed cones of land that reached into the night sky. Lights set into the crown of each peak drove their rays down into the sea, crossing at a common midpoint.

The humid night air made him wish he could take off his uniform jacket. But he was in command and needed to seem impervious to any discomfort. His sword in the scabbard pressed against his thigh.

Philan, who’d followed him up here without a by-your-leave, slouched against the half-wall, entirely too close for Thaddis’s comfort. He could sense how desperately Micfal’s grandson wished to reconnect with his God. With a trace of envy, he wished he too had possessed that closeness to a Deity all his life.
Perhaps, if I had, I wouldn’t have been so susceptible to Ontarem.

From the higher elevation, he could see the center of the light beams, where the water churned white. Even though a long time had passed since he’d connected with Yadarius, he could sense the SeaGod’s presence, familiar from all the years he’d fostered at Seagem.
We’re so close.

The nearer they approached the SeaGod, the more Philan radiated intensity and longing.

Sadie climbed up to join them.

Thaddis welcomed her with a smile.

She glanced away and moved to the other side of Philan.

Thaddis glanced down at Wenda standing on the deck. “Is the fleet in position?”

As the priestess used her othersense to communicate with the priest stationed with the navy, her eyes unfocused. “The seadogs have positioned their ships between ours and the islands.”

“What’s the size of the pirate fleet?” Sadie asked.

“We outnumber them.”

Philan did a fist pump. “Yes!”

Thaddis raised an eyebrow. “Don’t underestimate them,” he said with a pointed glance at the Seagem man. “The seadogs fight to defend their families, their home, their God.”

Wenda sucked in a breath. “The commodore has just given the order to attack.”

“Good.” Thaddis paced the small space. “That should keep Pasinae and Ontarem occupied.”

Philan looked more animated than Sadie had ever seen him. “Disrupting one of those lights streams sould be enough to set Yadarius free.”

“I agree,” Thaddis said. “If we sail the ship between the light and the SeaGod…”

“I doubt Yadarius will need much time to free Himself.” Philan said, excitement in his voice. “Perhaps not even an hour. Once He’s escaped, the SeaGod will take care of the pirates.”

Sadie held up her hand for attention. “I don’t think it will be that easy.”

Philan squinted in annoyance. His sharp gaze dared her to put the kibosh on the plan to free his Deity.

Sadie looked directly at him. “On my world, we have lights that look like this, although not as big. They’re called lasers, and the rays are sharp enough to cut. If we sail in front of one, the beam could slice through the hull and destroy the ship.”

Philan shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face. “I haven’t heard much about your world, Sadie. But this is Kimtair. We don’t have lasers.”

“How do you know?” she shot back. “Have you ever had your God imprisoned before?”

Philan grimaced.

“Then you don’t know what you’re up against,” Sadie said, her words sharp, trying to make them understand.

With both hands, Thaddis made a separating motion between the two of them. “We must
try
. If we can free Yadarius, then we’ll have accomplished our mission. We’ll be able to better protect our counties, and perhaps even overthrow Ontarem.”

“Thaddis,” Sadie implored. “Don’t do this.”

Glancing at the captain, Thaddis ordered, “Steer for the nearest light beam.”

“Good choice,” Philan said.

Thaddis raised his eyebrows in surprise that the prickly Seagem man would agree.

The captain gave the order to his crew.

Obviously annoyed, Sadie climbed down.

As the ship corrected the course, the sea creatures moved aside to let them pass.

Would they have blocked the way if I’d chosen wrong? If I’d picked the light beam on the right?
He leaned over the rail and called for everyone to move back from the bow.

With murmurs, everyone pressed toward the stern, leaving about thirty feet of clear deck.

The closer they approached, the wider the light beam spread. Thaddis mentally tried to measure the width and estimated that he could circle his arms around it and barely touch his fingertips. Apprehension tingled along his spine.
Have I made the right decision?
He glanced down at Sadie on the deck near the rail, willing her to be safe.

The sharpness of the light dimmed, becoming hazier. The fading intensity reassured him.

Closer. Closer.

Thaddis held his breath, muscles tight.

The bow of the ship crossed the ray.

Nothing happened.

With a sigh of relief, Thaddis rocked back on his heels.

Philan let out a bellowing laugh and buffeted Thaddis on the shoulder.

The captain allowed the ship to ease forward another fifteen feet, then called for the crew to run out the anchor.

With a clang that rang across the water, several sailors released the heavy anchor and dropped it overboard. The chain played out until the anchor landed with a loud splash.

Thaddis studied the area where Yadarius was imprisoned. The water roiled stronger. A huge fist clutching a broken trident broke the water.

“Yes!” Philan shouted.

The crowed echoed his cheers. “Yadarius! Yadarius!” The arm rose higher, exposing the elbow, then the crown of the SeaGod’s head.

“Now, Wenda!” Thaddis yelled and pointed.

The priestess gathered everyone’s energy to direct the stream to the Sea God. Power flowed around him, a wave so strong, the intensity almost knocked Thaddis off his feet.

With everyone’s attention concentrated on the rise of Yadarius, Thaddis had only a second of othersense warning to glance toward the island—the source of the light—and see the beam spark to a brightness that sped down the length of the ray. Before he could even open his mouth to shout a warning, a massive crack like thunder sounded.

The ship rocked. Shouts and screams pierced the night.

Thaddis practically leaped down the ladder to the deck, pushed through people to the rail, and peered over the side. As he watched, the light beam bored through the water into the hull, drilling through the side and leaving a thin trail of smoke.

The laser’s breaching the hull. We’re going to sink!

~ ~ ~

A shudder traveled through the vessel. Her ears ringing from the explosion, Sadie grabbed the rail with one hand, and Wenda with the other. The deck shivered. Around them the screams of frightened people added to the cacophony.

Thaddis whirled away from the side. He pushed through the crowd toward the wheelhouse and scrambled up the ladder.

The
Wave Rider
gave an abrupt lurch and listed.

Sadie slid toward the rail. She spread her arms and legs to brace herself and keep from smashing into Cheta. Fear squeezed her chest.
We’re sinking!

“To the longboats,” the captain bellowed.

The ship dipped again. People slithered toward the rail.

Wenda knocked into her. They tilted over the water.

Sadie remembered the Titanic. Unlike that ocean liner, this ship wouldn’t have three hours until it sank. They’d be lucky to have minutes. “There’s no time,” she yelled. “The ship’s going down and will pull us under. Jump! Jump and swim for the island!” Grabbing Cheta around the middle, she hefted the dog over the canted side, leaned over as far as she could, and dropped the animal the twenty feet or so into the churning water.

Cheta surfaced and began to dog paddle.

Sadie took hold of Wenda’s shoulders. “Go! Jump!” Already unbalanced by the tilt of the deck, she was able to help yank the priestess up and push her overboard.

The priestess let out a scream and sank out of sight.

“Go,” Sadie screamed at Meleda, helping the woman wiggle around her and over the side. “Don’t land on Wenda!”

Arms waving, Meleda jumped.

“Swim away from the ship,” she yelled to the group of Zacatlanders around her. “When it goes down, the water will suck you under.”

Where’s Thaddis?
Frantically she spun to search for him.

Around her, people clambered over the rail and dove into the water.

She saw Thaddis in the wheelhouse next to Philan, spyglass at his eye, studying the island.
Hurry
, she pleaded to them.

Philan jerked Thaddis toward the ladder, and the two unbalanced. They slipped out of sight.

A soldier grabbed Sadie’s arm, dragging her attention away from the two men. She shook her head, no, and motioned him to leap overboard.

Thaddis was at the edge of the crowd, Philan’s arm around his shoulder. He supported the Seagem man who looked dazed. He allowed everyone to pass him in the rush to the side.

Another man reached to grab her.