Legon Ascension (13 page)

His heart picked-up a bit and Tuneal chuckled. “Tell Ise hi for me.”

He looked inquisitively at him.

”I was once your age too. A date with a very pretty girl tends to leave an impression. Of course, the smirk on your face and heart pounding was a bit of a tipoff too.”

Laughing from Ise brought him back. “Sorry, how are you?”

He of course didn’t need to ask. He could feel how she was as she could him. “Sorry.”

Amusement was in her tone. “Don’t be, you’re fine. It’s hard not to ask questions, if you know what I mean.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m back at the dome. I thought about staying in Manton but it’s not a long flight. Did Sash have fun with Sydin?”

Legon laughed. “Do you think she was going to talk about that last night?”

“I suppose not, how late was she interrogating you?”

“Late.”

There was a moment’s hesitation. “Normally I wouldn’t recommend this, but as you two are so close, you could always share your memories with her.”

He thought about that but then decided otherwise. “You know, I think that would lead to more interrogation.”

Tuneal walked up to him. “Um Prosa, sorry to bother but one of the human admiralty is here to speak with us.”

* * * * *

Sasha walked out onto the deck of the Propero, enjoying the sea air filling her lungs. The ship didn’t move in the still water. The morning air was thick with mist, and the entire city of Manton was soaked in a dense fog. She made her way across the deck to see Legon speaking with two men, one a silver haired Elf and the captain of the Propero, Tuneal. To Tuneal’s left was a man she didn’t recognize but who was obviously human. The group turned to her as she approached.
 

“Morning Sash, sleep well?” Legon asked.

“Good, the Propero is amazingly comfortable.”

Tuneal beamed at the compliment, but the human man spoke. “Yes, but I dare say you wouldn’t think that of our ships. You Elves certainly know what you’re doing.”

She took a moment to take the man in. He was wearing a uniform that suggested he was in the human navy, though by his age she suspected the only thing he sailed these days was a desk.

The man went on. “I just came out here to bid you farewell and to let you know there have been some raiders reported lately sacking cargo ships. We haven’t a clue if they are Empire or just pirates. So far they’ve stayed clear of Elvin ships and war ships, but it’s foggy today. Maybe we’ll catch them off guard.” The man sounded disappointed, as if he wanted to be one of the captains hunting the raiders.

“You sound like you want to join the hunt,” Sasha pointed out.

The man looked at her and smiled widely. “Well, truth be told, I do miss it out there. Used to command a whole armada but the sea is hard on the old and the wife, well…”

Sasha laughed. “Wanted you home, I take it?”

He smiled impishly “Yes. You’re lot can be persuasive. Well, best of luck to you, ma’am.” He took his hat off and nodded to her as he left the ship.

Tuneal walked him off and came back. “Well, we are about to set off.
 
Perhaps a tour of the ship is in order. He pulled two little rope bracelets out of his pocket, handing one to each of them. “These are locators. The crystal takes energy from your body to power two spells. One is a sea sickness spell so you don’t feel sick. The other is activated if you fall overboard. It will alert the ship and shine bright so we can find you. Both spells don’t take much power. You shouldn’t notice the drain in the least bit.”

The bridge of the ship was on the same level as the deck, with the steering wheel directly above it, though an addition wheel was placed inside the bridge for when the ship was in battle. Presently, the large windows running along the back and sides were open, letting the gray of the morning in. Soft, honeyed light came from sconces along the walls. Tuneal walked to a podium toward the back. Sasha and Legon followed close behind, wondering what was human and what was Elf. Much of this question was answered upon seeing the top of the podium, or rather control panel. Tuneal ran his hand across the bejeweled surface, causing lights of every shade and color to pop into life.
 

“Like a dragon dome, the Propero uses a large center crystal to run things, allowing us to target, navigate and even see other ships and dragons. Mind you, the crystal is nowhere near that of a dome’s. It also is what provides the ship’s growing instruction and long range communication.”

Legon’s eyebrows rose. “How far away can we communicate?” He asked, obviously curious.

“Well, to Manton by voice and even image and to immediate ships, but with written communication and some voice messages all the way to the capital.” There was a note of pride in Tuneal’s voice.

Admittedly, Sasha was just as flabbergasted as her brother was. She could feel waves of amazement rolling off his consciousness. They walked about the ship taking in its marvels, and like the dragon dome she couldn’t help but be a little intimidated. The end of their tour found them on the bow poking their heads over to look at the platinum that ran deep under the keel.
 

“What do you think, un Prosa?” Tuneal asked.

“To be honest, I am a little overwhelmed, but amazed. How new is she?” Legon asked.

Tuneal laughed. “Un Prosa, this ship has serviced Evindass since the War of Generations.”

“But that’s impossible. That would make it over two thousand years old!” Sasha exclaimed.

Tuneal smiled in a way that she was used to by now, the smile that was patient with their newness to the world of immortals.

“Now it is time for us to leave. If you like, you may join me on the bridge.”

“Yes, that sounds interesting. Sash?” Legon said.

“I’ll stay here, thank you. I’ve never been to the ocean and I can’t wait to see it.”

Legon left her with a friendly squeeze of the arm. She knew he worried about her episodes but for once she did not join him. The Propero made her feel excited. She was going to a new home. She was going to see the sea. The ship’s ties could not be loosened fast enough for her.
 

The harbor faded into misty oblivion as the ship left shore. There was a slight sound of the sails catching the wind and spray crept up the bow, dappling her face with saltwater. Magic told her that she was far away from the shore and the only sound was that of the Propero gliding along. Her muscles relaxed as all thoughts of danger faded with the distant shore. She felt her eyes close as her hair drifted around her face.
 

A nudge in her mind brought her off the edge of bliss. The feeling was agitated. “Sasha, there are three ships on the horizon out of sight. Get your little butt to the bridge,” Legon’s voice rang.

She moved quickly spotting Legon and a few other Elves on the top next to the wheel. “What is it?” she asked.

“We think it’s the raiders. They’re adrift. Most ships won’t move with this fog and so close to shore,” Tuneal said.

There was the stress again. “Will they see us?” she asked.

Tuneal answered, “Most assuredly.” He didn’t sound scared or even concerned.

“Can they catch us?”

Tuneal raised an eyebrow at her and he smiled tauntingly. “Dear Un Prose, are you saying my ship, your ship for that matter, cannot handle three human barges?”
 

She was confused. “I thought you said they were raiders.”

Another Elf spoke, the first redheaded Elf she’d seen. His brown eyes blazed. “Compared to thy ship, mine lady, they be but logs adrift!” and with that odd pronouncement the Elf leapt into the air and on the deck crying commands.

She wasn’t sure what to say or if she should laugh or not. Tuneal chuckled. “Neenor has a taste for theatrics, plus, he’s been at sea a extraordinarily long time.”

“I like him,” Legon said. “Makes me feel like it’s not a bad thing that we are headed toward three ships that would most likely want to kill us.”

Tuneal grunted. “Don’t fuss over them. If they saw us they’d be sailing the opposite way. Go stand with the archers at the front of the ship Legon, you will see.”

Deep below deck, the Propero’s main crystal fired commands to the ship, raising wards and sending messages to the fleet and targeting the enemy vessels. Slipping spells ran along her hull, reducing friction from the water to almost nothing, and she crept forward faster than before.
 

Sasha felt the air on deck change as fire suppression wards activated, and with a
whoosh
the Elves on board raised the sails. From her peripheral vision she caught the site of long oars extending into the water. She still couldn’t see the raiders with her own eyes, and she could only see their outline with Legon’s more powerful ones.
 

Water turned as the oars moved faster and faster. She felt the ship speeding forward and the wind blowing her hair. The oars were no more than a blur now and she could see the outline of three ships in the distance through the mist. She stole herself into the ship’s main crystal as it activated spells to aid the ballistae. Their course was straight to the center raider. What was Tuneal playing at? Was he going to play chicken with the ships? Something in her mind clicked—images of the beautiful platinum bow that Sydin told her was a strong alloy, and its finely tapered edge that so resembled a blade.
 

The raiders were close now. There were signs of the men running about trying to move before the Elvin ship attacked.
 
Bolts from the ballistae at the bow of the Propero launched into the sky, bursting into flames after twenty feet and hurtling across the void. As they hit the ships on either side of the center, bellows of fire ten feet around engulfed the landing spots, covering the two ships in flames and death. Sasha shut the connection with her brother as his ears picked up the screams of agony that hers could not yet hear. Still, the center ship was unscathed. She didn’t need to feel the main crystal activate the cutting spell on the forward edge of the blade to know what the gleaming silver front was used for.
 

When they were mere yards from the center ship, the Propero sounded collision. The oars snapped back in the ship and she grabbed hold of something without thinking.
 

Then they hit. She wasn’t thrown from her feet. The massive ship barely shuddered as it hit the other right in its center. The other ship didn’t seem to put up a fight—it disintegrated into a jumble of wood and bodies as they passed through. As the Elvin archers came level with the exposed decks, they fired at the scrambling crew. Then it was over the stern slipped through the wreckage, the oars came back out and the ship was propelled forward.
 

* * * * *

Legon stood at the bow with his bow at the ready. The water was hissing against the blade and he saw the ballistae being prepared. The view of the opposing ships was easy for his Elvin eyes to see; they were growing larger. Scraggy men ran along their decks readying themselves for a fight. The ballistae fired, sending wooden bolts toward the enemy vessels. As they left the ship they burst into flames, landing on the decks of the ships. Sasha’s mind pulled away as men burned. The center ship was growing closer and he couldn’t be bothered with the defeated two. He drew the bow back. Then, CRUNCH! Wood and debris flew, sending men and weapons everywhere. As they came level with the enemy ship, Legon fired into the panic-stricken deck, each of the Elves’ arrows finding mark. He reloaded and fired before a human eye could catch the movement, dropping two more, and then they were passing and the oars were out.

Legon stood transfixed at the two halves of the center ship as they slipped under the waves. On either side, the two others were doing likewise. Great clouds of steam filled the air from where the burning wrecks touched the water. He walked to the bow and looked over the edge. No surprise—the only thing marring the bow blade was a smudge of red paint from the other ship’s waterline. The Propero slowed and soon he heard the orders to lower the sails. All was back to normal. Now he understood the power of the Pawdin Navy, understood why Hoelaria refused an invasion. A thudding in the distance told him Sydin was on his way. He walked to the stern of the ship and saw Sasha looking back at the ruins. She was trembling slightly, but quieted at a touch from his mind.
 

The hulking black form of Sydin dropped from the Fog. His hind legs touched on a bar from the back of the ship and he transfigured back into his Elvin form.

Agitation was plain on his face. “Are you two all right?” he said, speaking to Sasha.

“Yes,” she answered.

He shook his head. “Last time I stay in town to tie up loose ends!” he nodded to Tuneal.

“Is that how our Navy fights?” Sasha asked.

Sydin glanced at Tuneal for him to explain. “Yes, in essence. There is a bit more when we fight ships that are more up to par. What you saw today was nothing. These raiders are barely more than armed cargo ships. If they didn’t kill so many people we wouldn’t have used such force.”

A thought occurred to Legon. “The Iumenta can’t make things grow. What are their ships like?”

Sydin picked up the thread. “Not like ours. They are powerful, yes, but still not on the same level. Their ships have a ceramic shell on the outer hull. It’s extremely hard to penetrate and being stone, fireproof.”

Neenor was up with them now and gave a slight bow to Sydin. “But once that shell is cracked, the ship is simple to take down. Their bows are thick and strong like our metal ones, but they aren’t as fast, and once their outer defenses are taken care of, they are done.”

“That’s good to know, so why use wooden ships for the human fleet? They can’t want humans that outmatched?”

Sydin shook his head. “It’s not that. The ships are expensive, even for the Iumenta. It takes a long time to make them. The human ships are meant to be fast and light to distract ours during a battle, giving the heavy ceramics time and space to bear down on us. Even then, it’s a fight they’d rather not get in.”

They didn’t pursue the subject anymore and Neenor went below to send word to Manton.