Mad Moon of Dreams (18 page)
Read Mad Moon of Dreams Online
Authors: Brian Lumley
Strange Alliance
Some three miles over the mouth of the great moon-shaft, the flotilla recommenced its weird rotation; and despite maximum use of flotation engines, the seven ships began to be drawn inexorably down out of the lunar sky. As they corkscrewed ever lower the cannons were loaded with powder and balls, the crews took up weapons and readied themselves to adopt defensive position, and all was put in order for the battle which seemed about to break.
Limnar Dass, however, ever the sky-Captain, was sorely puzzled. Granted, the enemy had an overwhelming majorityâthey had freedom of movement, too, for it could be seen that their sails were filled and that they navigated quite normally outside the spiral whorlâbut should these advantages make them so contemptuous of the flotilla's firepower? For the ships of the Lengite fleet did not seem to be taking up battle positions at all but were merely milling about like a crowd of excited spectators!
Only one small group of enemy vessels seemed to display any real purpose at all, and these hemmed in an even smaller nucleus of shipsâthree in numberâwhich tacked to and fro as if seeking an exit through the cordon. Seeing all this from on high, from a vantage point no sky-Captain could possibly resist, Limnar put his glass to his eye and scanned the scene
more minutely. What he saw then caused him to beckon both Hero and Eldin to his side.
more minutely. What he saw then caused him to beckon both Hero and Eldin to his side.
“Those three ships down there are
Shantak, Shroud
and
Chrysalis,”
he informed, “and it looks like their masterâor mistresses, as the case may beâhave finally come to their senses. They appear to be trying to make a break for it!”
Shantak, Shroud
and
Chrysalis,”
he informed, “and it looks like their masterâor mistresses, as the case may beâhave finally come to their senses. They appear to be trying to make a break for it!”
“Huh!” the Wanderer callously grunted. “Well, good luck to them.”
“We, too, have had our eyes on that lot,” said Hero, indicating the milling fleet far below. “Frankly, we don't give a hoot for the problems of Zura, Lathi and the Isharransâbut there's something decidedly wrong with the rest of this set-up.”
“So you've noticed it too, eh?” Limnar raised his eyebrows. “Well, say on. Let's see if we've arrived at the same conclusion.”
“The way we see it,” Eldin took it upon himself to explain, “is that these Lengites are either damned poor sailors and strategists, or else they're plain stupid. Just look at 'em down there. They've not bothered to make ready for battle at all. Their formationâif you can call it a formationâis a total mess!”
“Seems to us,” Hero now put it in a nutshell, “that they're merely jostling for a ringside seat!”
“My own conclusion exactly,” Limnar grimly nodded. “They're not here to fight, simply as spectators. They're so sure we're doomed that they're just going to sit there and watch us go plummeting into that holeâlike so many leaves swilled down a gutter.”
Suddenly Hero, whose eyes were still taking in the scene below, gave a start and leaned farther over the rail. He pointed excitedly downward. “Look there! Yon cordon's left a gap and our black-hearted friends from the dreamlands are making a run for it!”
Limnar again put his glass to his eye, said: “Fools! They're being shepherded into the spiral, fed directly into Mnomquah's maw!”
“Aye, and they've twigged it,” cried Eldin. “See how they turn and fight!”
Shantak
and
Shroud
âand Lathi's paper ship
Chrysalis,
tooâall had turned back from the moonbeam whorl to fire massive broadsides at the harrying horned ones. One Lengite ship was severely stricken, losing all of her canvas and much of her superstructure in the first withering fusillade; and a second vessel literally blew to bits in the sky as a lucky shot found her magazine. And despite the fact that the three fugitive ships had been mortal enemies, still
Gnorri's
crew gave a cheer at the sight of the closest Lengite vessels turning tail. Any glee was short-lived, however, for more enemy ships were soon on the scene. Slowly but surely the three at bay were forced into the outer edge of the shimmering spiral.
and
Shroud
âand Lathi's paper ship
Chrysalis,
tooâall had turned back from the moonbeam whorl to fire massive broadsides at the harrying horned ones. One Lengite ship was severely stricken, losing all of her canvas and much of her superstructure in the first withering fusillade; and a second vessel literally blew to bits in the sky as a lucky shot found her magazine. And despite the fact that the three fugitive ships had been mortal enemies, still
Gnorri's
crew gave a cheer at the sight of the closest Lengite vessels turning tail. Any glee was short-lived, however, for more enemy ships were soon on the scene. Slowly but surely the three at bay were forced into the outer edge of the shimmering spiral.
By now the flotilla's altitude was much decreased, and it could be seen that the seven ships must soon sink down to the level of the three refugees as they were drawn deeper into the whorl. The Lengites on the other hand were now drawing well back, beyond the range of the flotilla's cannon, content to let the spiral moonbeam complete its work. And as the whorl tightened so its speed increased, drawing all ten ships closer together like bits of flotsam in a whirlpool, until all rotated within hailing distance of one another.
Finding Zura's
Shroud
suddenly alongside and seeing the zombie princess herself defiant on the bridge, Hero called out: “How now, Zura? Are you beginning to regret your alliance with the moonbeasts? You've seen their cities, how alien they are, and you've surely learned the bitter lesson of any contract made with them. Why, they almost make your zombies seem wholesome by comparison!”
Shroud
suddenly alongside and seeing the zombie princess herself defiant on the bridge, Hero called out: “How now, Zura? Are you beginning to regret your alliance with the moonbeasts? You've seen their cities, how alien they are, and you've surely learned the bitter lesson of any contract made with them. Why, they almost make your zombies seem wholesome by comparison!”
“Ever the witty one, aren't you, David Hero?” she called back. “But I have to admit, it seems you're right. Shall we call a truce and fight side by side?”
“Aye, if it suits you,” he answered, “though I can only see us going down to hell together!”
At the stern of the ship Eldin made similar overtures toward Lathi, whose lovely face showed pale and outraged
from her cabin's window. “What's it to be, Lathi?” he roared across to her. “Are you with us now that you've seen Thalarion destroyed a second time?”
from her cabin's window. “What's it to be, Lathi?” he roared across to her. “Are you with us now that you've seen Thalarion destroyed a second time?”
“You burned my hive city to survive,” she shouted back. “Mnomquah acted out of greed, deceit and treachery! I am with you, questerâfor now.”
Farther afield,
Shantak'
s rigging was decorated with dangling corpses. Most of them were horned ones, but two ⦠they wore the apparel of the Dukes of Isharra, their silk-clad necks in nooses where they hung. “No need to ask whose side the Isharrans are on,” said Limnar Dass to Gytherik. “The crew has mutiniedâand it seems their masters remained madmen to the bitter end. Well, there are damned few of them, and they're poor sailors at that, but any port in a storm ⦔
Shantak'
s rigging was decorated with dangling corpses. Most of them were horned ones, but two ⦠they wore the apparel of the Dukes of Isharra, their silk-clad necks in nooses where they hung. “No need to ask whose side the Isharrans are on,” said Limnar Dass to Gytherik. “The crew has mutiniedâand it seems their masters remained madmen to the bitter end. Well, there are damned few of them, and they're poor sailors at that, but any port in a storm ⦔
And tighter the whorl drew the ten ships as their plunge became steeper and the mouth of Mnomquah's lair loomed up from below. Now they were within the shaft's jagged rim and level with the bulk of the Lengite fleet, and now they began to descend into darkness ⦠Which was when Hero gave a great yell and cried:
“Well, lads, what are we waiting for? We know who is reeling us in like a prize catch, don't we? We know who waits at the bottom of this damned pit! Come on, Gytherik, lad, wake up! Don't you see? If gunpowder can crack a great sea-wall, shouldn't it also be able to give old Mnomquah a knock?âEnough of a headache, perhaps, that he'll shut off this damned beam of his?”
As if to emphasize Hero's words (which really required no emphasis at all, since the funnel of the pit picked up his voice and magnified it ringingly, so that all aboard all ten ships heard it simultaneously) a great orange smoke-ring came rushing up from below to escape into the light even as the flotilla spun down into subterranean night. And still the echoes of Hero's cry rang from the walls of that mighty stone throat.
Thenâ
A sudden stir of purposeful movement in the gloom! A flaring of ships' lamps! The slamming of hatches thrown back and the rumble of rolling barrels! And above all Limnar Dass in command, controlling all, hurling out instructions, his voice utterly nerveless, steady as the moon-rock through which the flotilla now descended.
“Hear me all Captains,” he cried. “Use only half your powder made up into two equal lots. And to be on the safe side, two fuses to each lot. Long fuses, I think, to burn for at least a minute. First lots not to be dropped until I give the signal, second lots to be released automatically as soon as the first detonations are heard. And lads, they'll be loud bangs to be sure, so stuff your ears good and tight! Let's give this moon-God more than he bargained for, eh?”
He paused and breathed deeply of tunnel air, thought for a moment and listened to the sounds of urgent preparation in the gloom. For even down here the light was not wholly extinct. The atmosphere of the great shaft seemed sprinkled with luminous gold dustâyellow motes that streamed upwards and reflected the light of the lampsâMnomquah's beam exerting its monstrous, irresistible magnetism.
“And listen,” Limnar's voice rang out again. “All you engineers stand by your engines. Let 'em go full rip! Fill your flotation bags to bursting point. And if all works out the way we planâwell, you cannoneers will get a crack at the enemy yet! Now work, lads, workâand let's hear you yell when your bombs are ready, right?”
Minutes passed and the temperature mounted, and not merely as a result of the energy burned in frantic toiling. For as the ships of the flotilla descended toward the moon's core, a monstrous heat and the very fetors of hell rose up to meet them, telling their crews that time was now limited.
Sweating in the weak light of the deck lamps (for they dare not strike fire to unshielded torches), Hero and Eldin worked alongside
Gnorri's
regular crew, their bodies naked from the waist up and gleaming as if oiled. Now the kegs of powder were shaped into makeshift canvas bundles with fuses protruding,
and sections of the ship's rail were removed to ensure safe and easy ejection. Thenâ
Gnorri's
regular crew, their bodies naked from the waist up and gleaming as if oiled. Now the kegs of powder were shaped into makeshift canvas bundles with fuses protruding,
and sections of the ship's rail were removed to ensure safe and easy ejection. Thenâ
“Starspur
âready!” came a cry from somewhere to port.
âready!” came a cry from somewhere to port.
And,
“Skyhaze
âready!” from starboard.
“Skyhaze
âready!” from starboard.
And,
“Shroud
âready!” (A female voice, this time, and one Hero had never thought to hear with such relish!)
“Shroud
âready!” (A female voice, this time, and one Hero had never thought to hear with such relish!)
“Skipcloud,
ready!” As the echoes of one cry died away another took its place, until at last all that remained was an eerie silence. A silence broken only by the sounds of creaking rigging and the whoosh of an occasional smoke-ring as it rushed up, encircled, and rushed onâ
ready!” As the echoes of one cry died away another took its place, until at last all that remained was an eerie silence. A silence broken only by the sounds of creaking rigging and the whoosh of an occasional smoke-ring as it rushed up, encircled, and rushed onâ
âA silence out of which Limnar's words now fell like hammer blows on the ears of all who heard him: “First powder-bombs â¦
ready!”
he gave the signal. “Light fuses
ready!”
he gave the signal. “Light fuses
â¦
now!”
And finally,
“Bombs awaaayyy!”
now!”
And finally,
“Bombs awaaayyy!”
In the dim light, angular black masses were seen to fall from the sides of the shipsâappallingly slowly, it seemedâtumbling into the abyss and trailing sparks behind them. Then, seconds passed like hours while scores of hearts jumped and fluttered. Aboard
Gnorri,
Eldin closed his eyes, caught Hero's arm in a steely grip and began to whisper:
Gnorri,
Eldin closed his eyes, caught Hero's arm in a steely grip and began to whisper:
“Forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine,
fifty!”
fifty!”
With Hero taking up the beat: “Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-fourâ”
And Gytherik's youthful voice, beginning to show a few cracks now: “Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-sevenâ”
Limnar, “Fifty-eightâ”
Eldin again, “Fifty-nineâ”
Hero, “Sixty!”
And a pause, until â¦
“Sixty,
damn it!” Hero hoarsely repeated himself, making his words a command.
“Sixty,
damn it!” Hero hoarsely repeated himself, making his words a command.
And as if in response to that commandâ
From somewhere far below a dull boom sounded, blossoming into a fully-fledged roar as the first bomb exploded. And upon that instant, triggered by the blast, a ragged but concerted shout of approval rang out from the crews of the ten ships (excluding Zura's crew who could not shout, and
Lathi's who did not understand) and the second stick of bombs went whistling down to unknown depths.
Lathi's who did not understand) and the second stick of bombs went whistling down to unknown depths.
More explosions sounded, and one stupendous blast as several bombs detonated together in a chain reactionâand then the ships were reeling in a sulphurous, tearing wind from below, where a great expanding fireball lit up the bowels of the shaft as it rose menacingly toward them.
Deafened, blasted and half-blinded, the crews of the ten ships hung on for dear life in the maelstrom of mad, scorching winds and reeking odors which then engulfed them. But below decks the engineers stood to their engines, and on the bridges the Captains were there with whiplash commands, words of encouragement and praise; so that not a man knew panic where none was necessary. And again that ragged cheer, but louder now, as the moonbeam whorl blinked outâas the ships gave one last, simultaneous lurchâas the crews felt an unaccustomed surplus of weight beneath their staggering feet.
The flotilla was ascending!
Ascending, yes! Borne up by powerfully pulsating flotation engines, lifted on gunpowder thermals, tossed aloft by fire and thunder and all the stenches of hellâascending to a battle whose echoes would live in dreamland's legends for all time to come!
Battle at the Moon-pit
To the horned-one Captains of the many vessels which swarmed at a low altitude about the moon-pit's rim, it must have seemed that Mnomquah had taken his prey and that he now enjoyed the feast greatly. Certainly he was making enough noise about it, as the subterranean booms and belchings erupting from below clearly showed. Indeed, there had never been such sounds from the moon-God's lair before, not even on those occasions when he had drawn entire towns full of souls down into the black depths.
Of course, there were those several individuals among the prey this time whose activities had caused the darkside powers a great deal of dismayâand Mnomquah himself great rage and frustrationâso perhaps it was only natural that he should now vent his full fury upon them. How the oily waters of the Black Lake of Ubboth, the moon-God's sanctuary and former prison at moon's heart, must boil and froth now! And with these delightful thoughts in mind the almost-human Captains crowded their ships closer to the crater's rim, perhaps hoping for some sign or other proof positive from their blind and monstrous Master of Masters that their suppositions were well-founded.
A sign? If that was what they desired then they would soon be satisfied beyond their wildest expectations, but not with any sign of Mnomquah's planning.
On the contrary. For following close on the heels of a gushing emission of black smoke and sooty vapor, which acted as a smoke screen for the rapidly ascending flotilla, the bemused Lengite fleet suddenly found itself confronted with the damnedest and most unbelievable thing. Namely the ten “doomed” ships, most of them scorched and blackenedâespecially
Chrysalis,
who even smoldered a littleâbut airworthy as ever and, now that Mnomquah's moonbeam whorl was no longer in evidence, marvelously maneuverable.
Chrysalis,
who even smoldered a littleâbut airworthy as ever and, now that Mnomquah's moonbeam whorl was no longer in evidence, marvelously maneuverable.
And now, knowing that their powder was limited, the gunners of the ten ships seemed possessed of an uncanny accuracy as they began to pound away at close quarters, ravaging those enemy vessels whose Captains had allowed them to stray too close to the rim. Dumbfounded, the Lengites stood in the sky over that hideous gray and yellow moonscape and shook with the savagery of the flotilla's roaring cannons.
Those Lengites well away from the center of activity recovered first, but were unable to return fire in fear of hitting their already reeling and embattled comrades in the forward ranks. And as Limnar's little fleet sailed the circle, so her gunners crashed home shot after telling shot mercilessly into the now hopelessly confused and stampeding mass of enemy vessels. For this was what the flotilla's Captains and crews had been waiting for: something tangible at last, real targets upon which to wreak vengeance for all the atrocities perpetrated against their fellow citizens in the land of Earth's dreams.
Skipcloud's
cannons boomed fire and smoke ⦠and in another moment a panicked Lengite ship lost her bridge and aft superstructure before blowing herself to bits as a shot found her magazine.
Starspur
blew away a black vessel's keel and substructure amidships, her flotation engines, too, so that in the space of a few seconds she began to teeter, then slide, then plummet from the sky amidst clouds of roiling green gas. And from all about the sky above Mnomquah's crater, bits of debris rained slowly down; shattered planking and tangles of rope and canvas falling alongside the squat bodies of
silenced horned ones, and many who were not yet silent. So that to any observer-and there were observersâit must seem that despite the utterly overwhelming odds, if the Lengites did not soon pull themselves together, Limnar's flotilla must surely win the day.
cannons boomed fire and smoke ⦠and in another moment a panicked Lengite ship lost her bridge and aft superstructure before blowing herself to bits as a shot found her magazine.
Starspur
blew away a black vessel's keel and substructure amidships, her flotation engines, too, so that in the space of a few seconds she began to teeter, then slide, then plummet from the sky amidst clouds of roiling green gas. And from all about the sky above Mnomquah's crater, bits of debris rained slowly down; shattered planking and tangles of rope and canvas falling alongside the squat bodies of
silenced horned ones, and many who were not yet silent. So that to any observer-and there were observersâit must seem that despite the utterly overwhelming odds, if the Lengites did not soon pull themselves together, Limnar's flotilla must surely win the day.
But indeed some of those sinister black vessels were now rallying, though as yet their wild and spasmodic fire was proving as great a danger to friend as foe, and the large fleet was beginning to move into a battle formation of sorts. This sudden dawning of common sense and comparative calm-headedness among the enemy, however late, had coincided with an outbreak of shrill and urgent piping from on highâaudible even over the roar of battleâand with the appearance in the sky of a figure at once alien and commanding. It was Oorn's High Priest, risen up from one of the Leng ships astride a great horse-headed Shantak-bird to a point of central elevation from which he now plainly directed the horned-one counterattack.
Other Shantaksâmammoth, scaly creatures of notorious and half-fabulous reputeâwere already winging down from the Leng fleet toward a low domed hill crowned with a monolithic stone or pillar. The hill stood at the rim of the moon-pit, and Eldin, watching the descent of the Shantaks, lowered his eyebrows and wondered at the doubtless baleful portent of what was taking place. He tugged at Hero's jacket to attract his attention, and in the next moment the eyes of both questers went wide as a great door opened in the side of the hill to discharge a dozen or more beings whose appearance could only have been born of Man's worst nightmares. They were moonbeasts, and such were their jellyish movements that the questers now knew for a certainty just exactly whoâor whatâOorn's High Priest was. Except that he wore his robe of yellow silk while his cousins, who were pulling themselves up onto the backs of the Shantaks, had never known the need for any sort of subterfuge and were quite naked. Horribly so â¦
Neither Hero nor Eldin would ever be able to describe the creatures accurately, and this despite the fact that they would
soon have much to do with them; for such were the
anomalies
of the amorphous monstrosities that one no sooner got used to one such when another, usually worse, would take its place. They were gray, toadlike in a certain way, jellyish, blunt-snouted, in some cases blind (but in no way incapacitated) and in all cases utterly nightmarish to behold. They carried strangely carven flutesâfor just like Oorn's High Priest they could not speak in any normal tongueâthough about their mouths and in other areas of their beings wriggled bunches of pinkish tentacles like loathsome anemones, with which they appeared able at least to converse with one another.
soon have much to do with them; for such were the
anomalies
of the amorphous monstrosities that one no sooner got used to one such when another, usually worse, would take its place. They were gray, toadlike in a certain way, jellyish, blunt-snouted, in some cases blind (but in no way incapacitated) and in all cases utterly nightmarish to behold. They carried strangely carven flutesâfor just like Oorn's High Priest they could not speak in any normal tongueâthough about their mouths and in other areas of their beings wriggled bunches of pinkish tentacles like loathsome anemones, with which they appeared able at least to converse with one another.
“More priests of the moon-God,” said Eldin in disgust. “And do you see that tall boulder at the summit of the hill? Is that a statue, an idol, orâ”
“An idol, yes,” answered Hero. “Or at least it was, at some dim time in the moon's youth ⦔ He stared harder, his view obscured by smoke and the settling of debris from shattered ships. The outlines of the idol were hard to make out despite its huge size. Carved from some single block of primeval moonstone, there were vaguely reptilian lines to it. It stood upright like a man, but its forelegs were held in front like the paws of some great and scaly dinosaur from Earth's prime.
“A lizard-thing,” Hero finally decided. “Old Mnomquah's a lizardâbut a damn big one, you can bet your life on that!”
Until now Ula and Una had obeyed Limnar's orders and stayed out of harm's way in his cabin; but now, fully rested and mostly restored to their former loveliness, they could no longer restrain themselves from joining the questers at their position on
Gnorri's
bridge. And in all truth that smoke- and soot-grimed pair were glad to see them, for with the din of battle all around and the sky full of milling ships, smoke and green gas, Hero and Eldin were the only ones with nothing much to do. Gytherik had gone off at the double to bring his gaunts up onto the deck, and Limnar Dass commanded his ship with extraordinary skill as she spat fire and death at the enemy; but the questers were at a complete loss.
Gnorri's
bridge. And in all truth that smoke- and soot-grimed pair were glad to see them, for with the din of battle all around and the sky full of milling ships, smoke and green gas, Hero and Eldin were the only ones with nothing much to do. Gytherik had gone off at the double to bring his gaunts up onto the deck, and Limnar Dass commanded his ship with extraordinary skill as she spat fire and death at the enemy; but the questers were at a complete loss.
Eldin, itching to get into the fight, growled, “I could just
use a little close-quarter combat!” At which Una at once produced a rapier from her swordbelt and said:
use a little close-quarter combat!” At which Una at once produced a rapier from her swordbelt and said:
“If it comes to a fight, we stand right alongside you two!”
“Too true!” agreed Ula. “We're not quite shrinking violets, you know,” and she too produced a slender, gleaming blade. “Ham Gidduf, our father, believed a girl should be able to use a sword as well as any manâif only to protect herself from men!”
“Aye,” Hero nodded, “well, you're brave lasses, both of youâbut right now it's not men you've to worry about. Also, it's not likely to come to hand-to-hand fighting. We're heavily outnumbered and the horned ones are rallying. Especially now that the moonbeasts are directing their tactics. Lookâ!” And he pointed to where one of the flotilla's ships shuddered mightily as shots poured into her flanks. Suddenly the stricken vessel expanded as if taking in a great breath of airâ
âExpanded in fire and smoke and noise as her magazine blew her out of the sky in one great roaring detonation. “That was
Skipcloud
,” Eldin's voice was sick, “and
Cumulus
is also in trouble.”
Skipcloud
,” Eldin's voice was sick, “and
Cumulus
is also in trouble.”
Their eyes followed the Wanderer's pointing finger to where a second ship of Limnar's command went limping down toward the pit, her sails in tatters and her hull gaping. Even as they watched, a Lengite vessel vented flotation essence and followed her down, blasting off a mighty fusillade that completely shattered her substructure and sent her plummeting moonward. She missed the pit's rim with nothing to spareâonly to blow up in a bright gout of fire where she struck the ground.
Now the great scaly Shantak-birds were back in the sky above the battling ships, their toadlike riders tootling loathsomely on their talking instruments. “That's what I was waiting for,” cried Gytherik, as he swung up onto the bridge alongside his friends. “Those Shantaks haven't seen my grim yetâand there never was a Shantak-bird could stand the sight of a night-gaunt!”
With a single gesture he called the grim aloftâwas himself
picked up by Sniffer and Biffer and lowered into his saddle below the neck of the great gauntâand in a moment the entire grim was climbing toward the four corners of the sky on powerfully pulsing membrane wings. The questers watched them grow small with distance, saw them veer toward their chosen targetsâthen roared their encouragement aloud as panic pierced the Shantaks to their very hearts!
picked up by Sniffer and Biffer and lowered into his saddle below the neck of the great gauntâand in a moment the entire grim was climbing toward the four corners of the sky on powerfully pulsing membrane wings. The questers watched them grow small with distance, saw them veer toward their chosen targetsâthen roared their encouragement aloud as panic pierced the Shantaks to their very hearts!
In scant seconds the piping of the moonbeast riders grew frantic with terror as their mounts spied the gaunts, reared back, half-heartedly attempted to rally, and were routed in a panic-flight across the moon's sick sky. Such was their horror of night-gaunts (the reason for which no legend ever told) that they ignored utterly any commands their riders might have given them and fled; indeed, several of them actually threw moonbeasts from their backs to make for greater speed!
And no sooner were the Shantaks routed than the Lengite fleet once more fell prey to panic and mindless disorder. They had come to rely so heavily upon the instructions of their moonbeast masters that without themâ
“They're useless!” Eldin spat out his distaste. “Damn me, if we had ten more ships we could win this fight outright! Just look at Lathi's
Chrysalis
!”
Chrysalis
!”
At that very moment the
Chrysalis
was sailing between a pair of enemy vessels at such close quarters that with a good run a man might leap between decks. The Lengites were pounding away but their shots were simply punching through the paper ship just below deck level and passing out the other sideâto crash resoundingly into stout Lengite timbers. They were destroying each other! As Lathi's leprous ghost of a ship emerged from between them, holed but otherwise unharmed, one blew up in a sheet of fire and the other commenced a slow spiral into the moon-pit.
Chrysalis
was sailing between a pair of enemy vessels at such close quarters that with a good run a man might leap between decks. The Lengites were pounding away but their shots were simply punching through the paper ship just below deck level and passing out the other sideâto crash resoundingly into stout Lengite timbers. They were destroying each other! As Lathi's leprous ghost of a ship emerged from between them, holed but otherwise unharmed, one blew up in a sheet of fire and the other commenced a slow spiral into the moon-pit.
Now a third Lengite closed with
Chrysalis
, but before enemy guns could be brought into play, Lathi's termen produced a “secret” weapon of their own. The watching questers gaped as muscled termen whirled fluffy white balls above their heads and released them at the astonished enemy. Where
they landed, these strangely plastic missiles burst and hurled out strands of sticky webbing in all directions, so that in a matter of moments the entire shipârigging, decks, cannon-ports, even the almost-human crewâwere caught up in the stuff like flies in a spider's web. Then Lathi's own cannonsâlightweight weapons, to be sure, but deadly for all thatâwere brought into play to finish the job.
Chrysalis
, but before enemy guns could be brought into play, Lathi's termen produced a “secret” weapon of their own. The watching questers gaped as muscled termen whirled fluffy white balls above their heads and released them at the astonished enemy. Where
they landed, these strangely plastic missiles burst and hurled out strands of sticky webbing in all directions, so that in a matter of moments the entire shipârigging, decks, cannon-ports, even the almost-human crewâwere caught up in the stuff like flies in a spider's web. Then Lathi's own cannonsâlightweight weapons, to be sure, but deadly for all thatâwere brought into play to finish the job.
And so the battle raged.
Thenâdisaster!
Two enemy vessels, converging on
Gnorri
in an unplanned but nevertheless deadly pincer, saw their chance and began to pound away. Limnar's gunners fired back; his engineer vented essence and
Gnorri
began a rapid descent; but the keel of one of the Lengites smashed through the rail amidships, bit deep into the deckâand jammed fast! Locked, both ships immediately began to sink down toward the rim of the moon-pit; and as horned ones came pouring down through the rigging onto
Gnorri
's decks, so Hero, Eldin, Ula and Una joined the fray.
Gnorri
in an unplanned but nevertheless deadly pincer, saw their chance and began to pound away. Limnar's gunners fired back; his engineer vented essence and
Gnorri
began a rapid descent; but the keel of one of the Lengites smashed through the rail amidships, bit deep into the deckâand jammed fast! Locked, both ships immediately began to sink down toward the rim of the moon-pit; and as horned ones came pouring down through the rigging onto
Gnorri
's decks, so Hero, Eldin, Ula and Una joined the fray.
It was a short fight for the four, but bitter and vicious. The almost-humans had superiority of numbers and were half-crazed with a strange mixture of fear and bloodlust, so that even as they died they drove the four back against
Gnorri
's shattered rail. There, at the edge of the sprung deck beneath the squat prow of the Lengite vessel, Hero saw the danger too late. The rim of the pit seemed to spin with the motion of the locked ships; the pockmarked surface loomed close; and as
Gnorri
's keel bit shudderingly into moondust so the enemy ship slipped free, broke her back on the jagged rim and slid aft-first into the pit.
Gnorri
's shattered rail. There, at the edge of the sprung deck beneath the squat prow of the Lengite vessel, Hero saw the danger too late. The rim of the pit seemed to spin with the motion of the locked ships; the pockmarked surface loomed close; and as
Gnorri
's keel bit shudderingly into moondust so the enemy ship slipped free, broke her back on the jagged rim and slid aft-first into the pit.
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