Chapter 15

Mya leaned against the railing on the back of the Seared Lady . A line hooked to it and her belt. Everyone on the ship was wearing two of them, keeping one connected to the ship’s lines or anchor points at any time.

The whole thing was made of wood that was fire retardant and light. People ran along the masts on either side. Others were up in the main rigging. Below decks people manned the cranks that would raise and lower the sails as well as their telescoping masts.

Mages that would have altered and guided the winds and heat wore their best gear and waited behind their casting doors, ready and waiting for what was to come.

Once they were out of view from port, the Cold Flow had gone to full sail and the mages worked to speed their passage. While it might not have been on proper water, the rush and speed of the ship had had Mya grinning ear to ear.

They met up with the rest of Sarnai’s flotilla to continue their headlong rush for an intercept point they’d identified along the route that the Emberclaw ships were supposed to take.

And so they waited.

“Ships sighted,” Olva, the woman that had been with Sarnai, her communications officer, said.

Tension spread through everyone in the immediate area.

“Time till they reach us?” Sarnai asked

“Fifteen minutes.” Olva said. “They’re following the plotted route.”

“Confirmed to be Emberclaw?”

“Wearing their colors and the ships are known to us,” Olva said.

“Alright, get everyone up and ready, we have a convoy to raid,” Sarnai said.

Communications officers started talking into their various devices. The combined flotillas were hidden in the alcoves at the edge of the molten sea, among the islands that floated upon the molten sea’s hot eddies.

Mya tapped on the railing as the minutes ran down. Hope the other Flotillas do well .

“Give the order,” Sarnai said.

Calls rang out between the crews as sails above and below the ship were unravelled. Mages called upon heat and air as the Seared Lady picked up speed, moving around the island they’d taken shelter. Four other ships moved with them, gaining speed as they used the updraft of hot air to hurl themselves forward.

They came around the island, spotting the enemy convoy, some thirteen ships moving quickly through the area.

Two dozen Marauder ships dropped away from the caverns in the cliffs they’d been holed up in, dropping into the depths of the sea, the superheated air giving them greater speed and sending them up into the air.

Another dozen of the largest ships rounded the islands around the oncoming fleet.

“Fire!”

Ballistas were the weapons of choice, using superheated gasses to actuate a piston that hurled the bolts away. Each enchanted with cooling formations.

Their chilling runes activated, causing them to drop quickly. Dual balilsta fired bolts with a chain inbetween, aimed for the frill of sails around each ship.

Many missed, but with over three dozen ships, they had volume on their side.

Bolts slammed home and activated fully. The cooling effect slowed the ships and made them drop in altitude.

Chain-bolts tore through masts and sails, doing much the same as the cold-bolts. The cold bolts that missed and hit the molten sea detonated as the cold and heat fought against one another.

“Ships are focusing on lift already!” One watcher yelled.

“Good stuff!” Sarnai said.

“Focusing on their lift?” Mya asked a nearby guard.

“If too many sails are taken out, or the sea is too cold, then a ship’s crew will have to focus on keeping the ship from descending into the sea below and burning up. Those ships are focusing on not falling into the sea more than anything.”

“So they’re effectively out of the fight,” Mya said.

“Yes, unless they can get more heat or more sail.” The guard nodded.

A second volley followed, about half of the ships were now slowly moving forward, the crews doing everything to stay afloat.

“Release the raiding birds and boats!” Sarnai said.

Raiding ‘birds’ dropped away from the ship, their two wings and a tail were made from sail cloth, wires connected them to the pilots who flew them across the heat streams. In their belly lay six crew members, ready for the fight.

Boats dropped away from their winches, stretched out their wings and the pilot mages powered the tiller and wings to carry the twenty or so crew to the enemy ships.

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They rose up high above moving around the ships that were still moving, trying to escape.

Two of the Emberclaw ships lost too many sails and tilted, dropping towards the sea below. Their crews fought to pull them up and escape. Hits continued to strike them, driving them deeper. Parts of the ship started to burn, one dropped away quickly and struck the lava below.

Its keel sails snapped, the ship flipping forward and crashing bow first into the molten rock. It came apart in a spray of rock and ship.

Cold bolts exploded with the heat change, tearing open great holes in the ship, most of it burning or slipping under the lava’s waves.

The second ship tried to pull up, its starboard masts were torn out with a good barrage. The ship tilted starboard and into the sea, coming apart.

The Seared Lady shuddered with impacts, the ship dipping as cold bolts struck.

“Tear out those bolts!” Sarnai hollered.

Crews armed with tools hacked at where the bolts stuck into the surface of the ship, cutting them away.

A chain bolt tore through the upper reaches of the sails, snapping a mast that got caught up in the rigging of the others.

“Cut the mast free!”

Crews clambered up the masts, setting out with the blades to cut out the mast and leave the sails free.

Mya pulled her eyes back to the raiding boats. There were hundreds of them closing on the Emberclaw ships. Crews leaned over the sides with firing their bows and crossbows. The enchanted ones left a trail of magical light, a thousand small pin pricks of light crossing back and forth as the crews of the enemy ships fought them back.

“Hold fire, all ships are fighting to stay aloft, close with to board,” Sarnai said.

Crew members jumped from the boats to the decks and masts of the enemy ships, the rate of projectiles hurled back an forth dying down.

The larger ships closed with the Emberclaw ships. Those from along the cliffs rose up like whales from the deep. Rising higher than the enemy ships, crew jumped clear, using special clothing or spells to land on the ships and overwhelm them.

Bolt shot stopped coming from the ships. The sounds of fighting climbing as they closed with the ships.

Another ship tilted and began falling. Boarders tried to jump free. Doubt they’ll all get out of there . Mya grimaced as the ship hit the sea below like a dart.

The Marauder ships circled the Ember claw ones.

“Have damaged ships take up positions away from the enemy ships and effect repairs,” Sarnai said.

The ships shifted around one another, raiding boats returned, winched back up and loaded with more fighters, ferrying them back towards the ships. The birds landed among the masts and headed off again.

There was a tension among the crew. One Mya knew well, but it wasn’t her ship, wasn’t her crew. She knew the plan they were to follow. It was cold, but effective.

“Boarders signal they control all ships,” Olva said.

“Now the battles won, you going to tell me, just why this convoy was so important?” Sarnai turned to Mya.

She unclipped her line. “Lets go over and see for ourselves.”

“Boarding boat to be ready!” Sarnai yelled.

People that had been about to board one of the boats moved to the side. It hung from a hoist, sails had been pulled back like fish fins on either side.

Two crew waited at the rear as Mya stepped up and over the side and into the boat.

“Anyone that can fit jump on,” Sarnai said as she stepped into the boat after her with four of her guards.

Mya sat on the forward most bench, hooking her safety line into the eyelet there. The crew waiting on the ship hurried to board, filling the rows of seats, attaching their lines and putting their hands on the boards.

Runes, etched into the planks began to glow, the lines connecting them to the hoist slackening.

One of the two crew that had been on first removed the lines holding them to the hoist.

“Free!”

The other pushed against the side of the Seared Lady , moving them away from the ship. “Clear!”

They moved their hands and formed spells, sitting in the rear row and putting their hands behind them.

The little ship moved forward, slowly at first and quickly gaining speed as the two pilots expertly used spells to cut through the air.

The boat bobbed and weaved, riding the thermals over to the captured ships.

Some of the enemy crew were strung up with rope along the opposite railings as they approached the flagship.

Infernal Marauders greeted them as they closed with the ship, throwing out at hoist line, reeling them to the ship.

“Secure!” One called out.

People released their seats and started the quick unhook, shuffle onto the ship and hook back in.

Mya moved with them and headed for the hold, Sarnai and her people trailing.

“You’re screwed! You all just signed your death warrants, the clan is going to kill you all, the Cinderborn and the Molten Fist will hunt you down!” A Infernal Marauder punched the talker.

The top hatches had been opened. Mya released her line, attaching to one in the hold and dropped down.

She cast mage lights, ghostly lights appeared around her, illuminating the boxes within.

Each was stamped with the Nether Forge Consortium’s mark.

“What are these?” Sarnai asked as she looked at the crates.

“Should be modified molten gliders, Nether Forge Guardians and city breaking weapons.” Mya grabbed the side of the crate and pulled it open, revealing the packed four armed fighting guardian within.

She patted its armor hide. “Think you’ll be able to win against Emberclaw with these now?”

Sarnai laughed. “Think we can do something with them for sure.”

“Thirty percent of whatever we get remember!” Mya headed for the stairs. “Though if you’re looking for more gear I could part with some of it.”