and her posture was submissive to the older woman. Jenna let go and stared at her for a brief moment, then hurried over to the ballista again and began to reload it. Without the help of Keshira it took her far longer to seat the bolt and crank it back.
By the time Jenna was ready the Voidhawk had nearly reached its top speed. The other ship had gained on them while they struggled to get underway, however, and trailed them by only a few hundred yards. She aimed and fired again, the bolt glancing against one of the arms of the ram and slamming into the railing of the ship. Broken wood floated away from it, but no serious damage was done.
Kragor yelled for them to come about, intent upon swinging into some rubble from the asteroid field that might allow a smaller ship like the Voidhawk more room to maneuver than the bloated vessel that chased them. It moved faster than they did, thanks to it having larger sails and more of them, but the dwarf was sure it could not turn as quickly.
The Voidhawk rounded a group of floating boulders, and sought to put on some speed so it could hopefully make another turn into the rock-filled void before its pursuer could negotiate the first turn. Kragor cursed when he saw four smaller ships laying in wait ahead of them.
They were spiders, small tactical craft used for boarding larger craft. Each could carry ten men, not including the pilot, and each possessed a special ballista that fired a weighted net. Their final namesake came from the 8 legged landing gear each craft possessed.
Kragor looked around, desperate for an option. Ahead of him, spread out along the only clear path through the asteroids, lay the spiders. Behind him, just now rounding the collection of loose rocks that had gathered together, lay their original assailant. The dwarf cursed and loosened the pistol at his side.
“Make ready to repel boarders,” He called out, his tone clearly one of anger. To himself he snarled, “I’ll not lose his ship without a fight!”
Jenna cursed her position at the stern. She looked to Bailynn and called out to her, “Tend that sail, slayer, and do what you do best when they board us!”
She turned and was gone then, running across the deck and leaping up the stairs to the forecastle to the ballista mounted there. She loaded the lighter weapon more rapidly by herself than the heavy one to the aft, though it was still a time consuming process. Once loaded she had time only to aim and fire it at a single approaching spider, and succeeded in spearing one of the invaders aboard it with the bolt.
She abandoned the siege weapon and drew her pistol next, as the spider she had fired upon closed the distance. It landed upon the bow, the legs latching onto the railing and digging into the decking to secure a grip. Orcs, goblins, and lizardmen issued forth from it, leaping over the sides and dropping to the deck in anticipation of blood and battle.
Jenna was happy to give them their wish. Her pistol cracked, sending a lead ball deep into the belly of an orc, and leading the way for her own charge into their ranks, twin blades singing. Another spider landed on the forecastle, behind her and closer to the main deck. The third landed upon the main deck and the fourth on the stern castle, where Bailynn alone awaited them.
Jenna heard Kragor’s curses, bellows, and roars as he fought the invaders amidships. Keshira fought as well, easily smashing aside the humans and humanoids that came at her. From the stern there was no sign of resistance that the embattled elf could discern. She cursed under her breath at leaving the girl back there, then felt the impact of a club against her back, driving her forward and sending the air from her lungs. She recoiled and spun, sword cutting a bloody furrow in the cheek of the man that had stung her.
Jenna was hit again after skewering a goblin through the lung. She turned to deal with the latest threat that had her reeling and slipped on the body of the dying goblin. She caught herself but was off balance and unguarded, allowing another club to strike at her and clip her chin.
The elf crashed to the ground, grunting as she hit. She struggled to get up but hands were grabbing at her and restraining her. She heard Jodyne call out angrily in the distance, and heard an answering roar of rage from Kragor. She bit out at an arm that crossed in front of her face and tasted the blood of her assailant. She heard no more after that, for her head was smashed against the deck and darkness claimed her.
“So, Cap-“
“I’m thinking,” Dexter snapped.
Rosh was silent a moment longer then decided enough time had passed. “We been here for more than an hour. Thinking ain’t gonna get us out.”
Dexter turned on the man, his eyes narrowed angrily. He opened his mouth then shut it and shook his head. “Rosh,” he said after a moment of forcing himself not to lash out, “I’m happy to hear any thoughts you might have on this.”
He paused again, gazing out over the sand that still swim with the movements of the creatures beneath the surface of it. “But if you’re not having any, then be silent so I can!”
“I say we run for it,” Rosh offered, happy to have a chance to make a suggestion.
“Run for it?” Dexter repeated, nearly stupefied. “You saw what them…things… did to that metal cup? They tore it to bits!”
“Aye, but they didn’t get me,” Rosh said. “I managed to get up here without spilling my blood.”
“That was only one,” Dexter reminded him. “You got lucky. There’s what, at least six of them now, probably more.”
“So we run faster,” Rosh said, not wanting to abandon his idea out of pure stubbornness.
“Wait,” Dexter said, staring at the tables. “They can’t get us, we’re on this rock, not the sand.”
“Yeah, but there’s plenty of sand between here and there,” Rosh said impatiently.
Dexter turned to him, grinning. “How far is it, you reckon?”
Rosh turned and studied the distance to the staircase from the marble dais they stood upon. “About 18 feet, maybe a few more.”
Dexter looked back at the tables and smiled. “I’ve got me an idea.”
Jenna awoke to find herself confined in a cell with Bailynn, naked. Bailynn sat against a wall, cradling her knees to her chest while tears ran down her cheeks.
Jenna forced herself up, fighting the urge to groan at her many bruises. Her head swam with the effort and abuse it had taken along the way. She made her way to Bailynn and sat along the wall beside her. She was silent for a long moment before she spoke.
“I see no bruises or injuries upon you, did you fight at all?” Jenna asked roughly.
Bailynn shook her head, refusing to look up.
“I see,” Jenna said, sighing. “The elves created you to be a killing machine and all you did was cry and be taken captive. You spilled none of their blood, you are hardly worth the title slayer.”
Bailynn look up, briefly, and whispered, “good!”
“Yes, that’s just great,” the elf said sarcastically. “We needed a heartless murderer to fight them off, and you turn from that to being worthless.”
Jenna stood up, ignoring the pain in one hip, and stalked away to peer out the windows of the room that served as their cell. She studied it closely, then continued to look at the room in search of a way out. She noticed the smell in the room, of unwashed bodies and the stale leftover odors that happen from too many people kept in an enclosed area too long. Her fears were confirmed, they were in the hold of slavers.
“Why do you hate me?”
Jenna’s head snapped around so she could stare at Bailynn. It was the first sign of true freedom and intelligence the girl had displayed. She stared at her for a long moment, her eyes boring into the human.
“Because you remind me of how cruel my people can be,” she said finally and openly. “They justify it as a necessary evil, but it remains an evil.”
“I have nightmares,” Bailynn said. “I remember things they did… to me. Lessons they taught, and things they made me do.”
Jenna showed no outward sign, but inside she felt an icy hand twist her heart with every one of the girl’s sentences. She wanted her to stop, and nearly ordered her to do so, but somehow she felt as though she deserved to hear her plight. As if, in hearing it and in feeling her pain, she could somehow atone for the wrongs that had been done to Bailynn.
