“Not as badly as they do!” Wigg countered. “Jessamay must continue to climb theTammerland! But the weaker acolytes need us! It is the only way! The two remaining sisters that we cannot help will just have to do the best they can!”
Scars, Tyranny, and Shailiha watched the warriors take the three mystics in their arms. The Minions launched into the air and disappeared into the darkness over the stern rail.
Shailiha turned to look at Jessamay. The sorceress was near exhaustion, her legs shaking as she tried to keep theTammerland climbing ever higher. Just then Shailiha heard a terrible noise and turned to look.
As the wave chasing them drew ever nearer, the Minion hordes and the swarming Vagaries creatures clashed head-on.
LOOKING WEST, TRAAX COULD BARELY SEE THE GIANT WAVEas it approached the fleet. Straining with everything he had, he tried to fly faster. But blood loss from his wounded arm and carrying Aldaeous had taken their toll. He struggled higher, hoping to find a tailwind, but there wasn’t one.
He watched proudly as his warriors soared from the Black Ships’ decks to counter Serena’s deadly swarm. Like his friend Yuri and the other warriors who had died during the last battle, they would not understand about the creature’s deadly tails until it was too late. Desperate with frustration and anger, he screamed out a warning. But from so far away it of course did no good. Exhausted, he looked down at his unconscious friend.
Wondering if Aldaeous was dead, Traax hovered for a moment. Supporting Aldaeous as best he could with one arm, he felt for a pulse. There was none.
He remained like that for some time, wondering what to do. Finally he bid Aldaeous farewell and let go of the body. Tumbling end over end, it splashed into the dark sea.
Just then he heard a mighty crashing sound. Looking west, he saw Minion warriors by the thousands flying headlong into Serena’s deadly swarm. Stretching his wings farther, he did his best to again head for the fleet. Then he noticed something else, and his heart fell.
The Black Ships were climbing fast, thereby becoming even more difficult for him to catch. Worse, Tyranny had wisely ordered that the fleet turn west, trying to buy time in their escape from the monstrous wave.
Good, he thought. Perhaps they’ll survive. But by doing so, they have sealed my fate.
Straining with his last bit of energy, Traax tried to make up the growing distance between him and the fleet. But with each beat of his wings, the ships were pulling away even faster.
He suddenly felt something warm and wet against his skin. Looking over, he saw that his tourniquet had loosened and that fresh blood was streaming down his wounded arm. Exhausted as he was, there was no telling how long he had been bleeding. Reaching over with his right arm, he cinched the tourniquet tighter.
Looking west again, by this time he could barely see the fleet. Before starting out once more he looked down at Duvessa’s betrothal pin to find it splattered with blood. He flew on.
Soon his eyes grew heavy, and he knew it was the end. He struggled as best he could to stay in the air, but each wing beat had become tortured, useless.
My wings are so heavy, he thought. If only I could rest.
Then the blood loss finally overcame him.
His mind and body finally at the breaking point, Traax tumbled into the sea.
RAISING HER DREGGAN, DUVESSA STRUCK ANOTHER OF THEawful things from the air. After summoning her female warriors to the top deck of theCavalon, she had proudly led them against the swarming mass of creatures. From all around her came the sound of warriors screaming, and the beasts’ manic victory cries. The killing was happening at such a frantic pace that blood flew through the air almost in torrents.
Suddenly she saw one of the things snap its tail and wrap it around the waist of one of her warrior-healers. The warrior screamed wildly in pain. Flying to her, Duvessa raised her dreggan, and brought it down viciously.
Even so, the beast’s sinewy tail refused to sever. Again and again she cut into it until its victim was freed. She then plunged the dreggan’s tip into the beast’s right eye. Black blood spurted from the eyeball to splatter against her body armor. Looking down, she saw that it had covered Traax’s betrothal pin.
Suddenly a different emotion stabbed her heart, and she knew. It was often said that something in the Minion soul told each one when his or her mate was dying. Some claimed that it was a secret mechanism of the craft, purposely added to the spell Failee had used to create them. Others insisted that it was the Minions’ amazing sense of duty, binding each warrior to the other.
No matter the reason, Duvessa knew that Traax was failing, and she could do nothing about it. As tears ran freely from her eyes she harshly collected herself. Screaming, she viciously struck another of the terrible things down, hoping that it had been the one that had attacked her betrothed.
Her chest heaving, she swiveled in the air. Terrible carnage reigned for leagues in every direction. The dark night sky made it impossible to see whether the Minions were keeping the swarm from reaching the Black Ships.
Peering through the dark, she tried to see the fleet but couldn’t. Deciding that she must know the ships’ fates, she avoided two sidelong skirmishes and flew quickly upward, straight through the melee. Another beast lunged at her; she deftly avoided it. As she flew higher, another tried wrapping its tail around her leg but missed. Ignoring it, she kept going higher.
Finally she broke free of the fight. Here the sky was almost windless. Soaring westward over the raging battle, she finally reached its leading edge. She stopped to hover and looked down.
To the west, the six Black Ships were still struggling skyward. For some reason theTammerland, theFlorian, theCavalon, and theEphyra were well ahead of the others in their rush to avoid the giant wave. Aghast, Duvessa could only watch as the wave approached the sterns of the two slower ships.
It took theMalvina first, its relentless crest crashing down atop her. The ship’s bow wildly surfaced; then she exploded from the water to completely turn over in midair. Masts snapped like toothpicks, and all the ship’s superstructures were instantly wiped clean from her decks like leaves in a stiff breeze. Then the once-majestic ship broke cleanly in half and the wave engulfed her for the second and final time. Like nothing had happened, the terrible surge kept rushing forward, threatening another Black Ship.
TheIllendium was next. The wave’s incredible power slammed into the ship’s aft deck, tilting her vertical. Then the wave slammed flat against her entire topside and tore her apart. With a tortured groan theIllendium ’s remains were tossed about like pieces of some child’s broken toy. Then the wave’s crest cascaded over them, taking them and everyone aboard under. From her vantage point high in the sky, all Duvessa could do was watch.
As the wave crashed ever onward, Duvessa screamed with despair. Within moments it would reach theTammerland.
CHAPTER XLIX
AS THEIR MINION LITTER SOARED HIGH OVER TAMMERLAND, Tristan grinned at Rafe’s expense. Serves him right, he thought, after the way he kept me standing in the Sippora River that night.
Tristan believed Rafe to be an immensely brave man. But it was becoming clear that the highlander’s idea of travel was sitting atop a horse or a wagon-not flying through the sky in some contraption carried by Tristan’s bizarre Minions. As he fidgeted nervously in his seat, Rafe grasped the litter’s sides so firmly that his knuckles had gone white.
Ox and Abbey had also come along. Tristan smirked as he heard Ox occasionally bark out seemingly unnecessary orders to the litter bearers. At first Tristan couldn’t decide who the gigantic warrior was trying to impress-him or Rafe. Finally deciding that it was probably a little bit of both, he leaned back and watched the scenery go by.
The prince had several reasons for visiting the highlander camp. He wanted to be sure that everyone had arrived safely, and that Clan Kilbourne elders were content with where Tristan had asked them to stop. He also wanted to order the clan horsemen to the palace, so that they and the Minions could become acquainted with each other’s customs and tactics.
Then there was the need to be sure that the clan was properly supplied with food and other goods. Tristan knew the highlanders’ ways, and he wanted to stem as much thieving as possible. To that end, his reply to the
