Northeast, into the wind, he said.
Slowly, the giant beganto change course. The bridge crew grasped railings and posts, fighting to keeptheir footing. They would be backtracking, Cyrus knew, but they would also be forcingRorroh’s fleet to tack hard into the wind. By the time the enemy was in a positionto strike, they would also be exhausted from a long night’s sailing.
“Is that the bestyou can do, sea witch?” Cyrus growled.
It was not.
***
IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. The sky was adeep, starless expanse and the sea was a vast, empty abyss. Nothing could be seenbeyond the glow of the wall’s torchlights, and all that could be heard was thecrashing of the waves.
Off the starboardcoast of the tail fortress, a small black vessel intercepted the fleeing BattleHune on its northeasterly course. The hune was exactly where their mistress hadsaid it would be twenty-four-hours earlier.
The boat madelandfall before an alveling sentry post. Like phantoms, two armored nagen slippedfrom the skiff and lobbed two dark orbs over the wall. Emerald smoke spit fromthe spheres, dizzying both the lookouts and the gunners alike. The nagen then scaledthe walls and unarmed all four alves before either pair could utter a single warning.
A second boat struckland beside the first. A nagen with an antlered helmet leaped ashore and heldthe line. Under cover of night, six alves snuck from the craft and crept up thebeach towards the steel battlements. At spear point, the coughing gun team openedthe hatchway. Then the six outcasts stepped back within the fortress’ walls. Wordswere exchanged, and promises were made. Finally, the armored nagen returned totheir vessels and vanished like smoke into the night, leaving the outcasts andthe Battle Hune’s alveling crew to their own devices.
***
CYRUS WOKE to a feeling of panic and dread. He cast around for his bearings.He was slouched in the captain's chair of the fore bridge, surrounded by a crewof a half-a-dozen klops.
“What time is it?”Cyrus demanded.
“Just after midnight,”Sergeant Kron replied.
“Cyrus, you okay?”Edward asked.
The spider stood watchon his best friend’s shoulder. At least six halfbreed blodbad clung to thebridge deck all around.
Cyrus searchedhimself. Was the fear a part of a bad dream? No, it was Gabriel. The hune wasterrified. Cyrus leaped to his feet and searched the sea. He could see nothingbeyond the wall’s torchlights. Rorroh’s fleet was running dark. Had she caught upto them? Impossible.
“I want statusreports, now,” Cyrus ordered.
The signal klops waivedtheir torches. Lookouts down the lines responded.
“All clear from thehead fortress,” the port side officer replied.
There was a delay fromthe starboard wall.
“What’s the news?”Cyrus demanded.
The communicationsofficer continued to search the length of the wall. The klops and alve riflemenalong the parapets stared back confused. Cyrus was growing impatient.
“The tail fortressis all clear,” the starboard officer finally responded.
Something was notright. Cyrus rounded on Sergeant Kron.
“Assemble a batalhasquad, now,” he ordered, “We need to search the tail fortress immediately.”
“For what?” Edwardasked.
“I don’t know.”
Chapter27
THE WITCH’S FOG
CYRUS REMAINED VIGILANT on the deck of the fore bridge, waitingfor the search party to report in. His eyes were sunken and deep. His stomachached. Edward slept, curled up on his shoulder. His communications officers satleaning, half-asleep, against the bow rail. Tattooed Sergeant Kron stood like astatue at Cyrus’ side.
The Battle Hunecontinued on its northeasterly course. The cold, starless night was becoming a bleak,foggy morning. Cyrus searched the hazy sea for the enemy. He saw only ghostly, white-cappedwaves crashing against the barren shore.
A bald, middle-agedalve came dashing from the forest, sweaty and frightened. He clambered up thewooden stairway.
“What do you want?”Cyrus demanded.
The runner staredhorrified at the big, black spiders clinging to the bridge.
“Speak,” Cyrusordered.
“The- the fallbackwall is complete,” the shaky alve replied, “also, the batalha report nothing suspicious.”
Cyrus glared at SergeantKron. The big klops stared back blank-faced. Something was not right. Gabriel had sensed something.
“Where is thesquad now?” Cyrus asked.
Several rifle shotsechoed across the island. The alve froze.
“What’s happening?”Edward cried, springing to life on his best friend’s shoulder.
Cyrus sensed Gabriel’sfear. Then a flock of ragged black birds passed overhead.
Boom!
The unmistakablesound of cannon fire came from beyond the fog.
Crash!
The first round struckthe steel battlements, just below the bridge deck. The wood structure shook butheld strong.
“The witch isattacking,” Sergeant Kron shouted.
Cyrus pushed thesquad of batalha from his mind. He had to prioritize potential threats. His crewcame first. He needed to keep them focused.
“Everyone, staycalm,” Cyrus shouted. “We are protected behind eight inches of steel. If the enemycan hit us, we can hit them, and they are made of wood.”
He moved to the rearrailing where several loaded rifles were stockpiled.
“Ready the explosiverounds,” he shouted to the gun teams below. “Watch for cannon reports, thentarget their muzzle flashes in the fog.
“Relay those ordersto the rest of the gunners,” he shouted to his signal klops.
The officers beganto wave their torches high overhead. The incoming rounds struck the wall and shorealike.
How had the fleetcaught them in the night? It was impossible to sail that fast into the wind, orwas it?
The Battle Hune beganto return fire from the tail fortress’ starboard wall. The teams fired mostly shrapneland lead artillery, using their few explosive rounds sparingly.
Reports from the headfortress had yet to come in. Too much fog. The port side wall of the tail fortressstarted to engage. The thunder of cannon fire raged all around.
“Cyrus, look,” Edwardshouted.
Landing craftbegan to emerge from the fog. The boats were loaded with bearded rock klops garbedin leather and steel. Black birds circled their rafts overhead. Cyrus swalloweddeep his panic.
“Order the riflemento protect this wall,” he cried.
Nearby klops and alveson the parapets started to fire upon the intruders. The signal teams relayed Cyrus’order down
