“They’re only two hundred paces away!” Ingrid called in warning.
Suddenly several archers appeared on both pirate ships and ran to the bows in readiness.
Viggo gave a superior chuckle. “It looks as though they want to compete with us.”
“Well, it’s going to go seriously wrong for them,” Nilsa said.
“Show them what a Ranger’s worth!” Ingrid roared.
Before the first enemy archers could aim and release, they fell dead, struck by Nilsa, Ingrid, Viggo and Gerd’s arrows.
Lasgol, on the other hand, did not release. He had noticed that nobody was covering the archers on the other ship. By now Eicewald was finishing his spell. He had begun conjuring at a prudent distance, expecting to have finished by the time the ship was two hundred paces away. It was already there, but he had still not finished his spell. They needed to cover him, or he would be shot by the archers on the port-side ship.
“We need to cover Eicewald!” he shouted, and went to his side. Astrid, who as usual was alert to what Lasgol did, went to stand beside him. Their arrows hit two archers, who fell into the sea. Two arrows passed close to Eicewald, who without even flinching went on conjuring, with his staff held above his head.
“Viggo, Gerd, help to port,” Ingrid shouted. “Nilsa, with me. We’re going to finish off all those archers.”
“Done,” said the freckled girl.
They both released, and two archers met their death as they aimed. They had not been given enough time to release. Astrid, Lasgol, Viggo and Gerd began to shoot at the archers, who were already a hundred and fifty paces away. They released again and again, without blinking, concentrating hard, sending the enemy archers to the kingdom of the ice gods with their accurate shots. Viggo hit one in the center of his forehead and was congratulating himself, when two enemy arrows nearly hit him. He had to hurl himself to one side in a sudden leap.
“Be careful,” Astrid warned him. “Don’t let yourself get distracted …”
“Protect Eicewald!” Lasgol cried. He was sure that by now the Mage was about to finish his spell.
Luckily he was not mistaken.
Eicewald ended the great spell with a few words of power, then used his staff to make a circular movement in the direction of the ship to port. Suddenly an enormous winter storm began to form above it. The sky darkened over it, even though the rest of the sky remained clear. Massive lightning bolts struck the deck and its occupants, followed by deafening thunder. A powerful wind began to buffet the pirate ship, and at the same time the temperature fell drastically. The pirates ran from one side to the other, not knowing how to escape the lightning, the wind and the icy temperatures that were falling on the ship and beginning to freeze them alive.
“Phew! Full marks to the Mage!” Viggo cried.
“Very powerful,” Astrid agreed.
“The storm’s killing them,” said Gerd. He was watching a tremendous lightning bolt hitting four men, then forming an arc which hit another one.
“And freezing them,” said Lasgol. He could see the whole ship, from the sail to the hull, passing along the mast and deck between them, was being covered with ice and frost.
“That’s it for them,” said Astrid.
The strong wind of the storm was lashing the ship from side to side. By now it was on the point of capsizing.
Gerd was staring at the few pirates who were still on their feet, half-frozen. “There’s barely anybody left alive.”
“To this side!” Ingrid shouted. “We need help!” Astrid, Viggo, Lasgol and Gerd ran to join them.
“Row! They’re going to ram us!” Olsen shouted to the crew.
The enemy ship on the port side was fifty paces away and closing in. The pirates were readying for boarding with ropes and hooks. They were armed with short swords, scimitars and knives.
“We’ve got to set fire to that sail!” cried Ingrid. “Fire arrows!”
The six searched for them in their quivers and nocked them.
“Ready?” she asked, and they all nodded.
“Volley!”
Six arrows of fire flew at the sail and mast of the enemy ship and impacted in small explosions, followed by a burst of flame. A moment later both the upper and lower parts of the sail were aflame.
Ingrid clenched her fist in triumph. “Great!”
But the enemy ship, carried on by its own momentum, rammed into them.
“Get ready for boarders!” Olsen shouted.
The crew abandoned their oars and grasped short swords and knives. Ropes and hooks sailed through the air and gripped the merchant ship. The two ships bumped several times, but in the end were held together. The pirates leapt to board their victim.
The sailors prepared to repel them. Olsen led the defense, holding a huge Norghanian sword in both hands.
“Let’s get rid of them!” Ingrid cried. She had grasped Punisher.
“Make sure these rubbishy little pirates find out who they’re messing with!” Viggo cried, and hurled himself into the attack like lightning.
Ona, with me. Camu, stay on the mast. Don’t come down.
I fight.
An attack like this isn’t your type of battle. Stay still and hidden in the sail.
There was no reply from Camu, which did not leave Lasgol feeling very much at ease. The others followed Viggo, with their weapons at the ready. The moment for close combat had come, and it was going to be a chaotic one, because the ship’s deck was far from being a clear surface where they could carry on a controlled fight. Oars, rope, boxes, barrels, sailors and their attackers would mean a tangled battlefield.
The
