It sounded like a decent plan, but neither Gideon nor Ethan was as confident as Captain Bonifast. When demons were a part of the equation, just about anything might happen. Still, they were glad to be aboard the Maelstrom, and after witnessing Bonifast take on the slaver in the middle of a storm, and destroy Mordred’s ammunition depot in Tilley before that, the boys felt they had good reason to trust in the captain’s abilities. No matter what took place in the sea battle, the Maelstrom would be the safest place for them.
“As I said boys, I don’t have time to stop and go aboard the other ships in the fleet. However,” he said to Ethan, “if I could get you to take copies of my attack plan over to the other ships, while we are in transit, then we could coordinate and still make up for lost time.”
“I suppose I could do it,” Ethan said with a slight bit of hesitation. He waited to see if Gideon had any objections. The priest said nothing.
“That’s grand, lads. Wait a moment and I’ll retrieve the documents from my cabin,” he said, hurrying off to get them.
Gideon waited until Captain Bonifast was gone and then he spoke up. “Ethan, I would like for you to do something else while you’re away to the other ships, if you don’t mind.”
“What is it?”
“I’m still concerned about King Stephen hiring mercenaries to fight in this armada against Mordred. While you’re gone, just keep an eye out for spiritual activity aboard the others ships.”
“Especially the mercenary vessels?” Ethan asked.
“Exactly. We don’t want to let our guard down with the enemy. Above all things, they’re cunning. Cunning can outmatch brute strength any day.”
Captain Bonifast returned quickly with a leather satchel full of the parchments containing his coordinated attack plan for the fleet. He handed them over to Ethan. “Here you go, lad. I appreciate it very much.”
“Don’t you think the other ship captains will want to know why Ethan has appeared out of thin air to give them your plans?” Gideon asked.
“Possibly,” Bonifast admitted, “but don’t bother giving them an excuse. Say only that you are a servant of the Lord bearing the attack plans for the fleet from Captain Bonifast.”
“They’ll think he’s an angel,” Gideon said.
“Probably, but then they’ll be too afraid to ask anymore questions,” Bonifast said with a mischievous grin on his face. “And they might just fight better if they think this battle is blessed of God.” Somehow, Bonifast always made his outrageous shenanigans seem perfectly logical.
Bonifast and Gideon watched as Ethan disappeared. There was no flash, no twinkle, or specks of light, and no sound. He was simply there with them one moment and the next he was gone.
Ethan noticed the astonished look on Captain Bonifast’s face as he became invisible to them. The captain had not actually seen Ethan perform the realm shift. Gideon, on the other hand, was not surprised by it anymore. At least he didn’t show it.
Once again, Ethan stood in his mercury armor, his sword hovering at his side. He was mildly surprised to find the leather satchel had survived the shift and was still with him. He opened the flap and found the parchments. Good thing, he thought. I didn’t actually think about whether they could be carried over with me.
The Maelstrom sailed through the large convoy of ships, easily standing out among them all. Each ship, in turn, adjusted its course to come in with the Maelstrom in a loose formation befitting a fighting force. There were twenty-one ships in all, not counting the Maelstrom and they all looked formidable. Still, the navy Mordred now controlled had the ability to crush them if given the chance. If Bonifast did not surprise Mordred’s fleet, then this ragtag armada would never leave the harbor.
Ethan remembered his previous experience jumping from the deck of this ship to the slaver ship. He thought about his lesson with the little bird the Almighty had sent in answer to his prayer for instruction, laughing to himself-a simple lesson, but with such understated purpose. It reminded him of a still small voice speaking to him.
Ethan concentrated on the task, placing the leather satchel over his head, resting it on his left shoulder across his chest diagonally. Captain Bonifast and Gideon were already watching the other ships nearby. Bonifast raised his brass spyglass, sweeping their decks for his appearance.
Ethan stepped up to the railing of the Maelstrom. With his next step, he sprang away from the old sailing ship, out over the blue waters of Azure Sea. Ethan swept over the two hundred yards of calm blue toward his target. He touched down precisely with the leather satchel still safely resting at his right hip, his sword ever hovering obediently at his left. He spotted a man with a tricorn hat, whom he presumed must be the captain of this slightly smaller vessel. Ethan approached him.
The man talked with his helmsmen in nautical terms. These eluded Ethan, not having been aboard a ship long enough to be privy to such things. He held a metal instrument to his right eye and pointed it forward. He appeared to be gauging his calculations by the sun.
Ethan walked up to the captain and stood behind him, before making himself visible. As soon as he appeared in the physical world, now wearing his regular clothing again, Ethan spoke right up. “Captain?”
The man turned around. He did not seem startled. “Are you a member of this crew?” he asked.
“No, sir. I bring you news of Captain Bonifast’s battle plans. He has dispatched me with this document to be entrusted to the captain of this vessel.” Ethan removed one of Bonifast’s scrolls from the leather satchel, handing it ceremoniously to the captain. He tried to appear important, but the captain didn’t appear impressed.
He gave Ethan a slightly annoyed look as he took the document and started to unroll it. The captain looked the plan over, then rolled it back up. “Yes, yes, this all seems rudimentary enough.” Then without another word to Ethan, the captain turned back around, returning to his calculations.
Ethan stood there for a moment longer, wondering if he had been dismissed. With neither the captain nor the helmsmen giving him any further attention, Ethan shifted back to the spiritual plane and went to the rail, searching for his next target. He found it to the port side of this ship and slightly to the rear. It was a smaller ship. He gave another glance at the rude captain, then decided it was time to go.
SOWING DISCONTENT
Ethan leaped away from the deck as he had before. He concentrated on where he intended to land. After a quick flight through the vacuum of the spiritual plane, Ethan landed on the deck of the smaller ship. Once again, he searched for the man with the captain’s tricorn.
This time, the captain was talking with a crewmember while drinking a cup of tea. He was an older man than Captain Bonifast-perhaps twenty years older. He wore a powdered wig and looked tired. He sat impatiently while a younger man, standing next to him, attended to his needs.
After the rude greeting he had received on the previous ship, Ethan wanted to have a bit of fun with this one. He decided to test Gideon’s angel-assumption theory. He walked up to where the captain was drinking his tea and stood before him.
This time, when Ethan appeared out of thin air, the captain noticed him immediately. In fact, it was so immediate the poor man shouted with surprise and spilt hot tea all over the front of his uniform. Ethan smiled, attempting to suppress his laughter. That’s more like it, he thought. Then a pang of guilt washed over him for using the special gifts he had been given by Shaddai in such a juvenile way.
“Begging your pardon, Captain sir,” he said.
“My goodness, young man, where in the devil did you come from?” the captain asked.
“Nowhere in the Devil, sir,” Ethan replied. “I am sent as Shaddai’s messenger on behalf of Captain Bonifast of the Maelstrom. I bring you the battle plan he has laid out for the assault on the Bay of Emmanuel.”
Ethan opened the satchel, producing another rolled parchment. He handed it to the captain. The man looked aghast at Ethan, accepting the document without realizing he had extended his hand for it. He could not take his eyes from the boy, nor overcome his initial astonishment with his arrival from the ether.
“I say, boy, are you a spirit?” the captain asked. His servant looked equally stupefied. The teakettle in his hand shook noticeably.
