To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (29 page)

The Captain frowned. “Clearly the villagers along the coast fear to put out at all. I wonder how many fishing boats must have been sunk to cause this reaction.” He had been the skipper on a fishing boat before joining the Benhannon Navy.

“One is too many,” the Lieutenant replied.

Glimmer let out a screech, evidently the Maestro agreed.

They could go north about thirty spans and reach Port Valeen, southwest about twenty spans to Free Port, or farther southwest about a hundred spans and reach Keffer Greens, Lela had no idea where the captain would choose to go. She did know those ports were being protected by the Ducaunan Royal Navy and the rest of the coast was vulnerable to attack.

She noticed sails on the northern horizon slowly heading southwest and recognized the vessel, a frigate from the Royal Navy. “That is the ship assigned to protect the river entrance. Unfortunately the merchants have lost confidence in the crown’s ability to protect shipping and as you can see, all activity has stopped at this end of the Hirus,” Luis informed her. He once served on a freighter.

Lloyd turned from watching the Barracuda. “Captain Wigmon has signaled his suggestion to continue on our current heading.”
So that is what he had been watching for.

“Signal, steady as she goes,” the Captain commanded.

The Lieutenant picked up the new device created by the Department of Design and Development. He began tapping the sapphire on the back of the copper box and light flashed out the other end in matching sequence. A reciprocal light flashed from the Barracuda. The Crescendo Powered Amulet within the box contained the spell, Ball of Light, and was only one of the new and creative ways the CPAs were being used. It impressed her to see the non-Aakacarns adapting to these new Aakacarn tools.

The patrol boats continued onward, the coastline became a faint blur, and a forest of tall masts soon dominated the horizon. Huge ships, hundreds of strides in length, floated on the waves. Lela recognized Fon Kayan Dreadnaughts with scores of ballista racks set and ready to launch on command, Battencayan destroyers, Pentrosan cruisers and frigates, and Demfilian freighters converted for battle with large individual ballista bolts mounted on their decks, and all of them were being serviced by countless smaller vessels. She recognized some of the ships farther back as being troop carriers.

“It must take a lot of provisioning to keep all those ships floating out here for so long,” she commented.

The Captain nodded his head. “The logistics involved are massive. I admired it more when they were a hundred spans out,” he replied. His eyes continually scanned the enemy ships as the Equalizer proceeded onward. “The Demfilian vessels are a new addition to the flotilla. Ducaun’s lack of a response has emboldened our enemies and I doubt not they will soon receive orders to attack. Driver Laffen, bring us down to wind speed.”

“It will be as you say, Captain,” Jennsen replied, and the vessel began to slow to that of an ordinary sailboat. The Barracuda slowed but moved farther to the right, putting greater distance between the two patrol boats.

“Uh, Captain,” Ensign Sloak apparently had something to share. “They will begin firing on us if we get much closer. Several of those dreadnaughts have raised sail and are turning in preparation to deliver a broadside assault and some of those frigates have their sails up and are moving, perhaps to come at us from the side.”

Lela turned from trying to count all the warships, there must be a thousand, and observed the other ships maneuvering exactly as described by Luis.

Vermalien’s eyebrows drew closer together and his gaze grew fierce as the frigates headed in their direction. “Ensign, it is not necessary for you to tell me what is before my eyes. Lieutenant, sound Ruby Alert. It is time to show them what a Benhannon Wager-class patrol boat can do.”

“It will be as you say, Captain,” Lloyd replied, then went and touched a ruby set within the binnacle. A blast of sound like a trumpet rang forth throughout the vessel and would continue to do so for as long as he kept his hand on the gemstone.

Luis practically flew out of the bridge and down the spiral stairs. He would be joining the men who were even now scrambling on the second level to reach the horizontal arrow slits, which should be opening. Lela sprang off the bench and went forward while pondering her repertoire and which spells would be the most useful. She drew the topaz silver-capped crescendo attached to her belt just as Lloyd removed his hand from the ruby. The trumpet blasts ceased.

Eight frigates were headed for the Barracuda and seven for the Equalizer along with a destroyer named, Cracken. Vermalien went over to the binnacle and touched the topaz stone. “When the first bolt flies from any one of those decks, all gunners are to launch at will with full destructive power,” the recently composed spell of the Maestro in the gem sent his voice into a tiny amulet in the helmet of each man.

The frigates were twice the size of the Equalizer and the destroyer, with towering masts and huge sails catching the wind, was half again the size of the frigates. The Cracken turned to port and came to a stop in the path of the patrol boat while the frigates separated into two groups, three ships to pass on the right and four on the left. Soon enough the Equalizer came in firing range of the destroyer and between the frigates.

Flaming bolts launched out of three racks of ten from the Cracken and flew up into the air. Joreb launched a stream of flaming stones into the mainsail of the destroyer. Fire spread to the riggings, onto the masts, and burning canvas dropped to the deck. He sent another stream at the bridge and half the crew became more concerned about putting out the fires than launching bolts. Rack loads continued to be launched in the direction of the Equalizer from every available firing crew. Scores of flaming projectiles were climbing into the sky and would soon rain down on the on the patrol boat.

While Joreb attacked the destroyer, destruction flew from the Equalizer’s port and starboard arrow slits. As the flaming bolts flew from the enemy ships toward the patrol boat, pebbles of flames shot out from the arrow slits, igniting the sails of the frigates, and lances of light shot through planking like pins through paper. Most of those shots were below the waterline and soon wood began to splinter, granting the sea access into the hulls. None of the non-Aakacarns could see what was ripping the bottom of their ships apart but they could see the results. Men lowered the life boats as each vessel began sinking beneath the waves. The men of the Equalizer ceased fire.

What is the Captain waiting for?
Lela wondered as all of the bolts launched from the destroyed vessels were about to slam into the patrol boat.
Was I supposed to try and stop them?

“Take us around that destroyer at half speed,” Vermalien ordered.

The Equalizer shot forward and to the left just as the flaming bolts from the other ships splashed into the sea where the patrol boat had been. Lela noticed the Barracuda heading off to the right and away from the burning frigates that had come after it. No one shot at the lifeboats and she was glad to see some of them were from the Cracken, which sat dead in the water and completely aflame. Sixteen enemy ships were destroyed in fractions of a mark. She wanted to see the enemy defeated, yet that did not mean they all had to die. Apparently she had done the right thing by waiting on the Captain.

The boat cruised around the chard boards that were once part of the Cracken and now every warship in the flotilla had their sails up and was moving forward. Vermalien smiled and began rubbing his hands. “Helmsman hard to the west and then hold the course steady,” he ordered and then touched the topaz stone in the binnacle. “Bow and stern gunners are to fire at will, arrow slit gunners; send a constant stream of destruction hitting the front line ships as we go by.”

The Equalizer quickly turned and streams of flaming pebbles and stones, lances and harpoons of light, flew across half a span of sea to reach the warships whose weapons did them no good from that distance. On a Benhannon Wager-class patrol boat, whatever a gunner can see he can hit, and this was evidently the Captain’s way of clueing in the recipients.

The harpoons of light, launched by the bow and stern gunners, were twice as long and wide as the lances of light being launched from the arrow slits. A harpoon struck the mainmast of a Dreadnaught, punching through several masts, while at the same time a stream of flaming stones hit the sails, and all of them came crashing down. Joreb was firing both simultaneously. Streams of flaming pebbles struck the ships and the smaller lances of light were punching holes through the planking of light and heavy cruisers, most likely passing all the way through and out the other side of those vessels. Scores of warships were on fire, including several more dreadnaughts by the time the Equalizer ran the length of the west half of the flotilla. The Barracuda had gone the other way and was in the process of reeking fiery havoc on the easterly half. This did not stop the ships behind the flaming vessels from sailing forward in mass.

“One hundred eighty degree turn and hit them again,” the Captain ordered and the Equalizer circled back and opened fire.

Not all of the enemy warships were coming directly at the patrol boats, many of them were sailing out and away and Lela wondered why, “They don’t seem to be running, so what are they doing?” she asked while pointing at the seemingly wayward ships.

Lieutenant Loben glanced in the direction she indicated. “They will come around and attempt to create a kill zone with us in the middle.”

“Can they do that?” Lela asked. “Surely we can out maneuver them.”

“We can flee or fight. There are too many warships for us to stop all of them at once. If we continue to fight, they will lose plenty of ships but we will end up in their kill zone. If we run, there is no guarantee they will not continue to move, and our coasts may come under attack. This is only a fourth of the naval forces that can be brought to bear against Ducaun,” Lloyd explained.

She could see the Barracuda coming in from the east and launching a barrage of destruction at the armada. Balls of fire streaked in from half a score of enemy ships and claimed Lela’s attention as they struck the Equalizer with incredible speed. One hit the window in front of her, red-orange flames exploded over the surface, and dissipated. Another ball hit the deck between the bow and Joreb, it too dissipated. In all five balls hit and did no harm. The Aakacarns would have to use Melodies with much higher potential in order to create fires hot enough to burn the hull of a Wager-class boat.

Some of the balls had been aimed at the Barracuda; most of which splattered on impact and dissipated, but one well-placed shot sent the ball directly into the forward arrow slit. Smoke began billowing out of the opening. The patrol boat turned away from the flotilla, giving the enemy a less vulnerable target. The tail-gunner continued to open fire on the warships.

“Close all arrow slits,” Vermalien ordered.

Lela had been tempted to make the suggestion but kept her mouth shut, after reminding herself she was not in command. Fireballs slammed into the Equalizer to the point all she could see out the front and side windows were red-orange flames. She sucked in a deep breath and coughed, so intense was the super-heated air. Personal shields aside, if this sort of assault continued, they would all die. There had to be a small army of Serpents out there on those ships because the attack did not slack off one bit.

“Captain, I am holding course, but cannot see a thing,” Len Kross announced.

“Acknowledged,” the Captain replied. “How can the Aakacarns target us so precisely?”

Lela knew how. “The Serpents have spells able to detect the direction of active potential.”

“Are you telling me they can sense your presence on this boat?” He spoke in a quiet tone and with a face that seemed to be turning redder by the moment. His right eye began to twitch and she wondered if he intended to throw her off the Equalizer.

She supposed he had a point, but knew she was not the only source. “You are partly correct. They can sense any spell I cast, along with the forward and rear CAPUs, and all of the active CPAs used on the Equalizer,” she replied, and since she did not like his attitude, added, “The only way to keep enemy Accomplisheds from sensing this boat is to remove your amulets, cease the flow of energy through the CAPU, and for me to Convey to the Naval Facility. You can stop the boat and we could all gather in the mess. I can easily transport twenty men and a hawk.”

The silence on the bridge was palpable as she was sure no one had ever been so blunt with the Captain. He cleared his throat. “Accomplished, I found your answer informative. Your suggestions as to how to proceed, however, I find to be rash. This boat will not be surrendered to the enemy. I cannot stop you from conveying elsewhere, so it is your choice to stay with us or depart.” At this point he did not seem to care which choice she made.

The entire exterior of the boat was bathed in fire while they were blindly moving east. Her lungs were burning. Then it occurred to her. Joreb was on the bow, he needed help, and she was behaving like a Talented rather than an Accomplished. She raised her baton, pointed it to where the enemy fleet should be, and summoned the potential for, Variable Shield. Her burnished-bronze energy shot through the crescendo, out beyond the boat about ten strides, and then formed a shield slightly taller and longer than the Equalizer. Visibility returned as the shield absorbed the energy of the fireballs and the temperature of the air became tolerable. “I think, Captain, my first suggestion was rash. We are far from defeated and leaving this fine boat would be a mistake.”