Savage Messiah

CHAPTER XL

K'jarr's endurance was ebbing. if he continued the search for the Citadel much longer, his war party would not be able to make it back to the Reprise. Still, his sense of duty to the Jin'Sai made him press on.

It was early evening, and the three moons were out. The moonlight gave the warriors a better view, but the wind was against them and the sky was partly cloudy, making it difficult to survey the ocean below.

K'jarr had taken his six warriors as high as he dared, nearly starving their lungs of air. He was about to order them to descend a bit when he saw flickering lights in the distance and finally got his first glimpse of the Citadel.

K'jarr took a quick breath. He had never seen such an imposing structure. Even the royal palace in Tammerland was no match for this.

The island fortress of dark gray stone rose straight up out of living rock. The irregularly shaped shoreline held a deep port, and at the island's eastern end he thought he could see herds of corralled livestock. The Citadel's numerous towers rose majestically into the sky, their curved walls dotted with elaborate stained glass windows and connected by interlacing bridges and catwalks. As the magenta moonlight and the fortress' torches conspired to reveal the Citadel's secrets, K'jarr again considered his plan.

He knew that the easiest way to capture a demonslaver would be to snatch one up from a patrolling vessel, rather than from the relative security of the island. He and his warriors would circle as long as possible, and with any luck be able to single out a patrolling frigate. They would wait aloft until her demonslaver crew had gone below decks, leaving only a few night sentries topside. Then he and another warrior would swoop down and silently scoop up one of the guards.

But as K'jarr surveyed the island's port, his heart sank. It seemed that every demonslaver frigate was at anchor there, just off the shore. As he scanned the ocean surrounding the island, he could find no patrolling ships.

He immediately became suspicious. He turned to look at his six warriors and, waving them onward, led them in a wide, banking curve toward the far end of the island.

It was there, just off the northern coast, that K'jarr and his party finally saw Wulfgar's seven Black Ships.

The ships were easily four or five times the size of the largest vessels they had ever seen. The sea wind filled their dark sails to the straining point. As the menacing warships bounded through the waves, K'jarr could make out hundreds of chalky-skinned demonslavers swarming over their decks. Then suddenly, the ships all came about and sailed back in the opposite direction.

K'jarr knew that Tyranny's lone flagship, faced with such enemy ships, would have no choice but to cut and run. Despite the size and weight of these monstrous black vessels, he doubted that even the Reprise could outdistance them.

The demonslaver crews repeated their turning maneuvers several more times. It was almost as if they were preparing for something, K'jarr thought. Then the warrior understood: The ships were conducting trials of some sort. And once their master was satisfied, these warships would be loosed upon Eutracia.

K'jarr looked quickly toward the heavens. He knew that if he and his group stayed in any one part of the sky too long, the moonlight might reveal them. Finding a suitable cloud, he waved his warriors a bit higher. The fluffy cumulus was just what they needed. It was slowly heading northwest, and soon it would be directly over the fleet.

The Minions all came to hide in the base of the cloud. Peering through the light layer of mist, they watched the warships with awe.

Aboard the lead vessel K'jarr saw what appeared to be a black skeleton standing arrogantly in the prow. The skeleton was dressed in some sort of ragged military uniform. A torn, black cape hung down its back, twirling in the wind.

Then K'jarr blinked, and the skeleton was gone. K'jarr rubbed his eyes then looked again. The bizarre form did not reappear. Surely the moonlight was playing tricks on him.

Suddenly, the seven Black Ships formed a straight battle line in the sea. As the lead ship gained slightly on the others, an azure glow surrounded her, and K'jarr knew that the craft was in play. With no help from any of her crew, each of her massive sails began to furl itself until it was tightly wound and tied off against a spar. Without aid of the wind, the ship's bow raised high, then plunged mightily back down into the sea. K'jarr expected her bow to rise up again, but it didn't.

Instead, the bow continued to plow deeper into the waves. As it did, the dark hull pitched upward to nearly vertical, and the stern of the great ship rose high into the air. As K'jarr watched her sink, his breath caught. The ocean quickly engulfed her decks, and the entire vessel was swallowed by the sea.

As the ripples closed in and the sea calmed, the magenta moonlight revealed no trace of the ship.

"One of their great ships has just sunk," one of K'jarr's officers said.

"It would seem that they are not so invincible after all."

His eyes still locked upon the six other vessels, K'jarr shook his head.

"No," he answered quietly. "She did not sink. She submerged." He pointed to the next ship. "Watch," he whispered.

The glow of the craft appeared once more. Just as the first ship had done, so did the second. One by one, the five others followed suit with perfect dives into the deep. The glow of the craft slowly retreated and the sea calmed again. The warriors hovered, speechless.

The cloud that hid them was thinning, and they would soon be exposed. K'jarr knew that they would not be able to capture a demonslaver. Worse yet, if they did not start back now they would perish in the sea before reaching the Reprise. The unbelievable things they had witnessed had to be relayed to Tyranny and the princess, whether they took a captive or not.

K'jarr gave the order to retreat. Leaving the security of the cloud, one by one the warriors turned west, each hoping that he could reach Tyranny's flagship before his strength gave out. as he watched from the shore Wulfgar paced nervously, his full attention upon the restless sea. Bratach and Serena stood waiting nearby. The cool evening wind swirled about them, and Serena pulled her shawl closer.

An area of the sea suddenly became disturbed. Soon the ocean was alive and roiling. Without warning, the first of the Black Ships exploded from the depths.

Her bow shot to the surface, and the rest of her massive hull followed. With a gigantic crash she landed solidly upon the ocean. The demonslavers aboard her appeared to be unaffected by their ship's recent maneuver. Wulfgar watched as, seawater dripping from her black masts and decks, she rocked back and forth, finding her equilibrium. Then her black sails unfurled. As they caught the night air, they snapped open sharply, and the warship began bounding across the waves.

From his place in the bow, the macabre figure of Captain Merriwhether grasped a line to steady himself. He then pulled his sword from its recently engraved scabbard. As he held the centuries-old weapon high, the crimson moonlight glinted off its blade. Smiling, Wulfgar raised his good arm in response.

Just as the first ship had done, each of the other six vessels exploded from the depths. Then, one by one, they turned and sailed off.

Once they had passed, Wulfgar turned toward Einar and Serena. The moonlight tinted his ravaged face pink. Taking his queen by the hand, he smiled.

"Tomorrow I sail for Eutracia."