Damiynn
Fantasy Author
Epilogue
The shiny surface of the Eversea Ocean glittered with the wakes of the departing ships. A salt-stained sailor watched the Highlord ships of Lady Linsdale and Lord Randon depart through worn and weary eyes. He stayed at his place along the wall of warehouses near the harbor edge watching until their masts no longer showed on the distant horizon. Pushing himself up onto his feet, he checked the horizon again and turned away from the deep blue water. He had a report to deliver and with the gold his news would bring he would be able to buy enough drink to keep him shore bound for a few more weeks.
* * *
Thick bolts of lightning flashed in jagged streaks over the heads of the sailors. Waves as high as the ships sides sloshed over onto the decks as the ocean winds buffeted and pummeled them. The large ships rolled dangerously in the churning water. Salt water carried by the storm tore into the scrambling sailors faces and eyes, feeling like thousands of stinging whips tearing into them.
Suddenly the cracking sound of splitting wood filled the air, it was followed immediately by the sailors screams.
* * *
Naab Rorsten, captain of the Searay, stared forlornly at the thick cloud cover. The squat-bodied captain knew his ship full of soldiers and sailors had been blown off course during the freakish gale that had erupted last night.
He had a direction finder that would lead him unerringly back to Toomsa, but that was not his mission. His mission, as a pirate captain, who had been commissioned by Lady Tyler Linsdale herself, was to land in Cor. Once there, he was to convince the other Captains in the city of thieves to join with them in supporting the young battlemage who would be King. He had no idea how he was going to accomplish this, but Lady Tyler had paid him in gold and that always bought his best efforts.
The slate gray water was empty and Naab scanned it hopelessly looking for any signs of the other ships that had sailed with him.
It was his son, Naab the younger, who spotted the odd black cloud on the horizon, moving towards them.
“Da,” called his young son in a questioning voice. “What kind of cloud is that?” He pulled at Naab the older’s sea coat and the captain turned to see what his son was jabbering about.
Studying the sky where his son was indicating he scowled, his eyes trying hard to focus on the far away object. Looking at the other clouds, he saw that the roiling cloud out in the distance was moving unnaturally in the wrong direction, going against the wind, coming towards them in a perfectly straight line.
“Where’s my seeing glass!” demanded the pirate captain. His young son, sensing his mood, quickly thrust the desired object into his father’s scarred hand before earning a hard cuff.
With a practiced flick, Naab had the glass extended and up to his eye.
The other sailors sensing that something was wrong turned, half towards their captain, half towards the approaching black cloud.
Naab the younger saw the color drain out of his father’s face. Then he saw something he had never ever seen before in the hard man in the twelve years he had known him. His father, who never showed any emotion other than the anger of command, began quaking with fear. Feeling frightened, Naab the younger watched as the spyglass fell from his father’s fingers.
Turning back to the crew, the older yelled in a cracking voice, “T..Turn all sails to the wind and race for your lives, you scum, death is coming if you don’t!”
All of the soldiers and sailors heard the fear in the captain’s voice and hurried to the ropes.
Another shadow defying the wind came from a different direction, sweeping directly over the now fast moving pirate ship. All in the Sea Ray could plainly see what it was flying above their heads and fear filled their faces and they looked about to scatter, but fear of their captain’s anger and lash kept them at their posts.
A loud crackling split the air and a flash of silver light filled the sky. Lightning bolts tore into the fleeing ship, ripping it apart. Within a few seconds nothing remained of the Sea Ray other than the few thousand wooden splinters floating on the water and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
The smaller black shadow, finishing its patrol, flew back to join the larger mass heading westward.
