Chapter Eight #3
“Aye. We were in the rigging on the mainmast when they set fire to it. It was either jump or die. After that, they seemed content to let us drown. We managed to make it to that rock, and we’ve been there ever since.
We thought…we thought…” His lip trembled and he clamped his mouth shut, refusing to cry in front of his laird.
“It’s all right, lad,” Jamie said softly. “Ye are safe now and I swear we will take vengeance on whoever did this. On that ye have my word.”
“Wait,” Elise said, crouching next to Jamie. “You said they were waiting for you? That they knew where you’d be?”
“Aye,” the youth replied. “It was an ambush and we sailed right into it.”
Elise frowned as things fell into place. “But that means…” Her eyes widened and she whirled towards the helmsman. “We have to get out of here!”
But it was already too late. Even as the words left her lips, a cry went up. “Ship to starboard!” And then another. “Ship to port side!”
The deck exploded into chaos. The crew scattered to their positions, the captain began yelling, and Jamie spun to the railing, a snarl on his lips.
Elise’s heart was suddenly pounding. Two ships were closing on them, having appeared from behind two of the other islets like predators springing on their prey.
Elise saw at once how they’d been able to avoid detection. They were much smaller than the cargo vessel they’d attacked and looked sleek and easily maneuverable. Elise didn’t know much about ships but even she recognized war galleys when she saw them.
They drew closer with incredible speed and had covered half the distance while Jamie’s own galley was struggling to come about.
“Archers at the rail!” Jamie bellowed.
Jamie’s warriors let loose a flight of arrows in both directions, and for a moment the sky turned black with them. They rained down on the decks of the attacking vessels, but the men held round wooden shields above their heads, blunting the attack.
Jamie swore under his breath. “Prepare to repel boarders!”
But as the ships came closer, it became clear that the pirates had no intention of boarding. They came broadside on to Jamie’s vessel and slots slid open all along the galleys’ sides, revealing the gaping muzzles of cannons. Cannons that would tear the ship to pieces.
Elise went cold. This was no raid. This was no opportune attack. This was planned. The three youths hadn’t escaped by chance. They’d been allowed to escape. They were bait, luring Jamie to take his ship into treacherous waters where it would be difficult to escape.
Her eyes flicked to Jamie where he was striding along the deck, bellowing orders and encouragement to his men.
He had been the target all along.
The anger simmering in her belly burst into incandescent rage. No! She would not allow this.
She closed her eyes, tried to shut out the chaos that was raging around her to focus on her breathing. Only when she’d managed to steady herself did she reach down into the core of power inside and grab it.
It responded to her immediately, rising up like an inferno. But this time she didn’t try to restrain it. This time she gave herself over to it and let it blast through her like a gale.
Opening her eyes, she steadied herself on the deck and thrust her arms out to each side, in the direction of the attacking vessels. Power blasted out, a raging torrent that scythed into the water on either side of the ship, whipped the waves up into a frenzy.
She felt rather than saw the huge waves slam into the sides of the enemy vessels, knocking them off course and causing them to slew dangerously in the water. Cries of alarm carried across the water and closer to hand she felt Jamie’s crew stop what they were doing to stare at her.
She had no time to spare for them. She sent more of her power arcing out towards the attacking ships, this time whipping up the wind into a thrashing gale that slammed into the wooden hulls with the force of a hurricane.
Sails tore. Rigging snapped. Timbers creaked and groaned. And men screamed in terror.
A flash of euphoria went through Elise. It felt so good to finally let go, to finally ease the rigid control she always kept on her power.
There was a sweetness that bordered on pain as she finally surrendered and felt the magic surging through every cell in her body.
It was as blissful as it was terrifying.
Her mother’s words suddenly echoed in Elise’s mind. Power is seductive. It will try to sweep you away if you let it. You must always be on your guard.
How many times had her mother given that warning to her and her sisters?
She had never really understood before. But now?
Now she understood. Now her power was as sweet and alluring as nectar.
Around her, everything suddenly seemed more vivid.
She could taste the wind. She could hear the song of the oceans.
And she was mistress of it all. With a flick of her will she could reduce those ships to splinters.
She could send those pirates down into the deeps…
No, she thought. That’s not who I am.
With a supreme effort of will, she pulled her fractured focus together.
The attacking ships were damaged but still seaworthy, trying desperately to come about and escape the raging waves and howling winds that tore at them.
The cannon ports had been closed and now the attackers seemed intent only on escape.
Elise kept up the barrage, hurled the maelstrom of her power at the ships until they had managed to turn about and flee back the way they’d come.
It took a moment before she registered that somebody was speaking to her. A hand closed around her arm, and she looked up to see Jamie standing close.
“Let it go, lass,” he said gently. “They’ve gone.”
She blinked and realized that the attacking vessels were little more than specks on the horizon.
With an effort, she let her power go and then stumbled forward into Jamie’s arms. He caught her and held her close.
His strong arms around her were the only thing that kept her upright as blackness rose up and pulled her under.