"Heart of the Crown" Chapter 13

[seymoure]

The Strategy

Sabre lowered himself into the captain’s chair while everyone else waited to hear any news.

“We two,” he began, “Scythe and I, have had this date coming for years. No pair of Captains has been more poised on the verge of confrontation since we stepped on ship deck.”

Howler, the ship’s dog, pushed his head under the Corsair’s hand and got the required petting that he sought. Cela noted that Koss emerged to take the dog away, and excused herself from the table to join them in the next room.

Sabre continued, “Till this moment, his fleet has let my little ship go unchallenged. We were not a threat to his dominance of the waters; but now, with a bounty aboard, he has taken notice of us. He has begun the battle with his music, but any moment he will launch his first physical volley.”

“How will that come?” Sandor asked.

“He is as predictable as the constellations,” the Captain laughed. “His lead ship will stay in place as the smaller vessels on either side will leave formation and attempt to flank us on either side and then begin their first bombardment. No enemy has ever survived this attack, nor even had a single sailor live to tell what happened.”

“Then how . . .” Slip jumped in.

“Fleeing companion ship’s crews have described this opening salvo. But they were so terrified, and they have added such fantastic descriptions, that they are not to be taken as whole cloth.”

“How will you answer the battle plan?” Sandor queried as he secured the package that contained the future monarch.

“Koss is working on that at this very moment. There will be terror on the other side this time.”

In the adjoining room Cela petted Howler as Koss prepared a potion.

“So, he is a . . .” she said.

Koss finished the statement for her, “A Howler. The Crew uses that for his name, but you and I know a Howler is what he is.”

Cela had never seen a Howler dog before, though the lore had been around for thousands of years. Howlers were dogs that had the ability to amplify magic. There were no exterior signs that identified a Howler; you could only find one by passing a spell through his howl, and see if the magic increased by tenfold or more.

The dog would enjoy the feel of the caress of magic, but couldn’t yelp any longer than any other canine.

“We found this one because his mother was a Howler, and while she was being used in a battle, he came into the line of a spell and became even more powerful than she,” Koss explained as he put the bowl full of potion down on the deck for the dog to lap up. “This will extend his baying without causing him to damage his vocal ability. I have known more than one wailer to harm himself during an extended bawl.”

A bell from up on deck began to ring.

Koss grabbed Howler’s collar and began to lead him out, then stopped and said, “Your ability would be appreciated.” Cela smiled and joined them.

The trio met the rest when they came into the ocean air.

The crew was at their battle stations, but they were not battle ready. Rather, they were standing in stunned silence.

“Damn,” Sabre cursed. “This explains much!”

Cela looked out to the advancing fleet to see that two lead ships had indeed left to take a flanking movement, just as expected.

What was not expected was their path to encircle the Slug.

Each ship was sailing no less than a story above the waves beneath.

There had been tales of flying pirate ships, but no one had believed them. Now they were approaching the Slug, with guns blazing.

© 2008 C. Wayne Owens
Chapter 14 is here.