Knights: Legends of Ollanhar (28 page)

Chapter
16:

The Clash Upon the Waves, Part 1

Ethella and Vorhevia stood on the bow of the warship
The
King's Pride
, gazing down at the sparkling waves. Behind them stood two
Thallite giants, dressed in full crimson armor and looking like shining gods
beneath the sun. They held the banners of Bellis Kingdom high in the air as
inspiration to the other warriors. There were also four Golden Knights and
two-dozen soldiers armed with swords and bows. A great catapult called The
Widow Maker rose up from the deck--a Thallite device that had sent many ships
to a murky grave--and it was loaded with heavy steel balls and ready to launch.
Two other warships flanked
The
King's Pride
(
The Sea Horn
and
The Kraken's Beak
) and they too were filled with armed warriors.

Vorhevia gazed at Ethella, his great black-and-silver beard
blowing in the wind. His face bore an irritated expression. "So now that
we have assembled this small fleet, what do you intend to do with it?"

Ethella delayed answering, enjoying Vorhevia's irritation.
The towering, creepy wizard was angry because he was being kept in the dark. Ethella
alone had made plans at the urging of King Verlamer, and it had left Vorhevia
feeling as if his authority had been undermined. Ethella loved it.

Vorhevia sighed. "I await your answer."

She considered ignoring him, but knew she had already
pushed him as far as she dared. "I intend to launch an attack, obviously.
What else would I do with three warships? Our king has given us new orders. He
now wants the Divine Knights to die here on the water. He wants this quest
ended and the White Flamestone to lie at the bottom of the lake."

Vorhevia groaned in disgust. "I suspected as much, and
now my fears have been confirmed. This is foolish beyond belief. The White
Flamestone at the bottom of Legend Lake? Not very likely. It is far more likely
that our ships will burn in white fire. We will be easy targets. Don't think
for an instant that our catapult can match Prince Vannas' divine weapon. Has
Verlamer lost his wits?"

Ethella sneered. "Of course not. Our King is a shining
example of sanity." She laughed aloud, truly amused at the notion, and
then grew serious. "But he has made the right decision this time. All we
have to do is disrupt the prince's attack by getting the Flamestone out of his
hands."

"That has been tried before," said Vorhevia. He
folded his cloaked arms across his broad chest. "At least twice. During
the
Battle of Dorok's Hand
and the
Battle of Colossus
, and both
times it failed. What makes you think that this time we will succeed?"

Ethella pointed toward the ship's cabin. Perched upon the
roof were three Goblin Vultures in a row. Their hideous heads turned this way
and that, and they sat close together in one mass of feathers, as if the
Goblins were joined and formed some three-headed monster. They were tense and
eager for bloodshed, barely able to contain themselves.

"My beautiful pets," she said. "They have
been trained extensively for the mission of stealing the White Flamestone. I'm
convinced they will succeed. I realize this is not an original plan, but this
time it will work. These Vultures know their business and will not fail
me."

As Ethella gazed upon the Vultures, she felt immense pride
and love. The three Goblins were utterly loyal to her. She had raised them
since birth and fed them the dark energy of Tharnin (along with live prey).
They were the best friends she had--and the only friends she trusted
implicitly.

Vorhevia looked doubtful. "Putting our trust in three
wretched birds, and if they fail, we burn to ash. Surely this is folly."

Ethella wanted to slap him, or claw out his eyes, or kick
him in the shin (she couldn't decide which). The High Wizard knew nothing of
friendship or loyalty. Like Verlamer, he was as cold as stone and always lost
in his own twisted little world. It gnawed at her that she was forced to
appease him.

"Just to be safe," said Ethella, "our ship
will hold back, out of range, until the Vultures have done their work. Then we
will close in. We will use our great catapult to sink them from a distance.
They will die in the water by sorcery and arrow. It will be easy to stand on
deck and shoot them as they swim."

Vorhevia nodded. "That sounds a bit more logical. Why
put ourselves in danger when we can send others?"

"Exactly," said Ethella, forcing a smile.
What
a coward
, she thought. For being so powerful, Vorhevia appeared quite timid
at times. He could spout dramatic speeches concerning life, death, and the
universe, but was quick to avoid the smallest risks. It was ridiculous.

"What about Lannon Sunshield?" the wizard asked.

Anxiety surged through Ethella at the mention of that name.
She glanced about, half expecting to see the Dark Watchman climbing onto the
deck of her ship. "Lannon has not yet rejoined them. If we strike quickly,
we can finish them before he arrives. This might be the best opportunity we'll
have."

"And what if we fail to do so?" asked Vorhevia.
"The presence of the Dark Watchman could complicate the battle, to say the
least."

"We have Thallites," Ethella pointed out.
"Even Lannon would be no match for two giants. We can win
regardless." It was hard to imagine any lone warrior challenging the might
of Bellis. They had three armored warships, a huge catapult, and a lot of
powerful fighters. Her gaze swept over the ship, taking in the flapping
green-and-gold sails looming overhead that were adorned with the proud symbols
of Bellis Kingdom, the broad deck that held a battalion of King Verlamer's
finest warriors, and the great, lowered arm of the catapult that looked like
the arm of some gigantic oak-and-iron beast. Everywhere she looked there was
power--from the sprawling and mighty ship itself that felt unsinkable, to the
heavily muscled oarsmen who were well armed and well trained for combat, to the
elite fighters that would obey her every command. The two twelve-foot-tall
giants completed the picture. This was the ultimate warship, fit for a queen.

Ethella wasn't the Queen of Bellis, but she thought she
made a good substitute. She certainly felt like a queen, as she stood on the
bow of
The King's Pride
with her crystal staff in hand and her purple
cloak with white trim billowing in the breeze. Her silver Birlote hair was, as
usual, set high and bound with black ribbons and her face bore a carefully
applied coating of white paint.

Surely she resembled a beautiful queen, though she doubted
the ignorant sod next to her would notice, considering he was always lost in
useless thoughts he considered so important. Not that she wanted him to notice.
In fact, the last thing she wanted was Vorhevia's eye upon her.

Ethella was a Birlote by birth, but she no longer considered
herself a Birlote and she didn't understand Birlotes anymore. She proudly
rejected Birlote culture. In fact, Birlotes disgusted her--but so did Olrogs
and Noracks. She hated all the races except for Goblins and Thallites. She
fancied herself a creature of Tharnin now, an inhuman Priestess ready to ascend
to a new level. She was something unique and surely some great destiny awaited
her.

She was more than ready for glory.

But why did she still fear Lannon? Something about the Dark
Watchman unnerved her. Ethella was a frightening Priestess of Tharnin and most
people showed fear in her presence, including her enemies. But not Lannon. He
treated her as if she was just any common fighter, and that left her wondering
just how powerful he was to possess such confidence. She reminded herself that
he was ultimately mortal and could be slain, but the fear remained.

Vorhevia looked thoughtful. "Perhaps I can deal with
Lannon myself. I would love to test my strength against him."

"King Verlamer tried that," said Ethella.
"It didn't go well for him." She almost wished Vorhevia would do it
so he could get himself killed. But she knew he wouldn't. He would find some
excuse not to.

Vorhevia smirked. "But I'm not Verlamer. Our king has
grown soft sitting on his throne, even as my power has increased." His
voice was full of pride. "I am now the top wizard in all of Gallamerth, my
dear."

"What about Taris Warhawk?" said Ethella.

Vorhevia's smug look vanished. "I am the top
Norack
wizard. And I have skills even the Birlotes will never obtain."

Ethella shook her head and mumbled, "Amazing
ego."

"What did you say?" asked Vorhevia, frowning.
"Something about my ego? Did you just insult me?"

"You're hearing things," said Ethella. "But
to be honest, you're not exactly the most humble man I have ever met--even for
a descendant of Althustus the Dragonforged." That was an understatement.

"No need to be humble," said Vorhevia, "when
one possesses keen insight and honesty. And I can back up my words."

Ethella rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

He leaned close to her. "Do these black eyes lie, my
dear?" He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

She turned away, repulsed. "I don't know, but let's
stay focused. This could be a great day for Bellis Kingdom, if the White
Flamestone sinks beneath the water and is lost forever. And if we can kill
Lannon too, then Bellis has won."

***

The Knights set sail on one of the Temple's Dragon-adorned
ships called
The Golden Promise
. It was a sturdy vessel--a light warship
designed for both speed and intense combat--and large enough to accommodate
everyone comfortably. Fourteen crewmen were onboard as well--Paladin Hopefuls
who were moderately skilled fighters. As they set forth in the late afternoon,
the blue-and-gold sails flapping in the wind, they soon glimpsed four ships on
the horizon. Three of them were clustered together, but the forth one was
farther away and just barely visible. Even Lothrin, who had the sharpest eyes
of the bunch, could not yet observe any details.

The three clustered ships swiftly drew closer.

Aldreya called everyone to attention. "I believe those
are warships of Bellis. My instincts tell me that battle is upon us and that it
will be very brutal. We are vulnerable upon the water, especially without
Lannon, and they could see this as a golden opportunity to finish us."

"Who is this Lannon fellow?" asked Huenov,
twirling one of his throwing knives in his hand. "I don't care how great
you think he is. No single warrior is going to influence what Bellis
does."

"Not true," said Dallsa. "Lannon is
special."

"We weren't warned of this," said Crondal,
glaring at Jace. "You said Bellis
might
interfere with this
mission. But as soon as we leave shore there are apparently three warships
headed our way. What have you gotten us into?"

"This is an outrage!" growled Shenosi. He sat on
a crate, looking sullen, his arms folded across his bare chest. "You hired
us for a mission, not a war against King Verlamer. Why should we fight?"

"Calm yourselves," said Jace. "I said it
would be very dangerous. I said Bellis might interfere, and they might. Or they
might not. You're getting paid a lot of silver for this, and vastly more
treasure could await us on the quest. Think carefully before you opt not to
fight."

"We're not getting paid to die," said Crondal.
"Your other mercenaries might be willing to sacrifice themselves for a
chance at riches, but I'm not so foolish."

"Nor am I," said Shenosi.

"Well, I am," said Huenov. He leapt onto a crate
and brandished his knife. "I hate Bellis, because it interferes with
everything I do. I look forward to piercing a few rotten hearts. And we have
just the group of warriors to do it. This is my chance at vengeance."

"You are a fool," said Crondal. "Three
warships? They will sink us before they even get within range of your
bow."

"It's not yet confirmed those are warships," Jace
pointed out, though he looked a bit sheepish. "They could be a tight group
of passenger vessels."

Shenosi glared at the sorcerer.

Crondal rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. They are in a
battle formation. They are either ships of Bellis or pirates. Neither
possibility is welcome. The pirates of Legend Lake are quite ruthless."

"We have a fast ship," said Theradaxa, who was
serving as the captain. "We might be able to outrun them."

Rojanan nodded. "Could be worth a try."

Aldreya studied the approaching ships, then shook her head.
"No, we cannot escape them. They are moving too swiftly. Our best chance
for survival is to confront them."

"That would be suicide," said Crondal. He shook
his head in disbelief. "Have you all lost your wits? We're talking about
Bellis Kingdom. You know--the kingdom that practically owns all of
Gallamerth."

"We have a siege weapon," said Aldreya. "One
that can bring down all of their ships. A weapon that Bellis fears to
confront."

Crondal looked around. "I don't see any weapon. How do
I know this isn't a lie to get me to fight?"

"Do you take us for fools, Crondal?" said Prince
Vannas. "We don't intend to die here either. Our mission is too important.
I possess the weapon that Aldreya speaks of, and my growing ability to use it
has made it truly devastating. That's why Verlamer won't send his armies
against us--because they would burn to ash. You have nothing to fear from
Bellis Kingdom."

Crondal was speechless for a moment. Then he blurted out,
"Nothing to fear? Just three warships! Obviously Verlamer is
not
afraid to attack you."

"This is unusual," said Vannas, looking
uncertain. "I'm still not convinced they're going to attack us."

"Trust what they say," said Saranna. "They
do indeed bear a mighty weapon that makes this quest worth attempting."