Mindbender (66 page)

“I see,” Cassandra said.

Isabel found that she was often at odds with the second triumvir, but she had come to respect the woman for her deliberate thought process and careful attention to detail. Cassandra liked facts and was often reluctant to make a decision when she felt there was still information to be gathered.

“What are the strength estimates of the two fleets?” Isabel asked.

“The armada from Andalia is more than twice the size of the Southport fleet,” Magda said. “Over half of their ships are troop transports that are slow and clumsy. The rest are oversized longboats equipped with banks of oars, two masts, and a ram. The attack boats look big enough to carry fifty men including crew.

“The Southport fleet contains a handful of large warships equipped with multiple ballistae and a few catapults, but the majority of the fleet is made up of fast-attack boats armed with a single ballista on the foredeck. There is also a hodgepodge of merchant ships fitted with weapons.”

Isabel held each of the other triumvir’s eyes for a moment before she nodded to herself. “How many Sky Knights can we put in the air tomorrow?”

“What are you suggesting?” Cassandra asked with a hint of alarm.

“I’m suggesting we fly out and sink that Andalian fleet before it can reach Northport,” Isabel said. “Kevin will do his best, but from the sounds of it, the warships will engage his fleet while the troop transports slip past. If they reach Northport and offload the Lancers they’re carrying, then Ruatha is in real trouble.”

“I’m not sure that would be wise,” Cassandra said. “Perhaps we should conserve our strength and look for an opportunity to strike at Phane directly.”

“Look, the Seven Isles are at war,” Isabel said hotly. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this argument. “You can either sit by and watch Phane grind the world to dust or you can get in the fight. Now is the time to strike. Those Lancers are vulnerable while they’re on the water but they’re deadly beyond measure once they make landfall. The people of Ruatha, and the rest of the Seven Isles for that matter, can’t wait. They’re dying now. We can help them.”

“Perhaps it’s time we change our thinking,” Magda said. “For so long now we’ve maintained a defensive position here and protected the Reishi Isle. It may be that we’ve become blinded to other options because we’re doing what we’ve always known.”

“What about our patrol rotation?” Cassandra asked. “If we deploy a sizable force, we’ll be spread too thin to defend the Reishi Isle.”

Isabel huffed in exasperation. The other two triumvirs were much older. They both carried themselves with scrupulous attention to decorum. Isabel didn’t care about any of that.

“Scrap the patrols,” she said emphatically. “Who cares if someone wants to land on the Reishi Isle? The Sovereign Stone isn’t there anymore. It’s out there,” she pointed to the wall for effect, “around my husband’s neck. And he needs our help. If you want to fulfill your mission and live up to your duty to the Seven Isles, there’s only one way to do that now. Get into this fight with everything you have.”

“She does have a point,” Magda said. “If nothing else, our assistance might spare the people of Ruatha great hardship.”

Isabel waited. She’d made her case. Cassandra was always very thorough in her thought process but her reasoning was usually sound. Isabel respected that, so she waited for the triumvir to reach a decision.

“Perhaps a measured response that doesn’t jeopardize our position here,” Cassandra said.

Isabel bit her tongue. She wanted to scream but knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“What did you have in mind?” Magda asked.

“Two flights,” Cassandra said. “More than that and the fortress island is vulnerable.”

Isabel wanted more but she knew some was better than none. She could probably persuade Magda to go along with a larger force but she knew it was better to find consensus. Contention within the triumvirate over one decision could easily spill over into future decisions. Isabel only hoped it would be enough.

“I’ll take it,” she said.

“Very well then,” Magda said. “We will send two flights to Southport tomorrow to assist in the battle against the Andalian fleet. Who should we choose to lead the force?”

Isabel frowned in surprise and blurted out, “Me!”

“A triumvir shouldn’t lead our forces in battle,” Cassandra said. “You must learn that your place is here, making the important decisions for our people.”

Isabel shook her head. “Cassandra, things are changing. I’m going to lead our forces into battle tomorrow and then I’m going to find my husband. Once we’ve had a chance to talk things over, then I may or may not return here, but I won’t be staying for long. The way things were is at an end. The enemy is on the march and we won’t win this war from here. We have to get out there and attack when and where we can.”

Cassandra sighed. “This is all happening so quickly. For centuries we’ve chosen our course with deliberate care and careful consideration of all the foreseeable consequences of our actions. Now you would have us rush to judgment before all of the facts are known.”

“Yes,” Isabel said intently. “We’re at war. We no longer have the luxury of time. The enemy is moving against those who hold the same values as we do, our natural allies. Once they fall, Phane will turn his attention here. There is only one path to salvation: Victory. We win or we die and we won’t win through cautious deliberation. Only bold action will carry the day.”

“I will think on what you’ve said,” Cassandra said. “You speak with the passion and conviction of youth but I fear you lack the wisdom that comes with long years. For the time being, I will accept your choice to lead our forces even though I believe it is rash and ill-advised.”

Isabel smiled gently and bowed her head slightly to Cassandra. “Thank you. I know I’m headstrong and willful. I know it’s been difficult to accept the change I represent but I also know that, in time, you will come to see the enemy as I do and your fear for the future will lead you to make the kind of desperate choices that will be necessary to survive the storm that’s coming.”

***

As soon as Isabel left the triumvirate council chamber she dispatched two Sky Knights with a letter for Kevin in Southport. She didn’t want his sailors turning their weapons on the wyverns out of fear and surprise. They stood a far better chance of success if they worked together against the Andalian armada.

By morning the entire fortress island was abuzz with activity as everyone pitched in to help with preparations for the coming battle. Isabel had briefed the commanders the night before and they had all spoken with their Sky Knights to ensure that everyone knew their target and the purpose of their mission. Communicating while airborne was difficult at best. The Sky Knights used a set of hand signals but those depended on alert riders and strict adherence to unit formation. Careful coordination beforehand made the process much easier by giving each rider a clear idea of their objectives prior to launch so they could anticipate the orders of their Wing Commanders.

Most of the Sky Knights were excited by the opportunity to fight, but some, mainly the older and more experienced, were more reserved. They circulated through the staging areas and flight decks now packed with Sky Knights checking their saddles and double checking their weapons, offering pointers and words of encouragement to the younger Knights.

Isabel stood with Abigail on an observation deck and struggled to impose some order on her feelings. She had arrived here as a prisoner and was leaving in command of half their forces. She knew the battle could well decide the fate of Ruatha. If the Lancers made landfall, they would be a deadly threat to the Ruathan Army, especially out in the open plains of northern Ruatha. The best chance they had was to destroy the Lancers at sea.

More than the anxiousness of impending battle, she knew that today would bring her one day closer to reuniting with Alexander. She missed him terribly. It felt like they’d been apart for ages even if it had only been a few months.

Flight Commanders Bianca and Constance ascended the stairs to the observation deck and nodded respectfully.

“All wings report ready,” Bianca said.

“Very well,” Isabel said. “Launch your Sky Knights.”

Both saluted and turned crisply to relay the order to their Wing Commanders. Within minutes the launch deck bell sounded and the first four wyverns spread their wings and slipped over the edge into the sky. What followed was an exercise in ordered chaos. Handlers scrambled to get each wyvern into position to launch after each wave of Sky Knights took to the air while still other handlers rushed the wyverns deeper within the fortress island out to the launch bays. Within an hour, the entire force was airborne and flying in formation toward Southport.

Isabel floated high over the ocean with Abigail to her right. Two experienced Sky Knights who were also members of the coven were assigned as her personal guard at the insistence of both Magda and Cassandra. They flanked Isabel and Abigail and maintained careful watch of the glistening waters far below.

It was several hours before they could see the coastline of Ruatha on the horizon. Isabel felt a thrill of anticipation when she caught the first glimpse of land. She had never been away from Ruatha until she had gone with Alexander to the Reishi Isle and now she was finally going home.

As they got closer she started to see smoke rising from the ocean not far off the coastline . . . the battle was already in progress. She tipped her head back and looked through Slyder’s eyes.

The warships from Southport were fighting a fierce battle with the escort ships of the Andalian armada, while the troop transports were skirting the battle and making best speed for Northport. A few of Kevin’s fast-attack boats had broken the Andalian line and were sprinting across the water in pursuit of the troop transports, but they would be too little too late.

Isabel took the image of the enemy she saw thorough Slyder’s eyes and fixed it in her mind. With an act of will she made contact with all of the wyverns flying toward the battle and sent them the image of the target. As one, the entire airborne strike force shifted north and began their descent.

The Wing Commanders understood the implicit command and signaled for their Knights to break into squads and begin their attack runs.

They caught the enemy by surprise with their initial attack as each squad formed up into single file and dove toward their target ship. The strategy was as simple as it was effective. Wyverns hurtled out of the sky only to break their dive and whip-strike at the masts and sails of the enemy vessels with their bone-bladed tails. One after another the dragon-like beasts pounded their targets in an effort to disable the sails and render the boats helpless to move under any power other than oars.

Each squad of eight targeted a single troop transport with the full force of their attack. Within minutes, twenty-four enemy ships were slowing. Two were taking on water and the rest were struggling to put their oars in the water and gain control of their direction.

The two fast-attack boats that had broken through the Andalian line raced up to the stalled troop transports and launched clay pots into the air. The fire pots sailed in a graceful arc and came crashing down onto the decks of two of the disabled ships, shattering on impact and splashing flaming oil into the torn sails and broken rigging. Each of the two ships erupted into flames.

Isabel assessed the situation and knew in an instant that she needed to change her strategy. The Sky Knights could cause damage to the troop transports, disable their sails and even sink a few ships, but they couldn’t use fire with nearly the same effect because of the rushing wind. They needed to rely on the power of their wyverns and the accuracy of their javelins.

She had remained high overhead to observe the initial strike. She scanned the sky and picked out Bianca and her escort rider. With a hand signal, she indicated that she was breaking off to engage the warships that were fighting to contain the Southport fleet. Bianca signaled back and wheeled toward one of her Wing Commanders.

Isabel glanced over her shoulder and saw the squads gaining altitude and wheeling around for another pass against a new set of targets. By now, the troop transports were aware of the threat from above and they’d put oars into the water to increase their speed while calling soldiers to the decks to repel the attackers. Bianca was moving toward the nearest Wing Commander, signaling for him to form up on her. Satisfied that reinforcements were on the way, Isabel turned her attention to the line of warships engaging the Southport fleet.

The Andalian warships were armed primarily with battering rams and soldiers. Their strategy was to ram the larger ships and then board with soldiers or to engage the smaller attack boats with archers. So far their strategy was proving effective in keeping the Southport fleet engaged. Isabel knew she needed to break a hole in the Andalian line to allow some of the fast-attack boats through so they could sink the troop transports.

She picked the ship she wanted to sink and signaled Abigail for a high pass. Her escorts formed up on her and they floated slowly toward the battle raging on the ocean below. Isabel started casting a light-lance spell, allowing the rage of battle to build within her as she approached her target.

The man at the wheel on the deck of the ship stiffened when Abigail’s arrow drove into his neck at the shoulder and down into his torso. He fell dead amidst shouts of alarm from the soldiers aboard the ship. Abigail had scored the first kill.