“Literally.” I grinned.
He glanced eagerly at the captain.
“TheTouchstoneis yours, Dev,” said Thanavar. “Aro’el, make it swift. Make it count. We are all depending on you.”
My heart swelled.
“Aye, Captain!”
And we bounded from the quarterdeck to the guns. Buckturned.
“One shot, Buck,” said Dev. “That’s all we need.”
The bosun cocked his wide head.
And Dev pointed across the dark, glittering water to the tiny handprint, still gleaming on theEndorathil’s starboard hull.
“One shot, right there. She’ll go up like a firecracker.”
Buck nodded and turned to the gunners on deck.
“Reload, boys! Time to earn yer rum!”
“Full sail, Mr. Neale,” cried Thanavar. “We must catch her if we are to sink her!”
“Aye, sir.”
TheTouchstoneveered, leaning hard into the wind. Opposite us, theMarelethanalso was coming about, and I could see Smoke’s gundeck at the ready. Chase guns blasted from theEndorathil’s sterncastle, raking down the length of theMarelethanand shattering the bulwarks of her quarterdeck. She would not be able to draw fire. We were alone.
“Closer, Mr. Neale,” said Dev. “Closer.”
I could see theRhi’Ahrnow, swiftly reloading and taking aim with what was left of their upper deck guns.
“They’ll fire by the count of ten,” said Dev. “Can you stop them, Blue?”
I had stopped a dozen balls once. Fully loaded, theEndorathilcould fire at least thirty per side, and more from the topdeck, if they were able. I didn’t have a chance in hels.
“Aye, Dev. I can.”
And I held out my hands, called on the chimeric that surged through my veins. They throbbed and stung, but the power coursed from my chest into my fingertips.
“Closer, Mr. Neale…”
Sweeping past her pup, past her quarterdeck. We were as vulnerable now as she to cannon fire, and I’m certain my heart stopped beating.
Protection spell. Dev drew the symbols with both hands in front of me, and the patterns burst to life, sparkling with light and rune. I sent them to Dev, and he caught them, expanding, extending, and augmenting the magic, and together, we flung them wide, just as theEndorathil’s cannons boomed at us, sending a volley of shot our way. I closed my eyes, repeating the incant and praying it would hold. If not, I’d be dead before it was done.
Multiple impacts slid me back along the deck, but I opened my eyes to see the rune holding and twelve, no, thirteen balls caught in the weave. Another and another, but it held, and I lived.
“Drop it, Blue! Make ready, Buck!”
I flung my arms apart, sending both rune and balls into the sea.
“Make for the hand, boys!” shouted Buck.
“And fire!”
“Fire!”
