More booms thundered. Yes, curse the storm god, the cannon fire had indeed come from the cove.
Fly back to the ships, please,Syla said.It won’t take the wagon long to reach the cove, but if the ships we’re planning totake to Harvest Island are in the process of being sunk—with the shielder on one…
Wreylith let out a sigh and looked longingly toward the wagon, but she did fly along the rocky shoreline and toward the cove. When it came into view, Syla groaned. TheFanged Whaleand its two allies were firing ateightships that had sailed into the mouth of the cove.
Shall I attack those vessels?Wreylith asked.
Eight ships firing cannons may be too much for even you to handle.
I can handle much.
Yeah, but you don’t want to endanger your incipient eggs.
Ah, that is a valid point. I should take care.
Absolutely. Land on the wheelhouse of theFanged Whale,please. I’ll… think of something.
Whatshe would think of,Syla didn’t know.
There were two dinghies on the beach, with pacing crewmen waiting for her comrades, but they kept looking nervously toward the newly arrived ships. They had to want to depart, but was it already too late? The cove wasn’t large, and Syla couldn’t imagine trying to sail away when they would have to pass between ships firing cannons at them.
“The others are coming in a wagon,” she called down when Wreylith flew over the crewmen by the dinghies.
One had been pointing inland, as if trying to suggest they all abandon their duties and run to safety instead of returning to their ship. Syla couldn’t blame them but hoped they would remain where they were.
“Once my friends arrive, take them out to theFanged Whale,” she added over her shoulder. “I’ll handle the rest.”
At the moment, theFanged Whalewas returning fire, launching cannonballs at the warships.
“Cease fire,” Syla called, spotting Major Hixun on deck as Wreylith landed on the wheelhouse again. “And get me a megaphone.”
Hixun blinked in surprise. “Your Majesty?”
“Those are my people. I’m going to remind them of that.”
More cannons boomed, and a ball splashed down right beside the bow of the ship. Wreylith roared in the direction from which it had come. Bolstered by their numbers, the crews of the fleet vessels didn’t appear cowed by the dragon’s arrival.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Hixun ran into the wheelhouse.
I can deliver your message telepathically to all in the area,Wreylith said.
“I think I need to do this myself,” Syla said.
She did, however, remain mounted on Wreylith as Hixun returned and tossed a megaphone up to her. Hopefully, while positioned astride a dragon, she would look regal, powerful, and like someone worth listening to.
“Good crewmen of the Kingdom,” Syla called toward the warships. “I am Syla Moonmark, the rightful queen of the Garden Kingdom. As you can see, my death was falsely reported. Just as false is Lord Fograth’s claim on the throne. He is not your supreme commander.I am. Further, it is foolish to fight amongst ourselves when we have greater enemies to deal with. We must protect the Kingdom from the stormers, as I’ve been striving to do since before my coronation. My engineering aunt has, with rare magical materials we gathered from around the world, made a new shielder artifact. I command you to cease fire so that I may carry it to Harvest Island.”
A cannon boomed on one of the warships, but it was the only one. Whether the crews were ceasing fire because she’d requested it or they were curious about what she was saying—and what her dragon would do—she didn’t know, but Syla took advantage of the relative calm and pressed on.
“As your rightful queen, I request that you join us instead of firing upon us. We must travel to Harvest Island as a united fleet if we’re to have a hope of driving away the dragons that remain camped there, savagely hunting all the game to extinction and destroying farms and orchards.”
You are fortunate that I do not object to the word savage in describing my kind,Wreylith said.
It’s somewhat accurate; you must agree.
We are apex predators.Wreylith roared. Savagely.
Syla opened her mouth to continue but noticed someone familiar glowering at her from the deck of the adjacent ship. Lord Ravoran from Harvest Island. She hadn’t realized he’d come along with her little fleet when they’d departed Bogberry Island. She told herself that it didn’t matter. They would soon have a shielder back on Harvest Island. Once he realized she was speaking the truth about having one to mount there, he would hopefully set aside his ire.
