A boulder landed square on the deck, punching all the way down to the sea, turning the clipper’s deck to chaos.
The other clipper veered away, sailing out of range of the shipbreakers, not quite ready to court this battle.
“Get us to that cove,” Aren shouted, knowing that tears mixed with seawater on his sister’s face as she sailed onward, beneath the raised chain and into the cove.
Familiar shouts called their names, and the beach was filled with the faces of comrades as they dropped the sails and drifted up onto the sand. But Aren’s eyes were all for Lara as she sprinted down the beach. He leapt into the water and met her as she flung herself at him, her arms going around his neck.
“Are you all right?” she demanded, and he couldn’t tell if the rapid thud of a heart he felt was his or hers.
“Yeah. But Lia…”
“We saw.” Her body tensed in his arms as though she fought a sob,and then she let go of his neck and settled into the knee-deep water. “We saw it all.”
Aren straightened, taking in everyone watching. “A lot has happened, but suffice it to say, William is dead. Harendell is coming for blood. We have a day, maybe two, until the Harendellian fleet arrives and begins its attack.”
Lara gave a tight nod. “I’ve sent word to Maridrina and to Valcotta begging for aid.”
“Zarrah was in Harendell with Keris. I imagine they’ll be trying to get back south, but they are in no position to help. And I think Maridrina’s parliament cares more for trade than they do for who holds the bridge.”
“This is it, then?” Her blue eyes met his. “The battle is upon us?”
Aren pulled his gaze from hers, surveying the Ithicanian warriors watching from the sand. Every single one of them stood square-shouldered and defiant, ready to make this last stand. And they needed to be ready.
Because in this fight, Ithicana stood alone.
96
James
“How many warriors do youhave on the island?” James asked, fighting the weariness threatening to overtake him. When was the last time he’d slept? He couldn’t remember.
“Five hundred, give or take a few,” Lara replied, adjusting the sword belted to her waist. “The issue is supplies. We’ve stockpiled as best we could, but five hundred mouths is a lot to feed if we can’t access the sea. Now that the storms are over, the trees will produce fruit, but we have a few weeks yet until that happens. Likewise, water may become an issue if it doesn’t rain. Our freshwater basin is full right now, but without rain, we’ll drink it dry soon enough.”
It was like being trapped in a fortress under siege, and the only thing capable of breaking the line of ships that would soon form around the island was a storm, as had happened in the siege of Eranahl. Perhaps the tempests would come to the aid of Ithicana twice, but James wouldn’t bet on it. Or at least, not soon enough.
He glanced down at Ahnna, who had been silently listening to Lara’s update on the situation. She still wore that awful execution dress, though it was shredded and stained with dirt and blood. Her dark brown hair hung in salt-tangled clumps, her arms and legs were marked with cuts and bruises, and she was barefoot. She limped slightly fromthe cuts on the bottoms of her feet, and he fought the urge to pick her up. But he knew better than to undermine her like that.
The group approached a midsized building. It was formed of blocks of stone that had gone green from moisture and mold, the wooden roof layered thick with moss. Trees had been cut back so no branches stretched overhead, likely in deference to the violence of the storms, but even so, it would be easy to miss, it blended into the jungle so well. There were several smaller buildings set nearby he suspected were more quarters for soldiers.
They went inside, and James blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim light from the lamps set around the windowless room. They stood in what seemed to serve as a common room, stacks of supplies sitting to one side, and a series of tables with benches taking up most of the space. Doors lined the back wall, probably leading to more sleeping quarters.
“It’s tight, but we’ll make space for you,” Lara said. “Have something to eat and then get some rest. By the morning, we should have a better idea of what we’re up against.”
A woman approached with a pile of clothes and a pair of worn boots, which she passed to Ahnna. But his wife only put on the boots and set the clothes aside. “I want to have a look now.”
Without another word, she left the building. Aren scrubbed a hand through his hair. “She’s busy blaming herself. She thinks this is her fault, but it’s not.”
“That’s not what she’s thinking. She’s trying to think of a way to win this.” James grabbed a few pieces of jerky from a plate on the table, then filled a waterskin from a barrel. “I suggest you do the same.”
He strode out into the fading sunlight, breaking into a jog to catch up with Ahnna as she wove through the jungle. “Eat,” he said, pushing a piece of jerky into her hands, then he skidded to a stop, realizing they’d reached the clifftops. Below, the sea smashed into rock, spraybursting high with each wave. Not a fall one was likely to survive. At least, not for long.
Ahnna ate the jerky and scowled at the ships in the distance, which were only shadows on a sea painted orange and gold by the setting sun. Leaving her to think, James walked over to where a massive shipbreaker was bolted to the rock. Two Ithicanians stood next to it, and behind them was a large pile of rocks. They didn’t protest as he examined the mechanism, noting how it rotated on its mount so that it could be aimed in various directions. Before it was a screen of woven vines that hid the machine from ships on the sea. There was another one about thirty paces farther along, but it was of different construction.
“It can throw farther,” one of the Ithicanians said. “This one can throw heavier.”
“But not that far?” James pointed to the distant cutters.
The Ithicanians shook their heads. “They’ll keep out of range.”
