Masters of the Sky

Chapter 40 Into the Dark

The wind was howling so loud it almost drew out a low rumble of engines. But Celia could still hear the mechanical roar o their pursuers closing in with every passing minute. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but her mind was clear. There was no time for panic or second-guessing. Her life's work and all her sacrifices had led her to this very moment, and though it was not ideal, Celia knew this was a breaking point, a sink-or-swim situation. And Celia de Visher did not give up when faced with overwhelming adversities.

"Ready starboard cannons!" she roared, and with all her might, she spun the helm. Wood and steel groaned in unison when Percy took a sharp turn to the right so abruptly that even crew members gasped in surprise. The manoeuvre took them exactly where she wanted – with the starboard facing the two closest ships.

Their enemies must have assumed that faced with such a dire power imbalance, Celia would try to flee, and they could hunt her down like an animal. But even the most docile prey would fight teeth and nails once cornered, and Celia was no different. She could see panicked soldiers on the closest ship scrambling around the deck to reposition their vessel, but they knew it was too late.

"Fire!" she bellowed, and Percy shook as all the cannons spit their deadly projectiles. One of the pursuing ships got almost out of range, suffering only a few scrapes, but the other wasn't so lucky. The cannon balls wreaked havoc, piercing straight through the hull and crushing wood and metal alike. Celia could hear a small explosion but had no time to admire her handiwork. She was already pulling the leaver to ascend out of the firing range of the closest ship.

"We hit that one pretty bad!" Lyra reported from the crow's nest. "They are out for now!"

"Only four to go," Celia muttered.

Unfortunately, their pursuers were learning fast, and none approached so carelessly after their comrade's assault fiasco. They were also manoeuvring their vessels to surround Percy and put her in the crossfire position. Celia gritted her teeth and spun the helm again, taking another sharp turn, but this time not to rain her enemies with fire but to avoid a closing fast loop. Percy slipped through the seems, once again evading the capture, but the canon balls wheezed far too close for comfort, crushing the portside railing into splinters in two places.

The crew did what they could to keep the assailants away, firing their weapons every time they came within range, but none o them got even close enough to do any significant damage. It was more like dancing around each other now, waiting to see who would lose the rhythm first and stumble.

Even though the wind was relentless, Celia was covered in sweat. It was not easy keeping away from four ships at once, and she knew that any mistake would mean death.

"Captain!" Abner's voice came through her focus bubble, drawing her attention. "The winged guy! He's doing some weird shit! Shall we stop him?"

Celia pulled the lever to take them higher again, out of reach from the closer ship and risked a glance at the starboard, where she left the Stranger. He was indeed acting odd. Instead of loading and firing the harpoon thrower she gave him, the man unloaded and discarded it. He was smashing two blunt ends of metal-enhanced harpoons at the railing repeatedly and ceaselessly. When Celia focused, she could hear the steady rhythm, as if he was beating a battle drum.

"Shall we stop him?" Abner asked again, his tone urgent.

"Leave him be. Just ensure he doesn't get blown off by a stray cannonball."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

As on cue, Percy shuddered when another salve grazed the hull. Celia cursed, spinning the wheel again. Her distraction cost them another hit; they couldn't afford to take many of those now.