Sea Dragon (Dragon Knights Book 9) (24 page)

The fulfillment of a life’s potential. Right here. Right now.

Who would have believed it?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Gowan and Genlitha flew far above the mass of enemy ships. The view from above did not look good. Fifty ships or more were heading, at great speed, for the mouth of the harbor. From there, it would only be a quick sail right into the heart of Dragonscove

Oh, the town could mount a small opposition, but the sad state of their defensive armament meant it would be short lived. With this number of ships coming at them, they’d be overwhelmed all too quickly.

On one hand, Gowan was glad Seth and Livia were there to pass on accurate information on the town’s defenses, but on the other, he didn’t want them in danger. Though Gowan was sure Seth could hold his own in a fight—especially with the sword Gowan had commissioned as a gift for his student and friend—but he was very concerned about Livia. She was so devoted to her hometown and its people Gowan wasn’t sure she would retreat in time.

He wanted her in the Lair. Safe. Protected.

He knew better than to say that to her before the last possible second, but he was counting on Seth to make her see reason and seek the safety of the Lair. Until that time, Gowan knew he could definitely count on Seth to protect her out in the open. Seth cared for her. Of that, Gowan was certain.

Which made the whole relationship issue somewhat…interesting. It would all be so much easier if Seth was a knight…

But that was a thought for later.

“I hope you’re prepared to get Livia out of there,”
Gowan sent directly to Seth, impatient with having to go through the elders back at the Lair who were then relaying his information to Seth and Livia. The time had come for more direct communication, and they’d fill in the planners in the Lair as they went along.

“Of course I am,”
Seth scoffed.
“The only problem I foresee is getting her to go.”

“Tell her Hrardorr needs her to lead him back,”
Gowan suggested.

“No can do. Hrardorr is in the ocean, scouting the enemy ships.”

“He’s what?”
Apparently, nobody in the Lair had felt it necessary to tell Gowan and Genlitha where, exactly, the information was coming from on land—or in this case, in the water.

“Didn’t Genlitha tell you he’s part sea dragon? He swims like a fish. A really big, really silent, really smart fish.”

Gowan almost laughed aloud, but the situation was a little too dire for that.
“Well, your dragon fish is right to be sending up the alarm. You’ve got an entire fleet on your doorstep, and about half again as many ships some distance behind. Probably a reserve force. This battle is going to be very one-sided if your cannon count is correct.”

“It’s correct,”
came Seth’s grim voice.
“I did the count myself. Even if Petr can get a few more of them up and running in the time it takes the enemy to get here, it’s still not enough. Thank you for the sword, by the way.”

“It was time. You still need a little polishing, but you’re more than capable of wielding it with more skill than most of the young knights. I hope it serves you well.”
Gowan felt good that his gift had gotten to Seth in time. Seth was an able warrior and could be of great use to the townsfolk—and in defending Livia, if she didn’t get out of there in time.
“I’m counting on you to take care of Livia,”
Gowan reminded Seth needlessly.

“I will. I promise you.”

“Good enough. Now, the enemy ships are lining up in rows of five across to enter the harbor. I believe that’s all that will fit through the entrance at once.”

“Too many,”
Seth said immediately.
“We can take on maybe three at a time with the cannons we have positioned there. We have plenty of ammunition and able-bodied folk willing to man the guns, but the cannons themselves are the weak link.”

“Let’s get the dragons in on this,”
Gowan thought, immediately linking Genlitha and Hrardorr into the conversation.

He hadn’t expected to be working with the blind dragon on this, but if he was their scout in the water, then he needed to be in on the planning. He might see something from below that Gowan and Genlitha couldn’t see from above.

Gowan recapped what they’d discussed so far about the number of ships the cannons could fire on at once, bringing the dragons up to speed. Gowan had never been in command in battle with Genlitha as is partner, so he was unprepared for how quickly they analyzed the situation and came up with creative answers.

“I can try to scout for which ships have the diamond bladed weapons, but it won’t be one hundred percent accurate, I fear,”
Hrardorr offered.
“I believe I have a more accurate count of number of cannons per ship. I’ve been experimenting with what to look for, and I believe I have it sorted out now. The first five ships lining up at the harbor are all heavily armed. At least ten cannons per ship. The two on the ends have more than that. Maybe fifteen or twenty.”

“That’s not good,”
Seth replied, speaking to the entire group and linking Livia into the discussion so she would know exactly what they faced.
“The batteries near the harbor entrance can take on about half that.”

“But they’ll be under sail, with more behind, right?”
Livia offered. She was the nautical brain in this gathering.
“Chances are, they plan to blow right by the harbor guns, getting off a broadside on their way, but otherwise clearing the entrance for their companions who’ll be speeding along right behind.”

They were all silent for a moment while they thought about that scenario.
“Makes sense,”
Genlitha finally offered.
“They have no shortage of ships, and a reserve force too. Their strength is their overwhelming number.”

“And ours has always been the limited opening to the harbor. If we can stop them at the mouth of the harbor, they’ll pile up,”
Livia said, a hint of cunning in her tone.

“But how? The cannons won’t even make a dent in that number of ships in such a quick encounter.”
Seth reminded them all.

“What we need to do is stop them at the mouth of the harbor,”
Livia insisted.
“We need to make them fight it out with our gun, and not streak past, letting the rest of their forces in.”

“I can do that.”
Hrardorr’s calm voice surprised them all.

“What?”
Gowan demanded as the same time Seth asked
“How?”

Hrardorr’s voice in their mind sounded both amused and eager.
“Remember when I joked about chomping on the rudder of the spy ship?”
He paused, letting that picture sink into their minds.
“I can disable the ships’ steering mechanisms from beneath. I might also be able to poke a few strategic holes in sensitive spots below the water. The rest will be up to you above.”

“Stars!”
Livia was the first to recover.
“That’s ingenious.”

“Are you sure about this, Sir Hrardorr?”
Gowan asked. He hated to be the voice of doubt, but it was his job as leader to ask. He noted that Genlitha said nothing.

“Water is my element more than air now, my friend. I can manage the fight below. You take care of the battle above. And keep the dragons clear of the ships I alert you to. I think I have a system for sensing the diamond blades, but we’ll have to have a few fly before I’m sure I’ve got it right, unfortunately. I’ll need you and Genlitha to let me know when you see them and where they came from.”

“We will, Hrardorr.”
Genlitha sounded utterly confident, which went a long way toward calming Gowan’s mind.

“All right then,”
Gowan took control of the planning session once more.
“Livia should go to the Lair now, for safety. Seth, will you be overseeing the batteries of guns?”

“Of course.”
Seth sounded a little affronted, but Gowan had had to ask. He couldn’t take anything for granted, though he’d assumed Seth would want to be right where the action was.

“Good. We need someone who can communicate with us from the ground. You’re it,”
Gowan confirmed.

“I’m staying. I can relay information to the council.”
Livia tried to find a reason she had to stay in town, just as Gowan had suspected she would.

“Livia, I must insist that, once you finish briefing the council on this conversation, you head for the mountain. They won’t be able to do anything once battle is engaged. You risking yourself by staying would be pointless. In fact, they should evacuate all the non-fighting people to the Lair immediately. Please, Livia. Promise me? I won’t be able to concentrate knowing you’re in danger.”

That seemed to convince her.
“All right.”
She gave in with a distinct lack of finesse.
“I’ll go. And I’ll take those who can’t fight with me. You’re right. We can’t do any good here once the battle starts.”

“Thank the Goddess for that,”
Seth summed up Gowan’s feelings exactly.

Seth made sure Livia was well on her way to the Lair before he moved down to the harbor gun emplacements. The harbormaster would coordinate the attack from the guns along the innermost sections of the harbor, but Seth was going right out to the edge, to the guns that had been placed decades ago inside a rock wall three feet thick, with only small ports out which the barrels of the cannons poked.

There were several batteries of them, all functional, thanks to the guns being inside the rock enclosure, out of the weather. They were well supplied with shot, and plenty of fresh gunpowder had been stocked next to each cannon.

What they lacked was someone to lead them. To organize the various gun crews and signal them to fire at the right times. Seth stepped into the breach and was ready to fill that role. He really was the only one who could do it—besides Livia, which Seth wouldn’t even contemplate—because he could communicate with Hrardorr and coordinate the guns with the dragon’s action below water.

The enemy wouldn’t know what hit them.

Seth hoped.

Otherwise, this wasn’t going to be a long battle, and Dragonscove would be forfeit in short order.

“Livia, are you safe?”
Seth paused long enough to ask, even as his feet kept him running toward the guns.

“We’re almost to the Lair.”

“Almost?”
Seth wanted to curse. Why wasn’t she inside the mountain already?

“We stopped to help some old timers who were having trouble with the climb. We’re almost there.”

It made perfect sense. Livia would not pass someone in need of help, though Seth could have wished otherwise at the moment.

“Let me know the minute you’re safe. We’re about to have company in the harbor, and I’d rather have one less thing to worry about.”

“Not sure if I like the way you phrased that, but it’s nice to know you care,”
came the rather sarcastic reply.

He didn’t really have time for this right now, but he couldn’t leave it alone. He didn’t want her mad at him now. Not when there was a good chance he wouldn’t make it out of this alive.

“I do care about you, Livia. I’ve had a crush on you since we were youngsters. You were always they prettiest girl in the world to me, and I never thought I’d ever stand a chance with you. Not with your father glowering at me every time I came into the shop.”
He tried to inject a bit of his current amusement and past frustration into his tone.
“I wanted you to know that, in case…”

“Stop right there, Seth. Nothing is going to happen to you. Not today. You have to go into battle believing that. I’m almost to the entrance. They’re opening it for us.”
There was a slight pause.
“People are coming out to help the elders. We’re going to make it.”
Another pause.
“I’m inside, Seth. They just closed the barrier. I’m heading up to the war room. Perhaps I can be of help there. And Seth…”
A shorter pause, this time.
“I care about you too. Be safe.”

“Seth, are you ready?”
Hrardorr chose that moment to communicate.

“I’m just getting there. The guns are primed and ready to fire at my command,”
Seth reported, including Hrardorr, Genlitha, Gowan and Livia in his thoughts.

Livia would report to whoever was left at the Lair. Gowan and Genlitha would interface with the leaders of the dragon wings.

“We are ready,”
Genlitha reported.

“The enemy is lined up and making their first run. I’m going to start now,”
Hrardorr said.
“When they’re at the mouth of the harbor, open fire, Seth. Genlitha, I believe the second and fourth ships in the first run have diamond bladed weapons. I can make out giant crossbows below decks, ready to be unveiled, and the ammunition has a crystal ring to it unlike anything else on any of these first five ships. In the second row, all five ships have that sound. In the third, only the middle three ships. Be warned.”

Seth was impressed with the quality of Hrardorr’s reconnaissance. Ten ships with diamond bladed weapons in the first three waves was a lot for the dragons to evade. The harbor defenses and the lone half-sea dragon would have to bear the brunt of the fighting to avoid heavy dragon casualties.

Seth was finally in position. He stood on top of the rock-walled gun batteries, the unfamiliar weight of his new sword at his hip. He drew the blade. He’d use it to signal the gun crews. Raising it in the air, he watched the first wave of five ships approach. He saw the cannon crews on the nearest ship readying to fire.

They’d all get only one chance at this. Seth had to hold his own fire until the ships were in the optimal position. No sense wasting cannon balls or black powder. Not to mention the time it took for each cannon to reload.

The able-bodied men of the town, along with the guard and militia, were ready as well, hiding their numbers behind the rock walls of the harbor defenses. If any enemies did manage to make it to land, they would have a fight on their hands.

Seth watched the approaching ships, his heart racing as the time for action drew near. The ships were proceeding all in a neat line, and then…