Sea of Dekatos

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Enemy commanders are creatures of emotion, pride, and anger. Enemy ships, however, are creatures of logic, prevailing winds and physical laws.”

--Sento of Yang

Wentai was sailing the waters, watching, enduring the long hours of boredom as his ship coursed over the waves. The bow rose and fell, tossing up spray the way a camel’s hooves might kick up sand. In his heart he was a mariner, but he had wanted to spend his remaining years building his house, perhaps writing a few books. With a well written book he might make Char famous as the home of a great writer. Instead, he found himself in a war where he could barely strike back at the enemy.

The sun dipped low on the horizon. This was the time the attack had come the night before. Specks appeared in the sky, growing larger as the reptiles came closer. A hot wind picked up, raising the sea spray a little higher, cooling him before battle. The reptiles were scattered over the sky with little regard to formation. There were still many ships at sea – most of the five cities fielded about two hundred vessels each – and there were easily a hundred reptiles in the sky. They descended, choosing individual targets, and the first of the metal spheres began falling. Moments later the scaled one’s arrows began lancing through the sky, not visible until they burst into flame half way down. Wentai could not help but feel that the five cities would not be safe until their attackers were somehow utterly destroyed. 

Placidus pointed to the north. “A pack coming toward us.”

“I see it,” said Wentai. “Rowers! Three-quarters speed!” Wentai knew that there was little they could do against the flying reptiles, but if there was a seaborne invasion of any sort, their ships needed to be out at sea to meet it, not bottled up in the harbor. The evening before, the ships that had been at rest in the harbor had been hit hard, with most of them being sunk in the shallow waters. Ships at sea could move quickly and turn while under attack, making the task more difficult for the scaled ones. A glance at the sails on the horizon showed what looked like every single ship of the five cities out upon the sea. 

“I wonder,” said Placidus, squeezing one eye shut as he did whenever he contemplated something, “why they are not perpetually in our skies.”

“A valid question. Certainly they need to return to replenish their metal orbs and sword clusters.”

In a matter of moments, the flying reptiles were descending like birds of prey upon the ships, diving in and releasing the spheres they had held clenched in their claws. The reptiles leveled out, skimming the sea and moving fast. A pack of them struck a large fishing ship of Char, ignoring the swarm of arrows that rose up from the soldiers on deck. Metal spheres tore into the hull and scattered bodies. Another pack of reptiles struck shortly after, adding yet more holes to the hull. 

Each Aquatic, who rode the reptiles, held one end of a chain in his hand. The other end extended forward to loop around the neck of the reptile. The Aquatics held the chains in much the same way that Wentai held the reins of his chariot.

Two silver beasts – their bodies scaled and fish-like, with elegant, transparent wings – rushed in toward Wentai’s ship. They flew just above the surface of the sea, their heads down and their tails flicking from side to side. All carried a small group of swords clenched in each claw.

“Beneath shields!” called Wentai, ducking down himself behind a wood bench. Placidus – steadfast and unfailing – set his wide copper shield down and both men huddled behind it, Wentai on one knee. A horrid whistling sound could be heard as the hurtling blades cut through the air. There was a loud impact as the swords crashed against copper shields or impaled themselves into the wood hull of the ship. A blade hit the shield that the two men were hiding behind, deflecting away to slide along the deck.