So, here's the first and long version of my contest entry. I still really like it. Also, the title is stupid XD It was my working title and now I cannot picture naming this fic anything else. So there.
The water splashed high against the bow of the Valour. The strong wind pushed against them, shoving them away from the soon-to-be battlefield. The Renais and her sister-ship Adamant were easily cutting through the waves with their heavier and stronger bodies. Captain Seth trained his telescope on the horizon. The hundreds of masts of their enemies were sticking out of the water like dead trees after a hurricane.
"Captain, sir!" the lieutenant of the watch called over the loud wind. "A message from the Renais!"
"Read it!" Seth yelled back curtly. He clutched his cold hands behind his back, stiffly awaiting his orders.
"Our number," the midshipman responsible for reading the flags said, his eyes flying from his textbook up to the small, colourful pennants on the hull of the Renais. "And the Swift. Keep to starboard of the Grado and keep any other vessels from interfering."
"Understood!" Seth swallowed hard. The Grado was already coming into sight. She was carelessly gliding over the tumultuous sea with her sails billowing; the weather was on their side, but that would not stop the Renais and her squadron. They had to finish the traitors before they could do any more damage. "Lieutenant Franz!" The lieutenant of the watch, a young blond man, ran over and touched his hat in greeting.
"Aye, sir!"
"Clear for action."
"Aye aye, sir." He touched his hat again and grabbed the speaking trumpet. Seth returned his attention to the enemy as the first sailors ran up the lines to shorten the topsails while others were running out the cannons.
"Captain." Seth spun on his heels.
"Lady Eirika." The young lady, ranked surgeon's mate, clutched her cloak around her and blinked quickly as the aggressive wind whipped her hair around.
"It's starting, isn't it?"
"Aye, lady, please go back to your station."
"In a moment, please." She gazed past Seth to the Renais and the Adamant. Seth understood and handed her his telescope. She smiled at him in thanks and looked over to the man-of-wars. Seth turned away and oversaw his sailors making the ship ready, but in the corner of his eyes he could see Eirika stiffen twice. After a minute, she snapped the telescope close and returned it.
Seth accepted it without question. "To your post, Lady Eirika."
"You wouldn't be this nice to any other sailor," she said lowly, a tiny, strained smile playing around her lips – Seth barely heard her over the howling wind. His expression darkened, but he couldn't contradict the truth. He watched her climb down into the belly of the ship where she would be safer than up here. A cannon shot might still hit exactly the place where she was and crush her or sent wooden splinters as thick as his arm into her soft flesh, but she was still safer there than up here.
"Captain, we're almost in shooting range!" the second lieutenant called from below.
"Prepare the cannons, but hold your fire! Fire only at my command!"
###
The air was thick with smoke as the deck of the Renais exploded. Seth gaped at it, couldn't believe the mass of splinters raining into the water. The Faithful, Captain Orson's ship, had shot a full broadside into her stern. Seth felt around for his telescope, finally found it at his belt, struggled to get it free. He searched for the admiral, but the quarterdeck was half gone.
The Valour recoiled and Seth almost stumbled to the ground; there were screams, full of pain and fear. "Get her around!" he screamed over the sound of the dying. The Insatiable was coming closer, only a moment and the Valour would get a full broadside into her bow. Seth brought the telescope to his eye again; he searched around, saw only bloodied wood – then; a piece of the admiral's jacket, the turquoise hair almost irrecognizably dyed red, and only bare flesh and bones where the face should be.
His stomach clenching, Seth lowered the telescope. There was nothing he could do. And the Insatiable was still onto them. "Lieutenant Franz, why are our cannons still?!" he yelled over the crash of the next cannon balls into their side. The boy, his hands trembling uncontrollably, climbed up on the quarterdeck and saluted.
"Captain, sir, two cannons are destroyed. The enemy destroyed their carriages. We just managed to tie the cannons to the railing so they don't crush any wounded. The others–" The boy needed to stop to swallow and close his eyes to focus, "half of our gun captains are lost." Seth gritted his teeth and clasped his cold hands behind his back, trying to radiate confidence while the smoke was burning in his eyes.
"Get all of the remaining captains to starboard and sink the blasted Insatiable!"
"Aye aye, sir!" Lieutenant Franz slapped his hand against his forehead in a sloppy salute.
Just as the young man hastened down the ladder, Eirika was coming up. Seth's mouth grew terribly dry. She looked old, sick and erratic in her worry.
"I've heard it," she gasped before she leaned over the stern railing, as if she wanted to jump overboard to swim to her father and brother. Seth roughly pulled her back. "Orson betrayed us." Her voice was trembling. Seth's gaze flickered over to the Renais – her mainmast had fallen, dragging her sails through the troubled water – before focusing on Eirika.
"Get below to your post."
"What about my father?" Eirika almost yelled.
"I'm sorry, Lady Eirika," Seth said gently. Her body stiffened and her eyes shot close as if he had slapped her.
"And Ephraim? What about the Adamant?"
"We have lost her. Three ships surrounded her and then she was out of sight." Eirika slapped a hand over her mouth to capture her sobs. "Please, get down to your post," Seth urged her again. She nodded and fled from the sight of the destroyed Renais.
Suddenly, the whole Valour shook under the full broadside of the Insatiable. A choir of screams rang in Seth's ears. Valour's cannons gave back as much as they could, but she was only a small frigate against a man-of-war. Seth gritted his teeth.
"Lieutenant, take over for a moment!" Without waiting for an answer, Seth jumped down onto the main deck and slipped into his cabin. As the battle roared about him, he yanked a letter from his desk. The order was still sealed with wax; the emblem of the Admiralty glared at him before he ripped it open. He hastily went over the finely written letters.
"Retreat," he whispered to himself. "Retreat in case of defeat." Closing his eyes, Seth ran one hand over his face – shameful. Stuffing the order into a pocket of his jacket, he sped up onto the quarterdeck. "Master, turn backboard!" The sailing master dared to look aghast at the order.
"Sir?"
"Orders from the admiral," Seth snarled before he thought better of it. "Course to Mulan, now!"
"Aye aye, sir!" The sailing master swung around the steering wheel.
"Lieutenant Franz, aim for the mast! We need to throw her off!" The lieutenant seemed as surprised as the sailing master, but immediately gave the orders. Gritting his teeth and feeling a sharp tingling in his jaw, Seth leaned onto the stern railing. The cannons blaring around him, he watched the wreck of the Renais grow smaller and smaller.
###
Admiral Hayden's squadron lay at anchor in the peaceful bay of Mulan. The Frelia, a three-decked man-of-war with snow white sails and brightly painted body, was the head of the long line of several man-of-wars, frigates and two gun-brigs. The Valour, scantily fixed and with holes in her sides – there was not enough wood to fix all the damage –, looked pitiful next to her sisters of the line.
The Frelia signalled them to anchor next to her and moments after Captain Seth ordered to let the anchor fall, the first longboats laid alongside. Carpenter's mates and strong sailors came on board and worked under the direction of the Valour's carpenter. Eirika appeared for a minute to talk with the lieutenant responsible for the boats. Seth guessed she was asking for more alcohol and bandages. Their body count had doubled after the battle because the surgeon's store had been hit and half destroyed. He didn't want to think about how many sailors he had needlessly lost. How was he supposed to replace them when most of the able-bodied men and women of the country were already conscripted into service?
Half an hour later, the longboat of the Frelia arrived with the first lieutenant. The young, green-haired woman delivered Captain Seth the admiral's request to meet him for dinner. He'd rather stay and supervise the repair of his ship, but no captain in his right mind would deny the request of an admiral.
"It would be an honour," Seth answered with a small touch to his hat, "I'll bring Lady Eirika with me if the admiral allows."
"Admiral Hayden had hoped she would come," Lieutenant Vanessa said with a small nod and disappeared over the side. Eirika immediately came at Seth's request, her clothes still bloody from her work in the lower deck. Her face was white and her hair dishevelled.
"Lady Eirika," Seth started to admonish.
"There are no clean clothes." Her mouth was set into what seemed like resignation; there were probably patients with white and blue linen bandages lying below deck. She looked not well and unlike herself. "Admiral Hayden will understand."
"Very well."
###
"Eirika, dear," the admiral exclaimed as he walked over to his guests. "Find her something clean to wear," he said over his shoulder to the servants waiting at the door; one of them nodded and slipped out soundlessly. The admiral looked Eirika over and they spoke in hushed voices until they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
The captain of the Frelia, Innes, stepped in. He touched his hand to his hat in greeting to the admiral and then glanced at the lady. "Eirika, it's good to see you alive." His face remained grim as he stepped closer and quietly spoke to her.
A minute later the servant reappeared and led Eirika out of the room. The admiral immediately turned to Seth. "It is bad news that you are here," the grey-haired man said with a frown and walked over to the long dinner table; a good dozen men would fit in here – a stark contrast to the captain's cabin of the small Valour.
"Aye, sir." Seth answered with a nod and threw a sideways glance at Innes. The young man listened intently and Seth felt a bit uncomfortable under his stare. "The Renais and most of her squadron has fallen." The admiral's face contorted for a moment.
"I thought so. Continue."
"The Adamant has disappeared. We don't know if she was captured or managed to flee."
"How?" The admiral pushed himself out of his stool with a shake of his head and walked over to the windows. "Fado wouldn't make such an egregious mistake."
"The Faithful betrayed us," Seth said through clenched teeth.
"She as well…" The admiral ran his hand over his mouth and continued staring out of the window.
"The Grado must have at least twenty first-rate ships behind her," Captain Innes threw in. "Admiral Vigarde's force is growing. We need to do something."
The admiral shook his head and turned, crossing his arms. "The orders from the Admiralty are clear. We wait until our orders change." He crossed the room. "They hopefully wake up now." The admiral sounded bitter. "Captain Seth, for now you're part of my squadron. Talk with Captain Innes if you need anything from our stores." Seth touched his hat in acquiescence.
"Thank you, Admiral Hayden." The admiral nodded absentmindedly.
###
"No, absolutely not." The admiral was pacing up and down the cabin. Lady Eirika stood up, her expression slowly growing desperate.
"Please, sir, there might be a chance that my brother is still alive."
"I will not send a whole crew into certain death." Lady Eirika flinched slightly but remained strong. Captain Seth admired her for that.
"I promise you, sir, we will not provoke a fight. We will only act as scouts." The admiral's expression was thunderous as he turned to Seth.
"Why are you standing there silently, man? Eirika is talking about the lives of your men."
Seth bowed his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I agree with her." The admiral looked taken aback and scoffed. "We had to dishonourably flee the battlefield. The least we can do is to try and safe the Adamant."
"You had orders. You did not flee dishonourably." The admiral's voice was softer. Seth threw a quick glance at the lady; she had noticed it as well.
"We are the still the only ones who are safe," Eirika said and stepped closer to the admiral. "You have my word that we will not be reckless." Admiral Hayden glanced at her and Eirika held his gaze. After a few long seconds, the admiral broke the eye contact and heaved a sigh.
"You're already as stubborn as your father, how am I supposed to know you're not as reckless as he?" Eirika smiled relieved. "Very well," the admiral turned and walked over to his desk, "since the Admiralty has not sent any new orders for you yet, the duty falls to me." He sat down, pulled close a small paper and grabbed a pen. Silently, he scribbled a few lines and sealed the orders. "Go find the Adamant." Seth accepted the letter with a lift of his hat. "Captain Gilliam will accompany you."
"Sir?"
"Captain Gilliam is the commander of the Reliable. A good, quick ship."
"Aye, sir." Before Seth could ask further questions, there was a banging on the door.
"What is it?" the admiral called angrily. The door flew open and a blue-haired woman in the uniform of an Acting-Lieutenant entered. "Tana!"
"Sir, I want to accompany the Valour." She saluted sharply and stared at her father's shoulder.
"No."
Her stony expression immediately crumbled and she began to plead with the admiral. Feeling uncomfortable here, Seth retreated towards the walls, almost hitting his head on a deck beam. Eirika watched her friend with worry. Seth had the feeling that she would like to have her friend with her, but didn't want to drag her into danger.
"Enough," the admiral thundered after a moment. "Back to your post or I will have to publicly discipline you for insubordination!" Acting-Lieutenant Tana flinched and bowed her head. "Go." She left only grudgingly and threw a pained glance at Eirika before closing the door.
###
The weather was brilliant and Captain Seth could almost forget about the circumstances of their journey when the wind was whipping around his face and the sails bulged happily above him. The peace was quickly broken when yells sounded through the deck. A moment later, a midshipman came running to Seth. Saluting smartly, the boy reported to him with a cracking voice: "Captain, sir, Lieutenant Franz asks you for your presence in your cabin." Seth wanted to frown confused but thought better of it.
"Very well, go back to your post."
When Seth entered his cabin, he could barely believe his eyes. Acting-Lieutenant Tana was sitting on his chair, looking guilty and proud at the same time. "What is going on here?" Seth asked harshly. Before Tana could open her mouth, he continued: "Admiral Hayden has given me no further orders so I have to assume you have deserted."
"No!" She jumped to her feet. She obviously tried to explain, but no sounds but desperate grunts were leaving her mouth. As he saw her in her panic, Seth felt a pang of sympathy.
"Very well, we can't change this now. We cannot turn back." Tana's mouth snapped shut and she stared at him intently. "You will stay here until we anchor and then you'll be sent over to the Reliable. Captain Gilliam will decide over your fate." She swallowed and nodded. "I assume it is not necessary to put you in the hold?"
"No, sir!" Tana exclaimed and saluted. "I promise to pull my weight."
"Very well," Seth sighed and gestured towards the door. "Dismissed."
###
It was as if a storm was raging around them. There was thunder and crashes pressing against his ears from all sides, and the sky was hidden behind dark grey clouds. Cannon balls were whirring through the air, cutting through sail and wood alike. One shot just barely missed Seth's head as he yelled for his gun captains to hurry up.
"Don't drift off!" he yelled at the men at the steering wheel. "Lieutenant Franz, get someone to the jib! Get the bow back 'round!" Digging his fingers into the railing, Seth impatiently waited as the Valour turned back on course; the Reliable was on their starboard side again. Three ships of the line, traitors whose captains Seth had thought he knew well, were encircling them and another one was already approaching to cut off their escape route. They had been waiting for the Valour – hidden in the bay of Renvall, Seth had noticed them too late.
Suddenly parts of the mizzen mast came crashing down, missing Seth and the first lieutenant just barely. "Cut it off," Seth yelled over the constant booming of the cannons. A few sailors scurried through the debris and over the bodies to cut away the mizzen sails and mast, which were both dragging through the water and slowing them down.
Beside them, the Reliable fought as good as she could, but she had only eight nine-pounders and two four-pounders chasers in her bow. Seth gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt. Despite the wreckage covering the Valour's deck, there was little heavy damage done to his ship. They would still be able to recover and maybe even win if they could get rid of at least one enemy ship. Seth's hope came to a quick death as the third enemy ship laid alongside the Valour's bow.
"Captain, enemy ahead," someone called and Seth felt the need to snarl at the speaker, but he didn't know who the smart-ass was. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he saw Eirika scurrying over the deck; she knelt next to a man who was clutching his side. She talked to him for a second and then grabbed him, pulling him to his feet and towards the ladder down into the ship.
His fingers clenched around the railing; he had promised Admiral Fado to look after her and now she would still fall under the cannons' of the traitors who had already killed her father. A crash shook the Valour and Seth no longer had time to think about anything else but the hole in his gun deck.
"Get it fixed now!" he screamed, his voice almost breaking from the long yelling – it must've been more than an hour at least. A handful of men stood up to get to it, but before they could take more than a few steps, they disappeared in a cloud of blood and flesh. A cannon ball ripped through them, smashing heads and upper bodies on its way. "I said 'get it fixed'," Seth yelled again while his stomach rebelled against the sight. Another handful of men stood and ran before the enemy could fire another shot.
Over the cacophony of screams and cannon shots, Seth didn't notice the newcomer. Only when the mainmast of the man-of-war on his starboard side came crashing down, did he turn. He wanted to cheer in relief when he saw the Adamant rushing past.
###
Captain Ephraim looked tired as he stepped onto the Valour's deck while the cannons were still yowling their salutes. "Seth," he said and shook the captain's hand.
"It is good to see you, Captain Ephraim." Seth gestured towards his cabin. "Will you take a brandy with me?" Ephraim only nodded and went ahead. Seth ordered Lieutenant Franz to fetch Eirika if she could be spared and followed Ephraim.
As Seth poured the brandy, Lady Eirika stormed in and captured her brother in a tight hug. "You're alright, thank goodness." She released him after pressing a kiss onto his cheek.
"Only barely," Ephraim replied grimly.
"What happened?" Seth asked as he placed Ephraim's glass on the table and took a seat. The young captain shook his head and carefully sipped at the brandy.
"I'm not sure. The fight was going as planned when we suddenly heard a crash far too close. The Faithful had left her position and was firing at the Renais. I saw Orson on the quarterdeck, but he didn't react to my calls." Staring into his empty glass, Ephraim frowned deeply. "We tried to get to her, but she fled into Admiral Vigarde's ranks."
"I see," Seth said silently, carefully swirling around the golden brown liquid in his glass.
"We should think about our next steps," Eirika spoke up. Ephraim threw a curious glance at her. Her expression was terribly strained.
"We're here on a scouting mission," Seth explained. "We're supposed to join up with you and find out what Admiral Vigarde is planning."
"The Destroyer had chased us until Serafew," Ephraim started and sat down opposite of Seth," but she lost us in the small bays. We stayed there for a few days and met a few fishermen. They told us that the Belle Marie is at Taizel."
"That's Lyon's ship," Eirika exclaimed and sank into the chair next her brother. "He must know what his father is planning."
"Maybe. We need to check at least." Ephraim threw a questioning glance at Seth.
"We don't have any other chance," he agreed, frowning, "but we have to be careful. The Belle Marie is officially part of the traitors' force."
"Lyon is surely on our side," Ephraim argued, "but he wouldn't act against his father's orders."
"We'll find certain answers when we find Lyon." Eirika's words marked the end of the conversation and so Seth stood up.
"We'll discuss further actions with Captain Gilliam in the morning."
###
It was still a week until Taizel when they met a supply ship of the line. Both the Valour and Adamant managed to weasel fresh water and biscuits out of the captain. They did not just receive new supplies but also the first news of the other squadrons in months.
"The Frelia has fallen!" Ephraim exclaimed as he skimmed the Monthly Navy Letters. The captains of the three ships and Eirika were sitting in Ephraim's cabin for dinner; all of them stared at the young man in shock.
"What do you mean?" Eirika asked.
"Here," Ephraim jerked his head to the journal. "The Fluorspar and the Rascal attacked them two weeks ago." Ephraim's gaze flew from one end of the page to the other. "They had almost half of Admiral Vigarde's force with them." Thoughtfully, Ephraim rubbed his free hand over his lips. Seth felt nervousness tickling under his skin; he almost wanted to rip the journal out of Ephraim's hand to read it for himself. "Hah!" the young captain suddenly exclaimed.
"What is it?" Eirika urged, half standing up and leaning over to her brother.
"Innes managed to free himself and took over the ship he was imprisoned on." A relieved smile seemed to tug on her lips. "He fled in direction of Carcino. Admiral Ismaire's squadron is close so he might go to her."
"What about Admiral Hayden?" Gilliam asked from the end of the table.
"They don't say anything about him," Ephraim answered, shaking his head. "Either the admiral's dead or still their prisoner." Gilliam's expression darkened considerably, which made him look even more intimidating. The thought that he would've been an excellent bosun shot through Seth's head before he focused back on topic.
"Admiral Vigarde will probably take course on Carcino now," Seth said lowly, staring down at his dinner. "Only the Jehanna and Rausten are left and the Rausten is a good hundred miles farther away."
"Then we'll have to warn them." Raising his eyebrows, Seth glanced at Ephraim. The young man was clenching his hands so tightly that his skin was snow-white. "First we go to Taizel and then directly to Carcino. We need to stop this before the whole line is destroyed."
"Aye."
###
The Obsidian was almost in shackles when the Adamant, Valour and Reliable finally managed to chase off her pursuers. Captain Seth quickly climbed up the ladder to the Adamant, his thoughts running wild. A traitor returning to them meant new information, which might save their and other people's life.
The old captain of the Obsidian, Duessel, recognised Seth and touched his hat to him with a tired smile. "Good evening, Captain Seth. I'm very much obliged to you for your quick help."
Seth touched his hat in return. "Your servant, sir."
"Come." Ephraim gestured to his cabin and the two captains followed him. "Duessel, what is going on?" he asked after all of them were seated and had a glass of brandy in front of them.
"I do not know, Ephraim," Captain Duessel answered. "Admiral Vigarde didn't discuss his plans with any of us. He had always been ready to listen to our suggestions, but now he's completely changed."
"Why did you follow him?" Seth asked. Captain Duessel squared his shoulders.
"I owe much to Admiral Vigarde and I'm loyal to my commander." Duessel hesitated. "Admiral Vigarde always inspired the highest loyalty in his subordinates. But I shouldn't have followed him now, I know," he admitted with a sigh and took a big gulp of brandy. "However, it is how it is and I can only make my amends now."
"I would be quite happy if you'd join us," Ephraim said with a warm smile. Seth frowned; he knew Duessel to be a good, honest man, but he had turned traitor already once. Ephraim seemed to have noticed Seth's expression. "Captain Seth, is there anything you want to add?"
Seth straightened, folding his hands on the table, and smoothed his expression. "No, sir."
###
Filled with dread, Captain Seth leaned on the railing of the Valour and watched the longboat quickly approaching the bay. Behind the slight elevation of the land, he could see the red roofs of Taizel and if he squinted, he even saw a few thin, black streaks against the blue. Only grudgingly had he let Lady Eirika join her brother and he was already feeling horrible for letting her go before the longboat even landed.
It was madness, pure madness to let both children of the admiral storm off into danger. Straightening, Seth clasped his hands behind his back and strode to his cabin. He yearned to pace to release some of his tension, but his display at the railing had already shown too much of his doubts to his men and he couldn't use a disheartened crew.
###
Eirika stood at the window for a long while, hugging herself and gently nibbling on her lower lip. It took all of Seth's self-control to stay quiet and wait for her to talk. The Goddess only knew how much he wanted to grab her by the shoulders and demand to hear all of it.
A sigh ripped his focus away from a burned spot on the cabin wall, just above the second to last window on the left. Eirika rubbed one hand over her forehead; her eyes were closed. "We didn't find out anything." Disappointment spread through Seth's chest. "Lyon…" Eirika looked away, scanning the room. "He was very aloof. He barely talked at all and his face was so expressionless the whole time. He said he can't talk about what is happening." She dropped her eyes and it was obvious she had hoped for more. "He said he is on our side, though." Seth's forehead twitched into a frown. Eirika smiled sadly. "I believe him. If we can't trust our friends, who can we trust?"
###
The Grado was an impressive sight; three-decked like the Frelia and the Renais, and with three lines of cannons on each side, their heads poking out of the dark body of the ship – she could sink the Valour with probably just one full broadside. Captain Seth straightened and nervously clasped his hands behind his back as the grand ship fully appeared on the horizon. With only her main and foresails in the moderate wind she would be upon them in less than an hour. The three smaller vessels at her side seemed suspicious; Seth couldn't believe that the leader of the rebellion or whatever Admiral Vigarde was trying to achieve would have so little support.
On the other hand, it would be to their advantage if the admiral had grown so cocky from his victories that he underestimated them. And yet, dread gathered in Seth's stomach as he ordered his men to get ready for action.
###
Through the fog of the cannon fire, Seth watched his men climbing up over the railing of the Grado, screeching like banshees and their scabbards raised. He yearned to follow them and face Admiral Vigarde himself, but his place was on the quarterdeck.
Infinitely long minutes passed in which Seth just stared up at the man-of-war towering of them. The screams were growing quieter and there was less shooting and fighting. He didn't notice that Lady Eirika had appeared at his side until she almost brushed against his arm. He threw only a short glance at her; he didn't dare to miss any sign of victory – or anything else.
"We are winning?" He could barely hear her; the thunder of the cannons had almost deafened him. Seth didn't answer.
More painfully slow minutes passed. Then suddenly First Lieutenant Franz appeared at the railing. "The Grado is taken!" he called.
Seth released a short sigh of relief, which sounded more like a hiss, and whirled around, striding towards the ladder that was being lowered over Grado's side. He saw Eirika following him; he didn't have the mind to stop her. Nor did he have the patience to argue with her.
Just as he swung himself over onto the deck, he saw Ephraim doing the same on the other side of the ship. They nodded to each other in greeting before turning to their first lieutenants.
"Kyle, where is the admiral?" The lieutenant saluted smartly.
"It appears he hasn't left his quarters for the fight."
Seth frowned darkly: it was an incredible shame for any officer to hide below deck while a fight was going on. Admiral Vigarde might be a traitor but he wasn't know to be a coward also.
"Then we'll go to him," Ephraim answered grimly and strode forward. Seth and Eirika followed him at his heels.
When they reached the door of the captain's cabin, a horrible stench assaulted their noses. They froze.
"What is that?" Ephraim asked, even though the darkening frown on his face suggested that he knew the smell.
"Decay," Eirika answered, struggling to keep her hand from covering her nose and mouth in disgust. "And it's no fresh corpse."
Ephraim hesitated before placing his hand on the brass handle. When he pushed open the door, all three of them recoiled. A cloud of foul air embraced them and none of them wanted to step into the room.
They didn't need to enter to see the tall figure sitting in the middle of the room at the dining table. Long, filthy purple hair hung stringy in his face, covering most of it but the hair couldn't hide the two gaping holes where his eyes were supposed to be. Patches of skin still hung on his cheekbones. His hands, lying flat on the table, seemed to be covered by parchment. Fat flies were flying circles around the body or crawling over the filthy clothes – some crawling out of the eye sockets.
When the worst of the stench had left, Ephraim stepped closer, Seth directly following him. Seth's pupils widened and his stomach recoiled as he saw that something small – not one thing, but hundreds – were moving beneath the admiral's clothes. Twisting and turning, moving upwards and downwards, as if the sea itself had slipped under his clothes. Pressing his hand to his mouth, Seth had to drop his gaze.
"How did nobody notice… this?" Eirika had come closer and gestured towards the body. Her voice sounded strained; even as a surgeon's mate, she had probably never seen a corpse as bad as this. At least Seth liked to believe that right now.
"Captain Valter and the surgeon must have known this," Ephraim said, his voice muffled by the handkerchief he was hiding his nose and mouth behind. He looked around.
"How long has he been like this?" Seth asked and looked at Eirika. Hesitantly, she walked around the table and inspected the body closer. How she didn't lose the content of her stomach then and there, Seth couldn't fathom.
"Several weeks at least," she answered. She swallowed hard, her eyes fluttering close, and seemed to hold back a retch. When she had collected herself, she looked again. As her eyes flickered over the corpse's face, she frowned. "He was embalmed." Confused, Seth and Ephraim turned to her. "His skin– They preserved his body so that the obvious decay would be slowed. He would rot much slower."
She pulled back and seemed to be quite relieved to be farther away from the rotting body. "He could've been dead for months," she continued. "Maybe even longer."
"Who was the Grado's surgeon?" Seth asked no one in particular; he was staring at corpse, aghast that someone would do something like this.
Ephraim walked over to where the logbook was supposed to be. After rummaging through stray pages with calculations of wind, flood and current, he found the thick, leather-bound book. He quickly flipped through the list of crew members. "Riev. Never heard that name before," he said, frowning. Seth threw a glance at Eirika, but she shook her head.
"He must be involved," Seth said, deep in thought. "He or one of his mates." Ephraim nodded, shut the book with a smack and put it back in its place.
###
They were too late again. Captain Seth silently recited every curse he knew as he watched the Rascal and Vengeance fire broadside after broadside into the Jehanna. With the help of their frigates and gunboats, they had managed to cut the Jehanna off from her squadron – Admiral Ismaire was a good tactician so something strange must've happened again.
Seth looked over to the Adamant, where Ephraim stood at the railing of the quarterdeck, his back rigid. They were racing towards the struggling man-of-war, but Lady Luck had long forsaken them. Their sails were lazily flapping in the weak wind.
Suddenly, there was an incredibly loud crash and explosion and then a flash. Seth snapped his eyes close and heard men scream in surprise; his ears rang and it felt like one of his eardrums had ripped. When he opened his eyes a second later, the Jehanna was gone. Gaping, Seth watched as scorched wood rained into the sea, still burning pieces of formerly pure white canvas came floating down like snow and torn-off limbs splashed into the dark deeps. They had hit the powder store.
Seth heard someone behind him mumbling a quick prayer; he silently joined in. Swallowing the lump in the back of his throat, he shook his mind free. There was still an enemy to fight.
It was with a pang of satisfaction that he detected that the Rascal and the Vengeance had not remained free of damage. Both were missing a good part of their sides, their lower gun decks almost completely torn open. Seth could see the men scrambling about, trying to check their cannons without falling into the merciless sea.
"Get ready!" Seth screamed and the whole crew seemed to startle. They had stared at their comrades disappearing in the bright light and knew that it would be so easy for them to die in the same way. "Don't let them get away with this!"
###
Seth could almost not believe it: the Retribution was slowly drifting towards them, white ensign hanging limply in the weak wind. He remembered seeing the frigate fighting against the Renais, but she had helped them now. Before he grabbed his telescope, he had already caught sight of a grey-haired man in captain's uniform on the quarterdeck, but he had to be sure.
Seth smiled relieved and triumphantly when he recognised Innes and his smug smile. There was some hope after all.
###
The woman still shook from the cold and her recent near-death. She seemed like an experienced sailor to Seth. Her hands were strong, her skin of a dark brown colour from the long work in the sun and her hands and arms covered with big and small scars. The woman accepted the concoction Eirika pressed into her hands; she scrunched up her face after the first sip, but swallowed the whole cup without protest.
"What's your name?" Ephraim asked, stepping closer.
"Marisa," she answered curtly.
"Rank?" Seth added, not without annoyance.
"Able-bodied ordinary seaman. I was conscripted two months ago."
"You don't seem like you've been on a ship for only two months," Seth continued as Ephraim quietly conversed with Eirika, who soon left – probably to go back to her post.
"I haven't. I work for anybody who has the money to pay me." Seth nodded and threw a glance at his fellow captain. Ephraim was focusing on them again.
"What happened? How come the Jehanna was trapped between the Rascal and Vengeance?"
"Betrayal." An expression of pain rushed over Ephraim's face and Seth imagined he had done the same.
"That seems to be the red thread of this mess," Ephraim remarked humourlessly. "Who betrayed you?"
"Captain Carlyle."
"The captain of the Jehanna," Seth said, trying to keep the tiredness out of his voice. He threw a questioning glance at Ephraim.
"Do you know why?" Captain Seth hadn't expected that question nor the slightly desperate tone of it. Not that he wasn't starting to despair as well while his fellow officers were dying around them and they didn't know why.
"I'm only an ordinary seaman, sir," Marisa answered. "I was minding my own business."
"Very well," Ephraim said, rubbing his forehead. "You're dismissed." The woman nodded and hobbled out of the room. Seth met Ephraim's gaze; the younger man looked as tired as Seth felt. "Only the Rausten is left."
"The last commanding ship of Admiral Vigarde," the name was hard to say because every time Seth heard it, the images of that cabin – of that body – appeared before his eyes, "is the Belle Marie."
"Maybe we can stop Lyon. He will surely join us when he hears what happened to the admiral." Seth was relieved to see doubt in Ephraim's eyes. He had feared Ephraim would cling to Lyon's loyalty like his sister did. Seth no longer believed the young man was innocent; he just couldn't. He was the only one traitor left and he made no effort to stop the war.
###
They had almost been late again. This time, however, it was only the Belle Marie with a small fleet of frigates and one man-of-war who took on Admiral Mansel's squadron. The Rausten and her smaller sister Latona alone had little problems with them, but it was the Valour and Adamant's presence that made the enemies' ships finally turn around and flee.
The meeting with the Admiral was short; half a day later it was reported that the Belle Marie had anchored on a small island to the west. With the Latona and her unconventional captain in tow, they set out for the cursed island.
###
The forest was unnaturally dark and misshapen. The trees were twisted as if a giant had crushed them in his hands and re-planted them. The foliage was cutting off the sky and sun. There were unnatural big spider webs and once Seth had seen a blood-spattered animal that could've been a monstrous fox; it was as if they had stepped into another world. Grabbing the handle of his pistol tighter, Seth focused on the path before them.
The path was not much more than a narrow aisle in the dense forest; it was barely broad enough for one person. Worse than the darkness and the thin branches getting caught in their clothes – as if the trees were trying to grab and devour them – were the noises; sounds that no worldly creature could make came from everywhere – yells, calls, high-pitched whines. The men were nervous and flinching at everything. Some yelled at the forest and threatened it, but the noises persisted, some even coming closer with every call.
Suddenly the path opened; a tall, dark building, completely overgrown by plants that looked a bit like black vine, towered before them. Seth stopped next to Ephraim and both stared at the outlandish monument; it was oddly squared and geometrical with little to no decorations. There were bodies strewn all around: seamen, marines in their red coats, a few midshipmen and lieutenants.
"What happened here?" Seth whispered.
"Lyon has to be in there," Ephraim pressed out between clenched teeth. Seth threw a quick glance over his shoulder; Lady Eirika was as pale as a ghost, but the pistol in her hand was deadly still. "Judging by the body count, there can't be too many with Lyon." Ephraim's voice sounded strained. Seth understood.
"Lieutenant Kyle's unit will come with us. The rest will guard the entrance. Keep anyone from entering behind us." Kyle's men blanched but didn't protest; Seth had expected nothing less than perfect discipline from them.
"I'm coming with you." Eirika stepped forward. Seth just opened his mouth to argue.
"Alright," Ephraim said and cocked his pistol. Seth's mouth shut close with a click of his teeth.
###
"Why?!" Ephraim yelled at the purple-haired man standing at the stone altar. The young Commander had become unnaturally thin and pale. His eyes had deep, purple shadows, which gave him a skeletal look. A few steps behind him was an older man, who was just as pale and lanky. His dark eyes had a startlingly crazed glint.
"What do you mean?" Lyon sounded raspy, as if he had been yelling for hours. His pupils were wide; when he smiled, he looked as crazed as the man beside him.
"What are you doing here? Why did your father attack us? What is going on here?!" Ephraim stepped on the dais. Deep hate and anger flashed over Lyon's face, contorting the young man's face almost irrecognizably. Startled, Ephraim stepped back. As soon as he was off the dais, Lyon's expression smoothed back into this dazed, blank stare.
"He needs sacrifices. Otherwise he can't help me."
"He? Who is he?" Ephraim slowly lowered his pistol. Seth wanted to scream at him to keep his guard up but he was shocked into speechlessness by this dark and evil place.
"He wants to help me. He will give me strength." Lyon's face twitched, a look of deep pain entering his eyes. "I'm too weak. Father wants me to become a good captain, but I'm so useless. The men– there are so many evil men in the service. I've seen them abuse the young and I can't control them. I can't lead anyone. They will only laugh at me."
"Lyon…" Eirika tried to interrupt him, but Lyon didn't seem to hear her. Clutching one hand to his chest, his eyes flickered over the ground – aimlessly, or seeing something they didn't.
"They need to disappear. And all the other abusers and criminals. He can help me get rid of them. He came to me." His lips drew up into a thin smile; when he raised his head, looking at them, Seth almost recoiled. There was no sane thought in Lyon's head anymore. "He said he would help me if I release him. If I make enough sacrifices in his name, he will be powerful enough to break out of his prison and help me. I'll be strong then. As strong as you, Ephraim."
"Lyon, no," Ephraim said, his voice shaking, and stepped again on the dais. Lyon hissed and recoiled. "You don't need this– this person. I can help you. We all can."
"No," Lyon hissed and bumped against the altar, "you can't help me. Nobody but he can. He will–" Lyon slowly sank to his knees, one hand gliding over the stone of the altar, almost caressing it. "Please," he whispered, lying his head against the edge and closing his eyes.
"Your blood," the crazed man hissed.
"Yes, Riev, my blood." Lyon leaned over and picked up a small knife.
"No, Lyon!" Ephraim yelled and jumped forward. But Lyon had already cut his palm, blood dripping on the black stone. Suddenly a rumble shot through the whole building; Ephraim almost lost his footing and Seth instinctively grabbed Eirika's arm and pulled her back, away from the dais. She didn't seem to notice his touch; her eyes were glued to the sunken body in front of the altar.
A growling ripped through the air. Seth whirled around, looking for the origin of the noise but it seemed to come from everywhere. Then it suddenly focused; Lyon was pulled to his feet like a puppet hanging on strings. The growling came from him.
"Lyon!"
His head whirled around to them, eyes yanked painfully wide open. "You!" he howled and grinned maniacally. "You will be my first meal!"
"No!" Eirika screamed and pointed her pistol at the body of her friend as he jumped forward, grabbing the surprised Ephraim by the throat. She shot, her hands flying up from the recoil, and Seth finally remembered that he was armed as well.
Lyon was hit, the white shirt of his uniform quickly getting soaked with blood, but still he stood upright, squeezing all life out of Ephraim. The young captain struggled, his lips turning blue, his hands grasping and scratching the clutches at his throat – he had dropped his pistol in surprise. Seth shot at Lyon's head but the bullet seemed to miss him.
Suddenly Ephraim seemed to regain his senses: he twisted his body, searching his belt panicly, and stabbed a short knife directly into Lyon's heart. The young man howled with pain and recoiled. Ephraim gasped and coughed as he fell to his knees and struggled to fill his lungs with air again.
"To the altar, Master!" Riev called and yanked Lyon back, throwing him on the rectangular stone. The shaking of the ground grew stronger; the first stones of the walls began to rain down. With half an ear, Seth heard the seamen behind him scream in fear and flee.
"No, don't let him!" Captain L'Arachel yelled. "Stop it! The demon cannot come into our world."
Still swaying, Ephraim picked up his blade and stormed towards the two crazed men. His sword pierced Riev's chest and, gasping, the man sank against the altar. "He will come!" Laughing and spitting up blood, he stared up at Ephraim. "Nothing you can do will stop him!" One more gasp and his eyes rolled back into his head.
"What now?!" Ephraim yelled towards them.
"Destroy them," L'Arachel answered, "the altar and them."
"The gun powder!" Seth yelled. Her bright voice had managed to clear his mind from the worst shock. He pried the small bag with gun powder for his pistol from his hip. After a second of recovering, Eirika and Ephraim did the same. "We need more!" Seth yelled at Kyle, while the first boulders fell from the ceiling. From underneath Lyon's body, dark red glowing lines were slowly crawling over the altar, drawing complicated patterns over the dark stone.
"Hurry!" Ephraim yelled as the lieutenant was already out of the room. Seth jumped onto the dais, ripping open his powder bag. "We need a fuse."
"The powder has to be enough," Seth retorted; his voice shook but he found no time to feel ashamed. From the corners of his eyes, he could see the altar glowing brighter and brighter.
Hastily but still carefully, Seth drew a thin line of gun powder from the altar to the door, painstakingly watching the black powder so that the line was not interrupted. A second later, Kyle returned with an arm full of the same small gun powder bags. Eirika and L'Arachel immediately took them. "On all sides," Eirika hissed in panic.
Seth barely managed to light a piece of wood as the ceiling over him started to seriously fall apart – one piece just barely missed his right arm and split the ground open. "Come on!" Ephraim yelled as he, his sister and Captain L'Arachel came running towards him. "The powder is ready." Looking up, – the whole room was illuminated by the red light – he touched the burning stick to the gun powder. He heard it hiss and jumped up.
They ran and Seth stumbled on the stairs of the building, fell on the others, and as they were lying in a heap, an earpiercing boom pressed against their ears, the shock wave roaring over them, stones were pelting against their backs and there were screams but Seth didn't know whose.
A moment later, when everything was still and only his ears were buzzing, he pushed himself up and turned around. Stone blocks were strewn all around; they were lucky they hadn't been hit by the bigger boulders. Some of their men had not been that lucky. Ephraim groaned and held his left arm, which was clearly snapped at least once.
Seth struggled to get to his feet; his legs felt like jelly. The building was completely gone. Only the stairs leading up to it were unscathed. Trembling, Seth climbed them up and looked around. The bodies of Lyon and Riev were gone. He could see a small piece of the foot of the altar, but almost all of it was gone; there was no red light anymore. Seth took a deep breath and noticed that the air seemed to be cleaner.
He looked around. He could see the sky and the sunlight was even reaching them. The trees looked more normal; twisted and creepy, but not filled with evil anymore. "We were still in time," he heard L'Arachel saying behind him. She had come up to him, her hair in a mess, but her eyes were shining.
"Lyon…" Eirika appeared on his other side. Her right side was covered with dirt and tears were drawing streaks on her cheeks.
"We need to go." Ephraim's voice was hard, but as emotion-filled as Eirika's. Seth nodded.
"I think the war is over now."