Catcher
Chapter 15; The Burning Wind
The Burning Wind
Luckily Hogwarts Lake wasn't that far from the coast line so The Burning Wind was free to use another of her abilities to leave the Lake and greet the open ocean. She, like the Order's ships could transport or port from one world to the next, the only difference being that Burning Wind could transport from anywhere on one world to anywhere on another world. Whereas the portals generally used by the Order were not able to change the location around the globe. If they left from the equator on the dark side of a planet, they would arrive on the equator of the dark side of the planet they were going to.
Also because of all worlds gravitational pulls using portals or transportation spells large enough to move ships in order to get from one place to another on the same planet was impossible. Individuals could use smaller porting spells like the ones taught at the order to move around a planet but they were not powerful enough to transport a ship.
Therefore Burning Wind had to travel across ten miles of land in order to settle into the ocean. And that was one of her more powerful abilities, to hover. It was a strain on her magic but Harry thought that he could always recharge her if needed.
Harry and Matt leaned on the Quarterdeck's railings looking outwards and downwards at the small Muggle coastal village below them as they passed down their main high street on the way to the shoreline.
The day was a misty day but still rather warm and the village wasn't short of tourists using the beach and shopping down the wide street. The ship had glided out of the mountains and through the mist looking as frightening as she should do. A ships bell tolling periodically due to the mist had been the first warning for the many muggles populating the street but it was the ghost ship's Bowsprit that had cleared the streets to the sounds of screaming. Matt and Harry had laughed but felt slightly guilty. They weren't bothered too much about the fact that the next day they would be in both the muggle and Wizarding newspapers. If their enemy wanted to attack the ship then they could.
The ship crashed into the waters of the coastline at ten knots pushing a bow wave over her forecastle before she settled into the water calmly.
It wasn't long before they were doing a steady twenty knots in a south west direction. The Sea Dragon had a day head start on them and they planned to catch up with her soon. Harry using his Crysti ability had found her to be almost fifty miles west of the coast of Ireland. They were obviously in no great hurry to get back into Atlanta and that suited Harry perfectly. In two days Harry's ship would catch up to Valice and Alandria's ship.
Two days later
Harry had spent a lot of time in the nests at the front of the ship. In his position he had watched the rapidly retreating shores of Scotland and then Ireland in time. He had used his Crysti ability to track the Sea Dragon and also look out over the world around him. H couldn't sense Atlanta at all and wondered at the skill of the last Crysti who had hidden it so well all those years past. He had easily found the magical pulses that represented Voldermort and also could sense Dumbledore's power in Hogwarts even though it was slightly hidden by the castles wards. He had looked specifically for his double, wondering what it was and who could copy his power and signature so well. He had come up short and realised that the man must have the Crysti ability also. Voldermort would be easy to defeat compared to this unknown man.
Harry was pulled abruptly from his thoughts by a nudge from the lookout beside him. The man brought down the telescope he was looking through and handed it to Harry.
"Right in front of us My Lord." The man said quietly, as if it would vanish if he spoke too loudly.
Harry thanked the man and brought the eyepiece up to his eye and pointed the scope out to the horizon. There on the horizon, right where the man had said it was, Harry could make out a bunch of white sails. Checking quickly with his Crysti ability he agreed that it was the Sea Dragon.
"It's the Sea Dragon all right!" Harry told the look out giving his un-worded permission.
The man nodded briefly before looking aft at the Quarterdeck.
"Sea Dragon sighted on the Horizon, dead ahead!" He yelled, not full volume but the sound travelled far on the silent ship. The crew were all below decks eating. Harry needed less to eat and less sleep then he used to before going to the City of Light, he remembered Valice once mentioning to him that with higher power levels he would need less sleep. Harry's magic kept him healthier with less need for supplements.
Harry swung down the rigging to the cries as they echoed from one section of the ship to the next. He got to the Quarterdeck at the same time as Matt made it onto the deck. Matt like Harry needed less food and sleep then normal due to his link with Harry and had been taking a short nap downstairs.
"What do you think then Commander Pelaty?" Harry spoke to the duty watch officer.
"We should catch up to them in about six hours, My Lords!" he replied after checking the maps and their speed and after guessing the Sea Dragons speed. "They are going almost the same speed as us My Lord."
Harry cursed silently, but Matt still heard it through the link. "What's the matter Harry?"
"Its nothing right now Matt." He turned to the commander, "Consult with the Captain first but I would like all sails used. I want to close that gap as much as possible before they notice us. Is that clear Commander?"
"Aye Sir!" He turned slightly to a lower ranking officer, "Watch the ship, Peltak!"
"Aye Sir!" The relatively young elf replied.
"With your leave, My Lords?" Spoke Pelaty to Matt and Harry.
"Of course," Matt replied moving to allow the Commander down the stairs to see the Captain.
Five minutes later the crew were busy at sail setting stations, setting any sails that weren't already set. The ship sped up to almost twenty five knots, only possible because of the designers of the ship. It was the fastest she could have done with the wind in it current position.
An hour later, they had closed the gap only by a little. Harry rejoined the Captain on the Quarterdeck who it was now his time to command his ship.
"Captain, what's the speed of the Sea Dragon?"
"Our lookouts agree that she is running at twenty to twenty-one knots, My Lord."
"She has sped up a bit then?" Matt spoke as he walked up the stairs to the helm.
"Yes, My Lord, The wind has increased slightly, we have also sped up by not by as much."
"Do you think they have spotted us yet?" Asked Matt, he knew that they normally didn't use a stern lookout on the Sea Dragon, so it was a case of someone happening to look over the stern and see the ghost ship.
"We do not believe so, My Lord, however they were flying all sails when we saw them."
"Does that mean they cant speed up if they see us anyway?" Asked Matt.
"Yes, it…"
"No," Interrupted Harry, "they can, and I expect they will when the spot us."
"What do you mean Harry?"
"Never mind," Harry brushed the question off, he was hoping they couldn't speed up. "Captain, can you not get any more speed?"
"No, My Lord, we cant use you magic to change the winds because the ship neutralises the use of elemental powers."
Harry of course already knew this.
Harry leaned on the railing in front of the helm and fell into his Crysti powers to reach out to the other ship, Matt seeing this grasped the staff he always carried on his hip and joined Harry's mind. Both would now see what Harry felt.
Harry first clue, after about half an hour, was a great amount of surprise and anxiety on the other ship. The thing that summed it up for Harry and Matt was when, to Harry's mind, she vanished.
Matt gasped at the sudden loss of the ship. Harry fell out of his ability smoothly and relaxed when his eyes found the ship in front of him.
"They've spotted us Captain!" Matt yelled at the Captain.
Harry kept his normal magical sensors focused on the Sea Dragon. 'I can feel the wards smacking up,' he said to Matt's mind.
Harry was muttering to himself inaudibly to anyone else, but Matt could hear it in his head.
'Please don't, please don't,' he said over and over and then after about a minute. 'Damn it!"
"God mate, don't yell into my head! What's wrong?"
"Elementals!" he spoke aloud.
"What do you mean?"
"They have elementals on board, Water and Wind!"
A cry was heard from the nests, "The Sea Dragon is speeding up!"
"Damn it! Captain, they're using elementals to speed themselves up." Harry said to the Captain.
"This is what you meant earlier?" Asked Matt.
"Mmhmm, they're using wind to change the wind and increase it, and they are using water to change the current to suit them. I cant counter it because I cant go against the Order and your not powerful enough to counter four elementals." He said to Matt.
"What can we do then?" asked the captain. "They are doing almost thirty-two knots!"
Harry thought for a minute. "Matt, I think we need you powers."