The merchants backed away; the Elder shielding the young man and pushing him up the gangplank."There"s no need for this Milady. We"ll just leave and make port somewhere up the coast." He called down.
"That sounds very suspicious Elder Condotti. By my authority as a representative of the Emperor"s will, I hereby impound your vessel for inspection." Elya waved the decree with her free hand for emphasis. The Elder"s eyes flashed, putting the pieces together. It made no sense for a Knight-Captain to appear with an Imperial decree unless they already knew what the Condotti"s were involved in.
"Milady, there"s been a misunderstanding! We"re just harmless traders and we haven"t even weighed anchor yet. I"m sure everyone would be best served if we just left." Elya struggled to keep from frowning. She could call for an a.s.sault but it would be best if the Vezani made the first move.
"I order you in the name of the Emperor!" She shouted taking a few steps to threaten the Fanti da Mar as they retreated in formation. It didn"t work. The marines were too disciplined, falling back in lockstep, merging into pairs that walked backwards and defending the pa.s.sage to the galleon.
"The Condotti family does not bow!" The young man shrieked and Elya saw her chance. She waved furiously at Linea, whose eyes lit up at the gesture.
"Merchant sc.u.m, how dare you speak to the Captain like that!" She roared.
It set him off, insulted by a woman he"d just been arguing with.
"Capture that b**ch!" He screamed and the Elder Condotti reached back to clamp his mouth shut, screaming for the marines to hold their positions but it was too late.
The problem with disciplined, elite soldiers was their reactions. They responded like lightning, striking out at a moments notice. In a battle it was a necessary skill but in a tense situation with so many variables it meant their downfall.
The Fanti da Mar were definitely elite, and they lashed out the moment the order came down.
Elya unleashed a blistering horizontal slash that caught two of the charging marines with immense force. Their weapons shattered and the residual force hurled them into the water, plumes rising at the impact. Alexis screamed b.l.o.o.d.y murder, roaring they were under attack and as planned, soldiers poured out of the customs house, charging towards the galleon with weapons drawn. She hopped to the side to let Linea and her company smash into the Vezani. Blades flashed, and the outnumbered Vezani marines struggled to hold the pier until the gangplank could be raised. Linea smashed one of the marines with her shield and followed it with a strike that was deflected by the downed Vezani"s partner. Growling, the sergeant engaged both of them in a flurry of cold steel.
Taking a deep breath, Elya gathered strength in her legs, drawing on all the force of a Dragon. With a grunt she launched into the air, drawing a screaming arc that would bring her to the deck of the galleon. Her instructors would have criticised the action. s...o...b..ating was frowned upon in the Order but she needed to draw the attention of her enemies, and at least it worked.
The Stella Maris seethed with activity, marines boiling onto the deck and dashing to battle stations. Screams resounded, traders fleeing below decks in panic. You had to hand it to the Vezani, their response was blistering, crossbow bolts fired at her even before she reached the zenith of her jump and she spun her sword to deflect two of them, electing to divert the rest with her armour. The dull clangs jarred her for a moment but she managed to regain control before hitting the deck.
The hull creaked when she crashed down, hundreds of pounds of enchanted steel making the galleon sway in agony. Soldiers and crew were tossed around by the force and Elya heard screams as the gangplank snapped, sending the unfortunate Condotti merchants into the bay. The deck was made of an insanely durable material capable of withstanding even greater forces but she"d managed to leave a dent in it.
Grappling hooks slashed in from every direction, latching onto rails, masts and the deck itself. They"d been magically enhanced by Jarek to make the ropes more durable, giving the boarders additional precious seconds before they could be cut.
The a.s.sault was underway, dozens of soldiers and squires scrambling up the ropes. In the distance Knights were dragging a ma.s.sive a.s.sault ladder that had been cobbled together for the attack. All they needed was time. Which Elya would provide.
Even though the galleon still heaved in the water, the marines were setting up for another volley with their crossbows. She couldn"t allow that. She exploded with a ma.s.sive roar, shaking the galleon once more. The marines were scattered by the sound, like a Dragon had descended upon Konstanz. Her eyes flashed with purple fire and she streaked across the deck, cutting the Fanti da Mar down like paper. She had to protect the boarding parties until more troops could join her and in this environment a Dragonslayer was like a G.o.d.
The galleon flowed with blood as she rampaged from one side to the other, targeting any group of marines that looked like they were becoming organised. Dozens of corpses littered the shining wood, yet still more troops poured out from the lower decks.
She"d managed to hold on long enough though and her reinforcements were arriving, overrunning the railings from all sides. The guard formed into small squads of three each, anch.o.r.ed by a squire before charging to contain the surging ma.s.s of marines, pushing them back towards the stairs that led deeper into the galleon.
Elya staggered back against the railings, drained. Channelling the strength of a Dragon was never easy, and she"d needed to release a lot of power quickly. Troops flowed past her to join the combat, at a disadvantage in the face of crack troops, making up for the difference in quality in quant.i.ty.
The plan was well under way and the Vezani were isolated. By now some of her forces would have set up a cordon around the pier to protect against a counterattack by the Silver Serpents.
The clash of weapons was deafening, men and women flailing at each other in a brutal melee. Elya directed reinforcements as they arrived, shoring up the a.s.sault as necessary. Before she regained strength, a dull thud shook the galleon and her forces at the front line were sent flying.
A gap opened in the a.s.sault and the Fanti da Mar tore into it, two cloaked figures wielding staves striding out and sending blasts of magical force which sent her boarding party reeling.
Battle Mages.
Elya streaked forwards once more, blunting the counterattack by cutting deeply into the Vezani, tearing men and women apart with every blow. She managed to restrain them long enough for her forces to regroup, but the Battle Mages switched to targeted spells, unable to gather enough power while under attack. Elya"s actions brought their attention down on her and she was struck by a flurry of magical strikes, sending her sliding across the deck. She was forced to drive her blade into the wood to resist the magical attacks, sparks flashing off her armour as it bent under the pressure of the Battle Mages skills.
She wasn"t worried though.
Now that magic was involved, Nikolai would make his move.
She didn"t have to wait long.
An Earth-shaking boom cracked across the sky, swirls of light and power gathering to form the Eye above the heaving galleon. The Battle Mages looked shocked, staring at the glyph which had appeared in the sky.
This was Nikolai"s idea.
Showcasing the magnificence of his tower.
Elya gaped as the glyph rotated and morphed into an actual eye which flickered open to gaze down. She hadn"t expected that.
"You dare to use magic in my town?" Nikolai"s voice echoed across the battlefield like an enraged G.o.d, reverberating in their minds.
The Battle Mages raised their staves in a rush, the inlaid crystals flaring to life, sensing something but it didn"t help. Two flashes of light streaked down from the tower, filled with ma.s.sive power, incinerating them where they stood.
No one moved, cowed by the display of power.
"Surrender now!" Elya roared.
The Vezani seemed uncertain, but shouts from below decks had them boiling in rage. They charged the encirclement once more, trying to break through but now Knights of Chernigov were arriving over the a.s.sault ladders and wading into the fight.
Elya struggled upright.
The battle seemed under control, the addition of her Knights turning things in their favour, pushing deeper into the ship. Elya surveyed the docks and glimpsed fighting breaking out along the cordon.
"Looks like the Silver Serpents are making their move." She spit over the railing, running her tongue along a loose tooth. One of the Battle Mages attacks had smashed into her helmet and she still felt a little dazed. Observing the combat for a moment, she called out orders and strode into the messy free-for-all that was spreading throughout the galleon.
"If I find another Mage on this ship, I"ll knock out some of his teeth. As revenge." Elya mumbled and hopped down to the next deck. "It"s only fair after all."