The Traitress of Nessanti

Imre drew a pistol from his waistband and fired. The shot punched a hole in one Amazon's shield, and she staggered. The others drew up in front of her and Bromm and Imre attacked. Bromm darted into reach of the spear and then back out again, hoping to bait out the thrust and then attack. The Amazon took the bait, but recovered her stance before Bromm could capitalize on it. Bromm darted in again, and the Amazon thrust at his legs. Bromm hopped over the thrust and threw himself forward. He knocked the Amazon out of line and drove her against the stern wall.

Behind him, Imre and the other Amazon tangled together at knife range. Bromm wrestled to free his saber from the Amazon's grip, while she discarded her spear and went for a dagger in her belt. Bromm's mind filled with images of the dagger that slew Tissarna. He wrenched his saber hand free and slashed the Amazon across the face.

Screaming in pain, she clutched at the bright red line that crossed her face from temple to chin. Bromm gave her a mighty shove against the wall, and she fell, heels over head, to splash into the water below. Turning, he found that Imre stood victorious, a bloody dagger in his hand. The platform clear, Bromm turned his attention to the windbinder.

The sorceress was in a trance, her eyes closed and head tilted back in the middle of her windglobe. Imre reloaded and fired his pistol into the globe, but the shot was caught by the winds and swept harmlessly away. Bromm steeled himself and lunged bodily into the globe.

The winds were stronger than any storm he had ever felt. Buffeted and battered, he was flung aside, crashing into the stern wall of the galley, the breath knocked from him. He rose to his feet again, studying the globe for a weakness. Imre paced around the other side.

Seized with inspiration, Bromm picked up the Amazon's discarded spear. He thrust it into the globe with all his might, upwind of the sorceress. The winds caught it and wrenched spear from his grasp, but the flailing spear head pierced the windbinder's side.

She staggered, and the globe weakened. Bromm charged in, saber in hand. The winds were still strong enough to buffet him about, but not enough to keep him from his goal. He drove the saber down through the sorceress' shoulder, then plunged it through her chest. Her eyes turned from deep blue to black and she fell to the deck.

As she fell, the globe broke apart. A mighty gust of wind wrenched Bromm off his feet and nearly threw him overboard. He caught himself on the rim, but his saber went clattering off the deck and plunged into the sea with a splash.

Quickblade's sails swelled to life, and the damaged ship lurched forward, upending many on the deck. Even with her lower decks filling with water, the polacca was threatening to leave Bromm and the others behind. Bromm cast a look to the galley's bow, where the Amazons had turned to see him. The sudden movement of Quickblade and the return of the sea winds told of their sorceress' demise, and now they were thirsting for revenge.

"No way back aboard," Imre called out, readying his axe for a bloody last stand.

A call from below and starboard caught Bromm's attention. He looked into the water to find a longboat with Guldrin at the helm.

"We're evacuating to Furious!" he called, "Would you like a ride?"

Furious was moving, crossing Quickblade's stern behind the longboat. Her gunports were open, and the cannons crewed.

"Into the water!" Bromm shouted to his friends, "swim for the longboats and let Furious handle the rest!"

With that, he dove from the galley and splashed into the warm blue water. He looked down into the depths, hoping against hope to see Tissarna somewhere, perhaps swimming back up. But he only saw a deep expanse of darkening blue.

Gasping for air, he resurfaced to hear three more splashes in the water. His friends behind him, he swam for the long boat. Guldrin pulled him aboard as Furious moved into position.

"Get your heads down!" shouted another sailor and Bromm dove for cover in the boat. There was a terrible roar of cannon fire, and as the shots whizzed over his head and the smoke filled his nostrils, Bromm heard the sounds of timbers splintering. Raising his head to peer through the smoke, he saw the large Amazon galley in ruins. Her oars were shattered, her hull riven open, and her deck strewn with dead and dying.

To his relief, Imre, Sahat, and Tahavi bobbed in the water a short distance away from the boat. They looked much worse the wear for being so close to the muzzles of the guns, but they were alive. Laughing and cheering, Bromm and the longboat crew pulled them aboard.

They rowed back to Furious as she prepared another broadside. The galleys were in flight or disarray, but Japhet was in no mood to fight. He and the badly wounded Gonnsar were at the brig's helm as Bromm and his companions came aboard.

"Make for the open sea," Gonnsar ordered through labored gasps, "We will return to Buccaneer's Bay."

"What about the loot?" Japhet grumbled, looking toward the fluyt as it lumbered its way into the inlet the Amazons had emerged from.

"We'll be back," Gonnsar promised. "Get everyone you can off the Quickblade and then we'll be away. We must rest and recover."

Japhet turned bitterly away, but he obeyed. The galleys presented no more obstacle to them, and with Quickblade sinking fast, there was little else to do. Gonnsar raised a hand to summon Bromm.

"Bromm," he gasped, "I saw what you did. Well done. Without your daring, we would all be dead for sure."

"I just did what I had to in order to survive, Captain."

"No doubt. But you deserve a reward, and perhaps a promotion. We'll get that sorted out once we're in Buccaneer's Bay, but your star has risen high, my good friend. You'll be a famous captain one day."