The Fireseed Wars

General Alkides shook his head. "Your Majesty, the Great King was quite clear in his instructions. We are to hold our shot until the enemy warships reach our usual range of four to five marches. Otherwise, once they learn the range of our new guns, they may retreat and continue their blockade instead of attacking the harbor. If everything goes according to plan, we will destroy the Grefftscharr North Fleet. These guns will go into action when they begin to retreat. By Dralm's Star, the Grefftscharr Navy will find Thagnor Harbor much easier to enter than to leave!"

Rylla shuffled from foot to foot. "It's this waiting I find hard. I want to close with the enemy and destroy them!" She lifted up her sword arm and twirled her sword.

"The Grefftscharr Navy will be here soon enough, Your Majesty," Admiral Herad said. "However, I share your distress. This is the first naval battle I've commanded from a tower top! I'm used to doing my pacing on the quarterdeck of The Prince Ptosphes. If this is what captain-generals have to look forward to, praise Neaphos I'm in the Navy!"

Sarrask laughed. "By Galzar, this is the best battle perch I've shared in three wars and more battles than I can count on the fingers of both hands! I can see for thirty marches away without fear of a stray musket shot. Still, I'd rather be leading the attack than watching events from afar."

The ships were drawing closer and the gunners were checking the guns' charges and laying out the last of the fuses. Others stood with linstocks and rammers at hand. In Thagnor Harbor below, which Kalvan called "Lake St. Clair," there was a line of some forty ships-of-the-line, as Kalvan called them, guarding the City. This harbor was where Kalvan hoped to spring his trap with his ships-of-the-line as the bait. These were the largest ships in the Thagnor Navy and the ones that carried the most guns, some twelve to fourteen a ship versus the Grefftscharri ships which were considered well-armed if they had four cannon-not to mention the fire-seed powder to shoot them. Behind and around the ships were about fifty to sixty of the much smaller gunboats, each with a bow-mounted chaser of four to six pounds.

There was a burst of wind and suddenly four or five of the Grefftscharri ships were within "normal" gun range. Alkides cried, "Fire! And make them count!"

The six regular cannon fired at the same time, shaking the tower floor. Rylla was glad that Kalvan had had his engineers rebuild the North Tower, putting in reinforcing beams, as it was never designed for this much concentrated firepower.

Three of the shots went wild, but two struck ships and another shaved off the aft mast of a tall schooner. Most of the enemy ships were now firing back at the Hostigi vessels, although without great effect. One big Grefftscharr galley struck a Hostigi schooner amidships with its ram. The port side of the smaller ship caved in, tossing its main mast overboard and taking in water. It foundered quickly, even before the sailors could abandon ship.

Then the four rifled eighteen-pounders went off. Their fire was concentrated on the nearest enemy vessel, which visibly shuddered when three of the four shots struck her midship. One of the shots must have gone through the bottom because the ship suddenly listed, then turned over, tossing crew, masts and guns aside. To the sailors aboard the ship it must have seemed as though Thanor, God of Thunder, had dropped his anvil onto their ship.

Suddenly the two battle lines merged and the fire from the Hostigi ships could be heard like distant thunder upon the tower top. From her perch, Rylla could see the smaller gunboats ganging up on individual Grefftscharri ships and firing on them until they sank. The Grefftscharri ships were primarily designed to ram their opponents, or, if that failed, to board them with grapples and boarding ramps. In several cases, the crews of the larger Grefftscharri ships attempted to board the gunboats, but the Hostigi sailors were all swimmers and taught to sink them if boarded and swim to the next closest boat. Most of the gun boats stayed out of boarding range, but the battle was fierce and ships and boats were so crowded together that it was a miracle, from where she watched, they all didn't crunch together in a giant logjam.

Aspasthar, who was acting as a messenger, jumped up through the main stairway portal. He stumbled his way over to Rylla and bent over to catch his breath.

"What is it, Aspasthar?" Seeing him reminded Rylla of Aspasthar's father, Harmakros; they both had the same sparkling-brown eyes. For a moment, she felt a stab of grief for lost friends. I don t have time for grieving, she thought, not now.

With his arms akimbo, Aspasthar looked up and spurted out, "Count Vinaldos reports that the Grefftscharrer Army has taken Ragyath Town and sacked it!" He paused to catch his wind.