Morgan Rice - Night of the Bold

“This will give away our position,” he said grimly. “If I do this, we will be surrounded.”

She nodded back her approval.

He lowered the flame to the wick, and a moment later there came a tremendous boom, the force of it knocking him back.

The cannonball flew through the air and smashed into the hull of the Pandesian ship before it could fire on Seavig. Merk watched it buckle and sink, and was elated to see he had saved Seavig’s men.

Merk heard commotion behind them, and he turned to see, as the last of the mist rose, Pandesian ships had spotted him. They began to close in. He knew that within moments they would be surrounded.

Merk heard a shout of triumph, and he turned to see Seavig’s men had taken the other ship, throwing the last dead Pandesian overboard. There followed a loud rattling, and he then watched as Seavig and his men threw long spiked chains overboard. Finally, as they set sail, Merk realized what their strategy was. Seavig had commandeered the larger ship for its huge supply of chains. As they sailed, his men threw them overboard and held on tight, dragging them along the water.

Merk looked out and saw that they were sailing for the far end of the harbor, and he realized right away what they were doing: they were trying to seal it off. They were goading the entire Pandesian fleet to follow them into the harbor, hoping to secure the chains first and destroy their hulls. It was a brilliant move. If they succeeded, they would sink half the fleet outside the harbor and cut off the other half, leaving them trapped inside the harbor.

Merk’s heart raced as he watched Seavig make good progress, sailing quickly, the air filled with rattling as his men lowered chain link after link.

Horns sounded again and again, and Merk turned to see more Pandesian ships rallying, spotting Seavig. They were closing in, and Merk knew that in a hundred yards or so they would destroy Seavig. They were not going to make it.

At the same time, Merk turned and realized that the other ships that had spotted him and Lorna were getting closer.

Merk shoved the cannon with all his might, raised a heavy cannonball, and lit the torch. It fired with a boom, sending him backwards, and he watched with satisfaction as it took out the ship trailing them, right before they could fire themselves.

More ships closed in, and as Merk looked down at the deck, he was aghast to see there were no more cannonballs.

He turned to Lorna, knowing something had to be done. He felt the turning point had come.

“I have to stop them,” he said.

She looked at him, concern in her eyes.

“And how shall you?” she asked.

He scanned the waters desperately, and an idea came to him.

“I must board one of the Pandesian ships,” he said. “From there, I can fire on the others. I can distract them long enough for Seavig to chain the harbor, to win the battle.”

She nodded back in admiration.

“You know that once you fire, you will be surrounded. You will die.”

He looked back at her, thinking the same thing, knowing it was true.

“I do,” he replied solemnly.

Merk sighed.

“All my life, I’ve done harm to others,” he said. “I regret it with all that I am. I yearn for redemption. I yearn to do right for something bigger than myself. I have found that chance. If I stop that fleet, Seavig will seal off the harbor. Ur will be free. Escalon can be free once again. What is more important?”

He took a step closer.

“This is my chance, Lorna. My chance to become the man I had always wished I had been.”

She looked back at him, her eyes shining, intense.

“I care for Escalon as much as you,” she said. “But I care for you, too. I don’t want to see you die.”

Merk felt overwhelmed, realizing for the first time that Lorna actually cared for him. And that meant more to him than he could say. His resolve deepened.

Without a word, he stepped forward and kissed her.

It was a kiss that restored his soul. He expected her to back away, and he was stunned that she did not.

Finally, they parted, gently.

“I love you,” he said.

He did not wait for a reply. With those words, Merk turned, leapt off the edge of the ship, and dove headlong down into the freezing waters of the harbor of Ur.

“Merk!” he heard her call out behind him.

A moment later Merk found himself immersed in the freezing waters, and as he did, his body in shock, he forced himself to stay under, not wanting to be detected. He swam and swam underwater, kicking, using his arms, until finally he could hold his breath no longer and surfaced far away, near the hulls of the Pandesian ships. He stealthily reached up, grabbed the rope dangling down from one of them, and pulled himself up, dripping wet, one foot at a time. Muscles aching, he pulled as quietly as he could as he inched his way up the hull, praying he was not detected.

Finally, Merk stealthily climbed over the rail and set foot on the Pandesian deck. He looked out and saw hundreds of soldiers on board, and his apprehension deepened. Yet it was too late now.

Merk braced himself and took off at a sprint. He extracted his dagger, ran up to the soldier he saw manning the cannon, and as he turned, Merk sliced his throat. He caught him before he hit the ground, putting him down gently so as not to alert the others.

Merk then grabbed the torch, and with all his might kicked the heavy cannon into position, knowing he had but one chance at this.

“Hey!” a voice called out behind him.

He glanced back to see the Pandesians charging.

Merk lit the cannon, leaving himself exposed and no longer caring. He was no longer concerned for himself; he cared only for saving Seavig and his men.

Merk lowered the torch, lit the cannon, and a great sparking filled the air. Out of the corner of his eye he saw soldiers rushing him from all sides, and he prayed only that the cannon caught fire before they could reach him.

“STOP!” one cried.

BOOM!

The cannon fired a second before the men reached him, knocking them all back several feet. Merk watched with relief as the cannonball soared exactly where he wanted it to: through the hulls of all the Pandesian ships floating alongside this one. It tore through one after another, shattering a half dozen of them at once.

Cries and chaos filled the air, as one Pandesian ship after another sank.

As the soldiers were collecting themselves, Merk knew he had but a moment left. He rolled, placed one more cannonball, grabbed the torch and lit the other cannon, as he turned it with all his might.

A Pandesian soldier tackled him, sending him down to the ground, while another Pandesian soldier tried desperately to stop the cannon, screaming as he tried to put it out.

But it was too late.

BOOM!

The cannon was positioned straight down, and the cannonball smashed through its own ship, shattering it to pieces. Merk felt the ship buckle and splinter beneath him.

In the chaos of the wildly rocking ship, Merk looked up to see a soldier charging, a long spear coming right at him. Before he could sit up, he felt unbearable pain as the soldier stabbed him right through the heart.

Merk gasped, unable to breathe. He felt the awful shock of his life departing him. On his back, he looked up to the night sky, filled with red stars, and he felt, for the first time in his life, a sense of peace. Redemption had found him. Even in death.

Kyle, in the thick of the rubble of the Tower of Ur, fought his way through the battlefield of trolls, Leo at his side, swinging his staff, striking them down two, three, four at a time. Kolva, by his side, fought equally ferociously, too, the two of them fighting for each inch as they tried to make their way towards the center of the rubble. They had to reach the secret chamber, the only hope, as Alva had explained, to restore the Flames and ensure victory for Escalon.