“I know we hardly know each other, but from what I know about your uncle based on the brief time I knew him, he was a good person who risked his life to save ours’ and your cousins’. You may not have known much about his backstory, but what really matters is you knew the person he was and not the soldier he had been,” Max said placing his hand comfortingly on Anders’ shoulder.
Anders knew he was right. His uncle was a good person and he knew Theodor would never intentionally bring harm to either of his kids or Anders.
With his voice a little shaky, Anders took a deep breath and said, “You’re a good guy, Max,” and looked out at the curved horizon. Grandwood had become unrecognizable and the thin sliver of land disappeared behind a blanket of dark blue water. “The last thing I remember from last night was trying to run to Theodor’s aid. I saw a bright light exploding near Thargon. Then it all went dark. What happened after that?” Anders asked.
“Yeah, you went down hard,” Max said, his eyebrows pinched together and raised high. “After you were knocked unconscious by Ivan’s blast of energy, Thomas, Kirsten, and I ran out to get you. Thargon wasn’t affected much from his ball of energy. He had some kind of invisible shield protecting him. It more distracted him for a moment than anything. Thargon saw that you had tried to rush out from your hiding place and ordered his soldiers to capture you. We tried to drag you to safety while the soldiers were knocked down from the blast’s shock wave, but they quickly regained their composure. I picked you up, in an attempt to escape. Thomas and Kirsten were right with us and we fought the advancing soldiers off as best we could. Somehow you and I got separated from your cousins in the chaos.
“Just when the soldiers had us pinned, a group of the Rollo Island warriors charged up the road and attacked the enemy from behind. Most of the soldiers were distracted and Ivan took out the rest. I carried you on my back as Ivan led us through the woods. I stopped to look for your cousins, but the soldiers had already captured them. Thargon and his men took them as his prisoners and they returned to Grandwood.
“After a short while, we came out of the woods and joined up with Red and his warriors on the road. He informed us that the enemy had captured many people at the festival and had taken them aboard their ships as prisoners. Unfortunately, your cousins were among them.
“Thargon and his men out-numbered us five to one. When we got back to the ships on the beach, we attempted to rescue those who were taken by the soldiers. We were not successful, however, and the soldiers boarded their ships and left as quickly as they’d arrived.
“The Rollo Islanders’ clan chiefs, along with Ivan’s influence, agreed that Red would take three of their fastest ships along with enough warriors to pursue and attack the enemy ships. The rest of the Rollo people would sail back to their islands and assemble the rest of their warriors and mount the full naval fleet. Our mission is to track down the enemy, rescue the prisoners taken, and sink their ships. The rest of the Rollo Island forces will join us to defeat any of the enemy’s remaining ships.” When Max had finished recounting what had happened after the initial attack, Anders was surprised to find that he’d missed so much.
“I understand it’s a lot to take in,” Max said to him, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Yeah, no kidding. What happened to your brother? I remember he was in the crowd at the start of the mountain race. Did you ever find him?”
Max looked down at his feet as he scuffed them against the wooden deck, “No, I didn’t.” His gaze rose skyward. “All I can do now is hope he made it out of that mess alive.”
Anders’ life had changed drastically in the last twenty-four hours. He wished he could just blink and make it all go away, make it go back to the way it was before the attack. He wanted to feel the comforts of having a father figure around and the joy of laughing with his cousins at their home above Highborn Bay. This was no longer an option. He couldn’t make the events of last night disappear and have his old life back. He was going to have to face this problem head on. He was going to have to trust Ivan and attempt to rescue the only family he had left.
Anders worked his way through the crewmembers on deck, moving toward Ivan. Facing him, he said, “I’m grateful for what you did to help me last night. Max told me about how you helped us get to safety. But do you know how I really feel?” He leaned over and whispered in Ivan’s ear, “I don’t want to trust you, but it looks like I have to if I want to see my family again. They had better be alive when we catch up to Thargon and his soldiers. If they aren’t, I’ll kill you myself.” After he and Ivan exchanged crossed glares for several deep breaths, Anders walked back to the other end of the deck. Running his hands through his unkempt shaggy hair, he looked out at the water isolating the ship and realized he would not see his home for a very long time.
The salty ocean waves crashed over the ship’s bow as they pursued their enemy through turbulent water. In the distance, billowing storm clouds developed in the warm afternoon air. Anders stood near the bow alongside Max and Ivan. The wind washed over their faces as the smell of rain filled their nostrils. They eyed the looming clouds warily.
“Enemy ships, dead ahead!” a crewman shouted from high up the center mast.
Anders clambered around a group of people sharing a telescoping lens to see the ships more clearly. He scanned the area to see if he could catch a glimpse of the fleeing ships.
Spotting them in the distance, the ships looked like tiny specks far away on the horizon. With just his naked eye, he couldn’t quite see the ships clearly. A female warrior passed the telescope to him. There, through the circular optic lens, he saw three tiny ships with black sails bobbing across the water.
“We’re gaining on them,” Anders said to Max passing him the telescope.
“We’ll be able to engage them before nightfall,” Red said as he came to stand alongside them. “Our ships are far superior in speed. At this rate we’ll surely overtake these three ships before too long.”
“Have you constructed a battle plan?” Ivan asked Red.
“I have faith our crew will easily overtake these stragglers,” Red said confidently.
“Perhaps we should go to the Captain’s quarters and plan a strategy. I have some insight in the ways of this particular enemy and I think I could be of help to you in this matter,” Ivan suggested. Anders could tell by the look on his face that Red was insulted by Ivan’s recommendation.
“You don’t trust the strength of my warriors?” Red asked.
“I don’t doubt your crew’s skills in battle,” Ivan said, attempting to reason with him. “I fought an entire war against Thargon and his master. I just want to make sure we have a clear plan before engaging with those in his command.”
Red pursed his lips and waved over the higher-ranking members in his crew to discuss their strategy. Ivan followed them to the rear of the ship and into the cabin.
Anders and the others waited for them to come up with a plan for the upcoming naval attack. The suspense mounting of the fight to come loomed over them. Anders could hardly stop his nerves from getting the best of him.
As the day grew longer, they closed the gap on the enemy. Anders noticed the ships they were pursuing sailed directly toward the storm that had been building all afternoon.
“The ships are going directly into that storm. Are they mad?” Anders asked Max, his face contorted with concern.
Max saw the trajectory of the ships as well and said, “We need to tell Red.”
Anders agreed and the two of them went back to the cabin where Red and the others were deliberating on a battle strategy. Opening the door and entering the cabin, Max and Anders gained the attention of everyone in the small room.
“There is something you need to see,” Anders urged them. The seriousness in his tone drew the attention of the leaders and Red and Ivan rose from their seats to follow them. Max and Anders directed them out of the room.
“Look, their ships.” Anders said pointing off the end of the bow. Ivan and Red squinted and watched the ships for a moment. Worry clouded Ivan’s face, but Red’s expression remained unchanged and didn’t seem concerned by what he saw.
“They’re heading right into the heart of the storm,” Max urged.
“That doesn’t scare me,” Red bolstered. “We have the fastest and most well-made ships in all of Kartania, or any other world for that matter. We’ll fight through the storm.” Red said confidently.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Ivan asked. “This could very well be a trap.”
“What trap is that? They’re just trying to lose us in the rough waters of the storm. Our ships are far superior to those of our enemy. We’ll continue our pursuit and overtake them by nightfall.”
“Ivan’s right, this could be a trap,” Anders said, angry at Red’s decision.
“How is it a trap?” Red asked. “They’re running scared and think we won’t follow them into the storm. They’re trying to avoid a fight with us because they know we’ll defeat them. I’ve seen desperate crews do the same thing before, trying to flee the wrath of our ships. Each time we’ve overtaken them because our ships are much faster and can out-sail any storm.”
“What if you’re wrong and it is a trap?” Anders asked. “If your ships are truly as fast as you say they are, what more are we risking sailing around the storm and running them down on the other side?”
Angered at Anders and Ivan’s questions, Red said, “We will continue our course and defeat them in the storm. I’m your Captain and that is my final decision on the matter.” Red stomped back to the cabin, grumbling angrily in his native Rolloan tongue.
Ivan spoke to Anders without looking at him, and kept his eyes on the ships sailing into the outer edge of the storm, “This is no doubt a trap and we need to be prepared for the worst. However, if this wasn’t a trap and we did sail around the storm, we’d run the risk of losing their trail. If we lose sight of them now, we might never find out where they’re going. The ocean doesn’t leave a set of tracks to follow and it’s easy to lose a ship in the open ocean if you don’t know where they’re heading.”
“I don’t like it,” Anders said to Ivan.
Ivan turned to Anders, “Me either.” Then he, too, followed Red back into the cabin.
Anders and Max were frustrated by Red’s dismissal of their concerns. Anders was also angered by Ivan’s decision to allow Red to sail into the storm even though he knew it was a trap as well. Once they were alone, Anders said, “If Thargon is truly as clever and evil as Ivan says he is, wouldn’t he send these three ships from his fleet to lead us in the wrong direction? If he is that evil, what would he care if a few of his fleet were sunk by our cannons or wrecked by the storm?”
“I think you’re right,” Max said. “They could’ve slowed down intentionally to allow us to catch up to them, just to create this dangerous predicament.”
“I can’t believe Ivan is allowing him to go through with it,” Anders said, frustrated.
Max shrugged, “You’re probably right. I just hope they know what they’re doing. We’re stuck with their decision either way.”
Exhaling heavily, Anders kept the rest of his opinions to himself. Instead of talking about something he couldn’t control, he began to prepare himself for the storm.
As daylight faded to dusk, they caught up to the three ships; the others in their fleet were nowhere to be seen. Red dismissed the fact that they couldn’t see the other ships, suggesting that these three were sent back to destroy the Rollo Island ships so the others could escape, but Anders had his doubts.
