Raegar stood at the prow, reaching for the spiritbone. Aylaen was yet a few feet from him. She shouted to Torval, shouted the cry the war chief raises as he throws his spear over the enemy shield wall, warning his foe to prepare to die.
Raegar heard her. He turned in astonishment. His eyes widened in fear.
She saw herself in those eyes, her face and arms and legs blood-splattered, shining-eyed, wild and utterly consumed by madness. Raegar could do nothing for a petrified moment except stare at her as she came racing down on him, blood flying from her sword.
Terror drove him to action. He grabbed the spiritbone by the glittering golden chain with his left hand and fumbled to draw his sword with his right.
Aylaen jabbed her sword at the hand holding the chain. Raegar jerked his hand back to keep from losing it. Aylaen flung away the sword. She grabbed hold of the spiritbone, gave it a yank that broke the slender gold chain, and ran for the ship’s side with the intention of jumping into the sea.
Raegar, roaring in fury, pounded over the deck behind her.
Aylaen clamped her teeth over the spiritbone and seized hold of the rail, pressing her hands into the wood to lift herself up and over. The rail was wet with salt spray. Her hands slipped. Before she could regain purchase, Raegar grabbed hold of her and dragged her back and flung her to the deck.
She landed on her hands and knees. The spiritbone fell out of her mouth, lying in front of her in a tangle of gold chain. Raegar made a grab for the spiritbone. Aylaen lunged, caught hold of it, and threw the spiritbone into the sea.
Raegar howled orders for men to go in after the spiritbone, floating on the surface of the black, turgid waves. No one obeyed. Furious, Raegar began to unbuckle his armor with the intention of diving in himself.
“No use, Your Worship,” called Captain Anker, peering down into the water. “It’s sunk.”
Aylaen slumped wearily to the deck. The madness of Torval ebbed away, leaving her cold and shivering and sick to her stomach. Her hands and arms were sticky with blood. Her tunic was drenched. She was dimly aware of men shouting out a warning, but she was too weak to find out why everyone was rushing around in a frenzy of fear.
Someone loomed over her. Raegar gripped his sword. He meant to kill her.
Aylaen gave him a ghastly, bloodstained smile.
“Aelon wants me alive,” she reminded him.
“I will send the god your soul!” Raegar snarled.
He lifted the sword.
The Venjekar rammed into the hull of Aelon’s Triumph.
CHAPTER 40
Skylan stood at the prow of the Venjekar, forced to watch Aylaen’s valiant assault on Raegar from a distance, unable to come to her aid, torn between fear for her and pride in her courage. The ship, powered by the angry Dragon Kahg, sped through the water. The waves flew past him, spray splashed over him. He pounded the rail with his fist and urged the dragon to travel faster, faster.
He ordered the Dragon Kahg to bring the Venjekar close so that he could board Aelon’s Triumph. He watched Aylaen fling the spiritbone of the Dragon Fala into the sea and he cheered. Then he saw her fall and Raegar standing over her, his sword raised.
Skylan bellowed in outrage. The Venjekar was still some distance away, but he had to try to reach Aylaen, though with both ships leaping and rolling in the erratic waves, he knew in his heart he would never make it. He was about to climb up on the rail when Acronis shouted.
“Tell the dragon to ram them!”
Skylan looked up at the Dragon Kahg and realized he didn’t need to tell the dragon anything. The Venjekar was sailing straight toward Aelon’s Triumph, bounding over the waves. Aboard Raegar’s ship, the sailors saw their doom and they were crying out in terror and rushing for cover.
Then the Venjekar smashed headlong into the ship’s hull.
Skylan flung himself to the deck. The shattering crash jarred every bone in his body. Wood splinters rained down on top of him. Skylan jumped to his feet in time to see the Aelon’s Triumph mast snap off and fall to the deck, taking the sail down with it. The Venjekar had punched a hole in the hull. Water would be pouring inside. He could not see Aylaen or Raegar. The sail had landed on top of them.
“Acronis, you’re with me. Farinn, stay with the ship!” Skylan yelled. “You stay with Farinn!” he ordered Wulfe, catching hold of the boy by the scruff of his neck as he was starting to jump.
Yellow eyes gleamed. Teeth glistened in the boy’s mouth, sharp, elongated. Skylan was holding on to fur, not skin.
“I’ll rip out his throat,” Wulfe snarled, squirming in his grasp.
“I need you to stay here to guard Farinn.”
Wulfe snapped at him, teeth leaving a thin trail of blood on Skylan’s arm.
“Stay here, Wulfe,” Skylan said grimly, “or I swear by Torval that you and I are finished.”
He didn’t wait to see if the boy obeyed him or not. Viper Tooth in hand, Skylan leaped from the Venjekar onto the slanting deck of the disabled Aelon’s Triumph. Acronis was behind him, carrying Aylaen’s sword, guarding Skylan’s back. They ran across the deck of Aelon’s Triumph, dodging bodies and debris. They met little resistance. Men were still recovering from the shock of the collision of the two vessels. The respite wouldn’t last long. The archers were scrambling to fetch their bows, soldiers were going for their swords.
Skylan reached the point where he had last seen Aylaen. She had vanished beneath a mass of canvas and rope and what was left of the mast. He shouted her name and his heart soared to hear her voice answer him. Aylaen floundered beneath the sail. Her bloody hand reached out to him. He pulled her out and stared in astonishment. She was covered with blood, so much he could not see if she was hurt. She relieved his fears with a smile. And then the wreckage heaved and shuddered. Raegar flung the mast off him to emerge from the rubble, his face a mask of blood. He looked dazed and a little unsteady on his feet, but he still gripped his sword. He scowled at Skylan.
“My little cousin,” he muttered.
“You are no kin to me,” said Skylan. “Acronis, see to Aylaen. Take her back to the Venjekar.”
Acronis had hold of Aylaen, who was protesting that she didn’t want to leave. Skylan focused on Raegar, stood braced and ready for a fight.
“I’ve been looking forward to killing you for a long time,” said Skylan.
Raegar sneered. He raised his sword, took a step, and then his legs buckled. He crashed down face-first onto the deck and lay there, unmoving.
Skylan eyed him warily, thinking this might be a trick.
“Kill him!” said Aylaen thickly.
Acronis was trying to urge Aylaen to come with him. She yanked her arm from his grasp and stood staring down at Raegar. “Kill him!” she repeated.
“Get up, Raegar, you son of a bitch,” said Skylan.
Raegar didn’t so much as twitch.
Skylan swore and kicked him in the ribs. “Get up, cowardly cur!”
“Skylan, we need to leave now!” Acronis said quietly.
Skylan glanced over his shoulder. The archers had picked up their bows and were nocking their arrows.
“Aylaen, go with Acronis.” Skylan kicked Raegar again in frustration. “You coward! Fight me!”
“Kill him,” said Aylaen for the third time.
Skylan shook his head. “When I kill this bastard, I want him to watch my sword slide into his gut. My smile will be the last thing he sees.”
Skylan turned to walk away. Aylaen clutched at him.
“Don’t be a fool, Skylan! You can’t let him live!”