Thunderbolt (Dynasty of Storms Book 2) Read online

  Chapter One

  4th Waning Harvest Moon, Year 4369

  The mountains on either side of Greatport loomed in the distance, their slopes cutting steeply down into the sea. Though dawn was still behind the mountains, the sky was light enough to make out the entrance to the bay, like a huge, yawning mouth, the coastal fog obscuring the beaches. For the first time in his life, Elias felt small.

  The Leviathan cut through the sea like some sort of juggernaut, barely touched by the waves. Behind her sailed four other ships, filled with elves from Greenreef that had agreed to come with him back to the mainland of Lonwick. Five weeks on the open sea, and now their voyage was coming to an end. Elias breathed in deep, the salty air of the ocean filling his lungs.

  By the gods, he hated fish.

  He turned from the bowsprit, and headed towards the main deck. Sailors, mostly sea elves, bustled about their business. Even after more than a year around sails and rigging and masts and belaying pins, Elias had very little idea how to sail. Thankfully, Jonas had taken to it quite well, and was able to direct the sailors in their duties, with the help of a navigator and a second mate. Once again, Elias was merely the figurehead.

  Jonas was at the helm now, on the aftcastle of the ship. Elias waved to him as he descended the stairs, and Jonas gave him a nod, keeping his hands on the wheel. Making his way through the sailors, Elias took care not to get into their path or interrupt their work. He climbed the steep stairs to the aftcastle, and stood by Jonas.

  “How long until we make port?”

  Jonas grunted, shivering under his thick coat. “Three hours, perhaps, then another to the northern docks. We'll be on land by noon.”

  Elias nodded. “Good. I'll be looking forward to some beef. The men have their orders, I assume?”

  Jonas shivered again. “Aye. A group of men and elves will make their way into Greatport and start buying horses. Though I still don't think many of these sailors will make good riders. Most of them have never seen a horse in their lives, and most of a thousand horses won't be easy to find.”

  “But we have the gold for it. We should be able to get them, yes?”

  Jonas nodded. “Aye. We definitely have enough gold.”

  Elias, Jonas, and their companions had spent most of the last year hunting pirate ships and either sinking or capturing them. While they had come to the Greenreef islands as penniless slaves, just freed from their captors, they left as rich as kings. By the time they had left Port Greenreef, there was hardly a coin left on the island that wasn't in their coffers. They had made several fortunes in bounties and captured cargo.

  Elias patted Jonas's shoulder. “Good. I want to travel fast, and I want to travel light. Weapons, tents, and food. Medical supplies for the healers. We move north as soon as we are outfitted.”

  “And the ships?”

  “Leave a detachment of fifty men per vessel. That will leave us with seven hundred and fifty, give or take a score.”

  Jonas nodded again. “Seems like a good plan. Even now that we've gone over it a thousand times.”

  Elias chuckled. “What better way to spend nights at sea than with planning?”

  Jonas grumbled. “I could think of a number of better ways, and those ways involve a warm body with a pair of tits.”

  Elias was silent for a moment, and Jonas grimaced. “I'm sorry, Redwood. I should have thought.”

  Elias shook his head. “It is no fault of yours, my friend. I'm going to be in my chamber. Send someone to fetch me when we enter the bay.”

  Before he headed to his chambers, Elias went below the deck, where Sargoth was laying. The massive dragon could make himself quite small when he curled up, much like a snake coiled. He still took up a massive portion of the third deck, under where the cannons were held. Elias had made sure the dragon had as much room as possible, but it was still a tight fit. Most of the crew avoided the third deck for this reason; while Sargoth was intelligent and obviously allied with Elias and his crew, the fact that he was a dragon was more than a little unnerving.

  The dragon's glowing blue eyes tracked him as he descended the stairs. “So I trust we're growing close to land?”

  Elias nodded, sitting on a crate near the dragon's head. “We are indeed. They tell me it's three hours out.”

  “Then less than an hour by wing. I can fly the rest of the way.”

  Elias chuckled. “I'd be anxious to get out of this hold too, if I had to spend more than a month down here.”

  The dragon nodded, shifting himself. “You have no idea what this position does to my back. I think I'll have a crick in my spine for a year, at least.”

  Elias leaned against a support beam. “Where will you go?”

  Sargoth shrugged his shoulders, a surprisingly human-like gesture. “I'm not sure. Maybe back to the east, where the herds of cattle are large enough to feed me, perhaps to the mountains to the north. A bit cold for my tastes, and I may have to fight a few of my... lesser endowed cousins, but it could do for a home. Have you ever seen a moose?”

  Elias shook his head. “I have no idea what that is.”

  “It's like an elk, but bigger, and with different antlers. Think something like a very tall deer cow. They taste magnificent. Much better than fish or pork.”

  Elias chuckled again. “That sounds fantastic. I'll have to hunt one someday.”

  “You should. It's wonderful.”

  Elias sighed. “Well, let's get these hatches open. It would be a good idea if you were well past here before we made port.”

  Sargoth nodded again. “I plan on cutting south and east. It's much less populated down there, so I'll make less of a scene. Once there, I'll circle past to the desert side of the mountains, and head north, or wherever. I'll figure that out once I get there.”

  Elias stood, and walked towards the stairs. Turning back, he saw Sargoth's eyes still tracking him in the dim light of the hold. “Well Sargoth, thank you, once more, for your aid in Greenreef. I hope that we cross paths again one day. I greatly enjoy your company.”

  Sargoth smiled, his teeth glittering like polished swords. “I certainly hope so. Something tells me that we will.”

  Elias climbed the stairs to the top deck, and ordered the cargo hatches opened. Once the hatches were opened all the way to the third deck, Sargoth wound his way through, his claws digging into the thick wooden planks as he hauled himself upwards. The sailors cleared the deck as the dragon perched on the side of the massive craft, causing it to buck and sway in the sea.

  “Farewell, Elias of Stromgard! May your gods and mine smile upon you in the days and months to come!”

  With that, the dragon launched himself off of the side of the ship, making it rock back and forth with the force. Unfurling his great wings, he climbed above the fog and clouds, and was gone.

  ~ ~ ~

  Elias's chambers were warmed by a small fireplace behind an iron grate. An enormous table was the centerpiece of the room, with his bed, several chairs, and a few bookcases filled with books distributed about the room. The warmth of the room was refreshing when compared to the cold air of the sea.

  Covering the table were numerous maps, arranged so that they more or less lined up, showing the islands of Greenreef aft, and the mainland to the fore. A charcoal line had been plotted, showing their course, leading from the largest of the islands, to Greatport, far to the northwest. Daggers were placed in various places, marking their objectives. One was to the far south, and was stuck through an iron medallion. This represented the last known position of the Felle Army, and their most likely adversary. The medallion was round, about the size of his palm, and held a red stone in the center of an eight pointed s
tar, blackened by the fires of the forge it had been wrought in. The knight he hunted had worn that insignia on his breastplate.

  Just north of Greatport was another, smaller bay, with another dagger. This was Jetty, where the ships would eventually be moored. From there, inland, near a great mountain, was a third dagger. This was the city at the base of the great Stromgard mountain, where his surname came from. This would be his first challenge.

  The new king of the Northlands, Brandt, ruled from there. When Elias had left, well over a year ago, Brandt was preparing to repel a coup and solidify his right to be king in the wake of his father's death. That had been the catalyst that had sent Elias away from the Northlands, and eventually out to sea.

  South of the Stromgard Mountain, in the great inland valley, stood the capital of Lonwick, from which the country took its name. It was bordered on the east by great mountains that protected them from the heat of the desert, and to the west by the coastal mountains that protected them from the wrath of the sea. When he had left the mainland over a year ago, there had been news of an army amassing to the south, with occasional scouting parties sent north. With any luck, they would still be in a similar position. That was where the dagger with the medallion was.

  Elias was interrupted in his musings by a sharp knock, then his door opening. It was Jenna, one of his primary advisers. She closed the door before the cold outside got too far into the room.

  “By every god, it's freezing out there.”

  Elias smiled slightly. “After spending a summer in Greenreef, anywhere else will feel cold for a time.”

  Jenna sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table. “That is definitely the truth. Now then. Going over our plans for the hundredth time?”

  “Yes. Though, to hear Jonas, it's been closer to ten times that.”

  She scoffed. “He's not far off, I think.”

  Elias pulled out a chair and sat as well. “I hate waiting.”

  Jenna shook her head. “Rushing into things is never the best course.”

  Elias rubbed his eyes. “Sometimes, it's the only course.” He leaned back in his chair. “We're about four hours out. I'm going to try and get some sleep.”

  Jenna stood. “Are there any orders you wish relayed to the men or the other ships?”

  “No. They all know what to do, and they have competent people leading them. Is there anything that requires my immediate attention?”

  Jenna shook her head again. “No. After five weeks at sea, all that is left is reaching port.” She moved towards the door. “Sleep well, Elias. It may be the last time you have a chance to for a long while.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Greatport was unlike anything Elias had ever seen before. The bay was absolutely enormous, protected from the sea by two mountainous outcroppings that surrounded it to the west. The mouth of the bay was nearly a mile across, but opened into a bay that may as well have been a small sea in its own right.

  In the middle of the bay was a great stone fortress, perched on a rocky island. Stretching high above the water, various pennants and banners hung from the tops of the towers, waving in the stiff breeze. On the piers surrounding the island were many ships of war, all flying the banner of Castle Lonwick, a blue field trimmed in gold with a red lion's head in the center. Farther out, a small fleet sat at anchor, ready to sail at a moment's notice.

  On the shore to the north, south, and east, was a city so vast that it covered up every inch of ground for as far as Elias could see. Occasional towers jutted out of the surrounding mass of buildings, and broad streets cut their way through them like strokes of a painter's brush. The shore was lined with docks, some made of massive stone blocks, others built on timbers driven into the floor of the bay where it was shallow enough to do so.

  The Leviathan veered north, towards the large, deep, stone docks. As she and her four companion vessels traversed the bay, traveling between the island fortress and the mainland, the fleet of ships that had been anchored away from the docks moved to intercept them, ten in total. They were faster, lighter, and shallower in the draft than his own ships, all ten an identical design. They swiftly gained on Elias's ships; they were coming abroad, as if for a strafing run.

  Jonas stood at Elias's side. “Uh, Elias, it looks like they're readying to attack.”

  Elias shook his head. “That's nonsense. Why would they attack us?”

  Jenna tapped her fingers nervously on the railing of the forecastle. “Perhaps because we just sailed five pirate vessels into Greatport?”

  Elias frowned. “We're not flying pirate colors, nor are we coming in with cannons ready to fire.”

  There was a deafening boom, and a plume of water rose in front of their ship, soaking the three companions. Elias ducked instinctively at the noise, shocked. They were being fired upon!

  He shouted to the helmsman, “About! Turn her about, to starboard! Jonas, ready the cannons!”

  Another ear shattering cannon shot, and another plume of water, from the port side of the ship, and Elias sprinted for the stairs. “Be ready to return fire if they strike us!”

  “Belay that!” another man's voice called from a passing ship, nearly close enough for Elias to leap out and catch the railing. “If I wanted you scuttled, you'd be scuttled by now!”

  It was an elf, and by the way he was dressed, Elias judged him to be the captain of the ship flanking him. A rich blue coat with gold trim and bright brass buttons atop black breeches, and brown boots. His golden hair was pulled back neatly and wind tied behind his pointed airs. In one hand he gripped the rigging, and in another he held a long, curved saber. He called out to Elias again.

  “Anchor your ships and prepare to be boarded, or I will put you on the bottom of this bay before you can float back out to sea!”

  Elias gritted his teeth and hesitated, wanting to return fire. They had done nothing wrong! They had only sailed into a public port, and this was the treatment they got? Reluctantly, he gave the signal to drop their anchor, and relayed it to the rest of his ships with flagged signals.

  His ships drew up next to the Leviathan, anchoring around the giant vessel, and they anchored in the deep water of the bay, between the island fortress and the docks.

  A boarding vessel was lowered into the water from the deck of the ship that had fired on the Leviathan. It rowed over the choppy water, coming up to the Leviathan's hull. A ladder was lowered down to them, and the blue coated elf climbed aboard, along with a score of armed soldiers. They were dressed in the red and gold leathers of the Lonwick navy, and carried short boarding axes and sabers.

  Elias stood on the forecastle, looking down at them, his arms crossed at his chest. “Is this how you greet every vessel that sails into Greatport?”

  The elf chuckled, shaking his head. “When you're sailing merchant vessels that have been converted to warships, that says pirate to me. If you saw five pirate vessels sailing towards your city, wouldn't you react with caution?”

  Elias frowned. “Cannons aren't cautious, and we're not pirates.”

  The elf chuckled, climbing the stairs to the forecastle. “Nobody ever is. If that is indeed the case, then you and your men have nothing to fear when we search your ships. What do you transport? I certainly hope it's not slaves.”

  Elias could see similar groups of soldiers board his other vessels, and he felt the anger in his chest growing. “Elves and goods from the Greenreef islands. We captured these vessels from marauders there. The only slaves these ships have carried were before we took them.”

  The elf wagged his finger. “Ah, so these are pirate vessels. Or, rather, were. You can understand, then, my assumption. We will get to the bottom of it, rest assured.” The captain reached the top of the stairs, and stood in front of Elias. “My name is Commodore Ampelius, and I command the fleet here in Greatport. I assume you are the commander of this fleet?”

  Grudgingly, Elias nodded. “I am Elias of Stromgard, and yes, I am the leader of these ships.”

  Ampelius di
d not seem deterred or awed by Elias's size like most elves were. He seemed not to notice it, in fact. He turned to look over the ship as his men descended below the decks. “This is quite the vessel you have. Truthfully, I don't know that I have ever seen her like. Do you know where she was made?”

  Elias shook his head. “We scuttled her in Greenreef, but there was a captain there who knew how to float her again. We repaired her there, but I know not where she was built. We renamed her the Leviathan.”

  Ampelius raised an eyebrow, adopting Elias's stance, crossing his arms and standing with his feet at shoulder width. “Raised from the sea floor? That must have been quite an endeavor.”

  Elias nodded. “It certainly wasn't easy. Delain was a great man.”

  Ampelius paused. “I know that name. He captained a vessel between here and Greenreef. I heard it was captured, many years ago, and pressed into piracy. I'd assumed he'd been killed.”

  Elias shook his head. “He and his crew were chained to oars. My companions and I were ambushed just north of Jetty, and sold to the men who had taken Delain's ship. We took it back at Greenreef.”

  Ampelius looked up at Elias again. “I think I've heard of you. Are you the one they call Redwood?”

  Elias was silent for a moment. “That... is a nickname that has been used for me, yes.”

  Ampelius nodded appreciatively. “Port Greenreef sent word of your accomplishments.” He rubbed his chin for a moment, looking into the rigging as he considered something. “I have a proposal. We can be finished with this business quickly. Show me your letters of mark from Greenreef, showing the bounties you've collected on pirate ships, and pay the port tax, and I'll let you dock this ship there. Port tax is twenty lions a day that you wish to use our docks. How many men do you have?”

  “ A thousand elves, and some men.”

  Ampelius's eyes went wide for a moment, and he shook his head. “Well. We can't have a thousand sea elves loose in Greatport. The havoc that would wreak would detract from the war effort.”

  Elias frowned. “What am I to do with my ships then? We have goods to sell and horses to buy.”