Chapter 45

Timing. It would be all about timing and for once I was happy that I’d had to learn as much Mathematics at the University as I had. It was also something very stupid and most likely against all the rules there existed about battles at sea. If there were any. Of that I wasn’t sure, since I really didn’t know much about the battles at sea besides those few things Tofi had mentioned to me - and the skirmish at the Middle Sea had been the first for us both.

I turned and looked at the approaching frigate and it was clear that it would be able to get to us before it got dark. I guessed that they wanted to get close enough to use their guns at least once and make us limp so that there would be no chance to escape them in the darkness. Somehow I was quite certain they didn’t even think of the possibility that we wanted to stop them even more than they wanted to stop us.

Which made me wonder if they had really thought why would a small group of men hijack a frigate?

That thought almost made the warrior in me laugh aloud. No one in his right mind would think that a group of twelve men would hijack an older frigate in order to sink two newer and better frigates. It was simply stupid, outrageous and unthinkable. I shook my head and rechecked our position in relation to the other ship and those rocky islands. I knew that I would need to delay our turn to the last possible moment so that we would be facing only one frigate instead of two. I thought about rechecking my calculations but decided against it. Besides being a walking sea chart, Vragi could estimate distances at the sea much better than I could. Another check back and towards the islands. Soon.

A nod from Vragi and orders were shouted and our frigate made a sharp turn towards the islands. On this last leg, we would have to be a bit slower than we could be and I needed to keep on checking the distance to the ship following us. But first, I needed to see if it really would follow us.

The moment seemed to last forever until the ship changed its course and turned to follow us. I wanted to smile since my plan was working, at least for now. Now I would need to make sure that the distance between our ships would be right when we reached the islands.

“Now, load the first four guns on the port side of the ship!”

“Aye-aye, Sir!”

I wanted to shout something rude back to the man for calling me ‘Sir’, but I was too wired up and I just waved my hand before taking hold of the helm again. I was sure that I could feel how the ship protested the way I steered it because it wasn’t going as fast as it could have. If I had estimated it correctly, we needed to be a bit slower for a while. Every now and then Vragi gave me his estimates of the distances and I checked my calculations. The upcoming battle would take place sometime before complete darkness would fall.

The islands really were steep rocks. As though someone had dropped them out of the sky and they had ended up standing here. Two steep cliffs full of seagulls and other birds that now hardly wondered what our frigate was doing here, so close to the islands. Besides those birds there wasn’t much else on these islands and the bird manure most likely killed most of the trees that might have tried to grow here.

“Baggi, the deck is yours. You know what to do.”

“Aye-aye, Stian. It’s been an honor to know you.”

“Baggi, I have children I intend to see again. Besides, my wives would drag me back so that they could kill me themselves if something happened to me now.”

Before the older man could say anything more, I started running along the deck towards the prow of our frigate. I heard the sails coming down and the ship made a sharp turn to the port as I went down the ladder. I had to use both hands not to fall. Once the ship was steady again, I continued running towards the first gun. The first four gun ports were now open and the guns were all tilting at an angle that had been my best estimate for hitting the other frigate. Well, there was only one more gun on that side, but, if I had estimated it correctly, we would not have time to use it. The first two guns were pointing a bit forward, while the two last ones were pointing a bit aft.

Mathematics. Who would have believed that our success would rely on my skills with mathematics and calculations. And sensing.

“A finger-width up, quickly!”

That command was based on my estimate of the distance of the other frigate on the other side of these islands - or rocks. I had ordered Baggi to sail as close to the island as was possible and it almost looked like we could reach out and touch the rocky wall. I had just pulled my head away from the gun port after taking the last look outside and now I counted - and sensed.

“Fire one!”

We all had wax in our ears so I used my hand so that the men knew when to light the fuse. I knew that it took a moment for the fuse to burn and ignite the gunpowder and the surprise on the other frigate must have been enormous when the prow of our vessel suddenly became visible between these two islands. The vision of the prow was immediately followed by a flash of the cannon and the sound a moment later.

“Fire two!”

After the second gun, the air between the islands was filled with white birds as all the seagulls and other birds were airborne, startled by the sound that was echoing between these two high rocks. The total effect - the second flash, the air full of flying birds and the sound echoing between the two islands must have caused even more confusion on the other frigate.

“Fire three!”

By now, I knew that we had actually hit the other vessel because I sensed people dying there. Still, I found myself worrying about the seagulls and other birds that might die if they happened to be in the way of the cannonball.

“Fire four!”

After the final shot, it took surprisingly long before the echo died out. Then I felt our ship take a turn to the starboard as Baggi took us further away from the islands and back to safer waters. I took the wax from ears that were ringing even though they had been protected. Still, I could now hear the cries of the seagulls and the wind in the sails.

Then, on my way up back to the deck I could also sense more men dying on the other ship and I wondered what had happened. Had the other frigate hit the island? Once I got there, Baggi was all smiles and he soon started talking.

“I was sure that your first shot would hit the island, but, no - I’m sure it hit the waterline of that frigate close to its prow. After that, it was difficult to see anything, but from my position it seemed that all the rest were hits, too. I’m almost sure that the last one hit the rudder or at least something close to it.”

I nodded. “That might explain it. I’m almost certain that the frigate hit the island soon afterwards. More people died without an obvious reason some time later.”

Even though we had won this first meeting, I didn’t feel like smiling. Dying in these angry cold waters wasn’t a fate I wished for other people, enemies or not. I wondered if they managed to get any of the ship’s boats safely into the water - or if the other frigate would stop and help the crew of its sister ship. We would see soon enough.

The other frigate didn’t stop to help but turned to chase directly after us. This time, two things saved us; the weather changed and it became dark before the frigate was close enough to fire on us. They tried a few times, but the first two shots fell short - not much, but enough, while the third one was much shorter. When I wondered why they stopped shooting after only three shots Baggi shrugged.

“Most likely they overloaded their chaser gun and that third shot damaged it.”

I nodded, since that was a reasonable explanation.

Luckily for us, the worsening weather also broke our wake that might have stayed visible longer if the sea had been calmer. Now, with my and Vragi’s skills combined, we might have been able to escape the frigate, but I didn’t want it to surprise Ljus or Vana on the other side of the Kingdom. Besides, I had given my promise to the Princess Keitha and to the Admiral. Sinking the second frigate might not completely stop the Shinies or the Magicians, but it would make life in Aston much easier for my friends - and probably for the children I would never see.

So, there would be no escape in the darkness. Instead, the hunter would now become the hunted.

“They turned north again. I guess they think we just tried to outrun them.”

Baggi shrugged. “Figures - and suits us, I guess. After all, we need to get supplies somewhere, right?”

I wanted to smile since there was quite a change in Baggi’s attitude, but I knew that this was far from over. Without doubt, the other frigate would be under constant alert after they saw what happened to their friends. Now we would need to decide how we would attack the other ship. Preferably without being seen until it was too late. Too late for them.

“There are no guns on their bow.”

“No, but that’s a very small target. Unless we can totally neutralize them, they’ll be able to use multiple cannon before we can get away. Besides, I’m sure that they have most of their eyes out there. After all, remember that in their minds they are still hunting us.”

Finally it was my decision that we should hit them from the back - meaning their stern - and risk being hit ourselves. Again, we would use the four first guns and I would be the one commanding them. As I was quite certain that they didn’t want to sink, but to capture us, I ordered everybody who would not be needed on deck to get as low in the ship as possible. I was sure that the old crew that were all tied up and locked inside those three cells below would not keep the other frigate from shooting at us. If we survived the next attack we’d need to decide what to do with them, too.

Now I ordered two men close to the cells to open the doors if it looked like we might sink. I wasn’t sure if that made me a better person, but if I somehow managed to get through this I didn’t want their faces to be added to the long list of faces I sometimes saw in my dreams. I didn’t really like those dreams even though what I had done had kept me alive more than once.

We would try to time our attack at the end of the middle watch; the time the men would be waiting release from their duty and the chance to catch some sleep. There would be marginally more light but hopefully the fatigue of the people on watch would more than compensate for that. However, I already considered our mission a success because most certainly the remaining ship would not go after Ljus, at least not until returning to Aston. After that, it should be too late and the people in Vana and Ljus would be safe.