Or the dwarf, Dhamon thought, wondering where Jasper was. He growled, feeling the morning star pass over his head as he ducked. Slashing to the right, he caught a knight in the abdomen, and quickly repeated the stroke, downing the man. At the same time, steel bit into his left side. The other knight had scored a cut. Dhamon felt his side grow wet and warm. He spun and stood, slashing at the knight on his left side, while dodging another blow from the morning star.
The knight stopped, his blade suspended, his mouth gaping in surprise. Dhamon had pierced the man’s stomach with his long sword.
Dhamon pulled back his sword and brought it up in an attempt to parry another blow by the morning star. The chain of the weapon caught around the blade, and his opponent jerked the sword from Dhamon’s hand.
Without pausing, Dhamon lowered his shoulder and rammed it into the knight, pushing him backward. He swept his leg behind the knight’s feet and sent the knight tumbling to the deck, the morning star spinning away with his sword.
“Honor be damned then!” Dhamon drove the heel of his boot into the knight’s stomach. The knight rolled, and Dhamon staggered. As he struggled to keep his balance, the knight’s fingers closed about the morning star. The warrior started to rise, but Dhamon moved fast. He kicked the man’s stomach again, then drove the blade into his throat, tugged it free, and whirled toward the fallen Rig.
“There’s no honor in fighting an unarmed man!” Dhamon cried.
Two knights still stood over Rig, one ready to stab a sword into the mariner’s back. Dhamon rushed forward, sliding in the blood, clutching his side.
The taller of the two knights sneered at him and lunged, but the other pointed toward the rear of the ship. “Fire! She’s burning!”
Dhamon registered the smell of burning timbers as he engaged the tall knight. He stepped beneath the man’s swing and drove his sword to the left, meeting the man’s shield. Then he jammed his elbow into the man’s abdomen, pushing the knight back several paces.
Dhamon spun about and met the challenge of the other knight. Their swords clashed above their heads, but Dhamon couldn’t find a decent opening. He concentrated on staying alive.
“Rig!” Fiona was at the mariner’s side, having vanquished her foe. Her armor was splattered with blood; the hair that spilled from under her helmet was matted with it.
Rig groaned and waved her off, trying futilely to push himself off the deck. “Help Dhamon,” he breathed. “Get to Groller. I’ll be all right. Find Jasper.”
She paused only a moment, then joined Dhamon, taking on the taller of the two knights. The man leveled swing after swing at her. She parried several strokes, but one found its way through her defenses, and the sword came down hard on her breastplate. He followed up the attack, slamming his shield into her chest. The impact knocked her to the deck.
Dhamon gritted his teeth and drove forward, putting everything into one final thrust. The blade glanced off the knight’s weapon. At the same time, Dhamon knocked the knight’s shield aside with his free hand. He swung again, the blade finding its way between the knight’s ribs.
Dhamon stepped over the dying man, and met the swing of the tall knight who had been striking down at the fallen Fiona. “Fiona! Drag Rig to the rail! Get everyone to the rail,” Dhamon called to her. “The ship’s burning fast! And those carracks are coming! They’ll be on top of us in a moment!”
“She’s on fire!” came a shout from off the starboard bow, from the deck of one of the carracks. The three carracks were closing; they would be upon the galley within seconds.
“Drop anchor!” someone shouted. “Don’t get too close! Send longboats over!”
Dhamon heard Rig groan and heard Fiona’s boots tromping through the blood. “Rig, stay here,” she said. “I’ve got to help Jasper. I can see him—barely—behind the mainmast.” Dhamon returned his attention to the tall knight. The man had dropped his shield and snatched up a smaller sword, was wielding it in his other hand. He wove the two blades before him in a gleaming tapestry of steel.
“You’re not leaving this ship alive,” the knight hissed. His voice was deep. He’d been one of the last ones to come up on deck, and from the bloodied insignia on his tabard he was a sub-commander.
“Sorry, have to leave,” Dhamon replied.
“Oh, you’ll leave, all right. You’ll leave straight to the Abyss.” The man laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle that rose above the crackling of the fire. “Too bad you won’t be alive to see Takhisis return!” Smoke wafted past the knight and Dhamon, and they felt the heat of the fire that was swiftly consuming the ship. The knight lunged with his long sword, drawing back with the other blade. Dhamon jumped and turned, reversing their positions so the knight’s back was to the fire now.
Dhamon glanced past him. The entire rear of the ship was on fire. The sail Feril had lowered was engulfed, lighting up the night sky and cutting through what little fog remained in the harbor.
Blister was at the edge of the blaze, firing jugs from a small ballista at the approaching carracks. Lit rags were in the bottles’ mouths, and Dhamon realized, with a curious detachment, that the kender was responsible for starting the fire on the galley.
More men were racing up on deck, though they were not in the livery of the Knights of Takhisis. They were thin, dressed in torn and dirty clothes. Feril and Usha led them around the flames. The Kagonesti coughed, talking to Usha, then pointing toward the rail.
“Blister!” Feril yelled. “We’re leaving!”
Behind them, Blister catapulted two more jugs and headed toward the rail.
Beyond the galley were two carracks. One had caught fire and was burning merrily. Dhamon could see its glowing sails. The third carrack had held to a safer distance and was lowering longboats that would rescue the knights and slaves.
If Dhamon could finish this man, he and the others could escape to the relative safety of the small fishing boat. This man, and... out of the corner of his eye he spotted Jasper.
The dwarf was between the main and forward masts. He held the scepter extended in one hand and was slowly waving it back and forth between two armored knights. The knights eyed the dwarf, but were making no attempt to rush him. Then Dhamon spotted Fiona coming to the dwarf’s aid. She had caught one of the men’s attention, and he charged her.
“We’ve got to hurry, Jasper,” she grunted, parrying the knight’s thrust. “This ship isn’t going to be floating too much longer. Blister saw to that.” As if to give credence to her words, a flaming piece of sail broke free and fluttered to the deck right behind the knights. Fire leapt from it, adding to the flames already lapping at the ship. It broke the stalemate between the dwarf and the knight closest to him. The warrior growled and stepped toward Jasper.
Fiona held the advantage over her foe. He moved sluggishly as the smoke grew thicker.
“I’ll spare you your life!” she offered, as she dodged a poorly aimed blow. The man shook his head, as if he was trying to clear his senses. “I’ll give you your life, if you drop the sword!” she repeated.
He shook his head again and swung his blade low. The blow glanced off her sword, and she aimed her weapon at an opening where his armored breastplate met a short chain skirt. He pitched forward, she freed her sword and moved on to help the dwarf.
Because the dwarf was so much smaller, the knight had difficulty penetrating his defenses. Each time the man thrust at the dwarf’s chest, Jasper raised the First, and each time the blade harmlessly bounced off the enchanted wood.
“We don’t have time for this!” Fiona shouted. She was coughing now, and waving the smoke out of her eyes. “Get to the side, the fishing boat! Help Rig over the side! He’s hurt real bad, Jasper. And I think Groller’s dead.”