[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.But he was a Blood Lord, damnit, and he straightened up and tried to knocksome of the dust off of his dress uniform, before opening the door andwaddling bow-legged into the room.There were a commander and two sergeants inside playing acey-deucy.Theylooked up at the dust-covered rider and the commander dropped his cards on thetable."What's up, Ensign?" he asked."Message from General Talbot, sir," Tao replied."For Her Majesty, SheidaGhorbani."* * *"They did WHAT?" Admiral Draskovich shouted.Edmund looked up at that and stopped perusing the reports in his hand.Afterhe had sent everyone off on various errands he had paid a visit to the fleetintelligence shop and picked up some more light reading.He was just aboutdone with it, having read through most of the day, when the latest report camein.The admiral was no longer elegant.He looked hag-ridden and his hair hadstarted to come undone from his ponytail.It had been a long day, night hadfallen more than an hour ago, but he still had enough energy for fury."The mer leader, Jason Ranger, sent out an order pulling all the underwaterforces back from their positions and sending all of them to protect thewhalos," the petty officer said, looking up from the report in his hand."There's a pitched battle taking place in the Granbas area.Merillo is backonline and we're getting fragmentary reports from the fleet.It looks likeReagan Washuka, andNorland are sunk and there are other ships destroyed as well.Bonhomme Richard is damaged but can make some sail.There are wyverns all overthe fleet, sir.When they came back they were landing on any ship or ditching.We've lost riders as well, some drowned.Some.thrown by their dragons.No total count on dragons, but it doesn't look good.""Get the wyverns reassembled on the remaining carriers," Draskovich saidangrily."Send a message to the mer to get back in position.We can assembleanother supply convoy.""Dragons overhead, sir!" a messenger shouted as he pounded through the door."Drask," Edmund said, walking quickly but unhurriedly to the door."Get yourpeople out of here.""What?" the admiral shouted."Get out of this room!""Just going," Edmund replied.But he stopped and walked to the admiral,grabbing him by the ponytail and pulling his head down to where he couldwhisper in his ear."This is a wooden building, damnit.Evacuate." With that he strode to the door, jerking it open and leaving it open.He walked steadily to the stairs and then took them two at a time upwardsuntil he reached the top floor.He stopped, panting, for a moment, feelingevery year of his age, then strode into the corridor beyond.At that point heheard a thump on the roof and gave up dignity."VAN KRIEF!" he bellowed."Here, sir," the ensign said, popping out of a room down the corridor."We are leavingPage 40ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html," Edmund yelled and headed for the stairs as the first smell of smoke enteredthe air.He didn't pause as he headed down the stairs and then thought better of it;that ensign was addicted to research.But as he turned he heard the door bangopen."Sir?" the ensign shouted.ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version,http://www.thebeatlesforever.com/processtext/abctxt.html"Run like hell, Ensign," he replied and took his own command.By the time they made it out the doors of the headquarters the top floor wasfully engaged and liquid fire was cascading down the walls.He bellowed inpain as a drop of napalm hit his arm and quickly yanked his tunic off,wrapping it around the burning droplet."Where's Destrang?" he yelled, looking around at the scurrying figures outsidethe headquarters.Abucket chain was being formed down to the river but he took one glance at theheadquarters, which was lighting up the night, and shook his head."They'll never do it," he muttered."Here I am, sir," Destrang said, hurrying through the crowd."It was a dragonraid, sir.One of them was breathing fire and all of them were pitchingnapalm.It was targeted on headquarters and the shipyard.""Good," Edmund muttered."They've finally done something stupid.""Sir?" Van Krief asked."The best thing they could do for our Navy is burn that damned place to theground," Edmund growled."With any luck, Draskovich will choose to go downwith his ship.""If it's this bad here, sir," Van Krief said, "I wonder what it's like atsea."* * *"Get back!" the XO shouted as the wyvern lunged forward.The CO of the ballista frigateDarya Seyit snarled as the wyvern drove back the net party that was trying toget onto the quarterdeck.The frigate was rolling in light seas, at the play of the winds.The lost,angry and riderless wyvern-he wasn't even sure if it was one of theirs or theenemy's-had dropped out of the sky and landed on the quarterdeck of the shipbefore anyone had realized its intention.The damned thing had immediately seized one of the signal midshipman by thethigh, but they had managed to beat it off of him before the quarterdeck crewevacuated the scene of battle.Unfortunately, the ship's wheel was up there.As soon as the twoquartermasters had jumped over the side of the ship-by order, there was no wayfor them to move forward past the enraged dragon-the ship had turned with thewind and now drifted helplessly as most of the crew tried to get in riggingwhile a party set up a jury-rigged rudder control below.Most of the rest of the crew, including the ballista crews, were trying to geta net or a rope or something on the damned dragon so that the ship could begotten back under helm."Okay, one more try, men," the XO shouted."Ahoy the ship!" a voice shouted from overside."I need to see the skipper!""He's busy," the ship's master chief said, looking over the side."Meroverside, sir," the chief continued.ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version,http://www.thebeatlesforever.com/processtext/abctxt.html"I know he is!" the mer yelled from below.It sounded like a female."That'swhyPage 41ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlI need to see him!"The skipper walked to the rail and looked down in the water where ablack-haired mer-girl with a bright blue tail was swimming alongside."What?" the skipper snarled."Well excuuuse me," the mer-girl said back."Just trying to help.The problem is that wyvern'shungry.If you feed it it'll quit trying to kill you.""You have a lot of experience with wyverns, girl?" the chief said, angrily."Yes, as a matter of fact I do," the girl said."Elayna Farswimmer, Skipper.LieutenantFarswimmer.I'm the daughter of the late Bruce Blackbeard and was on the Retreat withGeneral Talbot.I have a lot of experience with wyverns and that one is hungry.You can tell by its cry; it's not angry it's sad [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]