Soon, more than a hundred ships were burning.
Miro wiped sweat from his forehead as he scanned the dock to find his next target. His face was black with soot and a patch on his arm was burned red and raw. In the distance, he saw the masts of three more ships moving along as still more women and children made their way to safety.
He could see them on the dock, crowds of confused people milling around as the sailors tried to get them into order. Someone had realised they would need provisions, and barrels were being rolled along, taking valuable men away from helping Miro destroy the vessels. Miro couldn't blame them. It was natural for the sailors to work to save more of their people and ensure they arrived at their destination in safety. Hampering the efforts of those who would follow was secondary to the men of Veldria.
Miro selected his target, a large merchantman, dwarfing the two ships on either side. He sprinted along the waterfront and grabbed one of the powder kegs, seeing there were only three more left. He swore; the men who had been bringing the small barrels down from the catacombs must have decided their efforts were needed elsewhere.
Concussive booms sounded as more vessels were destroyed, mingling with the battle cries drifting down from the walls. As he scampered along from ship to ship in a row, finally bringing him to the high deck of the merchantman, Miro searched for Amber but couldn't see her; she must be deep in one of the holds.
He was growing adept now at finding the shortest path to the hold, and soon he was placing the powder keg near the stern of the ship, deep between the ribs of the vessel, in a place dry and confined. He struck a match — still amazed at the simplicity of the invention — and touched it to the trail of black powder leading to the mouthpiece of the laid-down keg.
The powder sparked and hissed, sending a trail of smoke into the air. Miro carefully walked backwards, checking that the fire was travelling down the line, and then turned and ran.
He reached the open deck as the powder keg blew.
The merchantman shuddered like a creature in pain. For good measure Miro took some scraps of wood and paper he'd brought from a pocket and started a small fire on the deck, where the flames would hopefully catch onto the sails.
From his vantage Miro saw Commodore Deniz racing along the waterfront. Deniz caught sight of him and waved an arm. "We need to go. Now!"
Miro ran back along the row of ships until he was back on the dock. He took hold of Deniz's arm. "What's happening?"
"The walls have fallen. We're loading the last ship, and if you're not on it, we'll leave without you."
Miro scanned the rows of ships, searching for Amber. The smoke from the blazing vessels made it hard to see. "I have to find my wife. How will I know the ship?"
"It's my ship, the Seekrieger. You've seen it before. It's tied at the northern pier. Hurry!"
Miro ran in the opposite direction to Deniz, his eyes roving over every vessel, peering through the clouds of smoke, desperately looking for the familiar figure.
There she was!
"Amber!" Miro cried.
Amber was sprinting along the deck of a great warship, tied midway along a row of other vessels. Miro felt a jolt of fear when he saw she wasn't aware of the flames at both ends of the row. She was trapped.
A detonation sounded from deep in the warship as Amber's powder keg blew. Choosing a direction, Amber climbed over to the next ship in the row, not realising that after four more ships was a conflagration of flames.
"Amber!" Miro called again.
He turned as he heard an eerie roar: a guttural scream of triumph. The enemy would be pouring into the city. Every male between the ages of fourteen and sixty had died to give them this time.
Miro saw the first revenants rush into the harbour as Amber finally heard his cries.
52
KILLIAN'S eyes burned with unshed tears. He saw the man who had been his father slump down, as if ready to rest now that he'd shed a heavy burden.
Lord Aidan had just told Killian that his mother was Emperor Xenovere's sister. He also thought she may still be alive. The revenant didn't know.
Killian stepped forward. Taking the revenant by the shoulders he shook him. "You must know where she is! Why did she abandon me? Is she dead or isn't she?"
Lord Aidan's fists suddenly clenched at his sides.
He straightened and looked at Killian with eyes that had shifted from white to pink, and even as Killian looked on, the whites were filling with blood, turning entirely red.
A shudder went through the revenant's body. Killian took two steps back.
Then a series of shrieks came from behind. Turning, Killian saw dozens of wraiths descending from the sky, screeching and filled with hate. Claws outstretched, teeth bared, they would strike Ella in moments.