Linkershim

Начало книги

“That was close,” Jack said.

“A little too close,” Alexander replied.

The ballista bolt had fallen several yards short, leaving nothing but a patch of white frothy bubbles where it had plunged into the ocean.

Captain Kalderson’s hoarse voice carried his orders over the wind, pushing his crew to coax more speed out of the sails and oarsmen. And it was working … the gap was widening.

Hours after Kalderson’s ship had passed out of the protected waters within the ring of sharp stone peaks surrounding the dragons’ home, the watchman in the crow’s nest had called out in warning, pointing to the horizon. Alexander’s all around sight didn’t reach far enough for him to see the threat, but judging from the flare of fear and anxiety in Jack’s and Kalderson’s colors just moments after the alarm, he knew it was bad.

In the first few minutes after the small armada had been spotted, Alexander chided himself for failing to anticipate Phane’s next move. He knew full well that the Reishi Arch Mage could see nearly as well as he could. It was naive to expect that Phane wouldn’t be waiting for him. A few minutes of clairvoyant reconnaissance would have provided all the warning Alexander needed. And yet, it hadn’t occurred to him. Too many weeks of lying in bed, he rationalized.

Читать дальше →