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.She was buffeted backward and over the edge of the ship’s railing, gone in the blink of an eye.With one last gust the winds dissipated.The Grand Duke had backed up from the gunwales, but now with the hezhan so close he retreated to the ship’s starward mainmast.The hezhan followed, its footsteps thumping hollowly against the windwood deck.Many men tried to use their tall axes to protect him, but the creature was of one mind—it no longer appeared to care if it came into contact with iron.Dozens of strikes hit home, darkening the creature’s skin, but it plodded onward.Grigory ran forward, drawing his shashka from its scabbard, but several streltsi grabbed him, preventing him from reaching his father.Few of Stasa’s retinue had been on deck, preferring to leave the decks clear for the crew, but now many were climbing up and heading for the ship’s side.With the gangway still in its away position, the crew and passengers were leaping to the safety of the perch.The suurahezhan, standing over Stasa, crouched and stared into Stasa’s eyes.With one huge wail, and a heat that Atiana had never felt before, the creature reared up, facing the sky and throwing its arms wide.Stasa’s soulstone was aflame—much brighter than a soulstone ought to be.Moments later, the mainmast was ablaze, and the entire center of the ship was engulfed in a column of crackling orange fire.Stasa was lost in it, though there was a brief moment where Atiana thought she could hear his cries, high and desperate, mingling with the wail of the suurahezhan.They were eerily similar in those brief moments, but then both were cut short.The suurahezhan’s form seemed to be drawn into the flame.And then it was gone altogether, leaving behind a raging fire that had burned away a healthy portion of the mainmast and eaten a wagon-sized hole through the decking.The boom of a cannon shook Atiana’s entire body.They had been aiming at the hezhan, but the creature was now gone and the shot clipped the weakened mainmast.The mast cracked and began to lean toward the windward side.Then the ship began to descend.People were continuing to leap to the safety of the perch, but the acceleration was already increasing.Atiana saw Grigory’s sister launch herself from the gunwales, but she didn’t leap far enough.She fell screaming a moment later.Grigory was still fighting against the men who were holding him back.Tears streamed down his anguished face.Nikandr stood near the edge of the quay, swinging a rope.He tossed it to the deck and shouted at the soldiers to take hold.They pleaded with Grigory to come, but he ignored them.Over a dozen men anchored the rope behind Nikandr and took up the call, their voices becoming more and more insistent as the pace of the ship’s descent increased.Atiana thought surely Grigory had decided to spend his last moments with his father, but just as the ship’s main deck was dropping from view, he seemed to sense for the first time what was happening around him.He looked toward the perch, and then stood and grabbed the rope.The men on the eyrie bore down to hold Grigory and the soldiers.As they began heaving in time to pull them to safety, the ship’s tall, flaming sails slipped from view.Then it was gone, leaving only black smoke curling high into the cloud-stippled sky.CHAPTER 16Even while pulling Grigory to safety, Nikandr watched in wide-eyed horror as the yacht slipped from view.A great cacophony of snapping wood and rigging followed.Grigory was finally pulled up to solid ground.He immediately stepped to the edge of the perch, screaming in rage and confusion.Nikandr tried to hold him back, but Grigory shoved him away.Father and Ranos arrived and ordered the streltsi to escort everyone inside.“For your cousin, if not for yourself,” Iaros said to Grigory when he appeared reluctant to leave.Grigory looked at young Ivan, who stood nearby shaking with fear, though he was clearly ashamed of it.“Stop your trembling,” Grigory said, “and get yourself inside.”Ivan looked afraid to take a single step.“Go!”Ivan shivered, looking smaller than a boy his age ought to, and then complied.To Nikandr’s surprise, Grigory pulled himself taller and faced Father like an equal.“I will not hide indoors like some shivering child, not while there is any chance of survivors.My men and I will accompany the effort to save them.”This was of course a demand that a rescue effort be waged, for no mention of one had been made so far.Grigory had always been a bold young man—he was Stasa’s son after all—but he had never seemed so much like his father as he did just then.Father did not balk at Grigory’s tone.He merely nodded and turned to the sotnik of the streltsi.“Take the ships.Have the Broghan scour the area around Radiskoye.The Tura should search the rest of the island.And have men accompany Grigory to the harbor.Send two waterborne ships to the cliffs and have them search for survivors.”“Father,” Nikandr interrupted, “let me take the Broghan down to the sea.Help from Volgorod will arrive too late.”“Nyet.The winds at the base of the cliffs are too dangerous.”Grigory stepped forward and pointed a finger at Father’s chest.“No effort will be spared, Khalakovo.”Father turned calmly.“Take yourself away, Bolgravya, before I have you dragged and thrown in with the women [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]