[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“It’ll grow another tail unless it’s killed by us or some other creature of the deep.I doubt it even feels the wound.” He turned to his men.“Step lively.Back to your posts.We haven’t seen the end of this sea devil.”The second attack resembled the first.This time the blood of the creature mingled with the splash of seawater.Bardon and the others ran forward and hacked at the serpent’s flesh.The squire thrust his sword deep and hit bone, but whether he connected with a massive nerve running through the spinal column, he could not tell.The beast swam on, and the heavy body scraped across the wooden deck and fell into the ocean.“At least one of our blades struck true,” said the tumanhofer.“It’s lost movement below the part we attacked.”“Will it give up now, Captain?” asked one of the younger crewmen.Before the captain could answer, the beast struck the hull of the ship, causing the vessel to shudder and rock.The blow knocked the men off their feet.They scrambled to get ready for the next assault and waited.Only a sliver of the sun remained above the horizon.The scattered clouds glowed red in the distance.A deep purple canopy hung overhead.Stars serenely shone in their appointed spots in the dark eastern sky.A breeze whispered among the tall, bare masts.Out of the darkness, a speeding hulk sailed over the ship, landed, and continued to slide.Its coarse hide rasped the wooden planks.The ship tilted.The movement of the beast stilled, but the muscles beneath the shining black skin rippled.“It’ll be pulling us down,” screeched one of the men.The cry broke their stunned inertia.All hands surged forward and began stabbing, hacking, and piercing the body of the serpent.None of the men stood taller than the width of the beast’s mammoth body.“Go deep, boy,” ordered the mapmaker beside Bardon.His own battle-ax repeatedly bit into the animal’s flesh.The sound of cascading water brought Bardon’s attention to the side of the ship.The serpent’s head hovered over them as if it were merely curious as to what these puny creatures tried to do to its body.A long, black, forked tongue flicked out of a lipless mouth.Gleaming yellow eyes caught and reflected the fire of the dying sun.The head bobbed as if it were pleased with what it saw.Bardon sheathed his sword and pulled out a handful of darts from a pocket in his tunic.He ran toward the beast and leapt to stand on a pile of crates.Aiming at the bobbing head, he let fly the first dart.It landed in the serpent’s eye.The head jerked and turned to glare at the man on the cargo.As it hissed, Bardon sent the second dart through the air and hit inside the beast’s nostril.It flicked its head and dislodged the tiny weapon.As the face came closer, the squire threw in rapid succession his last four darts.Two pierced an eye, one bounced off the hard hide of its cheek, and the last sank into the corner of its mouth.Bardon jumped from his perch just as the serpent made an open-mouthed strike.He grabbed a running block and swung out and around the serpent’s head to land on its neck.He sank the sharp hook of the block into the beast’s flesh so he would have something to hang on to as the serpent tossed its head.Holding the rough rope with one hand, he pulled out his sword with the other.The creature writhed and started to submerge.Bardon put the point of his blade against the base of its skull and fell forward, driving his weapon deep.The serpent’s head dropped onto the deck on top of the mutilated section of its own body.“Stand back,” yelled Bromptotterpindosset.He hoisted the battle-ax above his head and swung downward, smashing the blade between the eyes.For a breathless moment, everyone waited.The beast did not move.The captain came forward to stand by Bromptotterpindosset.Bardon pulled his sword from the animal and jumped to the deck.A breeze blew over the ship.“What are you waiting for?” demanded the captain as he looked over his crew.“Get this stinking carcass off my ship.Hoist those sails.We’re a day late to Annonshan.I don’t intend to be another.”The mapmaker worked his ax up and down until he could yank it from the skull.He, Holt, Bardon, and several seamen pushed the head off the side.It slipped beneath the water with only a slight splash [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]