Storm of Magic 2 - Dragonmage by Warhammer

Author:Warhammer [Warhammer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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hurtling along in the flurry of spray and swell, corkscrewing and darting through the

walls of moving water.

As soon as they came within range, arrows flew at them from the hawkships.

Archers had climbed into the rigging and hung precariously, legs braced and locked

around the cords.

The darts enraged the beasts further. Those that were hit issued a strange

bellowing cry of pain, and dived down to avoid the onslaught. Others reared up from

the water, their snakelike jaws snapping in fury before lunging back towards the

ships.

The masters of the hawkships were phenomenal sailors, able to swing their

vessels round in the tightest of curves. Some of them managed to veer around the

serpents’ attack, using their momentum running down the mountainous waves to

shoot clear before hauling back round to let the archers loose more shots.

Others were less lucky. As Valaris watched, a brute of a serpent shot up from the

depths almost vertically, spearing close to the Ramortien. Its body rippled as it

emerged, shedding water as it powered into the air. Arrows flew at it, but did nothing

to halt its progress.

Its long body arced over the reeling vessel before hurtling down on the far side of

the ship. The head cleared the end of the decking and dived back into the waves.

Then, like a bridge collapsing under its own weight, the great scaly torso crashed

down on to the middle of the hawkship, smashing the wood beneath and toppling the

rear mast.

Sword Masters on the ship raced to hack at the exposed flesh, using their long

blades to devastating effect. The glossy skin broke open, carved into ribbons by the

expert blows. Oblivious to its wounds, the serpent slid on, dragging the ship over on

to its side.

With a huge, lingering crack, the hull split open. Water gushed up from the

breach, pearl-white and furious, washing away the warriors still trying to close in on

the serpent’s body. For a moment longer, the hawkship somehow stayed afloat.

Valaris saw desperate crewmembers leaping from the rigging and into the churning

waters below.

Then it broke in two, severed by the serpent’s cutting movement. The line of dark

green scales sunk beneath the sea, dragging the remnants of the ship down with it.

Cries of terror were just audible over the tumult as the crew were sucked into the

whirlpool of destruction. In a cacophony of creaks and snaps, the remaining masts

broke apart, toppling like trees and sending up plumes of foam as they crashed into

the water.

The serpent’s tail flicked contemptuously, and then was gone. In its wake lay

nothing but broken spars, ripped sailcloth, and blood hanging in the water.

By then other ships were being attacked. The entire flotilla was under assault,

tormented and harried by the huge, deadly creatures of the deep.

Valaris spun round to face Anlia, and his face was livid.

“Use your magic!” he demanded. “Destroy them!”

But Anlia didn’t look back at him. She remained perched over the prow gazing

keenly into the south. The serpents seemed almost irrelevant to her.

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