|
Saelon, Duilin and two other crewmembers slowly and carefully carried three large barrels down the gangplank of the Lonely Star. No cart would do for this delivery, for they could not risk the noise that wheels would make on the wooden planks. The first barrel they carried to the larger of the two corsairs, easing their burden quietly up the vessel's gangway. As they had suspected, the crew was fast asleep having imbibed deeply of the fiery drink they had delivered earlier. Stepping over a prone and snoring Southron, they deposited the barrel beside the rail facing the Star at about amidship.
The second barrel was similarly situated on the second corsair. During this delivery, a drunk and bleary-eyed sailor roused himself briefly to ask the Gondorians what they were about. A tense moment followed during which Saelon and Duilin rested their hands upon the blades of their knives while they explained that Captain Mithadan had instructed them to deliver wine for the following day. The besotted sailor nodded happily and rested his head on the deck. In a matter of minutes he was snoring again and the Gondorians were beating a hasty retreat from the corsair.
The third barrel was placed upon the docks just outside the tent that the guards had erected. Judging from the snores coming from within, a dozen barrels could have been delivered without rousing the guards, thought Saelon.
The men returned to the Star, pulling up the gangway once they reached its deck. "On my order, cut the lines," hissed Saelon. Then he looked forward to where other crewmen were positioned, ready to raise the ship's sails. He held up a finger, one minute, and looked down to the docks in hope of seeing Mithadan and Airefalas emerge from the shadows. But the docks remained silent and desolate. Reluctantly, he called three men forward. Each held a bow and arrows with oil-sodden cloths wrapped just behind the steel arrowheads. Each also held an unshuttered lantern with the wicks burning merrily. "Take your positions," Saelon whispered tensely.
As the bowman crawled to their spots, Saelon scanned the docks one last time. Then he signalled for the lines to be cut. A second wave directed the sails to be raised. The ship lurched as the breeze caught the billowing cloths and the bow of the Star swerved and struck the larger corsair with a loud crash. Voices rose in surprise and concern on the black ship as men were roused from their drunken slumbers. Then Saelon nodded to the bowmen even as he raced to the helm. Each lit an arrow and they raised their bows, drawing the strings back in smooth and practiced motions. The arrows whistled as they were loosed and flew straight and true, eack piercing a barrel. In an abundance of caution, each bowman shot a second flaming dart, even as the Star eased from its berth.
With a whoosh, the lamp oil within the barrels ignited, bursting the staves and spreading burning liquid over the wooden decks of the corsairs and the docks. The cries of alarm turned into shouts and screams as the crews of the corsairs sought to wake their comrades. Men rushed to bring up buckets in an attempt to quench the growing blaze, but it became quickly apparent that the conflagration would overwhelm both the ships and the docks. On nearby vessels, horns sounded and bells rang and soon there were a dozen and more ships underway in the harbor, seeking to evade the blaze. A fishing vessel ran its bow into the rigging of a trader, blocking several other ships' route of escape.
On shore, long lines of men assembled to pass buckets of water along in an attempt to confine the flames to the docks. While a nearby warehouse caught fire, the wind rose in the east, blowing both the flames and the smoke away from the city. When the sun rose hours later, the fires were under control, but the toll of the damage could be discerned. The corsairs and the docks were a total loss. Three other vessels had been badly damaged and longboats patrolled the harbor plucking men from the water. Two warehouses were now smoking ruins. A portion of the harbor was blocked by vessels that had collided and become entangled. But despite the chaos, few men other than portions of the crews of the corsairs and three guards who had been on the docks had suffered injury. By this time, the Lonely Star was well underway and was many miles north as it fled back towards Gondor...
|