The Hunter's Pursuit

31. Unspoken

    "We'll draw Ryujin's attention by shooting a flare from one of the swivel cannons," Viviane explained, thumping one down on the table. The small group around her eyed the shell curiously, with the exception of Jacob. He'd barely spoken a word to anyone since vanishing from the dance last night.

    Viviane didn't let herself dwell on that and launched into the next description of her and Jacob's plan. Pops, Caspian, Prim, Westley, and Caleb all listened quietly, not even asking questions. She was grateful for the lack of disruption and their fixed attention.

    They only had about a day and a half before they reached the last known sight of the Venatrix, according to the report Caspian had shared with them after they first gathered earlier that morning. Viviane was the only one who hadn't snapped at Caspian about lying to them about the report.

    A part of her twinged with guilt because she too had known of the Venatrix's sinking, but it wasn't enough for her to speak up about it. Then she would have to explain how she'd come across that information before any of them. While she knew she could've come up with some sort of believable lie, she was thankful she didn't have to.

    "Our best chance of killing the beast is by stabbing it through its arm joints or in the eye," Viviane continued. Westley spoke before she could say anything more, signaling an end to her uninterrupted briefing.

    "I thought you said its neck was a weak point as well."

    "Only if you can spear through its mane and wedge your lance beneath its scales at the same time. You have to know exactly where to strike to do that. The swivel cannons will be more useful there than lancers."

    "How so?" Prim asked, cocking her head while she studied the surprisingly detailed sketch of the beast that Kitty had rendered.

    "We'll use sparkpowder casings to target the neck and arm joints. The explosion will burn away at least a portion of Ryujin's mane, and the iron shrapnel from the powder and shell could slip between its scales and cause some damage.

    "That can be done while Ryujin is still at a distance," Caspian remarked, rubbing his stubbled jaw thoughtfully. "But what about the lancers? I imagine Ryujin will have to be close for their blows to inflict damage."

    Viviane nodded and braced herself for the outburst of disapproval that was certain to follow her next explanation. "We might have to take a bigger risk than most would prefer. We either have to get it close enough for the lancers to kill it from the platforms, or we have to let it wrap itself around the ship. It won't be able to disentangle itself quickly, and while it's within reach, we can make our strike."

    Every face around her darkened. "That's just asking to be sunk," Caleb growled. "We'd be fools to attempt it."

    "It's dangerous, but it's also one of the only routes that gives us a small advantage and puts Ryujin at a disadvantage."

    "It's a last resort," Jacob cut in before Caleb could protest again. Viviane's gaze flitted to him. There wasn't a hint of warmth on his features. Nothing to suggest he was trying to ease Caleb's fears. There was only cold and detached calculation. A hunter sizing his prey. Her eyes narrowed.

    "Is there anything more?" Caspian asked.

    "No," Viviane answered. "Those are the essential parts of the plan. Everything in between, we can handle ourselves. We'll make sure the lancers and gunners know their parts."

    "I suggest you use the rest of your time to do so. We all know what a single mistake will mean."

    One by one they filed out of the Captain's quarters and headed off to their individual tasks. Viviane rounded up the gunners who could be spared and had them running through unarmed practice drills within minutes. Pops lingered beside her, keeping a watchful eye on the line before them. "They'll do their job well," he said presently.