Draconis

Chapter 7

Verynus

Verynus threw himself flat as the building next to him detonated in a wall of flames. The fort, designed to slow the advance of an armada, with thick, reinforced walls, heavy banks of guns and impressive stockpiles of munitions, was already barely recognisable. The fortifications had been breached, not from the front, as intended, but from above. Their only saving grace was that the ship's bow chasers didn't have the trajectory capable of hitting their front line gun emplacements.

If we can get those guns, any guns, turned round before they present their broadside, we can at least do something! Verynus thought to himself furiously. He was sickened at the complete lack of response the fort was able to bring to bear. Aside from small arms fire, which was largely ineffective, the surviving population of the fort had been unable to do anything except hope that the next cannon ball didn't have their name on it.

"You!" Verynus shouted, spotting a cringing gunnery officer. "What are you doing here?" I told you to get that gun turned around!"

The man just looked at him, eyes blank with fear.

"Gya's fucking balls, get to cover if you can't do your job!" Verynus spat. That gun had been his one hope. He eyed the fortifications and saw it there, turned nearly all the way to the approaching airship. Two other guns were still being swivelled. The gun crews ducking as rifle shots cracked from opportunistic snipers on the ships's bow. The remainder of the gun crews had fled, leaving their formidable salvation useless on the battlements. As he watched he saw a small figure sprint through the smoke and rush to the cannon, frantically attempting to rotate it further. Two more figures breached the smoke to help, ducking and weaving amongst the sporadic sniper fire. Verynus decided that this was a better option than standing around lambasting the lack of return cannon fire and ran to assist.

After a stumbling jog, he made it back to the cannon, finding Kye furiously pushing along with Rlander, a Wayfarer, and one of the original gunners. Seizing hold of the massive weapon he pulled with the rest, painstakingly inching it around.

BOOM

The cannon to the far right of them jumped. The crew had managed to get a shot lined up and opened the first significant blow of the return cannonade. The world seemed to pause as all eyes followed the blast, the iron ball rotating lazily through the air until it struck the bow of the floating ship, cracking the timbers in a frenzy of splinters.

Cheers went up from the defenders as the blow landed. Faith returned that this ship was mortal, just like any other, and one by one the great guns began to sound. Sniper fire from the ship intensified, focusing on the gun crews as vicious blasts of sound; fire and wrath issuing forth from the mighty beasts and the ship began to visibly tremble as the rounds hit.

Verynus spotted several flashes in the smoke and ducked as bullets whistled past. It wasn't mistaken friendly fire; there were enemy troops on the ground. The saboteurs, he realised - forgotten in the terror of the enemy vessel. Accurate, lethal fire began bouncing off the fortifications and cannons, and Verynus watched more than one defender along the battlements begin to drop.

Come on, come on, come on, he urged the gunner. Bring it down on top of them all before we get riddled with holes.

Kye slapped a hand down onto the barrel of the gun and uttered a cry of joy as the mouth of the weapon finally had the ship in its sights. Together the Wayfarers raised the barrel until the gunner called halt.

Kye looked at the weapon fondly as the round was loaded. "This is gunna make that shit'eap regret this!" she announced with a smile to the others. Verynus looked confused until he clocked what she was touching reverently and a broad smile spread across his face. He hadn't had the opportunity to see one of these in action. He understood now why Kye had rushed to get this particular cannon moving. For it was one of the Pirinis's guns.