BooksBarbecue
Back A Night of Flames Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
  3. BY MATTHEW HARFFY
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Maps
  8. Epigraph
  9. Contents
  10. Place Names
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Thirty-Nine
  50. Forty
  51. Forty-One
  52. Forty-Two
  53. Forty-Three
  54. Forty-Four
  55. Forty-Five
  56. Forty-Six
  57. Forty-Seven
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Forty-Nine
  60. Fifty
  61. Fifty-One
  62. Fifty-Two
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Sixty-Two
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. About the Author
  76. An Invitation from the Publisher

They would need to make sure the sail was reefed correctly before we hoisted it aloft, and I wondered if we could spare the time, such was the ferocity of the storm now. Gwawrddur raised his hand to return the knife to Os, and a small cheer erupted from the men watching. I added my voice to theirs, pleased to see Gwawrddur conquer his fear of the sea.

He looked aft as if he had heard me, and offered me a small smile. In that instant, the largest wave yet hit the steerboard side of the ship, rocking Brymsteda terribly and sending the port-side portion of the yard and sail under the water.

Icy cold water washed over the deck, soaking us all. For a hideous moment, it seemed that the ship might capsize. Brymsteda tottered on the brink of destruction, before finally righting itself. I let out a breath of relief.

And then my heart lurched as I saw that where there had been two men on the yard, now there was only one.

Gwawrddur had gone.

Twenty-One

Men yelled. Some pointed over the edge of the ship at where the sea had swallowed Gwawrddur. I scoured the waves for sign of him, but there was nothing but the dark water and the lighter flecks of foam. The rain lashed down on us, spiteful and chill. Far off to the north, thunder growled.

Beside me, Leofstan began to mutter a prayer. I was silent, but my eye was drawn to every movement of the water, each splash of a wave. The wind ripped at the surf, shredding the wave-tops. The sheeting rain limited my vision and for as far as I could see, the slate waters were a churning maelstrom. Desperately I searched for Gwawrddur. There was nothing but water. He had vanished as if he had never been. Closer now, thunder boomed, echoing across sky and sea.

The Midship section of the ship, near the mast, was a confusion of men, ropes, sail and the long yard. Brymsteda was rocking crazily again and at any moment, we might be sunk. As I watched, the slender figure of Eadmaer rushed forward. For a heartbeat, as the ship rolled to larboard, he stood, balanced on the port-side wale, and then, as Brymsteda began to right itself once more, he leapt, diving into the chaos of the waves. In an instant, he was gone, lost beneath the water just as Gwawrddur had been.