Free The Awakened Book Two by Jason Tesar Page A

came out of the cave, running along the sandy shore to confront their attackers, but stopped short at the sight of their numbers. As rocks rained down upon them, the warriors turned back and ran for their ships. Along the decks of the warships, a flurry of activity erupted as blonde-haired barbarians readied their ships to sail. When the last of their brethren boarded, the ships lurched into motion, driven by the strength of the oarsmen.
    Thaddius turned to a smiling Maeryn with a look of panic on his face. “If they escape, they will return with more men.”
    Maeryn, unsure of how to respond, watched as Thaddius ran back up the incline, heading toward his soldiers atop the cliffs. Maeryn followed as fast as she could manage, understanding instantly what he meant to do.
    As she neared the top, the Resistance soldiers were already in motion, lifting rocks above their heads and heaving them over the cliff, aiming for the warships.
    “Large rocks,” Maeryn yelled to the slaves. “We must sink the ships.”
    The first of the Syvak warships was gaining momentum and its slack sails were beginning to fill with wind as it headed away from the cliffs. A great cheer went up from the crowd as one of the slaves, a large and muscular man, hefted a boulder the size of his head, over the cliff. It landed with a crack on the stern of the enemy vessel, splintering wood as it crashed through the hull. Almost immediately, the ship began to take on water and its forward progress halted. It took only minutes before it slipped beneath the surface, leaving its angry crew treading water. Suddenly, another cheer came from the slaves as the second ship, still close to the mouth of the cave, pitched to one side and began to sink.
    Maeryn ran to the edge of the cliff and watched in fascination. And then, just as suddenly as the cheering began, it stopped. Only now did the group see the rope attached to the stern of the warship. As it sank beneath the blue-green waters, the small sailing vessels that were meant to transport the slaves were pulled into a straight line. Then, one by one, they were pulled under by the weight of the larger warship.
    Thaddius ran down toward the beach, hoping in vain to help the situation. But nothing could be done. And as Maeryn looked out in despair across the waters of the cove, she became aware that their situation had suddenly taken a drastic turn for the worse.
    The next few hours were a blur of activity as the exhausted barbarians made their way across the bay to the opposite shore, only to be dispatched by the waiting Resistance soldiers. Thaddius and Maeryn entered the cave to find that two thirds of the transportation boats had gone down with the Syvak ship. The remaining boats, seventeen in all, were still neatly stacked along the back wall of the cave.
    “They’ll each carry ten,” Thaddius spoke softly, his voice echoing inside the earthen chamber.
    “We can fit more,” Maeryn responded.
    “No. We can’t risk sinking in the middle of the ocean. They’ll only safely carry ten.”
    “What do you mean for us to do then?” Maeryn shot back.
    “I DON’T KNOW!” Thaddius yelled, showing frustration for the first time since Maeryn had met him.
    “I’m sorry,” Maeryn offered. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen.”
    Thaddius nodded and glanced around the cave, running through the logistics in his head.
    “Maybe now would be a good time for you to tell me the plan. Or what it was originally.”
    Again Thaddius nodded his head and turned back toward the entrance to the cave. “Walk with me.”
    Maeryn followed in silence until they exited the cave and started along the sandy beach. The sun was now at its peak, but the heat felt good on Maeryn’s skin, chilled from her time in the dark cavern.
    “There is an abandoned Orud outpost on the eastern tip of the island Tur’cen . It was used as a staging area for the slave traders. The plan was to take the boats up this coastline, east across