NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Chapter 27

The first victory...

Brand sailed for several days along the edge of the storm; the sound of the winds was uncomfortable, but after some time, it became a routine for everyone. Lonios was practically sleeping in his armor, as per the captain's request. Now, after a week, he had summoned the knights to the bridge along the way. All the lights on the ship were starting to be turned off until only the dimly lit ones in the corridors remained intact. Upon arriving there, Lonios found Adon, Valeros, and Elisis; he brought along his two boys, Nimbus and his friend Jim.

— Gentlemen, we have finally reached our destination — the captain spoke, indicating the vast expanse of ether around the ship.

— What do you mean? I don't see anything — Adon replied.

— Of course, Sir Adon, you don't see anything. We are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by ether — the captain replied.

— Then, why did you summon us here? What does this mean? — Lonios asked.

— I called you because, if my brilliant maneuver is correct, we will see the pirates behind us... — He waited for a few seconds until lights appeared on the horizon. — Now.

— Are those lights from the pirates? — Elisis asked. — Aren't they from Peregrino, which stayed behind?

— No, Peregrino is on our right flank. I saw it a few minutes ago; they were also turning off their lights — Valeros replied.

— Impossible! How can we be in front of a ship faster than ours after a week? — Adon spoke incredulously.

— I told you we were going to make a detour — the captain replied.

— It can't be! In a week, we sailed... — Adon calculated for a moment and answered. — It was a detour of one thousand seven hundred kilometers!

Everyone was astonished by the captain's ability. Only Lonios, Nimbus, and Jim looked at each other and confirmed that Jim was right in his suspicions about the captain's route.

— Go there, prepare the men for battle. We'll catch them off guard; by the time they see us, we'll already be upon them. The night is dark tonight; they won't even see what hit them.

Everyone rushed out to inform the soldiers. Lonios recommended that Nimbus and Jim stay in his cabin and that Nimbus put on his armor. After a few minutes, they returned to the bridge, and the entire crew was positioned in the corridor, ready to attack.

— Sir Adon, everyone is under your command. — Boagrius was carrying his war hammer and wearing armor identical to the soldiers, except for a shoulder painted red.

— In position, Boagrius. Prepare the men; we'll try to ram our ships into the pirates' and then attack.

— Yes, sir. — Boagrius went down the stairs.

— How many men do we have exactly, Sir Adon? — Lonios asked.

— One hundred and four, including me, all in perfect health and ready to attack — Valeros hurried to answer. — Or one hundred and five, including Nimbus. I know you gave him armor — the boy added, in a funny manner.

— So, we have one hundred and four — Lonios said, ignoring Valeros's joke. — It will be an easy fight; our crew alone would take care of defeating these pirates. We also have Peregrino's crew; how many are there in their crew?

— Peregrino's crew is at least twice the size of ours, about 600 people. As the combat crew of a Snow-class ship is one-third of the crew, they are approximately two hundred soldiers.