Gavin studied the approaching bay and city through his monocular. The ring on his finger itched, and he twirled it around with his thumb. The bay was almost perfectly circular. The entrance was a narrow piece of water, a small break in the circle. There did not seem to be a tide, and they sailed into the bay without difficulty.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," he murmured.

"I think I've heard that line before," Dafydd scoffed.

The two were at the bow. Mike was on the tiller. Taeko and Hannah handled the lines which controlled the angle of the big square sail.

"Ah, I'm probably just being nervous. I don't think there's any way they've gotten word from the fishing village."

"Probably not," Dafydd grinned. "But like I told you, mate. Trust your gut."

"You think we should turn around?" Gavin worried.

"Didn't say that. But we can be on our guard."

"Right," Gavin turned around and spoke to everyone.

"Let's make sure we have weapons ready. Hannah, take the tiller, okay? Mike and Taeko, be ready with your bows but don't be too obvious about it. Keep your pistols ready but let's not use them except as a last resort."

"Hey, man," Mike cut in as he brought his bow and quiver close. "You really think this might go sour on us? We're just visiting, right? They can't know about our run-in this morning. Not yet. And how do I be ready to shoot without being obvious?"

Taeko sat her bow and quiver on a rowing bench. "He's just telling us to be cautious, Mike. We don't know anything about this place. That fishing town was freaky enough. What do you think, Hannah?"

The ship glided farther into the bay, about a football field away from the docks.

"I don't know," Hannah sighed. "But should we worry about the boats behind us?"

"What?" Gavin shot back as he whipped around.

Sure enough, two schooner-rigged ships were coming in behind them from either side. The two were about fifty feet long each and full of men.

"The land must have hidden the buggers on either side of the bay," Dafydd growled. "And there's a group of armed men in each one. See the red coats? Look just like the Enforcers back in that village. And about half of them are archers."

"This escalated quickly," Mike quipped.

"Yeah," Gavin looked ahead. "There's a couple of dozen redcoats on the pier. And a few VIP-looking guys too. But I don't think they're a welcoming committee."

Suddenly, Gavin's eyesight dimmed. Darkness fell around him like a storm cloud. Anger and hate stabbed at him like a physical force. He faltered, and his knees buckled. As if from a great distance, he heard Taeko's voice shouting something.

No! Gavin projected his will like firing a weapon. Back off! You're nothing! Nothing but the absence of light! I will not be cowed! The ring burned on his finger, and its jewel burst into red flame.

The darkness disappeared. Gavin saw everyone looking at him as he straightened up. The pier was getting closer. He made a decision.

"Hannah! Hard left on the rudder! Taeko! Mike! Haul the sail over! Dafydd, get your bow! We're not putting our heads in a noose!"

Hannah pulled on the tiller and shouted back. "There's evil on the pier! But not on the boats behind us!"

"Thanks, Hannah."

The small ship healed over as it turned sharply away from the pier and towards the two schooners. Salty spray flew from the bow and the sides as the longship dug into the turn. Incoherent shouts sounded from the docks. Gavin saw men in both schooners knock arrows and prepare to shoot.

"When I say, everyone down and take cover!" Gavin ordered.

A cloud of arrows erupted from the schooners.

Why aren't they using their guns, whatever they are?

Then it happened again. Gavin's sight expanded, and he saw all around with sharp clarity. Time seemed to slow. The ring burned hot on his finger, and he clenched his right hand into a fist.

"Down! Take cover!" Everyone dropped just before arrows fell into their boat. Most of them stuck in the sides, a few on the mast, and the rest into rowing benches they hid behind.

Gavin felt hot anger burn like fire in his chest.

Who the blazes are these clowns to shoot without a word of warning! They dare? Who are you? We came here in peace! Why do you steal and oppress? You already know about the thing this morning? That still doesn't justify an unprovoked attack!

Gavin stood and knocked an arrow.

"Shoot!" he cried, took a deep breath, exhaled as he drew back, focused with both eyes open, and loosed, all in a second. In his state, the arrow seemed to float towards its target. Gavin got two more in the air before the first one struck the shoulder of a red-coated archer. Hannah had her pistol out, holding it pointed up but ready. Taeko loosed an arrow, with Mike and Dafydd following. More arrows came back. They dodged the enemy darts while returning fire. Redcoats started dropping on each schooner. Yells and screams came across the water.

The redcoats continued to fire together in volleys, allowing Gavin to call for cover each time.

Huh. He thought. Even with muskets and rifles, it took generals a long time to figure out fire-at-will is more effective than volley fire. Too bad for them.

Gavin moved up and down the length of the long-ship, snapping off arrows while looking out for his friends. He deflected arrows with his forearm and even caught a few.

Taeko stood ramrod straight like an icon of a feudal samurai. The breeze ruffled the sleeves of her black kimono jacket, and her long braid swayed as she moved to knock each arrow. Her face was intent, and her eyes focused. She stood sideways to the enemy and would lean slightly, forward or backward, to avoid incoming arrows.

Mike leaped from bench to bench like a spastic leprechaun, taking shots with casual abandon. Gavin could hardly believe the way his friend was moving and even laughing out loud!

Dafydd took careful aim for each shot, standing by the mast. He sang something in Welsh while moving after each shot. Gavin did not understand the lyrics, but the tune and tone were rousing and encouraging.

Gavin looked back at gentle Hannah, who sat with the tiller steady. Her eyes were not on the enemy as much as on her friends. Gavin thought he could see an aura of yellow light radiate from Hannah, engulfing the ship in a protective warmth.

They were not, however, invulnerable.

Swarms of arrows flew from the schooners. Shouts of anger and pain rose from the enemy vessels. Arrows hissed through the air and thunked into the wood of the long-ship. Two struck Taeko in the side, rocking her back. But they were defeated by the armor vest. She brushed them off as if they were irritating bugs. Dafydd took one to the side of his head, slicing his ear. He didn't miss a step, though, and kept shooting as crimson ran down his neck. Mike cried out as an arrow went through his upper left arm, sticking there. He dropped his bow and grabbed his pistol with his right hand.

"Concentrate fire on the boat to the left!" Gavin ordered. "Hannah, steer us around to the left of them! Put them on our right side, and we'll try to get around them and out of this bay!"

As they started to pass the one schooner, Hannah had a clear line-of-sight to the enemy and started aiming pistol shots. It was a long shot for a .22. The sharp reports cracked across the bay. Gavin felt a new burn in his chest as he saw the slim girl take her time and place slow, deliberate shots while she steered the boat. The burn in him got hotter as Mike started to fire, ignoring his left arm hanging useless and running blood. Dafydd dropped his bow, his neck and shoulder bright red from his wound, and began firing his pistol. Taeko caught another two arrows in her armor vest, flinched but a moment, and kept up her archery.

Gavin wondered what he was feeling. Something hot but good replaced the heated anger in his chest.

Is this pride? Is it something else? How did I ever think my friends couldn't handle a fight? I love them! God, Father, thank you! And thank you for the armor vests! Please protect them!

Gavin brushed the sweat and a few tears from his eyes, tossed his own bow to the deck, and drew his pistol. The schooners were closer and turning to stay broadside to the long-ship. Redcoats were crouching behind the sides of their ships now, taking cover and making smaller targets.

Gavin saw the remaining redcoats stop shooting arrows and begin pointing something else at them.

Oh, no!

Darts of purple fire hissed and crackled in the air!

"What the devil?" Dafydd blurted. "Why didn't they shoot those things first!"

"Who cares?" Mike shouted. "Just keep shooting!"

"Too right, mate!"

"Now we know what those guns are," Gavin growled.

"Yeah! But yeesh! First its dinos and medieval mania, feudal commies, then steampunk, now its galaxy wars?" Mike yelled.

"Less talk, Mike," Taeko barked. "More shooting."

"Yes, ma'am," Mike quipped as if they were arguing back at the college quad. Then, still ignoring his left arm, he somehow slapped a fresh magazine into his P17, jacked the action by placing it onto the edge of a rowing bench, and started shooting again.

Lightweight pistols against some kind of blasters? Gavin worried to himself. Will our armor vests stop a blaster bolt? This is surreal! Is this really happening?

But the enemy wasn't shooting at them. They were shooting at the mast. Bolts of plasma fire burned into the oak about six feet up from the deck. The smell of ozone and burning wood filled the air. Their boat was getting around to the ocean side of the schooners. But Gavin knew they'd never reach open water the way things were going.

The mast goes, and we go dead-in-the-water, and we're dead!

Crack! The mast toppled with a crash and a splash! It went over the left side, and the long-ship leaned into the water. They were going to capsize! Cheering shouts came up from the enemy schooners.

Dafydd jumped over to the mast with Mike's Viking ax and started chopping where it was still attached to the hardwood stump.

"We've got to cut it loose before we founder!" Dafydd cried.

"Taeko! Mike! Keep shooting!" Gavin shouted. "Hannah! Keep the rudder in the middle!"

Gavin chopped at ropes with his spatha as Dafydd kept whacking away at the mast until they got the whole mess overboard. Then, Gavin saw the schooners turn towards them, no longer shooting arrows or their blasters.

They think they have us. Do they? God, Father in heaven. Help us, please! I don't know what these guys' problem is. But Hannah says there's evil here, and I felt the darkness come after us. Please?

New shouts, not cheers, sounded over the water. Gavin looked out. A strange two-masted ship, long and sleek, was racing into the bay. Clouds of arrows rose from the black sailed apparition, falling into the schooners of the redcoats.

"My God!" Dafydd cried. "Bloody ship looks like a Byzantine Man-of-War! Look! It's a dromon!"

The newcomer sported two banks of oars along a straight hull and side, with a rising bow and stern. Forty oars on a side dug into the sapphire sea. The eighty long oars brought the narrow vessel up in speed. White foam flew from her bow. A long wave rose from the pointed ram, which reached out like a knight's lance, just below the surface.

Chaos erupted on the schooners, and the crews tried to turn away from the oncoming dromon. But the oared vessel was too fast for them. Gavin could hear a deep bass drum beating a cadence for the rowers. The tempo got faster, and the dromon's ram tore into the nearer schooner with loud screeching and tearing. The ram and bow of the dromon cut the Enforcer ship like an ax to a bundle of twigs. Shouts and screams burst out as men were tossed into the water. The schooner shuddered and broke up. It split across the middle, and its front and back stuck up in a wide 'V.' The masts toppled over into the water, and men threw themselves into the uncaring sea.

The drum cadence changed, and the dromon backed off before turning toward the other schooner. The enemy ship was making a run for the docks of the city. But it wasn't fast enough. Instead of ramming, the dromon came up alongside the fleeing schooner. Enforcers threw out a hail of arrows and blaster fire to no effect.

The black ship answered.

A stream of yellow fire arced out from the dromon and raked the schooner from front to back. Flames shot up along the entire length of the redcoat ship.

Now men screamed as they leaped into the water to avoid the fiery liquid that flayed their vessel.

Gavin stood spellbound at the unfolding scene. He knew about 'Greek Fire' from history classes in ROTC. He had seen plenty of movies with lasers, ion cannons, and blasters in futuristic settings. Bows and guns were old acquaintances. But altogether, at one time was too much. The mustangs were running amok in his mind. He looked about to see his friends, also standing in awe, seeming not to feel their wounds and hurts.

The stench of burning oil, sulfur, and wood wafted over them. Black smoke burned their eyes and assaulted their nostrils. Gavin and the others watched the remnants of the schooners sink beneath the sea. Men in the water were swimming furiously towards the docks. Then, moving slower to a different drum tempo, the black-hulled dromon approached the stricken long-ship and the five bemused crew-persons.

Gavin was coming down from his fighting state. He shook his head like a dog shedding water, and ran his hands over his face. It was like waking up from a nightmare.

Thank you, Father. Words came into Gavin's mind. He remembered pieces of something he'd heard long ago.

Oh, God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. . . Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice . . . But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: They shall be a portion for foxes. But the King shall rejoice in God; everyone that sweareth by him shall glory; but the mouths of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

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Chapter image by Andy from Pixabay