The triremes were within longbow range. The beat of the drums grew louder. Soon they would enter a range close enough for launching harpoons. Eranae couldn't allow that. Steading her stance, she concentrated the lifesong to her upper torso and arms. She swung the macana in a wide arch. The weapon released a distorted aggregate of painful screeches but created a gust strong enough to push the sails with great force. An icy coldness encapsulated the ship, chilling the spines of the sailors and their captain. However,they snapped out of it immediately and the bireme gainied speed, accelerating in the storm's direction.
The sea grew turbulent. Drizzling rain washed the deck. They were nearing the storm. Once inside, Era hoped that they would lose the triremes. One of them had begun lagging behind while the other maintained, or even slightly increased it's speed. That ship surely had a skysinger onboard who manipulated air currents to their favor. Era gritted her teeth, creating another mighty rush of wind with the macana. Another ghastly screech rippled over the deck. This time, the crew shivered but didn't freeze. A torrent of cool rain washed against Era's face, marking their arrival into the storm zone. She looked down at her hand, the one which held the macana.
I still have a single burst left in store, she weighed the oversized bladed cudgel. It felt a bit heavier now, though that might be just her perception. Spirits willing, I won't need to use it today.
She sighed in relief but something whistled past her ear. Era looked below to find an arrow studded into the deck. Another whistle came, and Era felt an intense burning sensation in her neck. She coughed but couldn't breath. An arrow had struck the base of her throat.
Oh bother!
Gripping it with a closed fist, she pulled out the arrow and allowed the Lifesong to pool at the bleeding wound. This triggered regeneration which instantaneously stopped the bleeding and closed the open wound. Era took in a deep breath and looked behind. The skysinger's trireme still gave chase. Something banged against the deck, as if dropped from above. Era turned to find that the 'something' was the watcher atop the master, an arrow pierced through his eye. Some of the crewmen wailed and whimpered. One even jumped overboard to avoid getting shot.
"They are onto us!" the captain gritted his teeth, "Oarsmen! Double time! Valiant one, we could use another of your winds!"
Era nodded and readied her stance. It was the last slot of the weapon's dreadful energy that remained. Extending her hand, she almost swung the makana but then, an idea struck her mind.
"Captain!" she ordered, "Get the vessel closer to the vortex."
"Have you lost your mind?!" he yelled back, forgetting for a moment that he was talking to a songmaster.
"Trust me! If we get close enough, I can push that warship into the vortex!" She explained, shouting at the top of her song-enhanced lungs, "DO AS I SAY!"
The captain didn't yell back at her, and shouted orders to the crew instead. After a moment's hesitation, they complied and the vessel shifted westwards. Arrows still flew from the trireme but due to their increased speed, most of them fell into the sea.
Era felt the wind blow more strongly as they approached the vortex. It was a beautiful yet terrifying sight, a portion of sea spiralling to the clouds above. She felt their ship being pulled in. Her grip to the makana tightened. It wasn't time yet. Era waited for the right moment, taking account of every heartbeat. Then, it came, the right moment. The trireme was right behind them, just as she wanted. Being larger and heavier, the pull it felt towards the vortex was much greater.
"How much closer?" the captain asked.
Eranae didn't answer. Instead she fixed her eyes on the trireme that struggled to resist the pull, but being about five times larger than the civilian bireme it had difficulty doing so, even with the aid of a skysinger. The massive vessel succumbed to the maelstrom's pull, and Era swung the weapon. It released a screech that was louder and sharper than the previous ones. The wind produced pushed the sails and the vessel escaped the vortex's pull.
Era let out a sigh of relief. The crew cheered in astonishment. Climbing down from the command platform, the captain walked to her.
"I...didn't expect that to work." the captain said softly, "Forgive me, valiant one. Perhaps my faith in the Songs isn't as strong as it should be."
"Anyone who hasn't witnessed the prowess of a songmaster would feel the same…" Era was interrupted by a series of cracking noises that came from the hull.
"Captain!" a crewman cried from the area under deck, "Harpoons!"
The vessel jerked, causing anyone with loose footing to lose balance and fall. Harpoons grappled the hull, harpoons tied to ropes that extended to the trireme, which was being swallowed by the maelstrom. The bireme began drifting back to the vortex. Some sailors tried to remove the harpoons while the oarsmen rowed hard in retaliation as the captain cried orders, but in vain. Eranae's immediate approach was to use the makana though she soon remembered that there were no rounds left and the weapon would take at least a whole night to recharge. Realising this, she slid the weapon back into it's strap.
At least the Elaia won't have it, Eranae reassured herself. This meant that she did complete her mission, upholding her family's honor. Calming her senses and taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and prepared to welcome the tempest.