through it here and there. "One or two of them might make it to another ship. No redsharks in these waters. But even greenies and Lemare's Maidens are nothing to share an ocean with."
Another gunport opened and two more men spilled out. By now, the woodclad was eighty yards off. A third gunport began to swing open, and Demansk saw a man crawling through.
Before he'd managed to get more than his shoulders through, however, he seemed to fly out of the gunport. As if—
The steam ram seemed to belch. Then . . . swell; then—suddenly, the entire vessel disappeared in an eruption and a cloud of smoke three times the size of the one that had already engulfed it. Even at the distance, Demansk couldn't help flinching a little. Sharlz, he noticed vaguely, didn't even try.
He held his breath. No one really knew what would happen if the powder magazine of a gunship exploded. If Trae and Thicelt's best estimates were accurate, even the woodclad should be safe—it was almost a hundred yards off, by now. Demansk himself, and the rest of the fleet, should be perfectly safe at a much greater distance. But—no one had any real experience with the thing, in real life.
There came another, louder, explosion. Suddenly, rising up through the cloud of smoke, came the weirdest apparition Demansk had ever seen in his life. It looked like—what?
"The Lady of the Sea save us," whispered Thicelt. "Blew the whole shell off in one piece."
Demansk realized that what he was seeing—vanishing now back into the smoke—had been the iron
Another gunport opened and two more men spilled out. By now, the woodclad was eighty yards off. A third gunport began to swing open, and Demansk saw a man crawling through.
Before he'd managed to get more than his shoulders through, however, he seemed to fly out of the gunport. As if—
The steam ram seemed to belch. Then . . . swell; then—suddenly, the entire vessel disappeared in an eruption and a cloud of smoke three times the size of the one that had already engulfed it. Even at the distance, Demansk couldn't help flinching a little. Sharlz, he noticed vaguely, didn't even try.
He held his breath. No one really knew what would happen if the powder magazine of a gunship exploded. If Trae and Thicelt's best estimates were accurate, even the woodclad should be safe—it was almost a hundred yards off, by now. Demansk himself, and the rest of the fleet, should be perfectly safe at a much greater distance. But—no one had any real experience with the thing, in real life.
There came another, louder, explosion. Suddenly, rising up through the cloud of smoke, came the weirdest apparition Demansk had ever seen in his life. It looked like—what?
"The Lady of the Sea save us," whispered Thicelt. "Blew the whole shell off in one piece."
Demansk realized that what he was seeing—vanishing now back into the smoke—had been the iron