Bk 2, Ch 3: The Stage is Set
Chapter 3: The Stage is Set It was day sixteen. Before me lay the beach, the water some two hundred paces away. Dozens and dozens of ships crowded the fjord, each packed full of warriors. Blue-green banners flapped gently above furled sails, emblazoned with a white tower castle. Hundreds and hundreds of spearheads glistened in the noonday sun, causing the water to shimmer like the ocean. The ships held position just out of bow-shot from the beach. Flat-bottomed transports packed with warriors bobbed in ranks. The Arkadians called them “akatus”. They were commonly used to transport cargo but could also be used to ferry enemy troops right onto the beach. Small six- and eight-man canoes darted like minnows between the larger ships. Larger, taller “galeas” herded them like sheepdogs. These warships looked fast and powerful, …