Crystal Doors #1 by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta Page A

The clouds and the waterspout seemed to stalk our ship. Captain Argo told me the merlons have powerful sages who can affect the weather.
    “On the third night since departing from Afirik, our ship drifted into treacherous waters. We were still far from Elantya, and we could see whitecaps curling over the submerged coral. The captain’s charts showed a safe path through the Ophir reefs, but it would be a challenging course, and Argo did not want to negotiate the maze until daylight. At the edge of the reefs, two crewmen threw our anchor overboard. The chain dropped barely ten feet before it snagged on the rugged coral, and our ship was uneasily tethered in place.
    “All the crew was on edge. The air smelled of lightning, but we saw no rain. The stars were out like a million silvery eyes watching us from the thickets of night. I spread my blanket ondeck and tried to rest. The captain had offered us a small cabin, but Master Kundu and I preferred sleeping in the open. Closed spaces make me uncomfortable. The breezes from the ocean had been peaceful on our journey. But not this night.
    “As the high moon spread its cold light across the deck and rigging, I felt a sudden lurch, and the ship began to drift. The anchor chain slapped against the hull with an empty clank. The crew shouted an alarm. Our anchor had been severed from below!
    “I heard a splashing sound close to the hull. All around us, breakers foamed on the reefs. As I looked over the deck rail I could see moving figures, manlike but flashing and slippery. When they broke the surface, their bodies glittered with water and slime in the moonlight. Their skin was covered with scales, their faces wide and sleek, as if someone had crossed a dragon with a human. Master Kundu told me what they were.” Tiaret looked at the Pentumvirate. “Merlons, of course.”
    The city leaders nodded.
    “Cut loose from the anchor, the ship drifted in the currents, drawn toward the reefs. Captain Argo shouted orders. Men scurried up the masts to unfurl the sails. We were adrift and out of control. But the men could not climb fast enough, and the winds died of their own accord as soon as the first cloths were stretched tight.
    “We ran aground on the grinding rocks. Loaded with its heavy cargo, our ship scraped against the rough black rock until its belly split. I heard wood splintering below, and the vessel lurched to a halt, throwing three men overboard. Otherswere flung to the deck. The ship tilted. Water rushed in, and crystal ore spilled out.
    “The captain understood who our attackers were. He went to the tank in his cabin and withdrew both of his pet aquits. He dictated a message and turned them loose overboard. We all knew the aquits would never reach Elantya in time to bring us help, but we hoped at least they would inform you of what had happened, if we all died that night.”
    “One of the aquits did arrive,” said the white-robed vir from her bench. “That was how we knew to look for you.”
    Tiaret was engrossed in her memories of that terrible night. “With our ship stranded on the reefs, the merlons moved in. They knew we could not escape. I saw the creatures outlined in the pale glow as they converged like hunting leopards around a weakened ibex. They swarmed out of the water, climbing up the severed anchor chain. Others clung to the hull planks, digging in their claws.
    “I have seen harvester termites move across the savannah. They march together, overwhelming grasses, bushes, even trees with their sheer numbers. Nothing can stand in their way. And these merlons were even more dangerous, for they had weapons and a willful hatred toward us.
    “A sudden storm whipped up, and cold rain pelted us, making the tilted deck slick. Our mast tipped as the hull continued to grind and splinter against the reef. The captain, his eyes glazed with despair, took out his sword and called us all forward.” Tiaret’s mouth was set in a grim line. “Master Kundu stood beside him