JК
The Magehound :: Каннингем Элейн
Страница: 89 из 216Matteo marked the arc of the starship's turn and concentrated on the winds that whipped at his hair and cloak. Suddenly he felt a shift in the airflow, the outer edges of a small circular maelstrom, a storm in miniature.
Matteo touched the helmsman's arm. 'Turn toward the Avariel ten degrees, on my mark. One-"
"This is folly!" sputtered Procopio. "The ships will surely collide."
"Two," Matteo said coolly.
The wizard braced himself against the rail for the coming impact and glared at his young counselor. "Consider yourself discharged, jordain."
"Now!"
The helmsman gave the wheel a violent twist, and the Starsnake nosed about into the turning path of the rapidly approaching skyship.
Just then the full impact of the expected wind seized them. The ship hurtled forward, leaping through the sky like a breaching dolphin. There was a soft hiss as the wooden rails of the two ships kissed gently in passing.
The sudden squall died as quickly as it came, and the Starsnake slowed to a more sedate pace. Procopio turned an incredulous gaze upon his young counselor.
"What was that?"
Matteo permitted himself a smile. "About three and thirty knots, I daresay."
"Four and thirty," the helmsman corrected in an awed tone.
The wizard waved this victory aside. "But the wind… how did you know it was going to pick up just then?"
Matteo pointed to a long, low building that lay below on the shores of that lake. "That is the city icehouse. See the large blocks being loaded onto those wagons?"
"What of it?"
"When water is magically changed to ice, much heat is given off. Some of that energy is channeled into magical power, but much of it is wasted. It rises swiftly, creating a strong updraft."
"Heat from ice," the wizard muttered. "Never would I have thought of it quite that way."
"The effect upon the winds does not stop there. The chill given off by such large quantities of ice creates a strong pull for the warmer air, which in turn creates a strong circular wind. That is what caught us and brought us forward in a sudden surge. Had we not turned precisely when we did, we would not have caught the full power of the wind and would have collided despite Lord Basel's evasion."
The wizard regarded him with interest, the near miss apparently forgotten. "Heat from ice. What battle applications might that have?"
Matteo thought this over. "The ice works with the winds to create a small storm. If the clouds from this storm are low, a starship could rise above and seed them.
Matteo touched the helmsman's arm. 'Turn toward the Avariel ten degrees, on my mark. One-"
"This is folly!" sputtered Procopio. "The ships will surely collide."
"Two," Matteo said coolly.
The wizard braced himself against the rail for the coming impact and glared at his young counselor. "Consider yourself discharged, jordain."
"Now!"
The helmsman gave the wheel a violent twist, and the Starsnake nosed about into the turning path of the rapidly approaching skyship.
Just then the full impact of the expected wind seized them. The ship hurtled forward, leaping through the sky like a breaching dolphin. There was a soft hiss as the wooden rails of the two ships kissed gently in passing.
The sudden squall died as quickly as it came, and the Starsnake slowed to a more sedate pace. Procopio turned an incredulous gaze upon his young counselor.
"What was that?"
Matteo permitted himself a smile. "About three and thirty knots, I daresay."
"Four and thirty," the helmsman corrected in an awed tone.
The wizard waved this victory aside. "But the wind… how did you know it was going to pick up just then?"
Matteo pointed to a long, low building that lay below on the shores of that lake. "That is the city icehouse. See the large blocks being loaded onto those wagons?"
"What of it?"
"When water is magically changed to ice, much heat is given off. Some of that energy is channeled into magical power, but much of it is wasted. It rises swiftly, creating a strong updraft."
"Heat from ice," the wizard muttered. "Never would I have thought of it quite that way."
"The effect upon the winds does not stop there. The chill given off by such large quantities of ice creates a strong pull for the warmer air, which in turn creates a strong circular wind. That is what caught us and brought us forward in a sudden surge. Had we not turned precisely when we did, we would not have caught the full power of the wind and would have collided despite Lord Basel's evasion."
The wizard regarded him with interest, the near miss apparently forgotten. "Heat from ice. What battle applications might that have?"
Matteo thought this over. "The ice works with the winds to create a small storm. If the clouds from this storm are low, a starship could rise above and seed them.