***
More hours passed and there had been no sign of the enemy. I was worried that the fleet had lost them. All the men had been on standby, and the fleet had even made a slight course change to a south easterly heading. Cups of warm broth had been passed around again to keep the men both warm and fit for fight. The paddle wheel endlessly thrashed the water. The engine thump thump thumped to a monotonous beat. I cradled my cup, letting the heat of the drink warm my fingers. The darkness was an endless maw of hidden threats, yet in places the sky was a subtle grade of darkest grey. There was a moon up there, and I had a feeling that the clouds were thinning. The lantern we followed was still a hundred or so yards ahead as it had been since we left the cove.
Harl, who I could just make out in the gloom, was on the main deck, standing at the starboard gunwale scanning the blackness of the surrounding night that enveloped us so utterly. He turned his head one way, then turned it the other. He was listening. Sudlas joined him.
I looked to my right and just then saw a tiny flash in the distance. It only lasted half a second, yet it was there. I knew exactly what I saw. It was the flash of a pipe being lit and I knew there was a ship a few hundred yards off to starboard. Harl had seen it too and signalled to me. I nodded. The enemy were blacked out but someone had lit a pipe. That someone had just unwittingly signalled the probable location of his fleet. I thanked the careless rebel bastard.
"Not long now lads! Rebels are off the starboard side. Pass the word." This was met by the odd muted cheer. Men still felt they should not make too much noise, funny considering the racket a steam engine and paddle wheel made.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the Tempest in action, sir," said Olvan.
"She has more firepower than a large fortress, Mister Olvan. She will light up the night like an angry god!"
"I'm pleased we joined the fleet, sir. This should make a story worth telling in the taverns or over dinner when I get old."
"It will." If we survive. "Hopefully we can be more than mere spectators though."
Conditions were clearing. The wind had been dying since we left the cove. I could see a very long chain of lights ahead of us now. Whatever ship was out there to the Lady Ocean's starboard could probably see a few of them itself which meant that it was only a matter of time now before the alarm was raised.
The fleet was accelerating. The Lady Ocean was set to full speed. She was not running as well as she could, but it was enough. I kept a weather eye on the darkness to starboard. I thought he could hear the distant thrumming of an engine and paddle wheel somewhere out there, but it was hard to make it out over the urgent pounding of the Lady Ocean's own engine. Then all of a sudden the clouds parted and as bright as a sun's ray of light it seemed, the moon pierced the heavens to cast a patch of light that illuminated the seas for miles around. I ran to the gunwale and looked out over the saturated seascape of silver speckled waves, black heavens and white edged ships.
"Gods preserve us," said Olvan who too was staring at the picture before us.
I hoped they would try, but would have preferred more ships and guns for there were at least twice our number of rebels out there. We had found the enemy, and the War Tempest was shooting like a lance for the very heart of the rebel formation.