Page 12 of Princess of Death

I focused on getting us ahead with the wind in our sails, turning where I could so they could line up a shot. It was hard to navigate in the dark, to rely on the compass my father gave me for guidance.

What I wouldn’t give for him to appear in the sky on the back of Khazmuda at that moment…

But no matter how I circumvented them, they were hot on my tail. We carried less cargo, but they must have more sails to pull them through the water, expert sailors to turn enormous ships sharply.

We fired until we were out of cannonballs.

I headed straight for the north, using the wind to carry us away, but when I looked over my shoulder, they were still there. “Fuck.”

They came closer, one ship even creeping up until it was adjacent to ours.

I could see them clearly in the light from their torches, a commander in black armor, the crew muscular and burly like they’d had plenty to eat on their voyage. Swords gleamed in the torchlight. Their murderous intent was clear.

I couldn’t die out here. I couldn’t do that to my parents. Couldn’t let them wonder what had happened to me, if my body was somewhere out to sea and my bones were anchors at the bottom.

I shouldn’t have come.

Their galleon came right next to ours. “They’re about to board. Prepare for battle.” I secured the wheel in place with rope to make sure it would continue to the north. I was already in my armor because I’d donned it for my meeting with the God of theUnderworld. It was better than most armor men got to wear, but I wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

A dragon would be better.

Their ship bumped into ours, and when the wheel tried to turn, the rope went taut from the strain. I unsheathed my blade from across my back and gripped it tightly as I stared at our adversaries. “Show no fear.”

The crew readied their swords, but they weren’t protected by armor like I was. Most of their crew wasn’t either, but the commander was the size of a bear. In all black with a vile grin on his face, he wore a cape that flapped in the air behind him. He was the first to jump and land on our deck, whipping his sword around and killing two of my crew the second he set foot on our ship.

Other sailors jumped on board with their sharp blades.

It was chaos.

Even though I was a woman, one of the guys came for me anyway, showing me no mercy.

I wouldn’t have shown him any either.

He dismissed the status of my armor and took a lazy swipe at my neck.

I blocked his sword and parried it with a quick spin before I punched him in the face and then stabbed him right through the stomach, severing his spine. I felt the resistance of the bone before I pierced it. Then I kicked him off my blade and turned to my next opponent.

The next sailor hesitated as he looked at me, quickly learning not to underestimate me like his comrade had. He came at me then dodged before I struck, in anticipation of my ferocity. He dodged again, trying to be unpredictable, and then he came at me.

I caught his sword with mine then immediately drove him back with my hits and momentum, making his back hit the railing before I disarmed him and then kicked him in the chest so he flipped overboard.

The battle ensued on the ship, my crew clearly outnumbered, their commander a crow at the feast.

I ran down the stairs and came at him from behind before I dragged my dagger and stabbed it into the opening of his armor between his quads and his calf, right into the knee from the rear.

He screamed like a wolf then quickly spun to come down on me.

I was already ducking and rolled out of the way.

He came at me hard and fast, the dagger still in the back of his leg and the pain putting him in a rage.

I blocked hit after hit, watching his movement with the reflection of the moon on his shiny armor. Light came from the torches on their ship, but ours was still blanketed in darkness. I was a foot shorter than him, but that made it easier for me to dodge his hits and duck if I had to.

I waited until he exhausted himself with the flurry before I swiped my sword across the side of his neck. It was a superficial wound, but blood poured out the second I withdrew my sword.

He howled again, eyes wide with viciousness.

I ran up the steps and heard his heavy footsteps behind me.

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