Page 101 of Daughter of the Dark Sea
The Mist was thick, dark, and roiling.
Hell’s Serpentcrashed along the surface of the Shaurock Sea. Kora scowled at the cream shipment sails that’d replaced her fine black ones, billowing in the strong gusts of winds terrorising the ocean. The bow dipped and swayed, and ocean water sprayed onto the foredeck causing sailors to slide across the slick wood as the ship rocked.
“This is an omen,” Theron spoke darkly as she retained her grip on the helm, muscles barking in protest.
“I didn’t take you as superstitious.” She steadied her legs, breathing into her core asHell’s Serpentcontinued to lurch in the violent waters.
“You are telling me that this storm—andthat,” he pointed at the cold, growing Mist, “isn’t a sign?”
“We’re captains,” she exhaled a sharp, cool breath as she angled the ship towards Peril Cove. “It’s a common hazard of the job.”
The Skytors hadn’t been lying. The Mist had grown—a lot.Tendrils of it seeped out from the main mass shrouding Galen, floating across the water like a weaved web waiting to catch its prey, all the way to Peril Cove. She’d prayed the whole voyage there in hopes of an easy journey.
The gods had ignored her prayers and sent a storm instead.Typical.
Shadows lurking in the Mist writhed, as if it were teeming with dark, unknown creatures. She shivered, and churning nausea rose in her gut. It left a bitter, bad taste in her mouth.
“We should’ve gonemyway,” Samuel muttered from behind. He stood with his brass spyglass glued to his eye as he surveyed the expanding mists.
“The Black Abyss would have been worse . . . trust me,” Theron replied.
Samuel remained silent at Theron’s words and directed Kora as he scanned the Mist. Up ahead, Aryn perched at the top of the main mast, his arrow nocked for potential attacks, his archery squad strategically placed all around the ship. Blake was stationed in the brig, ensuring cannons and weapons were kept dry and accessible. She was sure Ivar had melted into the darkness of the ship itself. Always watching Theron like a hidden shadow.
Bree had taken residency in Kora’s quarters, deeming it suitable for herneeds, so Kora had been slumming it in the crew’s quarters the past week, which had turned out to be jolly good fun. Who knew drinking and gambling every night would lift weary souls?
Her sailors had their hands on deck, pushing their lithe bodies to the limits as the relentless ocean crashed overHell’s Serpentwave after wave after wave.
“Watch it!” Theron grabbed the wheel, his strong dark hands spinning the spokes. She gasped as the ship lurchedstarboard side, circling around a reaching tendril of Mist she hadn’t realised she was drifting towards. “We don’t know what happens if we touch it.”
His dark brown eyes scanned the Mist. Shadows rimmed his lids, bleeding into his skin like spiked veins and she gazed at him curiously—had his eyes always been that dark?
“It’s just mist,” Samuel released a sigh of annoyance. “Nothing bad will happen if we sail through those little tendrils.”
“I am not sure it is.”
She suppressed her shock as Theron stepped away, wrapping a hand around a green shroud, and he gazed out towards the Mist as if he could seesomething. Her neck strained as she craned her pale head to peer around his mass of muscle and glistening wet armour.
“Are we sure about this guy?” Samuel whispered as he offered to take over the steering of the ship. His long blonde hair was soaked, and had been tied up on top of his head with a black bandana to keep it out of his eyes. “If we have to avoid every scrap of mist, we’ll sail directly into Peril Cove.”
“He’s theroyal sentinel,” she quipped. “As far as we’re concerned, he’s basically the king. Andyes,avoid the Mist. I’m sure there’s a gap up ahead.”
Samuel rolled his eyes, his face hardening as his thick arms steadied the ship against the rolling waves. His navigational tattoos were stark against the gloom of the sky, matching the grey of his eyes.
As the storm surged, the Mist thickened, and Kora squinted against the dense air settling on the ship. The gap she’d spied north east vanished, overcome by the expanding tendrils.Why was it moving so much?She swallowed her unease as the thick mass over Galen roiled, churning out smoke that drifted across the sea.
Kora retrieved an old compass from her pocket. It was a simple black square, with golden painted edges and handles. In the heart of the compass was the empire’s four-pointed star. Her thumb brushed the worn edges. It had been on her when Erick had rescued her from the wreckage. The northern stretch of the star acted as the indicator of true north, and her eyes widened as it spun circles, never settling.
Shit.
A familiar burning tingle warmed her chest, and the thrum of power hummed from the talisman as the Mist stretched and pulsated. Tendrils snapped, writhing along the ocean’s surface.
“Sam . . .” her voice faded away as sailors yelled, leaping away from the greyed Mist slithering over the deck.
“What thefuck!” Samuel exclaimed, as the Mist swallowedHell’s Serpentwhole.
Kora’s senses were blinded. The muted light of the stormy sky vanished, and the density of the Mist was so thick she couldn’t see her own hands. Just endless, dark grey. Devoid of life or light.
“Kora!” Samuel bellowed, his voice seemingly everywhere. It was odd to hear her name on his lips.
