Page 6 of Daughter of the Dark Sea
Kora’s blood boiled, and her anger rose with the ocean waves as she swerved around the small, sharp archipelagos, navigating the trickiest way through possible. Her smaller ship was deft, and easier to manoeuvre.
“Fire!” Blake’s voice thundered, and a rain of arrows, tips alight with fire, soared above them. He briefly appeared at the top of the steps to the quarterdeck and signalled Kora, his fingers brushing over the side of his face in the pattern of her scar. It was simplistic, and something they’d perfected together. To anyone else, they’d think he was mocking her marred face, but truly, it was an unspoken language between them.
“I need you to tell me what’s happening back there,” Kora commanded the sailor hovering close to her. His dark eyes widened, full of fear. Not an ounce of curiosity remained on his paled, stricken face. “Update me on their formation. If they make any moves.”
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“Our archers missed most of the pirates. They avoided the fire,” he replied, his broadsword hanging limp at his side. Kora smiled devilishly. Her archers were not trained to miss. But they had, as they planned.
She peered ahead, spotting a break in the archipelago that was only big enough forHell’s Serpentto pass through. Well. . .most of it.
“It’sDemon Sea Siren,” his face grew shocked, his tremor increasing. “Ohno!It. . .it’s really here.” He blinked. “She’s gaining on us!” his voice reached a fervent pitch as he backed up, bumping Kora’s shoulder.
His stale, bitter stench stuffed her senses and she wrinkled her nose. Like old burnt wood, ash, and dried, fermented wheat. Long, dirty-brown hair, damp with sweat, was tied at the nape of his neck with a leather strap, strands plastered to his forehead and face.
“The other two are hiding behind it. I’m not sure why.” He must be a newbie, still gaining his sea legs. He irritatingly drifted closer, their shoulders continuously brushing, the flat edge of his sword catching her legs.
“You better hold that sword properly before I use it on you, sailor,” Kora snapped, and he stiffened, shifting his blade to his other side. A cross-work pattern covered the pommel, and a symbol beneath the hilt had been scratched, marring the metal.
The fire arrows disbanded the flotilla as planned, forcing them to break their formation to avoid catching on fire, allowing Kora to lead them deeper into the archipelago—and pick them off one by one.
She gritted her teeth and sent a prayer up to whomever was listening as she motioned with her right hand, signalling back to Blake, who was running around the main deck with an intense purpose, hollering orders at the crew. The leader of the archer squadron commanded the archers to descend from the masts, whilst lancers headed to the starboard side.
They were in position. She angled her ship towards the small pass in the east. The crackingboomof another cannon swept across the deck. It was a whip of a sound, smacking Kora’s senses across the face.
The pirates were soclose—tooclose.
Ocean waves devoured the sides ofHell’s Serpent. A large boulder shattered to Kora’s left, chunks of rock flying across the watery deck. Shields instantly rushed up, protecting her from the explosion as debris showered from above after a third cannon fire, narrowly missing the main mast.
“They’re getting closer!” the sailor shouted, peering around his shield. Blood oozed from a small cut on his head, mixing with his sweat.
“Good, let them come.” She didn’t stop to think as she yelled to her crew to drop to the deck. Sailors fell to the floor like a black wave, covering their heads with hands and shields as they approached the pass at rapid pace.
Two large jagged rocks formed the small pass, arching up to meet at a pointed curve. Barely tall or wide enough to fit her masts through. Kora winced.Her ship would suffer significant damage, but it was the only way through. She had to get to the other side.
Boom.Another cannon fired, breaking the peaked pass apart as chunks of moss-covered rock plummeted into the ocean.
“How’d they miss us?” The sailor frowned, his shield vibrating with nerves.
Hell’s Serpentsailed through, the jagged, crusted mass scraping against the sides of Kora’s precious ship. She shuddered as it creaked, panels cracking and breaking off. The rigging caught and tugged against the rocks, and Blake ordered the lancers to cut it free.
Their speed slowed and her heart thumped wildly.Boom.A cannon scraped the stern. These pirates certainly had lousy aim.
The top of the main mast snapped against the cresting peak and wood shattered, raining down and mixing with rock infested puddles. Another cannon blasted fromDemon Sea Sirenand rocky nature exploded, allowing more space in the pass forHell’s Serpentto sail through.
Another cannon fired on the left. Right. Left.
“No,” Kora replied, realisation dawning. “They’re trying to fit through the pass.”
Almighty Thanos.
Kora released a sigh of relief once they cleared the edge of the archipelago, and she spun the wheel with her captain flair.
“Anchor!” she cried.
With quick precision, the crew descended the anchor as they passed over a reef patch, anchoringHell’s Serpentport side. The ship whipped around, wind blowing in their favour.
The crew grabbed on to the right-side railing as it creaked and rocked heavily towards the anchored side, nearly sending them all overboard. She hooked her arm through the spokes of the wheel, crying out as ocean water sprayed onto the deck, soaking her legs as they slipped beneath her.
