Omar bounded down the stairs to the main deck, his attention on atriplet of young adults, no older than six and ten. “Fish. Rook. Bee.” His lips widened into a smile that caught the flint in his dark eyes. “Make trouble.”
With matching grins, they answered, “Aye, aye, Old Salt,” then shot below deck.
“Make trouble?” Augustus echoed, baffled. Never in his life had he heard such a reckless order.
“You’ll see.” Omar’s grin widened. “You’re not the only ruthless predator on this ship, Captain.”
Then Omar fell back into the chaos, shouting further orders at names like Nails, Sharp, and Hawk. His people fell into an easy rhythm—they’d done this before—and appeared more than ready to take on whatever came next.
Hopefully, that would involve one ship less.
At the helm, Lili gripped the wheel, a woman Omar had called North Star braced beside her. The two moved in sync, angling theEntia’s serpent figurehead like a spear at one of the approaching vessels. The maneuver was meant to block the ship from sliding along its port side.
And that ship?
Too fast to stop. Too stupid to turn.
Just fine with him.
Augustus pivoted and immediately found himself facing Felix and Pavle.
“Orders, Captain,” Felix said, calm and ready.
“What would you two say to a little chaos?”
The men smiled.
Augustus yanked a fuse-wrapped bundle from a crate. The mingled scents of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal burned up his nose. “Get these distributed, Boatswain.” He pointed. “Along the waistline and stern. Fast.”
The sails snapped taut, and theEntialurched. She groaned, then powered into her charge, bowsprit a lance with one goal: the enemy’s port side.
Augustus stepped up to the railing, his shirt snapping in the wind. He unsheathed his sword and raised it overhead. “This is your moment!” he shouted to the crew. “Make it count. Send these bastards screaming into the sea!”
Cheers erupted. War cries howled. Bloodlust stirred in their scant numbers.
At the prow, Cassia’s spirit stood with her shoulders square, her long black coat snapping in the wind. She dipped a nod once.
TheEntiawas his ship now.
And she was hungry.
“Prepare for impact!”
The distant bells in the bay begged for Selene’s attention.
No bell rang like that without chaos chasing behind it.
She had her own storm to survive, and no bell to ring for help. Only the pounding heartbeat in her ears, and the tight clench of Petrina’s hold on her arm.
Pirates.
Five that she could make out. Cutlasses belted to their hips. Loose shirts and trousers. Identical sashes in a deep shade of violet.
She’d seen them before and had promptly dismissed them. The market was crawling with travelers. People came and went.
But these men had stayed.
Petrina adjusted her hood over her tightly plaited hair. “They’ve been watching you for weeks. One or two here and there. Never this many at once.”
