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Eira didn’t have to kill them. Shewanted to.
Rain battered her face as her ship was propelled forward on currents of her own making. Magic swirled with the ocean tides. The canvas of the sails had been struck before the storm had come in, long before Crow had spotted the Carsovian vessel between flashes of lightning.
The vessel they had stolen to escape enemy shores after infiltrating and destroying the mines on Carsovia had been a trader’s ship. It had a good hull designed for long hauls, but the structure was originally intended for cargo and not weaponry. It had taken some outfitting with Alyss working her magic on the wood, and Adela’s generosity, to get the cannons into place that Yonlin was now preparing.
“Captain, we have four shots,” Fen reported.
“We’ll do this with one.” Eira kept her focus on the ship that was running from them. It had picked up their pursuit minutes ago and made a hard turn. No doubt seeking out refuge somewhere in the cliffs that fringed the distant coast. If she tore her eyes away, she’d risk losing them. “Tell Yonlin I want him on starboard. The rest, prepare for boarding.”
“Very good.” Fen bowed his head and left. Neither he nor Crow had objected to joining Eira on her ship when Adela had ordered them to, defying Eira’s expectations. Fen and Crow were both deeply loyal to the pirate queen and Eira would’ve expected them to fight to stay on theStormfrostat all costs. But whatever Adela said behind the scenes must have been convincing, because they had boarded Eira’s vessel without so much as a second look.
“Are you sure it’s worth expending cannon fire on them?” Cullen asked from her side. “They haven’t attacked.”
“Yet,” she finished pointedly. “The less of them, the better.” Eira glanced his way, tilting her head back. She wore an almost bored expression, but it issued a silent challenge for him to question her further. “You know what they did to Noelle.”
He nodded, a grim expression on his face.
“If the roles were reversed, she would burn down the world for us.” Eira narrowed her focus on the distant ship, murderous intent chilling her blood.
Cullen folded his arms. She braced herself for his objection—to tell him to get belowdecks if he couldn’t support her. But the Cullen who was standing next to her now wasn’t the man she had once known.
Drenched to the bone, he had murder in his eyes. Raindrops danced in the air over his shoulders as raw power radiated off him. Cullen pushed his hair back; it stuck to his face, almost black in the night and soaked as it was.
“If we do this,” he said, voice barely audible over the howling wind and pounding rain, “then no one survives.”
“My vengeance is absolute.”
“Captain, cannons ready,” Fen shouted up.
Leaving the point of the bow, Eira crossed back to the edge of the quarterdeck. Unlike theStormfrost, a massive tall ship withmany decks at varying heights, this vessel was a flatter design. She was only a few steps above those on the main deck.
“We will swing starboard, on my mark, cannon fire. When they are crippled, unleash your full wrath,” she commanded.
Her crew was ten strong, including her. Not many, but these were the people that she trusted above all else. The people who had just as many reasons as she did to seek out vengeance.
There were nods and looks of agreement. People moved into position. Olivin was at the edge of the railing, right by Ducot. Lavette was by Varren. Crow held back; she’d help manage the ship with Fen—no one knew the ropes better than they did. Yonlin was already belowdecks.
The only one who looked even remotely uncertain was Alyss. She held Eira’s gaze silently, with a stare that was almost a challenge. Eira gave her one long look, before turning back to the bow.
Alyss…sweet Alyss…the only moral compass any of them had left. The only heart that could be so tender and, yet, stronger than the rest of them combined. Eira hoped she never lost it. Even if Eira would have to ask hardships she never wanted to and then some of her.
“Are you ready?” Eira asked Cullen. They were gaining on the other vessel with each passing second, Eira’s magic superior to whatever the sailors for Carsovia were using.
He nodded. “Say the word.”
Eira pushed her magic and the vessel surged forward. They gained on the other ship faster than the Carsovian militia could man their guns. With nothing more than a twitch of her fingers—No tells, Adela’s voice echoed in her mind—the ship swung. Currents pushed and pulled, turning them. They were close enough now to hear the shouts on the opposite vessel. Close enough to see eyes wide with fear.
“Now!”At her command, several things happened at once.
Cullen thrust out his hands, lowering his palms toward the deck. A vortex of wind formed over the opposite ship—ripping rigging and tearing off masts with the groaning of a thousand planks of wood. The vessel was pinned, crew shattered.
Beneath their own decks, aboomresounded that challenged the thunder in the sky. There was a flash of light and a surge of magic that sizzled the air—evaporating raindrops as they fell. The side of the opposing vessel had a hole ripped in it.
The wood that was sheared from the side of the hull froze mid-air. Alyss shifted her hands and they heeded her will, forming a bridge between the two ships. Olivin was the first to charge, Ducot close behind, followed by the rest.
“Keep them in place,” Eira shouted to Cullen.
