Imperial Year 155AU
First Moon
POV Soren
2 weeks later
"And why are we following this idiot?" Maelor asked, throwing his hands in the air as he trudged along the beach.
"Because this idiot has a vision," Soren said proudly, spreading his arms wide beneath the night sky, blue hair whipping in the sea wind. "A grand vision. A glorious vision."
"And a sea serpent," Kace added with a shrug.
"Mostly the sea serpent," Vael muttered.
"Okay, and how exactly are we going to get a ship? We're poor commoners," Maelor said.
Soren laughed. "Buy a ship? Vael, tell them."
Vael glanced over at him, already knowing exactly where this was going.
"We're pirates," Soren said before Vael could answer. "We steal one."
The other two looked at Vael.
"From who?" Kace asked.
Vael sighed.
"Captain Malrik."
The three of them walked another few steps before Maelor and Kace both stopped dead in the sand.
"The Drowned King?" Maelor asked.
"The man who raided the capital of the Solent League?" Kace said.
"The terror of the Azure Bay?" Maelor added.
"Yes, him," Soren said without a care in the world. "He's old. Past his prime. Thirty ships and not one of them stolen by me. Seems unfair."
"Thirty ships," Kace repeated. "He has a fleet of thirty ships."
"Twenty-nine," Soren corrected with a grin. "Because one of them is about to be ours."
"He's going to get us killed, isn't he?" Maelor asked.
"Probably," Vael said.
The four of them laughed as they continued down the beach.
"And how are we supposed to steal one of his ships?" Maelor asked. "Even the smallest one needs fifty men."
"So all we need is forty-six more members," Soren said.
"You can charm women, Soren," Kace said, shaking his head. "You cannot charm an island full of pirates into betraying Malrik."
"Maybe not," Soren said. "But first we get a ship."
Vael looked out toward the harbor where Malrik's fleet sat anchored in the dark.
"It won't be heavily guarded," he said. "Not after a raid. They'll all be drinking."
"And because nobody is stupid enough to steal from the Drowned King," Kace said, beginning to grin.
Soren's smile widened.
"Until now."
They climbed the rocky bluff overlooking the harbor.
Below them, Captain Malrik's fleet filled the bay. Thirty black ships floated in the dark water, their sails furled, lanterns glowing faintly along their decks.
At the center sat Malrik's flagship, the Widowmaker.
It was larger than the others, black and scarred, with a figurehead carved into the shape of a drowned king wearing a crown. Torn banners hung from its mast like dead men in the wind.
Even from here, it looked cursed.
But
Around the harbor, pirates staggered between taverns and bonfires, drunk on stolen wine and victory.
"See?" Soren said. "They're barely standing."
"They're pirates," Kace said. "That means they're still dangerous."
Soren ignored him and pointed toward one of the outer ships.
"There."
The Sea Wraith.
Smaller than the rest, fast and narrow, built for speed. It sat at the edge of the harbor away from the larger ships.
"Three guards," Vael said quietly. "One at the gangplank. One near the mast. One at the stern."
"That's it?" Kace asked.
"That's it," Vael replied.
Maelor stared at the ship, then at the fleet around it.
"Still think this is a terrible idea."
"You think everything is a terrible idea," Soren said.
"Because your ideas are terrible."
"And yet," Soren said with a grin, "here you are."
The four of them slipped down toward the harbor, staying in the shadows between stacks of crates and fishing nets.
The harbor was loud.
Pirates shouted songs from taverns. A bottle shattered somewhere. Two drunken men fought in the mud while half the dock cheered them on.
No one noticed the four boys moving toward the Sea Wraith.
They crouched behind a stack of barrels near the end of the dock.
"There," Vael whispered.
The guard at the gangplank sat with a bottle in his hand.
The second leaned against the mast, half asleep.
The third paced slowly near the stern.
Vael stepped forward.
The water beside the dock rippled.
At first it was small. Just strange movement beneath the dark waves.
Then the sea began to rise.
Something massive moved beneath the surface.
Kace took a step back.
"Gods," Maelor whispered.
The sea serpent circled beneath the Sea Wraith, long and sleek and dark beneath the moonlight. Silver eyes flashed through the water.
Then, with a crash, it burst from the sea beside the opposite end of the dock.
Its head rose higher than the mast.
Water poured from its jaws as it let out a roar that shook the harbor.
"What in the hells—!"
The pirate near the stern screamed and stumbled backward.
The one near the mast dropped his lantern and ran.
The guard at the gangplank stared in shock.
Soren punched him square in the face and sent him flying into the water.
"Move!" Soren shouted.
The four of them sprinted up the gangplank.
Kace tackled the second pirate before he could shout.
Maelor grabbed a loose piece of wood and slammed it into the third guard's head.
The pirate dropped.
"Did you kill him?" Kace asked.
"No idea," Maelor said.
"Wonderful."
Below them, the serpent roared again.
Now the whole harbor had noticed.
Men poured from taverns and campfires, pointing toward the monster in the water.
"The serpent!"
"Sea demon!"
"Get Malrik!"
"Untie us!" Soren shouted.
Vael and Kace rushed for the ropes while Maelor hacked at another with a knife.
The Sea Wraith rocked violently as the serpent slammed into the dock.
Wood cracked.
The ship drifted free.
"Raise the sail!" Vael shouted.
"We don't know how!" Maelor shouted back.
"Then pretend!"
Soren ran to the wheel, laughing like a madman, blue hair shining silver in the moonlight.
"This," he shouted, "is the greatest idea I have ever had!"
"It is by far the worst!" Kace yelled.
Behind them, torches flared to life across the harbor.
Pirates rushed down the docks.
On the Widowmaker, a great horn sounded.
Once.
Then again.
Captain Malrik had been awakened.
"Vael!" Soren shouted.
Vael stepped to the rail and looked down at the sea serpent below.
For a moment, the two simply stared at one another.
Then the serpent dove beneath the water.
A second later, it smashed into the dock behind them.
The entire pier exploded apart in a shower of splintered wood and screaming pirates.
The men chasing them fell into the sea.
The Sea Wraith drifted out into open water.
The wind caught the sail.
The ship lurched forward.
And for the first time in his life, Soren stood at the wheel of his own ship.
Behind him, the harbor burned with torchlight and fury.
Ahead of him was darkness, open sea, and freedom.