Page 6

What I wouldn’t give for him to appear in the sky on the back of Khazmuda at that moment…

But no matter how I circumvented them, they were hot on my tail. We carried less cargo, but they must have more sails to pull them through the water, expert sailors to turn enormous ships sharply.

We fired until we were out of cannonballs.

I headed straight for the north, using the wind to carry us away, but when I looked over my shoulder, they were still there. “Fuck.”

They came closer, one ship even creeping up until it was adjacent to ours.

I could see them clearly in the light from their torches, a commander in black armor, the crew muscular and burly like they’d had plenty to eat on their voyage. Swords gleamed in the torchlight. Their murderous intent was clear.

I couldn’t die out here. I couldn’t do that to my parents. Couldn’t let them wonder what had happened to me, if my body was somewhere out to sea and my bones were anchors at the bottom.

I shouldn’t have come.

Their galleon came right next to ours. “They’re about to board.

Prepare for battle.” I secured the wheel in place with rope to make sure it would continue to the north.

I was already in my armor because I’d donned it for my meeting with the God of the Underworld.

It was better than most armor men got to wear, but I wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

A dragon would be better.

Their ship bumped into ours, and when the wheel tried to turn, the rope went taut from the strain. I unsheathed my blade from across my back and gripped it tightly as I stared at our adversaries. “Show no fear.”

The crew readied their swords, but they weren’t protected by armor like I was.

Most of their crew wasn’t either, but the commander was the size of a bear.

In all black with a vile grin on his face, he wore a cape that flapped in the air behind him.

He was the first to jump and land on our deck, whipping his sword around and killing two of my crew the second he set foot on our ship.

Other sailors jumped on board with their sharp blades.

It was chaos.

Even though I was a woman, one of the guys came for me anyway, showing me no mercy.

I wouldn’t have shown him any either.

He dismissed the status of my armor and took a lazy swipe at my neck.

I blocked his sword and parried it with a quick spin before I punched him in the face and then stabbed him right through the stomach, severing his spine. I felt the resistance of the bone before I pierced it. Then I kicked him off my blade and turned to my next opponent.

The next sailor hesitated as he looked at me, quickly learning not to underestimate me like his comrade had. He came at me then dodged before I struck, in anticipation of my ferocity. He dodged again, trying to be unpredictable, and then he came at me.

I caught his sword with mine then immediately drove him back with my hits and momentum, making his back hit the railing before I disarmed him and then kicked him in the chest so he flipped overboard.

The battle ensued on the ship, my crew clearly outnumbered, their commander a crow at the feast.

I ran down the stairs and came at him from behind before I dragged my dagger and stabbed it into the opening of his armor between his quads and his calf, right into the knee from the rear.

He screamed like a wolf then quickly spun to come down on me.

I was already ducking and rolled out of the way.

He came at me hard and fast, the dagger still in the back of his leg and the pain putting him in a rage.

I blocked hit after hit, watching his movement with the reflection of the moon on his shiny armor. Light came from the torches on their ship, but ours was still blanketed in darkness. I was a foot shorter than him, but that made it easier for me to dodge his hits and duck if I had to.

I waited until he exhausted himself with the flurry before I swiped my sword across the side of his neck. It was a superficial wound, but blood poured out the second I withdrew my sword.

He howled again, eyes wide with viciousness.

I ran up the steps and heard his heavy footsteps behind me.

I sliced one of the ropes from the pulley then jumped on the railing as he came for me. I jumped on top of him and pulled the rope hard against his neck to make his eyes pop out from the pressure.

He dropped his sword and reached for the rope that had already cut into him, made the blood pour out of his neck from his wound.

“Give me a hand!” I didn’t drop my pressure, not even to give him a killing blow, knowing how hard his heart was pounding and how little time he had left before he lost consciousness.

Davin came to my aid and slammed his blade into the opening under the commander’s armpit, getting him in the chest through the side.

The commander’s knees went weak, and he dropped and hit the deck.

I released the rope and stepped away.

I looked up and swore I came face-to-face with the God of the Underworld, eyes the color of dark earth, the molten center burning in his eyes. But then I blinked, and he was gone…and I wasn’t sure if I imagined it.

Davin stared with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe that had just happened.

“Let’s get the rest of them.” Their morale would be low with the death of their commander. They hadn’t feared us before, but they would fear us now. “Kill the rest, and we’ll take their ship.”

Still wide-eyed in shock, he just gave a nod.

I returned to the fight and helped the others. Several of my men were dead, and that pissed me off and gave me another edge. The enemy understood what kind of threat I was and either avoided me or came at me like I’d single-handedly killed their entire family.

I cut one down after the next. The crew helped me, and soon, we were the majority. Until we were the last ones standing.

Their ship continued to sail next to ours—now a ghost ship without a crew.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s take their ship.

The others may continue to focus on this one.

” I ran to the wheel and released the rope before I tugged it hard to the right so it would veer off in another direction.

“You’ve gotten us far, girl. But it’s time to say goodbye.

” I ran to the starboard and jumped onto the golden ship before the distance had grown too great.

The crew, having already boarded the golden ship, reached over the edge and helped me to the top until they pulled me on board with them.

“I can’t believe we’re still alive,” Davin blurted.

“For now,” I said. “We’ve still got to lose them.

Continue north.” I grabbed the railing and stood up to watch our ship.

She made her hard turn and then the wheel must have straightened out before she sailed in a straight line.

The other ships followed, unable to see what had happened in the dark or too arrogant to believe that we’d killed all of their men.

“Captain!”

I turned to put out the next fire.

On the opposite side, I saw another golden ship directly next to ours, smart enough to figure out what had happened, unlike the rest. I thought I’d killed the commander of the fleet, but one look at this guy told me he was really the one in charge.

And he looked right at me, holding an axe instead of a sword, looking like an executioner rather than a captain. He was flanked by archers, arrows tight on the strings and aimed at all of us.

But mostly me.

The man stared at me like he somehow knew I was responsible for all of this.

Davin turned to me for instruction.

The others did the same.

But none of them wore armor, so those arrows would pierce their flesh and kill them instantly.

He wore a similar armor as the others, but he had a predatory air about him, like he killed for pleasure rather than obligation. He grabbed one of the ropes that hung overhead and swung over to our new ship, making the mast creak from his weight.

He landed with a thud directly before me, the shine of his axe bright in the torchlight. The blade alone was bigger than my head. It wasn’t a weapon for dueling or fighting but hacking and massacring.

I pushed out my mind again, an exercise in misguided hope.

But there was nothing.

My father was tall, and I’d inherited his height, but this man was still a behemoth by comparison. He walked right up to me, pressed his face so close to mine he practically pushed our noses together.

I didn’t flinch.

His eyes shifted back and forth, searching for the fear I should have.

But I was a Rothschild with dragon blood in my veins, and I was too damn proud for that.

He jerked his entire body to make me believe he was about to hit me.

I didn’t even blink.

A grotesque smile moved over his lips, and he stepped back.

“The finest captain I’ve ever laid eyes on.

” Then he dragged those eyes down my body, over my tits and hips, before his eyes flicked back to mine once more.

“A woman who’s soft to the touch, but a soldier who can battle a man thrice her size.

I’m not a man easily impressed—but I’m impressed, nonetheless. ”

“So glad I have your approval,” I said sarcastically. “I can die happy now.”

That should piss him off, but he grinned from ear to ear. “I like this one.”

My father had told me power and corruption went hand in hand. I had no doubt what this man would do to me as his prisoner.

I’d rather die.

“We’re merchants taking our products to port,” I said confidently. “This interference is wholly unnecessary.”

“Then why did you run?” He cocked his head, eyes locked on mine.

“Because you look prepared for war.”

He smiled slightly, like that answer stoked his fat ego. “I have a better job for you, sweetheart.”

“No thank you, asshole.”

He gave a quiet whistle. “You burn without wood.”

“Wait until you see how hot I burn…”

Instead of threatening me with his axe, he returned it across his back, practically an invitation for me to attack him. “I can’t wait to see.” He nodded to his men. “Kill the crew. Lock her in a cell.”

I quickly put my sword to his neck and pressed it into the skin. “You keep us all or kill us all.”

He looked completely at ease, like his neck was thicker than armor. “The captain goes down with the ship, not the crew.”

“I go down with both.”

He stepped into me, moved right into the blade so our faces were close together. “I can’t wait to have fun with you.”

I slammed my knee into his groin and sliced my blade across his neck.

He grabbed my wrist and forced it down on his knee so hard it nearly broke. My blade went flying, and then he slammed his elbow down on my head, making me buckle to the deck and lose consciousness for a second. “Kill the crew. The captain is mine.”

I lay there unable to move, my body unresponsive for seconds. I heard the enemy converge and grab my men. I heard the shouts and screams as they were put to the sword or thrown overboard. “No…”

I opened my eyes and tried to get up.

And there he stood on the other side of the deck, in his midnight-blue armor, looking like one of the enemies who had captured me. He stared with eyes that were both angry and sympathetic.

And then he vanished.

I collapsed back on the deck, and the last thing I saw was the shadow of the behemoth who moved over me. The last thing I remembered was being lifted off the deck before I slipped away.

Dad, help me…