The sea was restless.
Val knew it the moment he stepped onto the deck, his stomach lurching with the slow, sickening sway of the ship. He gritted his teeth, inhaling through his nose, willing himself not to show weakness.
The first cannonball whistled through the salty air before anyone saw the ship.
Rian reacted instantly, gripping the ship's wheel and barking orders as the explosive shot crashed into the waves just off their starboard side, drenching the deck in seawater. The crew sprang to life, shouting and scrambling into battle positions.
"Pirates!" someone yelled.
Through the mist, a massive black-sailed vessel loomed on the horizon. The flag that snapped in the wind was unmistakable—a blood-red serpent coiling around a blade.
Rian's smile faltered.
He knew that symbol.
"Hell and salt," Kalei hissed beside him, yanking her cutlass free. "That's the Iron Fangs."
A muscle in Rian's jaw twitched. "Aye."
The Iron Fangs—not just any pirates. His pirates, once.
