Page 53 of Queen's Griffon

“To Merisu for her wedding. She and the emperor are engaged.”

“Like fuck they are,” Griff hotly exclaimed. He’d examine the spurt of jealousy later.

“It was fairly recent. Probably why she didn’t tell you.”

More like she’d been told she had no choice. Or did Avera want the union to happen? The emperor would have the troops and resources to oust Benoit from her throne. Had Griff made a mistake in coming after her?

By his side, Simhi murmured, “No way she agreed. Avera don’t like the emperor one bit.”

“Looks like we have company,” shouted Captain Koonis.

As he spoke, Griff’s eyes caught the shadow of movement beneath the surface of the water. Closer to theEmperor’s Follythan his own ship. Before he could think of a suitable response, Peter in the bird’s nest hollered, “Incoming.”

Something catapulted from Koonis’ ship, a mishappen lump that hit the water with a splash too close to their boat. As it bobbed, the water around it turned dark.

It took Griff a moment to realize what the other captain had done.

“That bastard just baited the area with chum.” The meat, with its strong scent, would draw any carnivorous fish in the area—and the kraken.

“Ready the harpoon,” Kreed bellowed. “Spotters, get your asses to the rails and snap yourselves in place.”

Like in a storm, with a kraken about, everyone tethered. It wouldn’t help someone grabbed by a tentacle, but it might save a life if they were simply knocked overboard.

“Going to grab me bow,” Simhi announced before trotting off. They had only the one on board since everyone else fought with blades. Only Simhi had put in the time to learn how to shoot arrows. It had come in handy on more than one occasion.

“Incoming, port side,” screamed one of his crew.

“Brace!” Griff yelled. He had no time to tie himself off, so he grabbed the rail ringing the poop deck.

The kraken nudged their keel as it passed under, rocking them slightly.

Captain Koonis thought it a good time to taunt. “Enjoying the gift I sent your way?”

Rather than reply, Griff’s jaw tensed.

The kraken surfaced and flung tentacles on the deck, the flesh of them dark and slick, seeking snacks.

His crew didn’t panic—much. They reacted to the sea monster incursion with blades, beating at the appendages,lopping off chunks, sending its questing arms back into the water.

But they would return. A stung kraken tended not to flee, but rather retaliate.

Sure enough, it heaved itself from the ocean. The bulbous mass of menace was not a full-grown adult, but close—and very dangerous.

Whiplike arms sinuously infiltrated the deck, wrapping around crew, masts, anything it could grab. Those caught grunted while those unfettered yelled as they hacked to free their crewmates. Griff leaped from the poop deck and landed with his sword in hand. Unlike his crew’s blades, his sword of wolfframm, a rare metal, sliced clean through, severing appendages, freeing those caught. However, in doing so, the kraken went from annoyed to peeved. Its body flopped towards the side of the ship, smashing the wooden rail and buckling part of the deck.

As it recoiled and readied to slam again, debris fell, taking Ashton with it into the water. No one jumped in to save the man. His crushed body made it a pointless effort.

“Clear the line of sight!” Kreed yelled. With a proper target, they now could aim the harpoon. “Fire!”

The massive metal arrow, with the rope bound to its tail, sprang forth, arrowing for the monster. It landed without a sound as it punched the gelatinous flesh.

The kraken uttered a piercing cry but didn’t die. The harpoon had only injured it. Tentacles flailed with anger and pain, smashing more railing, sweeping the skiff on that side from its mooring, knocking the crew that got in its path into the water.

“Let’s see how keen it is after I blind it,” Simhi muttered, having returned with her crossbow. She took aim and shot, the missile sailing true, but the kraken moved, and the arrow missed.

“Dammit.” Simhi slotted a new missile in and cranked it into place.

While she prepared her next shot, Griff darted closer to the ruined side of his ship. When a tentacle came whipping by, he lopped it off.

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