Page 34 of Empire of Death
The connection between us was severed when Zehemoth’s words entered my mind.We’ve spotted a large fleet of ships southeast of where you are. They’re docked at port, and their ships are black as night, so dark we almost couldn’t see them ourselves.
Wrath seemed to instinctually know that I spoke to Zehemoth just by watching my expressions. Somehow he knew me better than anyone else who’d known me for such a brief amount of time. “What did he say?”
“He thinks they’ve spotted their fleet. Says their ships are black with matching sails.”
He gave a slight nod. “That’s them.”
“And everything Jack said about how they do business…is that true?” Or just a way to pump up my rage before the battle.
“It’s true.”
“Then those assholes are?—”
“Talking to yourself, bonnie lass?” Jack must have opened the hatch and climbed up the stairs without my noticing because he appeared right between us, arms crossed over his chest, oblivious to the mighty god who watched him with an empty stare.
Whenever Wrath looked at someone else besides me, I could see the sharp difference in the intensity of his stare, the absence of the softness behind his eyes. The way he regarded everyone else with callousness in a way he never regarded me.
“Uh…yeah,” I said as I turned away from Wrath. “Talking to Zehemoth.”
“He can hear you out loud?” he asked as his eyes combed the skies for a dragon that wasn’t even there. “Or do you speak to someone no one else can see?” There was a playfulness in his eyes, like this was all a joke.
Except it wasn’t a joke at all—because my shadow was the king of the dead. “Zehemoth said he’s spotted their fleet southeast from here. They’re docked at a port. He describes their ships as the color of midnight with matching sails.”
He nodded in confirmation. “A flying crow’s nest saved us three weeks at sea, and by then, we’d have grown weary from hunger and scurvy. We’ll change the direction of our ship and ambush them at port.” He headed to the other side of the ship to communicate the change in course to his first mate.
Wrath adopted his previous expression when it was just the two of us. “Rest tonight because you’ll need your strength tomorrow. You should arrive around sunset. If the battle continues for too long, you’ll be at a disadvantage in the dark.”
“Alright.”
“Do not fear. I’ll be with you.”
I wasn’t afraid to fight alone, not against a bunch of jackass pirates, but I didn’t tell him that, because I always felt better when he was near. Felt ten times stronger and ten times wiser. Felt like a queen and he was…my king.
He approached me, slid his hand into my hair and kissed me on the forehead, granted me a blanket of affection that would cocoon me throughout the night. Then he disappeared without a word, gone like he was never there.
Hawk and I stood at the front of the ship, seeing the distant sight of land still many leagues away.
Have you landed?
Yes. At one of the small islands nearby.
Good. “He and Movack are grounded on an island. Hopefully they haven’t been spotted by anyone.”
“Who cares if they have? They’ll be even more terrified when we show up.”
“Don’t want our dragons to be the targets of their cannons.”
“I don’t dismiss their well-being because I don’t care,” he said. “I dismiss it because they’re the most powerful creatures in the known world—and you easily forget that. They’re not defenseless cats that keep warm on your lap in front of the fire. They breathe fire and roar so loud they make the earth tremble under your feet. I’m more concerned about us than them right now.” He looked across the sea again. “Are you ready for this?”
“I’m ready to cut off some dicks, that’s for sure.”
He gave me a nudge in the side. “That’s the spirit, sis.”
We stood together at the rail and watched the landmass grow closer. It was hard to see the details at this distance, but the closer we came, the colors began to change, the images became clearer.
One of the pirates whistled from the crow’s nest. “They see us, Captain Ironhook Scurvy. Their ships are leaving port and headed for us.”
“A battle on the seas,” Jack said. “Just the way I like it.”
