Chaos reigned then.
Half of the enemy crew leapt overboard in unison, their bodies twisting midair as they shifted into their siren forms, tails slicing through the water as they tore toward the sides ofValor. The other half swung down from ropes, landing on their deck.
Wood splintered beneath grappling hooks, and metal clashed as blades collided. The air filled with grunts, curses, and the cries of combat. Around her, her crew responded with a ferocity equal to hers. They had become an unstoppable force, a storm of magic and steel.
Draevyn stepped up to her side, his lip curling in disgust as a growl ripped through his chest. His eyes were fixated on Azarian, who remained on his ship that was nowburning, succumbing to the Phoenix’s flames.
He was just staring at them, spear in hand as an infuriating grin spread across his face.
“He’s mine,” Esmyra demanded, silver hair whipping around her face.
Without another word, Draevyn nodded and stormed across the deck.
He became a hurricane of fire, igniting several of the other ships at once. Their flames roared to life along the decks, spreading across sails. The sea hissed as fire met water, and steam rose in angry plumes. Her lips parted at the sight of him commanding such precise destruction with nothing but rage.
The air thickened as Esmyra called upon her power. She began to levitate, hovering above their ship as water rose from the sea in violent spirals, the moon’s reflection tinging it with a hint of red, before she sent them soaring toward Azarian like a living weapon.
She unleashed it in a devastating torrent aimed straight at him, a wall of wave and wrath.
“I am your end!” Her scream carried over the clamor.
Azarian barely dodged, the water smashing into the deck with enough force to send everything aboard flying.
Metal clashed against steel as her crew fought relentlessly against the Maerinysean soldiers.
Jenli’s vines ripped weapons from enemies’ hands. Jak’s winds tore across the decks, pushing their attackers back and giving their men space to strike. And every direction Riven pointed his hand, a soldier screamed as he made them see their fears.
She turned and watched Azarian recover from her strike. Her eyes narrowed, hands trembling with the power coursing through her. With a guttural scream that carried the weight of centuries, she unleashed all the fury, all the loss, all thewildfireupon Azarian.
The sea convulsed beneath the vessel as massive waves tore at it. Wood splintered and cracked with a deafening roar, and the fanned sails shredded beneath the sheer force of her magic. The deck heaved violently as the ship snapped in two, sending Azarian flying, and water pouring into the gaping chasm that formed in its center.
Esmyra’s gaze swept over the wreckage. The ship sank further, groaning and creaking, until it disappeared beneath the waves entirely, leaving no trace of the witch.
Then several sirens breached the sides of Valor, claws scraping and talons raking along the wood as they ascended. Their insidious, haunting hum began to fill the air, threading into the minds of her crew.
Esmyra’s stomach twisted. Sheknewthat song—knew every note and vibration as the language of sirens. They were forcing mind manipulation upon her men, pulling on their hearts and wills.
Fear prickled along her spine, but anger flared hot in her veins.
Jak caught her eye, and her heart leapt in her throat. Not only was he in a trance but also locked in the arms of a siren perched on the railing. Her claws dug into the wood as she flashed a grin at Esmyra. In the blink of an eye, she leapt, dragging Jakoverboard.
“No!” Esmyra screamed, her voice shattering over the chaos of the battle.
Inside her, Kaelypso roared in agreement. From the deck, the currents pulled and twisted, shaping themselves into a whip of force aimed at the siren.
Water answered at her command, spiraling around the bitch like living chains and ripping Jak from her grasp in the water. The siren screeched in fury as her head broke the surface, baring her sharpened canines at Esmyra.
The currents she commanded guided Jak back onto the deck, placing him on his feet as water splashed onto the boards.
Esmyra raced to him, her eyes wild as she pulled him to his feet. “You need to block out their song!”
“I’ve been a little busy!” he barked back.
Her retort died on her lips as she caught the flare in his eyes, the way his gaze darted over her shoulder. Instinctively, she ducked just as his sword arced through the air, cutting down an oncoming attacker before they could reach them.
Esmyra spun to face the crumpled figure sprawled beneath them, his spear knocked aside as lifeless eyes stared blankly up at them.
She inhaled sharply, taking in the dark stains of blood spreading across the deck, the scattered weapons, and the wind tugging at sails and hair alike.
