The Assault on The Mariner's Whisper
Night fell without warning.
No stars. No moon. Only a low hum that rippled across the black sea the kind of silence that made sailors pray rather than breathe.
Lucy was the first to notice the faint flicker on the horizon.
"Captain... lights, bearing east."
Eli lowered his spyglass, his stomach twisting. "Not lights. Muzzle flash."
The first cannonball struck seconds later. It ripped through the portside hull, splintering the deck and sending a wave of fire through the lower quarters. The entire ship shuddered under the force.
"We're under attack! All hands to battle stations!"
The crew of The Mariner's Whisper exploded into motion Belle rushing to secure the maps and dispatch codes, Razor and Jax hauling heavy cannons into position. Smoke filled the air as the second volley hit, tearing through the aft railing.
Eli grabbed the wheel, shouting over the chaos.
"Starboard! Turn us with the wind!"
A lantern shattered beside Lucy, sparks flying. "Who is it? Pirates? The navy?"
Razor squinted into the darkness and froze.
"Neither. Those are privateer flags... mixed colors. Not Mordeclai's, not Galen's."
Belle's eyes widened. "Mercenaries."
The attackers were a coalition of opportunists rogue captains who'd refused to kneel to either side. They flew no nation's crest, only a jagged black wave the symbol of The Sovereign Tide, a faction formed by ex-pirates, raiders, and smugglers who wanted neither empire nor alliance.
Their leader, Captain Dagon Voss, had once been one of Blackwell's lieutenants ruthless, cunning, and the kind of man who thrived in chaos.
"Burn everything they stand for!" Voss roared across the water as his fleet closed in. "No kings, no masters the seas are free!"
Dozens of fireballs arced through the night sky, descending like falling stars.
Lucy ducked behind a crate as one crashed into the deck beside her.
"Eli, they're going for the sails!"
Eli's eyes darted to the crow's nest flames climbing fast.
"Razor! Get men up there!"
Razor nodded and charged up the rigging with two others, hacking at the burning ropes even as shrapnel tore through the air.
Then came the third volley but this one wasn't aimed at the hull. It was precise, strategic.
The communication tower exploded.
Belle's voice broke through the ringing in Eli's ears.
"They're cutting us off from the other fleets!"
Eli clenched his jaw.
"That means someone told them where to hit."
YOU ARE READING
The Legacy of the Uncharted
FantasyIn the late 18th century, Alexandria finds an old journal hidden in a secret part of her large house by the sea. The journal is written in an ancient language she doesn't fully understand, filled with strange maps and mysterious hints about the ocea...
