Siren's Silence

Chapter 5: A Griffin and a Girl

King Alvah

  I sat on my throne, fingers interlaced in front of me, glaring at the two "advisors". They were both growing uneasy with my continued silence. I was fine with that, let them fear me, they should. My voice came out in a low growl, "How many ships have gone missing?"

  The man on the right finally lifted his downcast eyes. His thin face was pale, his black hair was slick with sweat and his hands were shaking. "Five, sire. In the last month alone." His nasal voice grated on my ears. Why did I even bother with him?

  "Five ships in four weeks... And what is the issue regarding the crews?" My eyes zeroed in on the other man, a fat, often pompous man with a balding head and beady eyes. Another pawn whose usefulness was in question.

  He swallowed and dabbed at the beads of sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief. "They're demanding ransoms for them, your majesty. Fifty gold a head."

  "Who is demanding this ransom?"

  My tone must have displayed my displeasure, as the man stepped back, clear terror etched in those little eyes. "The people who their capturers turned them over to, sire."

  I pounded my fist on the arm of my throne, making both of them jump back. "I will not pay to retrieve those who have already failed me. They can sit and rot," I snarled. Silence fell, making both men even more nervous. "What of the ships themselves? Are they recoverable?"

  "N-no, Your Majesty," the thinner man stuttered out. I cursed and slammed my fist on the arm of my throne again. He gave me an apprehensive look before continuing, "Those that were found were stripped of everything including guns and sails. One had even been set ablaze, Your Highness. And all bear significant damage to the deck and hull."

  "Do we know who is responsible?" It was taking all of my self-control to keep my anger in check. How could someone disable my precious Wolf Ships so effectively? The one who had designed them had a better knowledge of engineering and construction than anyone else I'd ever met. How the impeccable design was being overcome so easily was a mystery to me. "Was it the Destiny?" I was well aware that I had lost one ship to that craft and several more had been damaged by it.

  "No, my King, the Destiny was disabled in a recent battle. It is no longer a threat."

  This was news to me and I was pleased to hear it. At least Aman, the nation for whom the Destiny sailed, would lose what confidence they had that they could defeat my navy. That still left my original question though. I leaned forward threateningly, "Then who is?"

  The man shuddered, then answered, "A ship called the Griffin, Your Majesty. According to our reports, it specifically targets our flag and is designed in such a manner that allows it to disable and even destroy warships. It has been about for years, but seems to have gotten more... Enthusiastic of late."

  I leaned back. "I have heard of this so-called 'ghost ship', it is nothing more than a legend."

  "Actually, Sire, the rumors seem to be true. We received this from a fisherman who observed the craft in combat, albeit at long distance." He produced a sketching. It wasn't perfect, but it gave me an idea of what we were looking at. It showed a large dark craft with four masts and an eagle figurehead. Some of the details were undefined, but it was enough. "I'm told the beak of the figurehead is used to tear into the upper deck and it is somehow outfitted for ramming. It is no longer fiction, my King, this thing is very real."

  "Under whose flag does it sail?" I asked. That information might give me leverage, enable me to threaten the nation that oversaw this elusive warship.