NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: The Onyx Paramour
Three Years Before the Feast in the Sea Lord's Hall
The Isle of Women was a place of legends, its warrior clans unmatched in strength and determination. Among them, Adeola Zoha stood as a symbol of beauty and ferocity. Born into a tribe that valued strength above all, she had been trained from childhood in the arts of combat, mastering the spear and shield. Her people's customs were unyielding: to lead, she had to be the strongest, and to marry, she had to defeat her suitors in combat. Yet, tradition shattered when slavers and pirates attacked the island.
The battle had raged for hours. Outnumbered and battered, the remaining warriors—fewer than fifty—fled aboard their lone ship, their royal princess among them.
"Princess, there are ships ahead and more chasing us from behind," Rami Kho, Adeola's second-in-command, reported. A towering woman with scarred features and a presence as fierce as a storm, Rami wore armor pieced together from leather and metal plates.
"Surrender is no option," Adeola declared, her voice carrying the unyielding spirit of her people. "Prepare for battle! Archers, ready yourselves. When they come within range, let them know our fury. Captain, ram the ships ahead. If they want us, they'll have to take our corpses!"
She moved through her warriors, a spear in one hand and a small round shield in the other, her every step a statement of defiance. The wind filled their sails, propelling them forward with a speed that seemed divine. The slavers and pirates—ignorant of Amazonian resolve—believed their prey to be foolish women who should have surrendered. They would soon regret that assumption.
The pirates hesitated as arrows rained down on them, tearing through their ranks. Before they could recover, Adeola's ship struck one of theirs at an angle, the impact resounding like a thunderclap.
"Protect the princess! Die with pride!" Rami roared, leading the charge. The Amazons moved like a tempest, their war cries piercing the chaos. Adeola's spear found its first victim, impaling a pirate through the mouth as he leapt toward her. The women behind her followed suit, their precision and ruthlessness terrifying their foes.
Even as arrows found their marks, the Amazons fought on, driven by a bloodlust that defied pain and fear. Adeola and Rami moved together like a single entity, cutting through wave after wave of attackers. Yet for every pirate slain, an Amazon fell. When only fifteen warriors remained, they formed a tight circle, their spears outward, their eyes glazed with unrelenting resolve.
The pirate captain, Mad Dog Rodan—a Tyroshi with dyed blue hair and a matching beard—stood laughing as he surveyed the blood-soaked deck. "Surrender, little princess! Be my whore, and your people might live to see another day."
Adeola answered with a guttural growl, the feral sound of a predator preparing to strike. With a final war cry, she led her warriors in a desperate charge. They fought with a ferocity that defied reason, cutting down pirates even as arrows peppered their shields and bodies.
The Skies Above the Open Sea
A serpentine dragon glided through the clouds, its movements fluid and predatory. On its back sat Aegon the Winged, his black horns gleaming against the sky. He leaned forward, scanning the waters below.
"Show me where you hunted that squid, Ophiuchus," he said to his dragon, his tone both commanding and playful. "I want a live one—or maybe a few pirate ships will do."
A war cry from below broke through the stillness. Aegon's head snapped toward the sound. "Ophiuchus, down!" he ordered, his voice sharp. The dragon dove, slicing through the clouds before plunging toward the sea.
Breaking through the mist, Aegon saw six ships surrounding a single vessel. The smaller ship's occupants had formed a defensive dome, repelling wave after wave of attackers with astonishing determination.
"See that?" Aegon murmured, a grin spreading across his face. "I want the three biggest ships."
Ophiuchus dove into the water, swimming like a sea snake. Aegon shook the spray from his hair, retrieving a bow from his saddle. He loosed an arrow, then another, each finding its mark among the pirates.
With a roar that shook the waters, Ophiuchus announced their arrival. Panic rippled through the pirates as the dragon surged forward, its serpentine body cutting through the waves. Arrows flew from Aegon's bow, and when the dragon dove beneath the surface, the sea erupted with fire. A stream of blue flames burst from below, sinking the smaller ships in an instant.
Aegon leapt from the dragon's back, soaring through the air before landing on the deck of the largest ship. His greatsword cleaved through three men at once, his movements precise and devastating. The Amazons, emboldened by his arrival, fought their way to his side.
Adeola reached him, her blood-streaked face a mask of awe and defiance. Aegon, wielding a two-handed axe, glanced at her and smirked. "Well, this is an interesting mess you've gotten yourself into."
With a ferocious roar, Ophiuchus emerged from the water, dragging two ships beneath the waves. The remaining pirates surrendered, dropping their weapons in terror.
"Slavers to the right, pirates to the left," Aegon commanded, his voice calm but unyielding. The men scrambled to obey, terrified of the winged figure who had brought death to their fleet.
Approaching the Tyroshi captain, who lay impaled on the deck, Aegon grimaced. "That must hurt," he said, plucking a dagger from Rami's hand. He stabbed the pirate through the temple, silencing his gurgling protests.
Turning to the bloodied Amazons, he grinned. "Well, ladies, I'll be keeping the pirates. The slavers are all yours. Ophiuchus, burn the useless boats."
As the dragon's roar echoed across the sea, the Amazons moved among the terrified slavers, their vengeance swift and unrelenting. Aegon, meanwhile, strolled toward the captain's quarters, whistling a jaunty tune as chaos unfolded behind him.