The creaking of the ship's wooden frame was the only sound in the silence below deck. The pirates, exhausted from the day's toil, lay sprawled in hammocks, on crates, and against barrels. Riven, half-curled against a splintered beam, drifted somewhere between dream and wakefulness, murmurs of his earlier conversation with Eldon and Kaia still echoing in his mind.
Then the ship lurched violently to the left.
Riven was yanked from sleep, his body flung sideways and crashing onto the unfortunate pirate beside him. Shouts rang out instantly as men were thrown from their bunks, scrambling in the dim lantern light. The ship groaned again, louder this time, a low, monstrous sound vibrating through the planks.
Riven rolled off the groaning pirate and stood, dazed, his hand instinctively going to his sword. The world swam before him, but then he heard it—a scream, sharp and desperate:
"SEA SERPENT!"
The words cut through the chaos like lightning.
Riven's eyes widened as adrenaline shot through him, clearing the fog of sleep. He sprinted toward the ladder leading to the upper deck, shoving past the panicking crew. As he burst into the open air, the sight that met him was something out of a sailor's nightmare.
Darkness still blanketed the sky, but the deck was awash in flickering light from lanterns and torches. And there it was—the serpent. A monstrous creature of the deep, its glistening, black-scaled head rearing above the ship, eyes glowing with feral intelligence, fangs snapping down to snatch up screaming pirates. Its sinuous tail was wrapped tight around the stern, the massive ship groaning under the crushing pressure.
Gunshots cracked through the air. Blades flashed. Screams and roars tangled into a wall of noise.
Riven froze.
It was too much—too loud, too surreal. His heart pounded in his ears, and for a moment, he just stood there, rooted in place.
A hand smacked him hard between the shoulder blades.
"Now's your chance, boy!" Barlow's voice roared over the din. Riven turned to see the old man's weathered face close to his, eyes sharp as steel. "You want to escape? Be your own captain? Now's the bloody time!"
Riven shook his head, blinking the chaos away. "I can't leave without Eldon or Kaia. Or you, Barlow!"
Barlow gritted his teeth. "Courts Baine's just a few miles north. I'll meet you there. They'll be there, too. But if you don't go now, you won't get another shot. MOVE!"
With a shove, Barlow sent Riven stumbling forward.
Adrenaline replaced doubt. Riven bolted across the deck, dodging stumbling pirates, leaping over the fallen. The serpent's tail whipped nearby, sending three men flying like rag dolls into the sea.
Riven barely ducked in time.
Then—slam.
He hit someone headfirst and was thrown onto his back.
Pain flashed across his shoulder as he looked up into the furious face of Captain Crook himself.
"What do you think you're doing, you stupid boy!?" Crook roared, grabbing Riven by the collar and yanking him to his feet. "Get to the bow! Kill the damn thing!"
Before Riven could protest, Crook shoved him forward and marched off, sword raised, barking orders at anyone still alive and conscious.
Riven's thoughts scrambled. His legs moved on instinct.
The serpent's tail crushed part of the railing to splinters just as Riven skidded to a stop near the emergency rafts He grabbed the pulley rope and began lowering one into the churning sea below.
Just as he was about to leap into the water, a hand seized his collar and yanked him back.
Riven crashed to the deck, coughing. Standing above him was Herald—Crook's vice captain. The man was enormous, built like a wall with a single massive arm, his other shoulder ending in a twisted stump. His sword gleamed as he raised it.
"Trying to escape, boy?" Herald growled.
Riven drew his blade, panting. "You follow a coward and a murderer. I follow freedom."
Herald roared and brought his sword down in a vicious arc. Riven rolled aside, the blade gouging the deck. He scrambled to his feet and slashed, but Herald blocked it with ease.
"You don't talk about your captain like that!"
Herald lunged with a stabbing thrust. Riven twisted, pain flashing as the blade grazed his ribs. He retaliated with a cut along Herald's leg. The bigger man howled, staggering.
"You little bastard! I'll—"
Before Herald could finish, the serpent's tail whipped across the deck.
It slammed into both of them with bone-crushing force.
Riven heard someone scream his name as the world spun. Then there was only water—cold, black, and endless. It swallowed him whole.
His limbs refused to move. He sank, barely conscious, salt burning his throat and lungs.
Then hands grabbed him. A struggle. Pain.
The sensation of being dragged, pulled. He broke the surface coughing. The night air returned in gasps, but his eyes remained closed.
He was lifted, hauled into something hard and rocking.
"Idiot," someone muttered breathlessly, dragging him onto the raft.
He barely managed to whisper, "Eldon..."
"Yeah, it's me," came the strained reply.
And then everything went dark.
---
Meanwhile, on the battered ship, Kaia Flint stood near the quarterdeck, frozen.
She had seen it. The serpent's tail had launched both Riven and Herald overboard. And she'd watched, wide-eyed, as Eldon—quiet, careful Eldon—had leapt in after Riven without hesitation.
That wasn't like him. He never ran toward danger. Kaia started forward, her heart racing.
Then a hand gripped her wrist.
"I need you here," Crook's gravel voice snapped.
She spun to face him, glaring.
"This ship needs fixing. Now."
Crook released her and turned, striding across the deck with unnatural calm. The beast shrieked, lunging its head at him, jaws wide. But Crook ducked under the fangs, and in one fluid motion, slashed his blade across the serpent's neck.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a geyser of blood erupted, and the creature shuddered.
Three seconds later, its massive body went limp and slid into the sea.
Everyone stood in stunned silence.
All the shots, the swords, the chaos—and yet it had taken only one strike from Crook to end the terror.
He turned, blood-slick blade still in hand. "Get to work, you bastards!"
The pirates snapped to attention, scrambling to repair the damage.
Kaia, breath still catching, glanced over the edge. The water churned with the aftermath of the serpent's attack.
---
Unseen amidst the frenzy, a small raft rocked gently as it drifted farther from the ship—carrying two bodies, one unconscious and the other rowing with trembling arms toward the faint outline of an island on the horizon.
Toward Courts Baine.
Toward freedom.
---
The first thing Riven felt was heat.
It clung to him heavier than a wet blanket, the damp air making every breath thick and slow. When he opened his eyes, the sky was a canopy of green, sunlight bleeding through the massive leaves high above. The world swayed for a moment—until he realized it wasn't swaying at all. No sea. No ship. Just forest.
Something cool pressed against his ribs. He shifted, wincing sharply as pain lit up his side. That's when he saw Eldon crouched beside him, sleeves rolled up, hands stained with drying blood.
"You're awake," Eldon said without looking up.
"What… happened?" Riven's voice was rough, his throat dry.
"You got yourself cut, smashed into the water, and nearly drowned." Eldon's tone was flat, as if stating the weather. "I dragged you out. We're on Courts Baine. Somewhere."
"Somewhere," Riven repeated, blinking at the endless wall of trees surrounding them. Trunks as wide as houses rose into the clouds, their roots twisting into the earth like massive, knotted veins. Thick grass came up to his knees even while sitting. Every leaf dripped moisture. Somewhere in the distance, unseen creatures croaked and chittered.
"Yeah," Eldon said. "This place is… unmapped. No roads. No markers. Just forest and things that want to eat you. And us with no clue which way the village is." He sat back on his heels, finally meeting Riven's eyes. "We're stranded, Riven. I've got a bag of supplies that might last a few days if we're careful. You've got a sword and two pistols with limited powder. That's it. No ship. No crew. And Crook will be looking for us."
Riven tilted his head, still groggy, still smiling faintly. "You're panicking."
"Of course I'm panicking." Eldon's voice cracked just slightly. "I jumped into the water after you without thinking. And now we're stuck here with nothing. No way out. No Kaia. No Barlow."
"If you hadn't," Riven said, "I'd be dead."
Eldon's jaw worked. "Maybe. Or maybe I could've gotten help instead of—"
"Eldon." Riven's tone cut the air sharper than his blade. He sat up, hissing at the ache in his ribs. "You saved my life. That's not a mistake."
For a moment, Eldon just looked at him. Then he sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "You're impossible."
"Yeah. But I'm alive."
Riven shifted until his back was against the trunk of the massive tree. The shade gave some relief from the relentless heat, but sweat still clung to his skin. He noticed the crude bandage across his ribs—torn cloth from Eldon's own shirt. "Nice work, doctor."
"Hardly," Eldon muttered. "I read enough books to know what not to do."
Riven laughed, the sound light and easy. "We'll be fine."
"Fine?" Eldon stared at him. "We're lost in a jungle that's probably crawling with things that'll kill us before Crook even gets here."
"Think, Eldon," Riven said, his grin crooked. "If we don't get out, what about Kaia and Barlow?"
"They're not stuck here like we are."
"No, but we're free now."
That shut Eldon up.
The word hung between them—free.
For Riven, it wasn't just being off Crook's ship. It was the first step toward something bigger. His own ship. His own crew. His own rules. Eldon knew it, too. Which was why he didn't argue.
"Fine," Eldon said finally. "Let's at least see what we're dealing with."
They moved slow at first. Eldon kept checking the ground ahead for snakes or sinkholes while Riven's eyes scanned the treetops. The forest was… alive. Every step crushed some strange plant, releasing scents both sweet and rancid.
The trees were so tall they disappeared into a green haze above, their branches braided with thick vines as wide as a man's leg. Patches of sunlight burned through in hot columns, baking the moss-covered ground. Giant insects the size of Riven's fist buzzed lazily through the air, their wings shimmering with strange colors. At one point, a beetle with pincers like daggers crawled across their path, and Eldon stopped Riven from touching it "just to see if it bites."
"It definitely bites," Eldon said.
Riven shrugged. "Would've been nice to know for sure."
They walked for what felt like hours, sweat soaking through their clothes. The air felt heavier the deeper they went, the buzzing of insects constant in their ears. Once, they stumbled across a flower the size of a barrel, its petals a sickly yellow and its smell like rotting meat. Riven gagged. Eldon gave it a wide berth.
"Hope this island's got something worth eating," Riven muttered.
As if on cue, they found it.
In a small clearing, a massive deer stood nibbling berries from a bush. Its hide was a deep brown, its antlers spread like twisted branches, catching the light. It was bigger than any deer they'd seen before—but still within the realm of possibility for dinner.
They crouched low in a thick bush, the leaves closing around them. Riven slowly drew his flintlock pistol, checking the powder and ball.
"You sure you can hit it from here?" Eldon whispered.
Riven smirked. "I've hit harder shots in worse weather."
He raised the pistol, steadying his breath. His ribs protested the motion, but he ignored it. He squeezed the trigger.
The shot cracked like thunder. Birds exploded from the trees above, screeching. The deer jerked, a dark stain blooming across its chest. It stumbled, legs buckling.
The echo of the shot was still bouncing between the trees when a deep, bone-shaking roar ripped through the forest.
It wasn't close. But it wasn't far enough. The ground seemed to tremble under the sound.
Eldon froze. "What… was that?" His voice was tight.
Riven shrugged, eyes still on the deer. "You're the smart one. I dunno."
The deer was still twitching, struggling to stand. Riven broke from the bush and approached quickly, cutlass in hand. He crouched beside it.
"Thank you, deer," he said quietly. "Hope you're reborn into a better life."
He drove the blade into its neck. The animal went still.
By nightfall, they had a small fire going in a ring of stones. The flames danced low, fed by fallen branches Eldon had gathered. The smell of roasting venison filled the clearing.
Riven sat cross-legged, chewing a strip of meat, grease shining on his fingers. "Not bad," he said with his mouth full.
Eldon stared into the fire. "That roar… it wasn't any animal I've read about."
"Then it's something new," Riven said. "Could be fun."
Eldon shot him a look. "Fun? It sounded like it could swallow us whole."
Riven grinned, tossing a bone into the flames. "All the more reason to find it before it finds us."
Eldon shook his head, but there was no fight in him tonight. "We'll need a plan tomorrow. We can't just wander."
"We'll figure it out," Riven said. He lay back on the grass, staring up through the narrow sliver of night sky. Stars glittered faintly between the branches. "One step at a time."
Eldon stayed sitting a while longer, watching the flames. Eventually, the weight of the day pulled him down beside Riven.
The forest hummed around them, the air thick and warm. Somewhere in the distance, far beyond the fire's reach, something shifted in the darkness.
Neither of them heard it.