The war against the Ironclad Alliance was far from over, but Damien had secured Daggerport and driven back the enemy fleet—for now. The seas belonged to Winter's Crown again, but in the shadows, new threats were beginning to stir.
Two weeks had passed since the battle at the Isle of Teralis, and the kingdom's navy was now reinforcing the western coast. The enemy had suffered a devastating defeat, yet there was no sign of their leaders. The Ironclad Alliance had vanished into the open sea like ghosts.
But Damien knew they weren't gone.
They were hiding.
And that was more dangerous than an open battle.
The next war wouldn't be fought on the waves.
It would be fought in the shadows.
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The Black Falcon cut through the waves, heading toward Valerian waters under a flag of truce. Damien stood at the helm, his steel-gray eyes scanning the horizon.