Chapter 17: The Blood and the Tide

The storm raged around them, waves clawing at the ship's hull as if the sea itself sought to drag them under. Eryndor stood at the helm, knuckles white on the wheel, his mind racing. The Voidblade hung at his side, an icy weight that seemed to pull at his very soul.

"Steady!" he shouted over the roar of the wind. "Keep the sails tight!"

Elys moved swiftly along the rigging, her silhouette a blur against the lightning-streaked sky. Orin knelt on the deck, his runestones spread before him, glowing with a faint, pulsing light. Lyra stood by his side, her hands weaving patterns in the air, magic arcing from her fingers to form a protective ward around the ship.

"The sea is pushing us east," Lyra called. "Something is guiding us!"

Eryndor's jaw tightened. "Let it. The specter said the sea would show us the way."

"But what if it's a trap?" Orin's voice was edged with fear. His runestones shifted, rearranging themselves into ominous patterns. "The void is hungry, Eryndor. It might want more than the blade."

Eryndor's gaze was unwavering. "Then we give it what it wants. On our terms."

The ship lurched as a massive wave crashed over the deck, dragging two crew members toward the rail. Elys moved quickly, her blade flashing as she cut a rope, tossing it to the men. They clung to it, gasping, the water streaming from their faces like tears.

"Hold on!" she shouted, pulling them back from the edge.

The sea around them shifted, the storm's fury giving way to an eerie calm. The clouds hung low, pressing down with a weight that made it hard to breathe. The water beneath them was black and still, a mirror reflecting only the ship and the void above.

Orin's runestones went dark. His hands trembled. "Magic doesn't work here."

Lyra's ward fizzled, the light draining from her palms. "We've crossed into another realm."

Eryndor felt the change, a tingling at the back of his neck. The Voidblade hummed at his side, its blue veins pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. He drew it, the blade's light cutting through the gloom.

"Be ready," he said, his voice low but clear. "We're not alone."

From the shadows of the water, figures began to rise. First one, then many—pale forms with hollow eyes, their skin translucent and webbed, hair flowing like seaweed. The drowned.

They moved without sound, their feet gliding over the water's surface, leaving no ripples. Their mouths opened, and a low hum filled the air, a song of loss and longing.

Elys drew her dagger, her stance ready. "What do they want?"

Lyra's voice was a whisper. "To be free."

The lead figure, a woman with strands of kelp woven into her hair, stepped forward. Her gaze fixed on Eryndor. "The blade calls to us," she said, her voice layered with echoes. "It holds the promise of release."

Eryndor raised the Voidblade. "How do I break the curse?"

The woman's eyes darkened, and the shadows around her deepened. "Blood. Only blood can sever the chains. The blood of the forger's line."

"Do you know where to find them?" Lyra asked, her magic stilling in her hands.

The woman reached out, her fingers trailing just above the water's surface. The sea rippled, an image forming—a fortress built into the cliffs, its spires sharp against a gray sky. Banners flapped in the wind, bearing the mark of a coiled serpent.

"The bloodline lies within the stronghold of House Thorne," she said. "A family bound by old pacts and hidden sins."

Orin's face paled. "House Thorne? They're powerful. Their lands are guarded by dark magic and steel."

Eryndor sheathed the blade, his expression resolute. "Then we cut through it. We've come this far—there's no turning back."

The woman's form began to dissolve, the other drowned following her into the depths. Her voice lingered, a whisper carried on the wind.

"Beware, captain. The serpent coils tight around its secrets. And the sea... the sea is always watching."

The ship shuddered, the mist lifting. The storm resumed, but the path ahead was clear. They turned the ship toward the cliffs, where House Thorne waited—where the final pieces of the puzzle lay hidden.

Elys stood by Eryndor's side, her voice steady. "Whatever we find there, we face it together."

He nodded, a rare softness in his gaze. "Together."

And as the ship carved its way through the dark waters, the Voidblade hummed, a melody of fate and the echo of crashing waves.