Chapter 20: The Wolf at the Door

The Hollowfang moved like a shadow across the sky too fast, too smooth a predator circling its prey.

Its hull, black as obsidian, seemed to absorb the faint moonlight, the veins of blue magic along its frame pulsing in a slow, hungry rhythm. Each flicker of light sent a ripple through its metal sails, as if the ship itself was alive or something worse.

And at its bow, the hooded figure stood motionless, a silent command in the way the runes along the ship's hull flared brighter.

The wolf was at the door.

And Alistair Von Wolfenstein was running out of time.

"Hold steady!"

Alistair's voice thundered across the deck, but the Stormrider's crew already knew this wasn't a fight they could win with speed alone.

The Hollowfang wasn't just a ship.

It was something else.

Seraphina Blackthorn stood at Alistair's left, her twin daggers already in hand, the bloodied gash at her side ignored. Her dark hair clung to her skin, but the fire in her gaze burned hotter than any storm. "That ship's not moving like it should."

Isolde Greaves was at his right, her rapier gleaming under the faint light, her jaw tight. "It's not moving it's hunting."

The air between the three of them crackled not just with danger, but with the unspoken heat that still hung from the night before.

Because even as the Hollowfang loomed closer…

Even as death circled the Stormrider…

The fire still burned between them.

Too hot.

Too raw.

Too dangerous.

And none of them dared speak of it.

Not yet.

The Attack.

Without warning, a beam of blue energy shot from the Hollowfang's hull not like a cannonball, but a jagged arc of magic.

It struck the Stormrider's mast with a sickening crack, sending a pulse through the ship's frame. The sails trembled, and a shudder rippled through the deck as smoke curled into the air.

Alistair's heart lurched. "They're not aiming to kill they're aiming to cripple."

Seraphina cursed. "They want the ship intact."

Isolde's grip on her rapier tightened. "And us dead."

The Hollowfang drew closer silent, merciless.

And then

A voice.

Low. Cold. Inhuman.

"Surrender the map."

It echoed through the sky, but there was no visible speaker. Just the hooded figure at the Hollowfang's bow unmoving, yet undeniably the source.

Alistair's jaw clenched. "Not a chance."

Another blast of blue energy.

The deck shook, and a beam splintered beside Seraphina close enough that Alistair felt the heat of the magic against his face.

"Saints above," Alistair growled. "They're going to tear us apart piece by piece."

Seraphina stepped closer, her voice low. "We can't outgun them but we can outthink them."

Isolde, standing just a little too close, murmured, "For once, I agree with her."

The way they flanked him Seraphina on one side, Isolde on the other felt more dangerous than the ship trying to kill them.

Because the storm between them hadn't gone away.

It had just sharpened.

And Alistair wasn't sure which would kill him first the Hollowfang's magic…

Or the two women burning at his side.

The Plan.

Alistair forced his mind back to the present back to survival. "We need to get under their cannons close the distance before they tear us apart."

Seraphina's smirk was all teeth. "You want to board a cursed ship?"

Alistair's grin matched hers. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Isolde didn't smile. "And if they want us close enough to board?"

"Then we give them what they want," Alistair said, his voice a low growl. "But on our terms."

Rogan's voice crackled from the speaking tube. "Engines at full, Cap'n but she won't hold for long."

Alistair's grip tightened on the wheel. "She won't have to."

The Stormrider surged forward a reckless move closing the gap between them and the Hollowfang.

If the wolf was at the door…

They were about to kick it open.

The Tension Amid the Chaos.

As the Stormrider cut through the sky, Seraphina leaned in too close her lips a whisper against Alistair's ear.

"If we die tonight," she murmured, "I hope you regret not picking a side."

His pulse thundered. "Seraphina"

But before he could finish, Isolde's voice sliced through the space between them.

"I thought we agreed," Isolde said softly, though her words were a blade, "he doesn't get to have both."

Seraphina's smile sharpened. "Not for lack of trying."

Alistair's jaw clenched. "For the love of the gods, can we focus on the ship currently trying to kill us?"

Seraphina didn't move away.

Isolde didn't blink.

And Alistair caught between fire and ice realized this battle wasn't just with the Hollowfang.

It was with them.

With the heat still burning between all three of them.

And if they survived the night…

That storm was only going to get worse.

The Collision.

The Stormrider closed the distance too fast, too reckless and the Hollowfang's runes flared even brighter in response.

The hooded figure at the enemy ship's bow raised their hand again the blue magic crackling at their fingertips.

"Brace!" Alistair roared.

And then

The two ships collided.

Wood splintered.

Magic howled.

And the battle truly began.