Chapter 14 - The Voice in the Fog
The dense, unnatural fog pressed against the deck of the royal ship like a physical barrier. Sailors clutched their cutlasses, their breath pluming white in the sudden, bone-chilling cold that had replaced the ocean breeze.
"Hold your positions! Do not scatter!" Vane shouted, his hand resting firmly on the pommel of his sword.
From the heart of the mist, a voice echoed—not coming from any visible ship, but seeming to rise directly from the dark water itself. It was melodic, ancient, and chillingly familiar.
"You chase shadows, little captain," the voice mocked, slithering through the fog. "Aurelion thinks it has cleansed its house, but power abhors a vacuum. What was broken in the capital is being reforged in the deep."
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Vane spun around, trying to locate the source. "Show yourself! Who speaks for the black sails?"
A ripple disturbed the dark water beside the hull, and for a fleeting second, the silhouette of a hooded figure draped in silver silk shimmered beneath the surface before vanishing into the abyss. Vane’s breath hitched. He knew that silhouette too well. Selene had not just faded into exile; she had found a new, darker patron beneath the waves.
