Chapter 236

Chapter 236: Chapter 236

Dron didn’t like the look of the ship.

He’d spent enough time traveling between the different regions of Ustea to recognize most vessels, even from a distance. Thraqen ships were built for speed and military transport. The vessels used by the people of Skoq were generally smaller and designed to navigate the shallow waters around their settlements.

This one was neither.

It sat low in the water, its hull wider than anything he’d seen before. The sails were a dark reddish color, and there appeared to be several long poles extending from its sides.

Dron narrowed his eyes.

"How long has it been following us?"

Kraznek stood beside him.

"We noticed it a short while ago."

"Noticed it?"

"It appeared on the horizon. At first, we thought it was another vessel traveling in the same direction."

"And now?"

Kraznek glanced toward the ship.

"Now I’m not so sure."

Dron studied the distance between them.

The vessel was still far enough away that he couldn’t identify the figures moving across its deck, but he could tell that it was traveling faster than their fleet.

That bothered him.

Their ships were carrying too many people, too many supplies, and several passengers who were still recovering from illness. They weren’t in any condition to outrun an enemy.

"Have the other ships seen it?"

"Yes."

"Tell them to maintain formation. No one changes course without my order."

Kraznek nodded and turned toward one of the soldiers.

Dron remained near the railing.

He’d hoped the remainder of the journey would be uneventful. They needed time to recover from the measles outbreak, time for Gushex to heal, and time for the people aboard the ships to settle down after everything that had happened.

Apparently, the Moon Goddess had other plans.

"Do you think it’s the High Royals?"

Dron turned.

Tempest was standing a few steps behind him, her hair blowing across her face in the ocean breeze. The bruise on her cheek had darkened considerably since the fight, and Dron felt his jaw tighten when he saw it.

He forced himself to look away.

"I don’t know."

"Could they have found us already?"

"It’s possible."

Tempest moved closer to the railing.

"That doesn’t look like the ships we left Thraqe on."

"No. It doesn’t."

She studied the vessel for a moment.

"Maybe they’re just passing through."

Dron didn’t answer.

He didn’t believe that for a second.

The vessel had adjusted its course twice since he’d started watching it. Each time, it had moved in the same direction as their fleet.

Someone was following them.

The question was why.

"Kraznek!"

The alpha hurried back.

"Yes?"

"Get someone who knows these waters. Anyone who has traveled this far from Skoq."

Kraznek frowned.

"There aren’t many."

"Then find one of the few."

Dron turned back toward the ocean.

He knew there were regions of Ustea that even the most experienced travelers avoided. The seas surrounding the three major islands weren’t all equally safe. Thraqe controlled the waters closest to its shores, while Skoq was protected by its isolation and the difficult routes surrounding it.

Then there was Uspanx.

Dron had heard stories about the third island his entire life.

Savages.

That was what everyone called its inhabitants.

They were supposedly violent, territorial creatures who attacked anyone foolish enough to approach their shores. Some stories claimed they ate their enemies. Others said they decorated their settlements with the bones of those they’d killed.

Dron had never known how much of it was true.

He’d never met anyone who’d actually traveled to Uspanx and returned with a reliable account.

That was probably why the stories had become so elaborate.

Still, there was one thing everyone seemed to agree on.

You didn’t go near Uspanx.

Dron looked toward the horizon again.

"How far are we from the third island?" he asked.

Tempest turned toward him.

"What third island?"

"Uspanx."

Her eyebrows rose.

"There’s another island?"

"Yes."

"And we’re just now talking about it?"

Dron glanced at her.

"It wasn’t part of our journey."

"Apparently, it might be now."

He couldn’t argue with that.

Kraznek returned with an older beta who’d been helping navigate one of the other ships. The male looked nervous as he approached, repeatedly glancing toward the distant vessel.

"You’ve traveled these waters?" Dron asked.

"Some of them."

"How close are we to Uspanx?"

The beta hesitated.

"Closer than I would like."

Dron’s stomach tightened.

"Explain."

"We changed course several days ago to avoid the rougher currents. It was supposed to save us time, but the winds pushed us farther west than expected."

"How far west?"

The beta looked toward the horizon.

"Far enough that we may have passed within sight of Uspanx."

Tempest frowned.

"Within sight?"

"The island has high cliffs along parts of its coastline. On a clear day, someone watching from those cliffs could see ships passing through the outer waters."

Dron turned toward the strange vessel.

"And you didn’t think to mention that?"

"I didn’t believe we were close enough to be in danger."

"Apparently, you were wrong."

The beta lowered his head.

Dron wanted to be angry, but there wasn’t any point. They’d been dealing with an illness that had nearly killed several passengers. Their attention had been divided, and they’d been forced to make decisions with limited information.

He couldn’t change the course they’d already traveled.

He could only deal with what was coming.

"Do you recognize that ship?"

The beta squinted toward the horizon.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his expression changed.

"I’ve never seen one myself."

"That wasn’t my question."

"The stories describe vessels with dark sails. Wide hulls. Long outriggers extending from the sides."

Dron looked toward the poles he’d noticed earlier.

Outriggers.

That explained the unusual shape.

"Uspanx?" Kraznek asked.

The beta nodded slowly.

"I believe so."

Tempest stared at the distant vessel.

"So you’re telling me we’ve accidentally sailed close enough to an island full of people nobody knows anything about, and now one of their ships is following us?"

"That appears to be the situation," Dron replied.

"Wonderful."

Dron almost smiled.

Almost.

"Tell me what you know about them," he ordered the beta.

The male shifted uncomfortably.

"Only what I’ve heard."

"Then tell me what you’ve heard."

"They don’t welcome outsiders. Their people are said to live in tribes that constantly fight among themselves. They attack ships that come too close to their shores, and they don’t take prisoners."

Tempest folded her arms.

"Who told you that?"

The beta blinked.

"What?"

"Who told you they don’t take prisoners?"

"Everyone knows..."

"That’s not what I asked."

The beta looked confused.

Dron understood what Tempest was getting at.

They’d heard plenty of stories about the people of Skoq before coming there. Most had been exaggerated, and some had been outright lies spread by the High Royals to keep people from questioning what existed beyond Thraqe.

There was no reason to assume the stories about Uspanx were any different.

Unfortunately, there was also no reason to assume they were false.

"Whether they’re savages or not doesn’t matter right now," Dron said. "What matters is that they’re following us."

Tempest looked toward him.

"So what do we do?"

"We prepare."

Dron turned to Kraznek.

"Have the soldiers check every weapon we have. I want the passengers who are still recovering moved below deck. Keep the humans away from the railings until we know what we’re dealing with."

Kraznek nodded.

"And the other ships?"

"Tell them to stay close. If that vessel approaches, I want all four ships prepared to defend themselves."

Tempest’s expression tightened.

"You’re assuming they’re going to attack."

"I’m assuming that a vessel following us from an island known for attacking outsiders isn’t coming to offer us refreshments."

She didn’t smile.

Dron sighed.

"Tempest, I’m not ordering anyone to attack them. I’m preparing in case they attack us."

"Okay."

He studied her face.

There was something different about the way she was looking at him.

He’d noticed it since the fight with Gushex. She wasn’t pulling away from him, exactly, but she seemed to be thinking about everything he said before responding.

He didn’t like it.

"Is something wrong?"

Tempest shook her head.

"Other than the possibility of being attacked by people we’ve never met?"

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know."

She looked away.

Dron wanted to press her, but Kraznek returned before he could.

"The soldiers are preparing."

"Good."

"There’s something else."

Dron turned.

"What?"

"The vessel has changed course again."

Dron looked toward the horizon.

The strange ship was no longer traveling parallel to them.

It was moving directly toward the fleet.

Dron felt the familiar tightening in his chest that always came before a fight.

"How long until they reach us?"

"Hard to say. They’re moving faster than we are."

Dron studied the ship.

He could make out more details now. The dark sails were marked with pale symbols, and the hull appeared to be reinforced with thick wooden beams. Several figures were moving along the deck.

One of them climbed onto a raised platform near the front.

Dron narrowed his eyes.

"What is he doing?"

Kraznek stepped closer.

The figure lifted something long above his head.

A horn.

A deep, unfamiliar sound rolled across the water.

It was followed by another.

Then another.

Tempest moved closer to Dron.

"Please tell me that’s some kind of greeting."

Dron watched as several figures appeared along the sides of the vessel.

They were carrying weapons.

Long spears.

Bows.

And something else he couldn’t identify.

"No," Dron said quietly.

The horn sounded again.

This time, the figures aboard the strange vessel began shouting.

Dron couldn’t understand a single word.

But he understood the way they raised their weapons.

"Kraznek."

"Yes?"

"Get everyone ready."

The alpha nodded and hurried away.

Tempest looked at Dron.

"What are they doing?"

Dron watched the vessel turn, positioning itself at an angle that would allow it to approach the nearest ship without colliding head-on.

"They’re preparing to board us."

Tempest’s eyes widened.

"Board us?"

"Yes."

Dron reached for the weapon at his side.

"Get below deck."

She immediately frowned.

"Dron..."

"Tempest, please."

Something in his voice made her stop.

He wasn’t ordering her because he believed she was weak.

He was asking because he knew what was coming.

Tempest glanced toward the approaching vessel.

Then she looked back at him.

"Don’t lose yourself again."

Dron’s chest tightened.

He understood what she meant.

He nodded once.

"I won’t."

Tempest hesitated before turning toward the stairs.

Dron watched her go, then faced the approaching vessel.

The Uspanx ship was close enough now that he could see the figures standing along its railing.

Their bodies were painted in dark patterns, and many wore strange coverings made from what appeared to be animal hides. Some had elaborate ornaments hanging from their shoulders and necks.

Dron had never seen anything like them.

One of the figures lifted a spear and pointed it directly toward Dron’s ship.

The others began shouting.

Then the first arrow struck the deck beside him.

Dron looked down at it.

The shaft was dark, with a jagged point unlike anything he’d seen before.

He slowly lifted his head.

The Uspanx had made their intentions clear.

They weren’t following the fleet anymore.

They were attacking it.