The airship sliced through the clouds like a blade, its sails catching the warm currents that carried it across the endless sky. The Stormhawk was a marvel of engineering, its hull reinforced with steel and adorned with intricate carvings of winged beasts. The ship was fast, agile, and, as Kael had learned, infamous.
"We're trusting a sky pirate?" Kael asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he leaned against the ship's rail. The endless expanse of blue stretched out before him, dotted with floating islands.
"Captain Seris isn't just a pirate," Aelira replied, her tone sharp. She stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "She's a smuggler, a rogue, and one of the best navigators in the skies. We need her."
"And what does she get out of this?" Dren asked, his arms crossed as he approached. The knight didn't look convinced either.
"Seris has her reasons," Aelira said, but the way she avoided their gazes made it clear she wasn't telling them everything.
Kael sighed, glancing toward the ship's wheel where Captain Seris stood. She was a striking figure, her fiery red hair tied back in a loose braid, her coat a patchwork of rich fabrics and leather. A cutlass hung at her side, and a sly smile played on her lips as she barked orders to her crew.
"She doesn't seem like the trustworthy type," Kael muttered.
"She's not," Dren said flatly.
Seris caught them staring and strode over, her boots clicking against the deck. "You lot look like you're plotting something," she said, her tone teasing. "Not thinking of mutiny, are we?"
"Depends," Dren replied. "How much are you planning to double-cross us?"
Seris grinned, clearly enjoying the banter. "Relax, knight. If I wanted to rob you blind, I would've done it already. Besides, Aelira and I go way back. Don't we, love?"
Aelira's expression remained neutral. "We have an arrangement, Seris. Let's leave it at that."
"Always so serious," Seris said with a chuckle. She leaned against the rail, her sharp green eyes studying Kael. "And you—what's your story? Don't tell me you're the one carrying that little trinket everyone's so interested in."
Kael stiffened, instinctively clutching his satchel. "What if I am?"
"Then you're either very brave or very stupid," Seris said, her grin widening. "Probably both."
Before Kael could respond, a shout from the crow's nest interrupted them.
"Sky raiders!"
The crew sprang into action as a smaller, faster airship appeared on the horizon, its black sails emblazoned with a crimson skull. The raiders' ship was closing in fast, cannons gleaming in the sunlight.
"Battle stations!" Seris bellowed, her playful demeanor vanishing in an instant.
The Stormhawk lurched as the crew scrambled to arm themselves. Kael clung to the rail, his heart pounding. He had never been in an airship battle before, and the prospect was both thrilling and terrifying.
"Kael, stay out of the way," Aelira said, her staff glowing as she prepared to defend the ship.
"Not a chance," Kael replied, his grip tightening on his dagger.
Dren unsheathed his sword, moving to Seris's side. "What's the plan?"
Seris's eyes gleamed with determination. "We fight. These raiders won't take my ship without a hell of a fight."
The first cannonball whistled through the air, narrowly missing the Stormhawk. Seris shouted commands, and the ship's cannons roared in response, sending smoke and fire into the sky.
Kael ducked as a grappling hook latched onto the ship's railing, pulling the raiders' vessel closer. Moments later, the raiders boarded, their weapons gleaming. They were a rough-looking bunch, their faces painted with crude markings, their eyes wild with greed.
Kael found himself face-to-face with a raider wielding a spiked club. The man swung at him, but Kael dodged, his dagger slashing out in a desperate counterattack. The blade caught the raider's arm, and he howled in pain before retreating.
"Not bad, kid!" Dren shouted, cutting down another attacker.
Aelira unleashed a blast of energy that sent a group of raiders flying, her movements precise and controlled. Meanwhile, Seris fought like a whirlwind, her cutlass flashing as she dispatched raiders with ease.
Despite their efforts, the raiders' numbers were overwhelming, and the Stormhawk was taking damage.
"They're going for the cargo hold!" a crew member shouted.
Kael's blood ran cold. The shard.
Without thinking, he bolted below deck, weaving through the chaos. He reached the cargo hold just in time to see a raider prying open the crate where the shard was stored. The crystal's light spilled out, its power pulsing dangerously.
"Don't touch it!" Kael shouted, but the raider ignored him, reaching for the shard.
The moment the raider's fingers brushed the crystal, a surge of energy erupted, sending him flying across the room. Kael shielded his eyes from the blinding light, but when he opened them, the shard was floating in midair, its power unleashed.
The entire ship trembled as the shard's energy spiraled out of control. Kael felt its pull, the same wild force he had experienced in the Abyss. He reached out, his hand trembling, and grasped the shard.
The energy coursed through him, but this time he tried to focus, to channel it. Slowly, the light began to subside, the shard's power receding into its crystalline form.
When Kael looked up, the raiders had retreated, their ship disengaging and disappearing into the horizon.
He staggered back onto the deck, the shard clutched tightly in his hand. The crew cheered as Seris approached, her face a mixture of relief and curiosity.
"Looks like you're full of surprises, kid," she said.
Kael didn't reply, his mind still reeling from the experience. He handed the shard to Aelira, who examined it with a worried expression.
"You're getting stronger," she said quietly. "But the more you use the shard, the harder it will be to control."
Kael nodded, his resolve hardening. "I'll do what it takes."
Seris clapped him on the back. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. Now, let's get this ship fixed before those raiders come back for round two."
As the crew worked to repair the Stormhawk, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that the shard's power was a double-edged sword—and that each use brought him closer to something he didn't fully understand.