The Crabfeeder strikes
Before the morning mist had completely dissipated over the Stepstones, a series of urgent bell tolls echoed from the crimson rocks of Bloodstone Island.
That was the warning bell set up by Corlys, its rope tied to the highest gallows on Bloodstone Island, guarded in shifts by House Velaryon sailors. Now, the three short and one long chimes were the signal that "enemy ships are attacking."
Upon hearing the bell, Daemon abruptly sat up in his cabin on the Blackfyre, his Blackfyre almost instinctively gripping his hand.
The deck was a hive of activity. Rayford Rosby was busy directing the sailors to repair and reinforce the Dragonglass planks, while even Mys Rivers, carrying his the North Battle Axe, stood alongside Jarman Waters at the ship's railing, their brows furrowed as they gazed at the eastern sea.
The faint sound of sails rustling through the fog, mixed with the distinctive whooshing sound of Myr's rapid-fire crossbow, could be heard.
"It should be the main force of the Triarchy!" Corlys's voice came from the Sea Snake. He stood on the Watchtower, his brass telescope revealing a dense array of sails. "At least fifty! There are Myr's scuttleships, Lys's silk-sailed ships, and Tyrosh's iron patrol boats—the flagship leading them, with its crab claw flag on its mast, it must be Crahas Hal!"
"The Crabfeeder?" Daemon's heart sank. The supplementary intelligence clearly stated that this Myr, the naval commander of the Triarchy, had led the newly formed Triarchy Fleet to sweep across the Stepstones three years ago, tying pirates to the beach and drowning them, leaving the tide and crabs to devour their corpses, thus earning him this nickname.
In the original history, he was supposed to die at the hands of Daemon Targaryen's "Dark Sister" in 108 AC, but now he has appeared here nine years earlier, which means that the Triarchy was pushed to the limit and sent out their trump card.
Daemon Targaryen landed on the deck of the Blackfyre, riding on Caraxes, the crimson dragon's claws causing the Dragonglass plates to tremble slightly.
"The Crabfeeder? That bastard who chains people to the beach to feed the crabs?" He grinned, but his usual frivolousness was gone. The Dark Sister drew their swords, the blades gleaming coldly. "Perfect. I'll let Caraxes's flames roast all his crabs, and show him who the master of the Narrow Sea is."
Baelon rode Vhagar and quickly ascended into the air. The turquoise dragon spread its wings once more, obscuring half of the morning light.
"Left wing fleet, follow me!" His voice carried an undeniable authority. Vhagar's dragon breath struck in front of the Joint Fleet, the emerald flames boiling the seawater, the steam carrying the smell of sulfur forming a natural barrier. "Little Daemon, you lead the Glutton and Grey Ghost against Crahas's flagship; Big Daemon, Caraxes, intercept Lys's silk sailing ships, and don't let their poisoned arrows harm our sailors!"
"Understood!" both Daemon responded simultaneously, one voice revealing composure and the other sharpness, yet both equally resolute.
Daemon rode the Glutton down, the Black Dragon's wings skimming the sea surface, splashing waves onto the deck, mingling with sparks of Dragonfire, which condensed into small, sulfurous spots on the Dragonglass plates.
The Grey Ghost followed closely behind, and the small, light gray dragon nimbly circled in front of the Glutton, occasionally spewing out small bursts of dragon breath to probe the location of the enemy ship in the fog.
Soon, Crahas ' flagship came into view. It was a massive ironclad warship, even wider than the "Sea Snake," its hull covered in black iron. The deck was densely packed with over twenty Mil Myr crossbows and eight giant ballistae. The poisoned arrows in their quivers gleamed with a purplish-black light—the very "Tears of Lys" mentioned in the intelligence.
The "crab claw" flag on the ship's mast fluttered in the wind, its surface stained with dark red stains, it was hard to tell whether it was blood or seawater.
"Daemon Blackfyre!" Crahas's voice boomed from the flagship. He stood atop the ship's deck, clad in black iron armor crafted by Myr artisans, the armor etched with crab claw patterns. In his hand he gripped a scimitar inlaid with black gems. "I heard you and your cousin of the same name destroyed my Echo Bay ambush and burned down the pier on Grey Gallows? Today, I'll send you and your dragons to feed the crabs of the Narrow Sea!"
Daemon sneered, pointing his Blackfyre directly at him. "You mere Crabfeeder, you dare to talk about the Narrow Sea? Two years ago you were sweeping up pirates to collect tolls for yourself, now you're sending a fleet because you're afraid we'll cut off your source of income, aren't you?"
He deliberately brought up Crahas's greed, as revealed in the intelligence, and sure enough, the other man's expression darkened.
Crahas waved his hand, Myr fired his crossbow simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of poisoned arrows at the Glutton.
Daemon immediately sent the Black Dragon into the air. The three Black Dragon marks on his shoulders were slightly hot, and jet-black Dragonfire poured down, burning most of the arrows. The remaining poisoned arrows, burned by the flames, struck the dragon scales with a "sizzling" sound, but failed to penetrate them. For some reason, the Glutton's scales seemed to be harder than those of ordinary dragons.
"Grey Ghost, burn their winches!" Daemon ordered. The pale grey dragon immediately swooped down, its breath striking the crossbow's winch. The wooden winch instantly burst into flames, and the Myr craftsmen screamed and fled. Their olive skin appeared exceptionally pale in the firelight—most of these craftsmen were slaves, their hands still shackled, clearly forced there by Crahas.
Seeing this, Crahas roared in fury, drew his scimitar, and commanded his flagship to ram the Blackfyre: "Go and sink their ship! Let these bastards across the Narrow Sea know that the ironclad warships of our Triarchy are not made of paper!"
The crew of the "Blackfyre" immediately adjusted the rudder, and Rayford shouted for everyone to steady themselves. Rupert Crabb hurriedly led the men of Crab Claw Peninsula, holding up their specially made shields, ready to prepare for the boarding operation to ram the enemy ship.
But just then, Corlys's "Sea Snake" suddenly charged from the side, the silver ship's oak ram slamming into the stern of Crahas's flagship. The ship rocked violently, and Crahas lost his balance, nearly falling off the superstructure.
"Crabfeeder, your opponent is me!" Corlys's voice rang out as he stood at the bow of the "Sea Snake," a scimitar inlaid with iridescent mother-of-pearl. "Two years ago, you robbed my House Velaryon merchant ship, demanding three times the ransom and 'toll.' Today, I will reclaim it with interest!"
Crahas steadied himself and sneered, "Sea Snake? You think you can defeat me with just a silver ship? My Triarchy fleet can send you and your House Velaryon to the bottom of the sea!"
He waved his hand, and three Lys silk sailing ships immediately flanked the ship from both sides. The archers on board fired arrows coated with the deadly poison of "The Strangler," aiming directly at the Watchtower of the "Sea Snake."
"Caraxes, burn those silk sails!" Daemon Targaryen's voice suddenly rang out, and crimson Dragonfire burst forth from the mist, instantly setting the silk sails of the Lys ablaze. The ship lost power and spun in the waves.
Daemon Targaryen landed on the deck of a sailing ship on his mount, Caraxes. The Dark Sister drew their swords, and in a flash, two Lys noble archers fell to the ground, their platinum-blonde curls still stained with perfume, but their former elegance was gone.
"Big Daemon! Stop fighting!" Daemon shouted. "Crahas's flagship has Myr's repeating crossbows; we have to destroy them first!"
Big Daemon understood, and rode Caraxes towards Crahas ' flagship. Crimson Dragonfire blazed on the ship's iron deck, turning the black iron glowing red. Crahas's men jumped into the sea to escape, only to be scooped up by the House Velaryon sailors in fishing nets.
During a previous war meeting, Corlys had specifically warned that some of the prisoners might know about the Triarchy's future plans, and therefore they should not be killed indiscriminately.
Daemon charged down on his Glutton, drawing his Blackfyre. The black blade gleamed coldly in the morning light, and with a single strike, he cleaved the flagship's deck, sending splinters of wood and iron flying.
Crahas charged forward, brandishing his scimitar. The black gem-encrusted blade gleamed eerily in the firelight. His swordsmanship was Myr and elusive, each strike aimed directly at Daemon's vitals. He was clearly a seasoned veteran.
"You're even more troublesome than the intelligence reports suggested," Daemon thought to himself, but he dared not be careless in the slightest.
His swordsmanship contained the ruthlessness of his past life; each strike carried a do-or-die determination. When the blade of the Blackfyre clashed with Crahas's scimitar, sparks flew, and the shock made both of their arms go numb.
"You're even more troublesome than the intelligence said, you Targaryen brat!" Crahas retorted ruthlessly.
However, his opponent's martial arts skills were indeed quite good. Taking advantage of Daemon's body not yet being fully developed, he used flexible and cunning off-field tactics and techniques to constantly wear down Daemon's stamina.
Even with the Dragon Mark's blessing, after nearly a hundred rounds, the opponent's cunning attacks had already cut Daemon's arm, and blood dripped from the hilt of the Blackfyre onto the deck.
Seeing this, Crahas sneered, "You Targaryen' so-called dragonborn are nothing but this! Today I'll chain you to the beach of Bloodstone Island and let crabs devour your corpse, so everyone will know the consequences of rebelling against our Triarchy!"
Daemon didn't speak, but gripped the Blackfyre tighter, his eyes becoming even sharper.
He remembered Gael's words at the King's Landing docks, the expectation in her pale purple eyes, and the amulet embroidered with the Blackfyre and the Glutton in his arms.
He couldn't lose, and he couldn't die here. He had to go back alive and fulfill his promise of that ancient Old Valyria wedding.
Moreover, he is an invincible Black Dragon. In this life, besides the Blackfyre in his hand, he also has Black Dragon just like him!
The Glutton in the sky let out a deep dragon roar, and jet-black Dragonfire spewed down from above, burning Crahas's back.
Crahas hurriedly dodged, but Daemon seized the opportunity, and the Blackfyre pierced his shoulder blade. The black blade penetrated the black iron armor, and the blood that followed splattered on the deck.
Daemon slowly drew the Blackfyre from his opponent's shoulder blade, gently wiped it with his cloak, and replied, "Although I despise such unorthodox techniques that interfere with sacred duels, since you enjoy using them, I don't mind letting you experience it too!"
"Ah!" Crahas screamed and turned to run away, but was blocked by the Grey Ghost. The small, light gray dragon, though small in size, nimbly circled around to his feet and sprayed its breath on his boots, instantly scorching the leather black.
Daemon stepped forward, his Blackfyre pressed against Crahas's throat. "Crabfeeder, didn't you want me to feed the crabs? Now, it's your turn."
Crahas's face turned deathly pale, but he still stubbornly insisted, "I am the naval commander of the Triarchy. If you kill me, Lys..."
Myr and Tyrosh won't let you get away with this! They'll send even more fleets and turn the Stepstones into your graveyard!
"Then let them come." Daemon's voice was as cold as the Narrow Sea. "From this day forward, the Stepstones will no longer be your pirate lair, nor your tool for plundering. From now on Targaryen Dragonfire will guard this sea, and protect the safety of all Westeros."
Just as Daemon was about to order Crahas to be chained to the beach and subjected to the torture he had invented, a series of rapid bell tolls suddenly came from the western sea—
That was the warning bell on Grey Gallows. The bell tolled four times short and once long, signaling "enemy reinforcements."
Corlys's voice came through. "It's Tyrosh's fleet! At least thirty ships, and they're bringing mercenaries from the Disputed Lands!"
Daemon frowned, looking at Crahas, who revealed a smug smile, "See? This is just the beginning! Our Triarchy reinforcements will keep arriving, and you will be defeated sooner or later!"
Daemon ignored him and turned to Baelon, shouting, "Uncle Baelon, Tyrosh's fleet is here! We have to retreat!"
Baelon once again rode Vhagar into the air, the turquoise dragon circling above the Joint Fleet. After a calm analysis, he swiftly ordered, "Withdraw! Return to Bloodstone Island to rest and regroup. We'll counterattack once reinforcements arrive!"
The sailors of the Joint Fleet immediately adjusted the rudder and retreated towards Bloodstone Island.
Daemon had Crahas locked in a cell on the Blackfyre, resting with the Blackfyre planted on the deck, the dragon pattern on the hilt gleaming coldly in the morning light.
As he watched the Tyrosh fleet draw ever closer to the western horizon, he knew in his heart that the war surrounding the Stepstones had only just begun.
Crahas is only the first line of defense for the Triarchy; behind them are Lys's poison, Myr's crossbows, Tyrosh's mercenaries, and possibly even Dorne's support.
But he was not afraid. For he had the Glutton, the Grey Ghost, Daemon Targaryen and Caraxes, Baelon and Vhagar, the silver ships of Corlys and the House Velaryon, and the sailors and soldiers who were willing to follow him to guard the Narrow Sea.
More importantly, he now has a longing in his heart from a hundred years ago—Gary, the Gael of King's Landing's Landing, is still waiting for him, waiting for him to return and fulfill his promise of that ancient Old Valyria wedding.
The crimson cliffs of Bloodstone Island drew ever closer in the morning mist, while the sails of the Joint Fleet gradually disappeared into the waves of the Narrow Sea.
Behind them, Crahas ' flagship was still burning, and the bright flags of the Tyrosh fleet fluttered in the wind, foreshadowing an even greater Storm that was about to erupt in the waters of the Stepstones.