An Arrow Through the Chest

Everyone who witnessed it froze for a split second.

On the sterncastle of the Widow Queen, Mara stiffened, her curved sword still raised high.

The cruel, feral smile on her face froze instantly.

She lowered her head in disbelief and looked at the center of her full, muscular chest.

A hole the size of a bowl had appeared where her heart had been, its edges still glowing with embers and its torn flesh giving off the scorched scent of roasting meat.

Her expression froze in utter shock and incomprehension. The last glimmer in her eyes went out like a candle in the wind, and her curved sword clattered onto the deck with a crisp, despairing echo.

The next moment, her body, robbed of its vital support, collapsed softly and silently onto the cold deck like a skin stripped of every bone and sinew, surrendering to the flames that burned ever brighter across her flesh.

The entire battlefield seemed to fall silent.

"L-Lady Mara?" The voice of the nearest Weeping Reef Island captain shook uncontrollably.

"The S-Salt Widow... is dead?"

Another pirate stared at the strange, burning hole in Mara's chest, terrified out of his wits.

"It was that new leader from Torturer's Deep! He killed Mara with Fire Witchcraft!"

Terrified screams erupted like a plague, sweeping through every ship from Weeping Reef Island.

The instantaneous destruction of their commander in such a bizarre, irresistible fashion shattered the very foundation of the Weeping Reef Island pirates' resolve.

The ferocity and cruelty that held them together crumbled before overwhelming power and fear of the unknown.

Their surging assault collapsed in an instant, and the pirates of Weeping Reef Island descended into panic and chaos.

Some ships turned straight around, others collided, and some crews even slaughtered one another over escape routes.

The entire Weeping Reef Island fleet became a seething swarm of panicked ants.

"All forces, counterattack! Crush them!"

Liu Qian seized this priceless opening and roared the order.

His voice thundered across the battlefield, instantly igniting the pent-up fury in the hearts of the warriors of Torturer's Deep.

Deafening roars erupted from the warships. The rowers summoned their last reserves of strength, and the vessels slammed into the disordered enemy ships like beasts breaking free of their chains.

Arrows and stones rained down in a storm of vengeance.

The troops on the beach charged like tigers released from their cages, their battle cries shaking the air as they pursued the fleeing pirates of Weeping Reef Island, driving them into the sea or cutting them down on the bloodstained sand.

The tide of battle turned in an instant.

The Weeping Reef Island fleet collapsed completely, breaking into countless terrified fragments that scrambled to escape these cursed waters.

By the time the last ship flying Weeping Reef Island's flag vanished in panic beyond the distant horizon, the shipyard beach and the nearby waters had become a slaughterhouse.

Thick blood stained the sea a dark red, and countless severed limbs and shattered planks floated on its surface.

The air hung heavy with the stench of blood, scorched flesh, and death.

Liu Qian did not pause to rest. He did not even glance at the killing field he had created.

He immediately assembled his troops, who had suffered heavy casualties but remained high in spirits, and had all the captured shipwrights and pirates from Cleftjaw Island and Weeping Reef Island locked belowdecks.

Then he ordered Jorah to tally the ships captured in the battle.

The central area of the shipyard was now under their control.

Several oared ships, damaged to varying degrees, lay in the docks or stranded on the beach.

Large quantities of oak and ironwood planks, barrels of tung oil and fish glue, bundles of rope, bronze nails, and iron fittings were piled in untouched corners and warehouses. These were all vital resources for rebuilding and expanding the fleet.

Just then, a swift oared ship cut through the thin mist from the direction of the main harbor.

One of Rollo's officers stood aboard, his face a mixture of excitement and alarm. Before the vessel had come to a stop, he climbed onto the Crab's Nest.

"My lord, something's gone badly wrong at the main harbor," the officer gasped.

Liu Qian frowned slightly.

He had ordered Rollo to harass the harbor's outskirts with feigned attacks and retreat if Kago's men sallied out. Nothing should have gone wrong if he had followed the plan.

"Explain. What happened to Rollo?"

"My lord, nothing has happened to Lord Rollo."

The officer hurried to explain, swallowing hard. "It's Cleftjaw Island's own men. They've fallen into complete chaos. At first, when they saw our fleet approaching the main harbor, their alarm bells rang loud enough to shake the sky. The walls were packed with men, and they wheeled out their ballistae. They looked ready to face a great enemy and fight to the last. Lord Rollo ordered us to follow the plan, waving flags and shouting at the edge of their range, beating drums and hurling insults to make it look as though we were about to launch a full assault."

The officer paused, an incredulous expression crossing his face. "But then, about an hour later, a fire suddenly broke out inside the fort. It was huge, with black smoke billowing everywhere. Stranger still, the Cleftjaw Island pirates on the walls, who'd had their bows drawn and arrows ready, threw down their weapons the moment they saw the fire. They broke ranks and ran back inside the fort, screaming their heads off. There was no one left defending the walls.

"Lord Rollo thought it was too suspicious to act rashly, so he sent me here at once to ask whether we should enter the main harbor and investigate. The harbor is wide open now, and it's deathly silent inside."

Liu Qian's gaze sharpened abruptly.

Infighting? Or a trap?

Liu Qian shook his head. He was not at the main harbor and had not seen the situation for himself, so it was too early to judge.

"Tell Rollo to keep a close watch on the harbor. He is not to land without orders. We'll head to the main harbor immediately."

Liu Qian's voice was firm and decisive. "Order the fleet to abandon clearing the shipyard wreckage. Weigh anchor at once and sail for Cleftjaw Island's main harbor."

Cleftjaw Island was a huge island stretching narrowly from north to south. Its main harbor lay in a naturally sheltered bay at its southernmost tip.

Immediately north of the harbor stood a low but steep limestone hill. A small stream rose there and wound its way into the bay.

Cleftjaw Fort, the seat of Kago's rule, was built against this hill.

Rather than a fortress, it was more accurately a sizable stone stronghold.

A low wall built of rough limestone blocks, only six or seven feet high, followed the contours of the hillside and enclosed a fairly modest area.

Inside stood the pirates' main living quarters, their warehouses, and Kago's tower.

The fort itself had little depth. Its defensive strength lay in its hillside position.

To attack the main body of the fort, an enemy had to advance up a steep slope, exposed

to the defenders' bows, crossbows, and thrown weapons.

At the southern foot of the hill below the fort lay Cleftjaw Island's main harbor, where the remainder of Kago's main fleet was moored.

When Liu Qian's main fleet appeared outside Cleftjaw Island's main harbor, Rollo's fleet immediately drew alongside.

Rollo nimbly climbed aboard the Crab's Nest. Without wasting time on greetings, he pointed toward the nearby harbor and spoke urgently to Liu Qian:

"Look, my lord. There isn't a single living soul in the harbor now. All of Kago's men ran back into the fort after the fire broke out."

Liu Qian looked closely.

Ships of all sizes rocked gently with the waves inside the harbor. Ropes slapped against their hulls with hollow smacks.

There were no guards, no sailors, not even anyone rowing a little skiff.

The docks were deserted, littered with weapons, helmets, and other belongings abandoned in the panic.

Cleftjaw Fort, built against the hillside, presented a very different sight. Several dense columns of black smoke billowed from within its low walls, rising straight into the sky, which had yet to grow fully light. Even from a distance, the scorched smell of burning wood drifted to them on the wind.

Flags hung crooked and limp along the fort's walls, which were likewise deserted. Only black smoke continued pouring from behind them.

From inside the fort came faint sounds of chaotic shouting and clashing metal, but the hill and the distance muffled them too much to make out clearly.

An air of tangled chaos hung over the entire main harbor.