Charybdis Ship Novels & Stories

Behind us Owen lay on the ground, barely conscious from blood loss, staring at me with hatred. I didn’t spare him a single glance. Not long after we left, the Frostfang wolves launched their attack. Without a leader, Owen’s pack collapsed quickly. The Frostfang Alpha executed Owen before the gathered clans and absorbed the remnants of his pack. From that day forward, the wolf clans were finally united under one rule. Sebastian carried me back to the Royal Court. The palace physicians examined me carefully and confirmed that I had suffered no lasting harm. Only then did he finally relax. Our wedding took place as planned.

The war room in Blackwater Port was not a room of polished stone and ancient maps, but the Admiral's private cabin aboard his flagship, *The Sea Serpent*. The air was thick with the scent of tar, salt, and the faint, sweet smell of the rum Thorne poured into two heavy pewter mugs. The ship rocked gently at its moorings, a constant, reassuring reminder of the power that slept at their fingertips.

When the latch clicked back into place, I let out a long, quiet breath through my nose. Through the thick timber floorboards beneath my boots, I could feel the ship slowly shifting its course. The heavy oak hull groaned under the immense pressure as the helmsman worked the wheel above, guiding *The Obsidian Fang* deeper into the curving channel of the archipelago. The detour was dragging us further along the outer granite rocks, keeping us trapped in this slow, agonizing crawl across the dark water.

She had her arrow ready, this time her eyes search the water as if seeing through the blue veil. “Where did it go?” Ikedi asked. His sword rested on his hands now, blazing with the light of the falling sun. “There,” Ada pointed as the fin came back to the surface, in-between the two canoe. Chira let three arrows fly, but neither of them seemed to find their mark as they fell harmless on the surface of the water. It must have angered the shark, because its turbulent entourage, reverse and aimed for Chira again. “We need to help them,” Ada shouted.

​The Respiration didn't land so much as it anchored itself into the sea, its massive, barnacled hull groaning as it settled against the basalt pedestal of the spire. It was a Frankenstein of a ship—sections of sleek Sterling "White-Steel" welded to rusted industrial scavenge and draped in a hardy, vacuum-resistant strain of Whisper-Moss that glowed with a sickly, pale violet light.

But just as the celebration reached its peak, one of his men stumbled in, his face drained of color. "Don Calderone, the ship Donna Calderone and Mr. Niccolo were on has exploded! It blew up shortly after entering international waters. There were… no survivors."

He swam slowly back and hauled himself up the steps of the Challenger. ‘Alexis. We have bad news. I’m afraid. Stephan is on his way over in a powerboat. There has been an accident on one of your tankers,’ said a tired looking Captain Savidis as he met his employer, towel in hand. Alexis took the towel, drying himself briskly. ‘Yet another accident?’ He shook his head. ‘Do we know any of the details?’ ‘Not until Stephan arrives, which shouldn’t be too long. I believe there has been a fire,’ explained the captain.

Beatrice perched on the sofa opposite, leaning forward in anticipation. “Me an’ Agnes dug deep an’ uncovered a sorry tale, make no mistake,” Maud said quietly. “The ship was called The Raven. A galleon that sank off the coast of Ashby-on-Sea in 1588. Captain was a fella by the name of Jackson Crane. A God-fearin’ man, like many around them times. Maybe that explains why folk did what they did, but havin’ a reason don’t make everythin’ ye do in life right.” Beatrice frowned. “What do you mean?”

Seeking to remove herself from its immediate proximity, she quickened her pace once they had disembarked the vessel. The Captain and crew reluctant to accept defeat, she had been forced to create a sizable hole in the ship’s deck before they acquiesced to her demands. The vessel hobbled back like a wounded bear in the end, it still groaning discontentedly over its loss as it came into port. However, it was nothing compared to the grumbling that would occur later, once she was made to file the damage report in regard to the whole incident. Exhausted by the whole farce, Chiri wobbled slightly as she jostled past the people on the dock. Her legs still adjusting to shore and clothes wet from her

She was his mate, and instead of loving her, he banished her when she killed the love of his life...