From Flames to Fury (Part 2)

Chapter 8: The Price of Blood

My heart leapt into my throat, but she didn't falter. Rhaenyra's movements were calculated, confident.

Impressive?

Sure.

But also terrifying.

I bit back the urge to scream at her, not wanting to break her concentration. My eyes followed her as she reached out, gripping my shoulder for balance, then sliding her hand down the war belt strapped across my chest, before gripping my calf as she lowered herself along the makeshift ladder attached to Cannibal's side.

When she finally stopped, hanging onto the ropes just beneath me, she looked up, her face a mixture of urgency and resolve.

"Tell him to take me to that ship!" she shouted, pointing towards the large Triarchy vessel where we had spotted Viserys.

I stared down at her, dumbfounded, my heart thudding in my chest. She couldn't be serious.

"What are you doing, Rhaenyra? What's the plan?" I demanded, though a sinking feeling already told me I wasn't going to like her answer.

Her eyes flickered to the ship, then back to me. Determination burned in her violet gaze, unshakable as ever.

"The plan is to get me on that ship," she said, her voice deadly serious.

For a moment, all I could do was blink at her. My brain struggled to keep up, to process what she was asking. But of course, Rhaenyra had no time for hesitation. Her son's life hung in the balance, and she was willing to do whatever it took. The world below us blurred into insignificance as I processed her words, the wind whipping around us as Cannibal soared through the air.

I glanced down at the massive Triarchy ship below, then back at her.

"Rhaenyra, that's suicide!"

"They have Viserys, Elizabeth!" she snapped, her desperation rising to the surface. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you—get me on that ship!"

My chest tightened, each breath coming harder as the gravity of what Rhaenyra was about to do settled over me like a storm. The logic didn't matter—none of this made sense—but logic had no place here. Not when a mother was fighting to save her child.

I swallowed, adrenaline roaring in my veins as I locked eyes with her, searching for any hint of hesitation in her violet gaze. There was none. I tore my eyes away, focusing on the massive black dragon beneath me, his muscles coiling with the promise of untamed power.

"Cannibal!" I shouted out to him in my mind. "Take us down to that large ship on the outskirts of the battle!"

His head snapped toward the direction I pointed, his dark eyes narrowing as they scanned the horizon. His growl rumbled through me, vibrating in the saddle. He was ready to obliterate anything in his path.

"Don't attack it!" I ordered quickly, before he could unleash his fury. "Rhaenyra's child is on that ship. She wants you to get her close enough to land on it."

Cannibal hesitated, his massive form twisting slightly in the air as if considering my words. His head turned back toward Rhaenyra, his sharp gaze locking onto her for a moment, and then, with a deep, rumbling growl, he seemed to approve.

The air around us went still, the world narrowing down to this one mission as Cannibal shifted, wings adjusting for a dive.  My stomach dropped as we tilted sharply downward, slicing through the sky with terrifying speed. The wind howled, ice-cold against my skin, biting at my face as we plunged toward the Triarchy ship below. Rhaenyra clung to the ropes, her eyes locked on the vessel, her hair whipping wildly in the wind. The ship was growing larger by the second, its dark sails rippling like ghosts in the chaos below, and the men on board scrambled like ants, oblivious to the doom hurtling toward them.