Even if they’d thought the way their ship sat dead in the water, becalmed was just a strange quirk of the weather, surely now they had to see they were no match for The Morrigan. They certainly wouldn’t outrun her with damaged sails.

But instead of lifting a white a flag of surrender, an orange flare rose from the Veritas’s deck.

Blue eyes on the bright spark of light, Aedan’s straw-blond eyebrows lowered. “What the—”

Then as the Veritas pitched, angling upwards, light flashed along its hull, followed by smoke and the thunder of cannon.

Vice’s eyes widened, and her fingers splayed as she reached her awareness back into the waves. Bracing against the foremast, she turned The Morrigan as swiftly as she dared. The ship groaned alarmingly, and she eased off a touch. Each foot of movement strained against her muscles and nibbled at her strength.

Shouts and oaths rose as the crew stumbled with the sudden movement. Crewmates had to catch each other. Some fell, skinning their knees on the deck.

But they presented a smaller target to the Veritas, so when the chain shot whistled overhead, it only tore holes in two sails and missed their masts entirely.

Vice huffed out a breath, muscles sagging after the exertion.

“You’ll tear the bloody ship apart,” Perry shouted, eyes wide as she pushed herself up from the rail several feet away.

Frowning, Vice shook her head. “I’d never!” She wasn’t stupid. Perry knew that.

“Perry,” FitzRoy bellowed from aft, clinging to the mainmast shrouds to stay upright from Vice’s mad spin of the ship, “I thought you said eight guns.” His brows were fixed in a fierce line, low over his dark eyes. “I make sixteen.”

Bollocks.

“Sorry, Captain,” Perry said, expression contrite and drawn as she lowered her gaze, “my mistake.”

It was only once he’d looked away that she shot Vice a look, brows contracting, head angling in query.

Wincing, Vice lifted her hands and mouthed sorry. She must have missed some of their ports in her hurry. But she’d stopped most of them hitting, so no harm done.

“Wild Hunt damn it,” FitzRoy bellowed, “slow us down.”

They were hurtling right at the Veritas, far too fast to just butt into her to board. At this speed, they’d damage both ships.

Bugger. Vice gritted her teeth and yanked on the current and stilled the wind. The Morrigan’s sails fell slack at once. Sweat broke on her brow as she fought to slow them enough to just knock the Veritas ready for boarding.

With much swearing, the crew again had to brace against her rough treatment of the ship.

“Bloody hells, Vice,” Aedan grunted as he grabbed the foremast. The tattoos across his knuckles read HOLD. His other arm looped around her, keeping her tight to his muscular body, so she didn’t fall.