POV Chapter
....
The drums thunder across the deck, calling us to readiness. I grip the railing of the Shvamha, a war galleon sailing near the mighty Vosha. My hands are slick with salt and sweat. The sea is rough today, the sky darker than it should be. But it isn't storm clouds. It's something else.
"Keep eyes on the horizon!" our sergeant shouts. "The enemy will show their face soon!"
I nod, swallowing dry spit. I am Suresh, a common sailor, and my duty is simple—man the ballista, reload when ordered, obey without question. Today, we guard the pride of our fleet: Vosha, a carrier so huge she blocked half the horizon. Her decks were crowded with towers, runes, cages of gryphons, wyverns, and thunderbirds. People said she could fight ten fleets alone. I felt safe just being near her.
Then the sky tears open.
A sound crashes down on us, louder than any thunder. It doesn't roll—it screams, a ripping howl that shakes the air.
"What is that?!" someone yells beside me.
