Far from the Aegis Palace, across the restless seas, the black-flagged galleons of the Surienste fleet swayed like predators at rest. In the captain's quarters, the air was thick with salt, smoke, and menace.
A messenger knelt before the pirate captain—a scarred man whose reputation alone could silence harbors. His name was Blackhawk, Captain of the Surienste and the most feared name on the Eastern Sea.
The messenger's voice shook. "Baron Gabor has been taken. Imprisoned by order of the Norse brothers. They say he was dragged to the dungeons like a common criminal."
For a moment, silence hung over the chamber. Then Blackhawk laughed. A low, guttural sound that sent shivers through the crew listening outside.
"Fools," he spat, slamming his cup of rum onto the map-strewn table. "Do they think their kingdoms thrive on their crowns? Their salt runs because of him. Their sea lanes are safe because of us."
