Chapter 738: Dorran, The Shark Rider [1]
The pirate boy glared up at Nox, anger blazing in his eyes. He patted the giant shark’s head and shouted, "Get him!"
At his command, the monstrous shark lunged out of the water, propelling itself upward with a powerful thrash of its tail.
In a blink, the enormous beast hurtled toward Nox, its jaws open wide. Water cascaded off its slick hide as it surged improbably high into the air, aiming to swallow the winged intruder whole. For such a massive creature, it moved with terrifying speed.
Who said size affected speed? This definitely didn’t seem to be the case!
Nox beat his wings hard, shooting straight up to evade the initial snap of those deadly jaws.
The shark’s maw closed with a deafening clamp just a few feet below him, biting only air. He felt the shockwave of the bite—a rush of displaced air that ruffled his clothes.
’That was close.’ If he’d reacted a second later, he might have been caught between those teeth.
BOOM!
The shark splashed back down, its impact sending waves radiating outward. Without giving him a moment’s rest, it began to circle below, dorsal fin cutting through the water like a massive blade. On its back, the pirate leader never took his eyes off Nox.
The boy’s expression twisted into a cocky grin when he saw Nox dodge. Perhaps he thought the winged man was afraid to engage directly.
"Who in blazes are you?" the boy shouted from atop his monstrous mount. Despite the distance, his voice carried clearly.
There was a mix of fury and curiosity there. Clearly he hadn’t expected anyone to intervene in his raid—let alone someone capable of obliterating his fleet in an instant.
Nox hovered, slowly descending closer to the water while keeping a safe height above the shark’s reach. His dark eyes locked onto the boy.
"You don’t need to know my name," he replied coldly. "Your days of terrorizing these waters are over. Surrender now, and I might let you live."
The boy let out a boisterous laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Up close, Nox could see he couldn’t have been older than himself—or perhaps even younger—yet the hard life of a pirate had already left scars across his face.
"Let me live?" he said incredulously, as if the concept was foreign. He spread his arms dramatically, nearly losing balance. "Do you know who I am, you winged freak? I’m Doran, the Shark Rider! These seas are mine!"
Nox felt a flicker of annoyance at being called a freak but kept his composure. The name "Shark Rider" was unfamiliar, but the arrogance was typical of pirate captains, even young ones.
"I don’t care if you’re the sea god himself," he replied bluntly. "You’re preying on my kingdom’s allies. That ends now."
Doran smirked. "Big words for someone hiding in the clouds! Let’s see you say that down here!"
He snapped his fingers and made a clicking sound with his tongue. The giant shark responded instantly. With a swift flick of its tail, it shot forward, racing across the bay’s surface.
Nox watched the beast cut through the water toward the merchant ship. It took him a split second to realize what the pirate was planning—Doran was directing the shark not at him, but toward the vessel and its crew.
The enormous predator barreled toward the already damaged ship, jaws open to crush it—or anyone on board. Terrified screams arose from the crew who saw death rushing at them in the form of this sea monster.
Nox’s heart sank. If the shark hit, it would obliterate the ship and everyone on it. With a strong flap of his wings, he dived, racing the beast. He had to stop it now.
He thrust out his hand and cast a spear of crackling deep purple flame.
FWOOOOOM!
The spear streaked through the air and struck the giant shark in the side just as it was about to ram the ship. Boom! The purple flame erupted on its hide, burning deep into flesh. The creature veered off course with an ear-splitting screech of pain. Instead of smashing the merchant ship in half, it crashed into the water just a few yards away, sending a massive wave washing over the deck.
The vessel rocked violently, nearly capsizing, but held together. Nox had managed to divert the worst of the impact. Soaked and trembling, the crew and hostages were still alive.
Enraged at the injury to his beast, Doran let out a furious shout. "You bastard!"
With surprising agility, he leapt off the shark’s back and landed on the deck. Water swirled around his boots as the wave subsided. The teenage pirate now stood before the cowering crew and captured merchants. Several rough-looking pirates—those who had boarded earlier—rallied to him, dragging frightened hostages, sailors, and passengers to the center of the deck at knife-point.
Nox hovered above, evaluating. The giant shark still thrashed in the water nearby, injured but not dead. It roared in frustration, making the hull shudder. On the deck, Doran and half a dozen pirates formed a desperate last stand, using the hostages as shields. The young captain pressed the blade of his cutlass against the throat of an older man who looked like the ship’s captain.
"Stay back!" Doran shouted up, eyes wild. His earlier bravado was edged with panic now. He’d seen how easily Nox destroyed his fleet and hurt his beast.
"Come any closer and I’ll kill him! We’ll kill all of them!" One of his men, a burly pirate with a bleeding forehead, snarled agreement and tightened his grip on a trembling merchant woman.
Nox halted in mid-air, his expression calm as always.
For a moment, the only sounds were the lap of waves and the crackle of flames on what remained of a pirate ship nearby. His wings kept him aloft just above the merchant vessel.
Doran bared his teeth in a grin that was equal parts fear and triumph, mistaking hesitation for weakness.
"That’s right," he said, pressing his sword harder against the old captain’s neck. A thin line of blood appeared where the blade bit into skin. "You think you’re strong? All it takes is one swing, and I’ll send this man’s head flying. How ’strong’ will you feel then, huh?"
With a calm expression, Nox’s lips slowly parted.
"I have a question for you," he said. "And I need you to be honest with me."
Doran’s expression faltered. He looked at Nox with a flicker of curiosity. "What question?"
"Are you a beast tamer?"