The night was calm, with only the rhythmic crashing of waves against Jo Isnd’s inplete port disturbing the eerie silence. Above, the sky stretched wide and endless, adorned with thousands of twinkling stars, their refles shimmering on the o’s surface. A humid breeze carried the st of salt and damp wood as five imposing ships emerged from the darkness, their silhouettes growing rger as they steadily approached the isnd.

  High on the half-finished walls of the port, Hughes peered through his spygss, his grip tightening as the unmistakable forms of enemy vessels came into view. He swallowed hard, the weight of responsibility pressing heavily upon him.

  "Get them set! We don’t have much time!" he barked, his voice sharp and anding.

  The knights and workers stationed along the wall moved with renewed urgency, adjusting the meisms they had beeing up. The air was thick with tension, the sound of hurried footsteps and g metal filling the night. Hughes lowered his spygss, shifting his gaze behind him toward the small wooden ptform erected nearby.

  Standing upon it, illuminated by the flickering torchlight, was Ravenna. Her deep dark eyes were sharp and unwavering as she gazed toward the o, her posture regal yet tehe long coat draped over her dress fluttered slightly in the cool night breeze. She could see the approag ships, their dark forms slig through the waves like predators closing in on their prey.

  "This better work," Ravenna muttered under her breath, gripping the dagger in her hand for safety tightly.

  Eastern Beach, Jo Isnd

  The sand along the eastern shore shifted and swirled with the wind, carried over the duhat stretched toward the dense palm groves beyond. The moonlight bathed the area in a pale glow, casting long shadows over the trenches and defeructures hastily built by John’s squad.

  Knights bored tirelessly, reinf the makeshift defenses with sharpeakes, while others loaded the ballistas, their springs creaking uension as they were aimed toward the sea.

  John adjusted his spygss and focused on the horizon. A sharp breath escaped him as he spotted four enemy ships, their sails catg the moonlight as they crept closer.

  "They’re spreading out their fleet," he muttered, l the spygss. "Just as expected, they're strategically dividing their forces to strike the city from all sides."

  He turo his men, his voice steady yet firm. "Stay sharp. They’ll try to force their way through the path to the castle. We ’t let them breach the city."

  Aboard the Easter

  Onboard the lead ship, Lana, with fiery auburn hair, leaned against the rail, watg as Jo Isnd came into view. The moonlight cast a silver glow over the dark waters, revealing the looming coastline in the distance.

  She turathered crew, their faces lit with anticipation.

  "Listen up! Once we nd, we move quickly. We storm the city like pirates—dired ruthless. The fastest route to the lord’s castle is our main objective," she anded, her tone leaving no room for hesitation.

  Her crew erupted in a chorus of agreement, a unified "Aye!" filling the air.

  But as she took an the coastline, somethi off. Her instincts, hohrough years of warfare, tingled with unease.

  "Wait." She lifted a hand, halting her men as a frown creased her brow.

  She turo her first mate. "We o split into two groups. Half of you will push toward the city as phe rest will take small boats and sail south to reinforce Captain or’s forces."

  There was a moment of hesitation among the crew, but they trusted their captain’s intuition. Without further protest, they moved to carry out her orders.

  Lana’s pierg green eyes remained locked on the shoreline.

  Western Beach, Jo Isnd

  The western coastline of Jo was vastly different from the east. The massive roation, yered with jagged ridges and narrow yons, separated the beach from the city. It was a natural fortress—ohat would either serve as a barrier against invaders or a death trap for those defending it.

  On top of the roations, Dame Aisha, the veteran knight of Ravenna’s most trusted guards, stood unmoving, her hands resting on the pommel of her sword. The moonlight illuminated her golden-blonde ponytail and reflected off her polished breastpte. Her sharp blue eyes sed the horizon, narrowing as she caught sight of four ships approag in the distance.

  She exhaled, slow and steady.

  "We will make sure they her escape nor reach the city," she decred, her voice resolute.

  Behind her, her knights worked tirelessly to set up ballistas along the cliffs, adjusting their aim and preparing for the ining assault. The tension alpable, but Aisha remaieadfast, her expression unreadable.

  Aboard the Souther

  Captain or, stood at the helm of his ship, his spygss set on Jo City’s harbor. What he saw uled him.

  The port, which he had expected to be at least semi-funal, was in a state of near ruin. Half-finished docks, abandoned scaffolding, and scattered wooden beams littered the shorelihe city beyond was dark, with only a few torches flickering along the walls.

  or frowned deeply, l the spygss.

  "Something’s nht," he muttered to himself.

  They had anticipated poverty, but this? This looked like a ghost town.

  Aboard the Wester

  Leading the four ships toward the western shore was Keith, who had alreferred daylight battles over the uainty of nighttime es. Yet here he was, sailing into darkness, heading straight for Jo’s treacherous roations.

  He stood at the map table, trag the tours of Jo’s terrain with his finger, his brows furrowed in .

  "I still don’t like this," he murmured, gng at the approag ndmass. "Attag at night, moving blindly into unknowory… It feels like a mistake."

  His sed-in-aated before speaking. " This will be a swift raid, Captai hard, drop off the sves, grab the princess, areat before dawn."

  Keith exhaled heavily. "And if the terrain proves more dangerous thahought?" He shook his head. "I hate relying on uainty. Especially when my men have to navigate through those damn roations."

  The first mate offered no response, only nodding grimly.

  As Jo Isnd loomed closer, Keith tightened his grip on the ship’s railing. Something about this felt wrong.

  And he feared they would realize it too te.

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