Chapter 14

# Chapter Fourteen: The Sky Pirates

The alliance needed forces, and the greatest independent military power in Aetheria was the Cloud Fleet—the Sky Pirates who ruled the aerial territories above the kingdoms.

Captain Sable was their leader, a woman in her forties with steel-gray hair, piercing green eyes, and a reputation for being both brilliant and utterly ruthless. She had agreed to meet Kael, but only on her own terms: aboard her flagship, the Stormcrow, floating three miles above the surface.

"You're crazy to come up here alone," Lyra said, as they rode the levitation platform toward the waiting airship.

"Not alone. I have you."

"That's my point. Two of us against a thousand pirates."

Kael smiled. "Then we'll have to be very convincing."

The Stormcrow was magnificent—a vessel of enchanted wood and crystalline sails that caught the wind and converted it into propulsion. It bristled with weapons: cannons that fired bolts of lightning, ballistae that launched enchanted harpoons, and stranger devices that Kael couldn't identify.

Captain Sable met them on the deck, flanked by her officers. She was smaller than Kael expected, compact and muscled, with a sword at her hip and a pistol on her belt.

"So you're the Starborn," she said, looking him up and down. "Expected someone taller."

"I get that a lot."

She laughed—a harsh, barking sound. "At least you've got a sense of humor. Come. We'll talk in my quarters."

Her quarters were surprisingly elegant—maps covering every wall, a desk of polished driftwood, windows offering a panoramic view of the clouds below.

"Sit," she commanded, pouring three glasses of amber liquid. "Drink. Then tell me why I should risk my fleet in your war."

Kael sat but didn't drink. "Because Vexthorn won't stop with the surface kingdoms. Once he controls the ground, he'll come for the skies."

"Let him come. We're three miles up. His Shadow creatures can't fly that high."

"Not yet." Kael leaned forward. "But he's learning. Adapting. The Shadow magic evolves, Captain. Today it can't reach you. Tomorrow?"

Sable's eyes narrowed. "You're guessing."

"I'm extrapolating. I've fought his forces. I've seen how they grow, how they change. Given time, he'll find a way to threaten you. The question is whether you'll fight him now, on your terms, or later, when he's ready."

Silence stretched between them. Outside, the wind whistled through the rigging, and the clouds drifted like slow-moving continents.

"You're good," Sable finally said. "I'll give you that. You almost make me believe you care about my people's safety."

"I do care."

"No." She slammed her glass down. "You care about winning your war. We're a resource to you—air support, mobility, firepower. You'd say anything to get us to commit."

"Would I?" Kael stood, moving to the window. "Captain, do you know why I fight Vexthorn?"

"Because you're the Starborn. It's your destiny."

"No." He turned to face her, and his voice was soft with old pain. "I fight because he destroyed my village. Burned it to the ground. Killed everyone I loved. I'm not fighting for destiny or prophecy. I'm fighting because I won't let him do that to anyone else."

Sable studied him, her expression unreadable. "And if I say no? If I refuse to join your alliance?"

"Then I'll leave peacefully. And when Vexthorn comes for you—because he will—I'll still fight him. Not because you refused me, but because he's my enemy."

More silence. Then Sable laughed again, but this time it was different—genuine, almost warm.

"Damn me, but I believe you." She rose, extending her hand. "The Cloud Fleet joins your alliance, Starborn. But on one condition."

"Name it."

"When we fight, we fight together. Not as cannon fodder, not as auxiliaries. As partners. My people die alongside yours, or not at all."

Kael took her hand. "Agreed."

They spent the next hours planning—integrating the Fleet's capabilities with ground forces, establishing communication protocols, designing joint operations. Sable proved as brilliant as her reputation suggested, spotting logistical problems and tactical opportunities that Kael had missed.

"You should have been a general," he told her.

"I am a general. Just not the kind your fancy kingdoms recognize."

As evening approached, they stood on the deck watching the sunset paint the clouds in shades of gold and crimson.

"Can I ask you something?" Kael said.

"You can ask. I might not answer."

"Why piracy? You're clearly capable of legitimate success."

Sable was quiet for a moment. "My family were merchants in Valoria. Good people, honest workers. When I was fifteen, a noble decided he wanted our trade routes. He accused my father of treason, seized our assets, had my family executed."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It taught me a valuable lesson: the world isn't fair, and the powerful prey on the weak. So I became powerful—on my own terms, by my own rules." She looked at him, her green eyes hard. "Your alliance is fighting for a world where that doesn't happen. Where nobles can't destroy families on a whim. That's worth fighting for."

Kael nodded, understanding her better now. "Then let's build that world together."

They returned to the Academy with a treaty and a new ally. The Cloud Fleet would provide air support, transportation, and rapid response capability. In exchange, they received recognition, supplies, and a promise of reform when the war was won.

"You did well," Lyra said, as they descended from the levitation platform. "Sable doesn't trust easily."

"She trusts strength and honesty. I gave her both."

"And she gave you an army." Lyra smiled. "The alliance grows stronger."

But even as they celebrated, dark clouds gathered on the horizon. Vexthorn was moving, consolidating his forces for something big. The alliance had to be ready.

Kael looked up at the Stormcrow, now a distant silhouette against the evening sky. One ally secured.

Many more to go.

The war was coming.

And this time, they would face it together.