All Chapters of The Black Hellblade: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Illia thumped the blunt end of her steel lance to the smooth floor of the floating stone. Her Seahorse magic kept the stone floating like a raft on the seawater, and it teetered violently as the waves slapped each edge. Above her, a wicked storm raged. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. "If you can't control the water," Illia shouted as harsh waves whipped against the floating stone platform, drenching her boots in water, "then the water will kill you." A bolt of lightning struck the water far in the distance, and the thunder that followed it was louder than the pelting rain, and enough to make Ronan stand straight and focused. In the three months that they'd been training at the Temple of the Seahorse, he and Ike had really excelled. The two of them planted their feet and held their hands outwards. From the hole in Ike's buccaneering breeches and on Ronan's forearm, their Mark of the Seahorses billowed smoke, and Ronan and Ike calmed the waves heading towards the stone platf

In the following weeks, Maritza wasn't the same. The blank, absent expression never left her face, and along with looking pale, she had lost fifteen pounds. Ronan had tried talking to her but it was to no avail, and he'd given her plenty of space to process her near-death experience, though he couldn't hide his concern any longer. Maritza was in her usual spot in their bedroom, sitting in front of the vanity mirror shaped like an opened seashell, staring at her own white face. The plate of grilled fish and green beans that Ronan had left beside her for dinner the previous night was still right where he had set it down, untouched, and beginning to stink from remaining out all night. Ronan's nose scrunched and he removed the plate, set it aside, and tripped on an empty rum bottle at the feet of Maritza's chair. He never saw her eat, and the only movements he ever did witness were when she poured a stiff drink and occasionally sipped at it. Ronan's heart sank, and he couldn't remember

At that night's celebration of the Merchant exams, Maritza slow-danced with Ronan by the rumbling fire pit. She inspected him for the first time in a while; black stubble peppered his face, chin, and neck, and his hair had grown out to almost touch his eyes. He matched the Seahorse Nightblades in size and strength, and on his left arm were three black markings— first and foremost a snake, and coiled on each side of the snake was a butterfly and a seahorse. Beneath each marking was five tally marks.Maritza suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt. She couldn't even recall when the last time he'd received a new rank, or what his progress had been since she had retreated to their room. She had been enveloped in such a cloud of darkness that she had not been there for him to support him through his training, or to celebrate his accomplishments.In the light from the fire pit, Seahorse Nightblades twirled and spun their partners around, clacking mugs of beer and glasses of rum together. Ike

Both doors to the main gate swung open, and Ronan was nearly face to face with a gray-scaled dragon. It was as tall and wide as the giant burning tapestries illuminating its jagged, black teeth, each one as large and wide as Ronan's own body. The dragon exhaled thick mounds of soot from its nose, the force of which blasted back Ronan's hair and made him need to ground himself. Martiza tugged at his arm. "Run! Come with me!"Ronan shook his head and held his sword outright. It gleamed a black so strong even the dragon winced. "Go with Illia and take out Wallace," Ronan said, not casting his glare away from the dragon's deep, dusty red eyes. From the corner of his mouth he added, "I know you can defeat Wallace."Without another word and without wasting another second, Maritza dashed off with Illia through the left hatch. Ronan could hear Scindo, Ike, and Clove beckoning out orders as the three dozen Seahorse Nightblades rushed to the grassy fields. Just beyond the dragon and it

Clove and Ike stood back to back, watching through their panting breaths as Maritza transformed to her next level in The Shroud system."What the hell just happened to her?" Clove asked. The more and more she saw of The Shroud, the less trusted it and its demonic aura.Ike thrust his lance at one of the six remaining Order warriors, keeping the cloaked figure at bay. "I've got no clue," Ike said dismissively. "But it's Maritza. We can trust her. Be glad she's on our side."Clove let out a timid grunt, before using her dagger to parry a blow from yet another Order warrior. There were too many dead Seahorses to count, and as much as Clove thought she might be able to lead these warriors into battle, she was doubting if she would even make it out alive.Above them, the sky shook as the dragon roared. Ronan was on its tail, his hair whipping in the wind, as it flew around. Ronan stabbed his Hellblade between the scales and climbed the spikes lining the base of the dragon's tail."Ro