Chapter 146: Crushing Air Raid

The aunt and nephew quickly made their decision and sprang into action. The Sea Snake deployed a small team to leave the harbor first, heading toward the Stepstones under the guise of a routine patrol.

Rhaenys and Rhaegar slipped out of the castle, making their way to find their dragons. Several dragons now resided on Driftmark.

Among them, the most noticeable was Caraxes, who had crawled from the shallow beach to the rocks.

This red dragon, known as the Blood Wyrm, was badly injured, with one wing broken and scales missing all over his body. Despite the severity of his wounds, the dragon's impressive resilience had saved his life.

Due to his wing injury, Caraxes had temporarily lost the ability to fly. He now relied on soldiers to feed him cattle and sheep. Once healed, he would be returned to the Dragonpit or Dragonstone Island.

...

Shortly after, Rhaegar mounted the saddle on the Cannibal and rushed to the eastern coastline to meet up with Rhaenys. Meleys' lair was there, undisturbed and perfect for catching large deep-sea fish.

"Roar..." The Cannibal roared and leapt into the air, leading the way out of Driftmark. Meleys, the fastest dragon in history, followed swiftly, her powerful wings cutting through the air as she caught up.

The two dragons soared together for a while before Meleys, like a red lightning bolt, overtook the Cannibal. Despite his efforts, the Cannibal struggled to match her speed.

"No wonder Aunt Rhaenys is so confident," Rhaegar thought, watching the red dragon with awe.

After about an hour, Meleys slowed, allowing the Cannibal to catch up, and the two dragons flew side by side. Below them, a rocky island emerged from the endless sea, appearing like scattered pieces of rubble on a blue canvas.

"Rhaegar, this is the Stepstones," Rhaenys called out clearly from Meleys' back.

Rhaegar looked down at the dense, scattered islands below. It was his first time seeing the Stepstones, a significant and contested location in the Narrow Sea.

The Stepstones were once part of the Arm of Dorne, connecting Westeros to the land of Essos.

Thousands of years ago, the old Valyrian Freehold invaded the cities of Essos, enslaving many, including the ancestors of the First Men.

Overwhelmed, the First Men invaded Westeros from the Arm of Dorne, then ruled by the Children of the Forest and the Giants. The Children used powerful magic to shatter the Arm of Dorne, creating the Stepstones.

Located between the Broken Arm of Dorne and the Disputed Lands, the Stepstones became a haven for pirates.

The free cities of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh frequently fought for control of these islands. When the three cities united to form the Triarchy, they annexed the Stepstones and swept away the pirates.

However, the Triarchy's navy was worse than the pirates, imposing high tolls, abducting women and boys for brothels, and robbing ships.

This was one of the reasons the Sea Snake joined Daemon in the First Battle of the Stepstones.

"A strategic location, right in the middle of two continents on the main navigational route," Rhaegar mused, realizing why the Stepstones were so fiercely contested.

It was no wonder wars were fought here year after year.

"Roar..."

Cannibal suddenly let out a cry, turning its head toward the southeast corner of the island.

"You smell blood?" Rhaegar asked, becoming serious.

"Roar..."

Cannibal responded by flapping its wings and heading in the direction of the scent. Rhaegar called out to Rhaenys, and the two dragons flew together.

"Be quick, cut down these wimps!"

"This is the last ship of the day, hurry up and grab it..."

The sounds of shouting and fighting grew louder as they approached a hidden cove where several bloodstained ships were anchored.

As Cannibal arrived overhead, Rhaegar saw pirates swarming onto a large ship, smashing and looting it while attacking its defenders.

"Shall we intervene, Aunt?" Rhaegar asked, frowning at the scene below.

"Watch out for stray arrows and make sure your dragon flies high enough!" Rhaenys warned before diving down on Meleys.

"Dracarys!" she cried out.

Meleys unleashed a torrent of scarlet flames, incinerating the looting pirates. Their screams filled the air as they turned to charred corpses.

Rhaegar, initially stunned, laughed. "Cannibal, stay alert for hidden arrows. Let's join the fray!"

"Roar..."

The smell of blood had roused Cannibal's aggression. With a roar, the dragon dived, wings outstretched.

Boom...

Green dragonfire erupted from Cannibal, raining down on the pirates jumping into the sea.

"Cannibal, target that pirate ship and sink it!" Rhaegar commanded, directing Cannibal toward the largest vessel.

"It's a dragon! Watch out for the dragonfire! Shoot arrows!" the pirate leader shouted, rallying his men.

The pirates, though terrified, obeyed and loosed their arrows at the dragons.

In a flash, arrows rained down. Meleys, agile and swift, ascended before the arrows struck, leaving a trail of dragonfire that set the ship's mast ablaze.

"Roar..."

Cannibal, more domineering, faced the arrows head-on, spewing a torrent of flames that turned the projectiles to ash and molten metal. This level of attack was no match for a dragon.

"Retreat! Abandon the supplies and get back to the ship!" the pirate leader shouted, fear in his voice as he ran back to the ship, commanding the helmsman to set sail.

Boom!

Rhaegar wasn't about to let them escape. Cannibal swooped down, unleashing a torrent of dragonfire that engulfed the warship.

"Ah!..."

In moments, the ship was ablaze, the flames consuming it as the pirates' screams of agony filled the air.

Whoosh...

A sudden gust of wind whistled past, and a steel spear shot out from the darkness.

"Cannibal, left wing down!" Rhaegar shouted, spotting the spear in time.

Cannibal sensed the danger and deftly adjusted its flight path, narrowly avoiding the spear.

Rhaegar scanned the area and spotted a small, inconspicuous island with another pirate ship lurking behind it.

"Cannibal, burn them all!" he commanded, his voice cold as he glared at the pirate ship launching arrows.

"Roar..."

Cannibal roared and flapped its wings, heading towards the target.

Whoosh...

Seeing the dragon approach, the pirates frantically reloaded their scorpion crossbows and fired more steel spears.

Cannibal's eyes flashed with disdain as it easily tilted its body to dodge the second spear.

"Dracarys!" Rhaegar ordered.

While dodging the projectiles, Cannibal flew above the pirate ship and unleashed a torrent of dragonfire, engulfing the vessel in flames.

(Word count: 1,068)