The sea was a churning abyss of bck water and white-capped waves, the storm shing against the metal hull of Solomon Kane’s vessel. Wind howled through the rigging, rain hammering against the deck like bullets. The injured young scientist y unconscious in the small cabin below, her breathing shallow but steady. She had barely survived the harrowing escape from the elven fortress, and now Solomon was faced with another enemy—one far less mystical but just as dangerous.

  Through the storm’s veil, dark shapes emerged—swift and deadly. The Bck Sun Mercenaries.

  They hadn’t stepped foot in Antarctica, but they had been waiting in ambush for any survivors attempting to flee. Their pn was simple—loot, kill, and leave no witnesses. The mercenaries operated outside any w, and their leader, a ruthless man known only as Voss, had no intention of letting Solomon escape unscathed.

  A crackling voice came through Solomon’s radio, barely audible over the storm.

  “Solomon Kane! You’re carrying something valuable. Drop your weapons, power down your ship, and we might let you live.”

  Solomon’s grip on the controls tightened. “Yeah? And what if I don’t?”

  A streak of red light cut through the darkness—a tracer round from a mounted machine gun. The warning shot was clear. Solomon swore under his breath. He didn’t have the firepower for a prolonged fight, not against a well-armed mercenary crew. But he had the storm on his side.

  He yanked the wheel, turning his vessel hard to port just as the first real shots rang out. Bullets smmed into the metal pting, sparks flying. Solomon grabbed his modified assault rifle, rushing to the deck. Rain pelted his face, but he kept his aim steady as he returned fire.

  A mercenary tried to board his ship, leaping from a smaller attack craft. Solomon caught him midair with a burst of gunfire, sending him tumbling into the raging sea. Another enemy tried to fnk from the side, but Solomon hurled a grenade into their boat, the explosion rocking the water.

  The mercenaries, however, were relentless. Their ship was rger, better armed. Solomon could hear Voss barking orders. “Keep him pinned! He’s got nowhere to run!”

  Then—disaster.

  A deafening metallic groan echoed from below deck. The ship lurched violently. The engine had failed.

  Solomon staggered, catching himself on the railing. He looked toward the helm, but it was too te to restart the system. The mercenaries closed in, their boats circling like vultures.

  But then, the storm decided for them.

  A monstrous wave rose from the depths, smming into all vessels. Solomon’s ship was flung forward, while the mercenaries’ boats scattered. Voss’s curses were lost to the wind. The storm was no ally—it was simply chaos, and chaos took no sides.

  Through the sheets of rain, Solomon saw distant lights. The naval blockade.

  A chance.

  ---

  A Narrow Escape

  The storm threw Solomon’s ship straight into the blockade’s patrol zone. Fshing searchlights illuminated the battered vessel, and within seconds, warning sirens bred. Navy personnel shouted over megaphones, ordering Solomon to identify himself.

  Stumbling into the radio room, he managed to grab the mic.

  “This is Solomon Kane. I have a survivor. Repeat, I have a survivor. Request immediate medical aid.”

  The silence was brief before a response came.

  “Acknowledged. Maintain course. Do not deviate.”

  Minutes ter, a rge navy vessel pulled alongside. Armed soldiers stormed his deck, ordering him to stand down. Solomon didn’t resist—he knew the protocol. The young scientist was carried away on a stretcher, medics swarming around her. She was alive, but barely.

  As for Solomon?

  He was taken into custody.

  ---

  Reunion in Chains

  Solomon sat in a solitary holding cell, stripped of his weapons, his wrists bound. The ship’s interior was cold, clinical. He knew how this worked—debriefing, interrogation, clearance procedures. He’d been in situations like this before.

  But what he wasn’t prepared for was the man who stepped through the door.

  David Lancaster.

  Tall, broad-shouldered, with graying hair and tired eyes, David was a man burdened by duty. But right now, his expression was one of personal turmoil.

  Solomon exhaled. “David.”

  David clenched his fists. “She’s my daughter.”

  There it was. The weight of everything.

  “I know,” Solomon said quietly.

  A long silence. Then—

  “Why did you risk it?” David asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Solomon looked down, then back up, eyes steely. “Because I owed you. I owed her. I wasn’t going to let her die.”

  David’s jaw tightened. “I should hate you.”

  Solomon met his gaze. “Then hate me.”

  Another silence, before David turned away. “They’ll decide what to do with you soon.”

  And then he left.

  Solomon leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.

  At least she was safe.

  ---

  After leaving Solomon’s cell, David walked down the silent corridor to a secure communications room. He took a deep breath before initiating the encrypted video call. The screen flickered to life, revealing a woman with weary eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. Her face was pale, her fingers clenched together anxiously.

  “David—please, tell me—”

  He exhaled slowly. “She’s safe.”

  The relief was immediate. Her shoulders sagged, and she covered her mouth, a choked sob escaping. Tears welled in her eyes, not of grief, but of gratitude. For the first time in hours, the horror in her expression softened.

  But then—her gaze sharpened.

  “And Solomon?” she asked, her voice quiet but firm.

  David hesitated. Then, after a pause, he simply said, “Alive. And where he belongs.”

  Before she could ask more, he ended the call. The screen went bck, leaving only David’s own reflected face staring back at him—etched with emotions too complicated to name.

  He ran a hand down his face, exhaling heavily. Then, without another word, he turned and left the room.

  –––

  Meanwhile, in Antarctica

  The wreckage of Bck Sun Mercenaries’ attack boats washed up on the frozen shore. The survivors, battered and disarmed, crawled from the wreckage—only to find themselves surrounded by elves.

  High Elf warriors, cd in elegant yet lethal armor, raised their glowing spears. One of them sneered. “Humans. Filthy scavengers.”

  The mercenaries threw down their weapons, their leader Voss raising his hands. “We surrender!” he called out.

  A blonde-haired High Elf commander scoffed, raising her hand. “Kill them.”

  The mercenaries panicked, backing away, but they were outmatched. Elven archers took aim.

  But then—

  “Hold.”

  The voice cut through the cold like a bde, and the elves immediately obeyed.

  Mary stepped forward. Cd in her dark armor, her golden hair barely swayed in the freezing wind. Her violet eyes, devoid of warmth, studied the pathetic humans before her.

  The High Elf commander turned, confused. “Commander Mary, these worms—”

  Mary raised a hand, silencing her. “Take them to the fortress. They may still be useful.”

  The elves hesitated, but no one dared question her command.

  The mercenaries were rounded up, their fates unknown.

  Mary watched impassively, then turned her gaze to the ocean—the direction where Solomon had fled.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  Then she walked away, leaving only the howling wind behind her.

  Respro