***Chapter 17**
The sea stretched out infinitely, a boundless expanse marked by the frothy whitecaps of each wave, crawling up the hull of the ship like specters of uncertainty. Roxy stood resolutely at the helm, the wild wind whipping through her hair, carrying with it the salt of the ocean, mingling with a tempest of emotions that roiled within her. Each wave crashing against their vessel felt like an echo of the unseen dangers lurking beneath the surface, whispering tales of shifting allegiances and looming confrontation.
Catarina, her closest ally and friend, joined her. “What’s troubling you?” Catarina inquired gently, an unmistakable concern glimmering in her amber eyes as she searched for flickers of doubt behind Roxy's fierce exterior.
“Just the weight of everything,” Roxy confe
