And there was nowhere out in the desert to recharge a fluxstone. No one around who could do it.
No one but me.
And I couldn’t. I couldn’t let them find out what I was.
Max, I… I could maybe tell him. No, I knew I could. I knew I could trust him. But everyone else? No.
Viper? Absolutely not.
Oh goddesses, what were we going to do?
We’d never make it to Asteris with only this much power. Hellfire, we’d be lucky to make it around this damn storm before we were completely drained.
But… unfortunately, we actually had bigger problems to worry about right now.
I turned toward the storm that was quickly getting closer and closer.
Mermaid fins and fairy wings, we needed to speed this ship up. Getting caught in that thing was a death sentence.
I could worry about the fluxstones once we were clear of this threat.
Looking over my shoulder, I said to both Max and Ariella, “Be careful,” then I ran back over to Greybeard so he could put me to work.
Between the wind, rain, and sand, I could barely see a thing, but I kept at it. I did what I could, pulling this or that, moving the boom, and helping people back onto the ship when theywent flying off—unfortunately, that happened four more times. It was hectic and chaotic, but there was actually a method to the pirates’ chaos, and I could see our progress.
Just a little farther, just a little more drive, and we’d be clear and safe. We could do it.
I pushed myself even harder, using every ounce of energy I had. We could do this.
We could save ourselves.
We could.
Up ahead, I saw a break in the clouds, and a few of the crew cheered, people pointing, everyone putting in even more effort now that the end was in sight.
Finally,finally, the bow soared through the clearing, and the rest ofThe Black Wraithfollowed until the stern was through the raging storm. A breath of relief fell from my lungs as I took in the white clouds ahead of us.
Turning back, I grimaced at the massive bundle of dark clouds, swirling around in the heavy wind, lightning making the storm seem alive with flashes of energy.
As I watched, the storm seemed to move in the opposite direction.
Finally, we were past it, and it didn’t look like it’d be following us—thank the goddesses.
The wind was still a force of its own, and the rain still came down, but it was more of a drizzle than the pelting drops it’d been moments ago. Everyone seemed to sigh in relief as we put ten, then twenty, then fifty, then a hundred feet between us and the behemoth of a storm.
I wanted to throw my arms up and cheer, but I was too exhausted. I was ready for bed despite it being late afternoon, but I pressed on with the rest of the crew. The danger was gone—for now—but the work wasn’t even close to being finished for the day. I had hours to go before I could crash in my hammock.
That hammock was calling my name, though. Holy phoenix tails, I was sore. And so, so tired.
Movement on the quarterdeck caught my eye, and I watched Max follow Viper and Mad Murray into the captain’s quarters. I had a feeling I knew exactly what that meeting was about.
As I yawned, the fluxstones in the engine room called to me again. Even the empty one wanted my attention. Every time I moved a step farther away from them, my chest ached further—it felt as empty as the fluxstones were. But there was nothing I could do.
We had to be close to Asteris, right? We could make it… right? There was no way they would’ve run this route without enough power to get us to our destination. No way.
Half an hour later, I knew I was wrong and we were in trouble.
Max walked out of the captain’s quarters with Viper and Murray behind him, and when he met my eyes, I knew, I just knew, we were out of time. Out of power.
