Crow bustled off, barking orders on her behalf. Eira took a deep breath and walked up to the wheel on the quarterdeck. She ran her hands over its frosty surface, palmed the knobs that extended out from it. Olivin was still at her side.
“Olivin, help get the ship going,” Eira commanded. “As soon as the anchor’s up I want you to push the water.” Her magic was already beginning to turn the vessel around the anchor point as the crew was getting the ship ready to sail.
Adela’s pirates were well trained. They knew their roles. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t even blink when it was Eira at thehelm so long as it was a result of Adela’s orders. And if Crow was falling into line, that seemed to be all they needed to know.
“Ahead!” Eira shouted as the anchor clanked with a dull thud at the top of its hoist.
The ship lurched forward, aided with the push of a monumental force of magic. A tall ship like theStormfrostcouldn’t launch into motion. But the quick turn to sea was yet another testament to the sheer power Adela had at her disposal in the hands of her crew.
Eira guided them around the side of the island, by rudder and by magic. On occasion, she closed her eyes, letting her power slip over the sides of the ship and sink into the ocean below, looking for sandbanks and hidden rocks that might spell disaster.
As they rounded an outcropping, another, smaller vessel came into view. It was drifting just off the coast—no visible anchor—and a rowboat was being pulled up its side.
A tongue of fire shot into the air from the jungles on the nearby hilltop. A second tongue of flame crackled near the vessel, almost reaching it. But it was just out of Noelle’s range. Hopefully it wouldn’t be out of Cullen’s.
Found them.
“Ready cannons!” Eira shouted at the top of her lungs. “Starboard side! Don’t ease on the wind and currents!”
The other ship wasn’t anchored and was already attempting a getaway. It was smaller and no doubt faster, and the wind was coming from behind, so not much magic would be needed. Men and women were scrambling on the distant deck like little ants.
They’d have one good shot at the other vessel. Adela wouldn’t allow her to give chase too far from Black Flag Bay, not with half her crew still on the isle, and Eira couldn’t blame her. This moment was all or nothing.
“Fire on my mark.”
“Fire on mark!” one of the pirates shouted down through a grate that went through to the gun deck. Eira could hear rattling and clanking from the depths of the ship. The cannons were being loaded with flash beads from Adela’s own stash.
Eira could still feel the singe on her midsection from the assault of the explosions on the side of the hull. The pain merged with the hate she already felt for the Pillars. Fueling a wicked streak that she had less and less of a reason to hide the longer she was with Adela. She would unleash horror on them worse than what they’d brought to the coliseum. She would raze their desecrated temples and liberate their cities.
And it started with this. Here and now.
Magic flashed off the other vessel. The volley Noelle had initiated was returned. More magic exploded, its source from the hilltop. The Pillars were distracted and it slowed their getaway. TheStormfrostcame alongside.
Eira projected her cold, bitter command. “Fire.”
“Fire!” the pirate shouted belowdecks.
She crossed to the railing on the starboard side, feeling the cannons as they rattled theStormfrost. Magic exploded with a burst of color and noise. The flash beads were as beautiful as they were terrifying in their destructive power.
The other vessel was turned into sawdust. Decks ripped apart. People flew.
Eira raised her right fist, as if she were holding an invisible shield. A wall of water rose from the sea, absorbing the brunt of the blast as the flash beads in the Pillar’s vessel were ignited by the surge of magic. She gritted her teeth, sliding her feet apart. Bracing herself to hold the magic and theStormfrostin place. But the vessel still tilted, wobbling to the side.
However, her barrier held, taking the brunt of the explosion and guarding against torn-apart pieces of the Pillars’ ship. Ocean water poured down around them like rain, turned up from theexplosion. Eira held her stance until the last of the water stopped pelting the deck. She relaxed her grip, slowly allowing the water to return to the ocean to not rock theStormfrosttoo much. There was nothing left of the other ship beyond debris floating among scraps.
Eira straightened, her magic and muscles relaxing. She turned down to the main deck. “Can any of you get over to the island?”
A pirate raised her hand.
“Exceptional. Go to our allies up on the ridge, and let them know that we will be waiting for them back off the main docks.”
“Understood.” The pirate spun the bracelets around her left wrist and jumped into the water. The waves swelled to meet her and carried her across to the distant shore. It was a rudimentary version of what Adela and now Eira could do.
“All right, well done, all. Let’s bring her back.”
The pirates mobilized the second Eira issued her command. The corners of her lips curled slightly. Eira crossed back to the helm and lightly ran her hands over the knobs, not that she needed the wheel to steer. Helming theStormfrostwas conducting a symphony of magic.
Olivin was at her side without her realizing it. Between the explosion and the commands, she’d lost track of where he’d been standing. She could smell the seawater on his skin as he placed his hand on her hip, sliding close to her. It was a bold move, but Eira found she didn’t mind being bold. Not when she was at the helm of theStormfrost. A pirate would take as many lovers as pleased her.
