Freya gasped as my spell finally wore off, and she slumped to the deck of the ship, sobbing. “You actually did it,” she said.
I smiled, then watched as the crew around me blinked, the green glow fading from their eyes. They looked around, dazed, as if unsure of where they were, or how they’d gotten there. One of them snapped out of their stupor enough to begin directing others to put out the fires on deck. Captain Mary wouldn’t be pleased about that.
Speaking of the captain, I didn’t see her and searched for her momentarily, until I heard the sound of splitting wood. My eyes snapped to the pirate ship. The planks traversing the two ships had cracked and split as the clipper ship began to sink back into the ocean, no longer held aloft by Ambrosia’s magic.
My heart skipped.
Auggie.
I didn’t even think. I ran to the edge of the deck and dove overboard. I sank into the water, prepared for the cold this time as it surged around me. Luckily, I hadn’t had time to remove the tooth wrapped in mermaid hair from inside my cheek, its bubble allowing me to breathe until I could resurface. Once I did, I watched the ship sink in slow motion, its belly lifting so the bow faced straight up in the air, bobbing briefly like a cork, before the sea could reclaim it once more.
I saw Auggie bracing himself against one of the masts. I waved to him furiously. “Jump!” I yelled. “Jump!”
I wasn’t sure if he could hear me or not, but Narcissa streaked across the sky in his direction and hovered over him. Auggie nodded and carefully picked his way over to the side of the vessel. He pulled himself over the edge and leapt as far clear of the sinking ship as he could get, so as not to be pulled under.
I swam to him quicker than even I knew was possible and was there when he resurfaced, sputtering. “I’m here!” I told him as he clung to me. “You’re all right.”
“I’m all right,” he repeated, staring at me.
I smiled at him encouragingly, then wrapped an arm around him, under his armpits, and began to drag him back toward theKorikowhen I spotted my broom still hovering low over the water. I changed direction and helped Auggie to grip the handle. “There you go,” I said softly. “You’re safe now.”
A commotion behind me drew my attention, and I turned to watch the clipper ship nearly swallowed by the ocean. But a figure was at the bow.
My enhanced sight allowed me to make out Captain Mary, yanking desperately on her boot, which had gone through a rotten floorboard. In a flash, she was yanked beneath the surface as the ship fully submerged.
I cursed. “Stay here,” I ordered Auggie, then dove down into the water, kicking hard after the sinking ship.
Thankfully, the ship’s descent was slow. It appeared ghostly as light from the sun overhead filtered through the water, sending streaks across its retreating form. I grimaced as I kicked harder. Captain Mary was beginning to struggle, eyes rolling as her attempts to free herself grew weaker.
It took nearly a minute to close the gap between us, and the captain was floating as if lifeless by that time. Immediately upon reaching her, I pushed my forehead against hers, the bubble surrounding my head extending to hers as well.
“Breathe.”
Mary’s eyes flew open, and she drew in a deep gulp of air, then another. She stared into my face as she took breath after breath. Water was rushing past us faster than before, as the clipper ship gained momentum in its descent. We would need to surface now if we were going to.
“Just a moment,” I told her. “Deep breath.” Then I bent down to examine the rotted board her boot was stuck in. It was wedged in infuriatingly well. I withdrew my dagger and sawed at her boot, until there was enough room for her to wiggle her foot out. Once free, I returned to pressing my forehead against hers and she breathed again, sighing in relief. The ship continued its descent without us.
Captain Mary shuddered. “Thank you. I thought it was my time to go down with the ship. Only I imagined it would be my own ship.”
I chuckled and stared up at the surface far overhead. Then my eyes found the green glow of the orb at my chest. My heart sank. It was nearly gone. Opening the portal to Hell had used up almost all of what I’d had left. Only a sliver of energy clung to the bottom of the orb. The bubble would give out in another few minutes, not nearly enough time for a slow ascent.
I sighed with resignation. Once my energy reserve was gone, my own body’s energy would sustain the spell, but that would buy maybe one additional minute, if that. “In a moment, you’re going to need to swim as quickly as you can to the surface before the bubble pops. You might have a little more than two minutes of air.”
Captain Mary nodded.
“Good,” I said. I reached into my mouth and withdrew the hair-wrapped tooth. “Hold this in your cheek.”
She did as instructed, and the majority of the bubble covered her head.
“Now, on the count of three,” I told her. “One, two …” I took a deep breath, and as the captain pulled away, the bubble remained around her head, leaving me exposed to the water. Captain Mary made furiously for the surface.
She had good form. It was impressive to watch.
I began to kick upward myself, but my eyes stung.
Without the protective bubble, they were exposed to the seawater and growing irritated.
I squinted, then closed my eyes, continuing to kick upward. Or at least in the direction I hoped was up. I opened my eyes again a minute later to gauge my progress, but as I floated there, I couldn’t tell which way led to the surface.
