Ezkai Xander has our target cornered, but the damn pirate is still fighting hard. I pull another arrow and draw the string.
I align my shot just right. No intentions of killing the Big Boss. I only need him weakened enough to give Ezkai Xander an advantage.
The arrow hits the shoulder of the arm that holds the sword. It falls from his hand, clattering under his feet. That’s enough of an advantage for Ezkai Xander.
From the corner of my eye I see two pirates cornering Roman. He’s already bleeding—shoulder and side—his grip on the blade faltering.
Damn it.
The two men are not giving Roman a moment to breathe, swaying their blades at him relentlessly.
I reach for another arrow to find my quiver empty.
“Damn it!” I curse.
I open up my senses. Blocking everything else around me, I reach for Roman’s attackers. My nostrils flare when I find…nothing.
“Fucking Decarios,” I growl.
My hands find the net, and I swing over the edge of the crow’s nest and quickly climb down.
My eyes on the target, I jump the rest of the way down to the deck and push my way through the brawl towards Roman.
A pirate lunges at me.
I gut him.
Another swings wild.
I duck and drive my blade into his side.
The distance looked much closer from above.
One of the Decarios slashes across Roman’s thigh and he grunts. His back hits the wall behind him. But he grips the blade harder and swings it.
“Roman!” I scream.
I punch a man on my left and sink my blade into the side of a man on my right. There’s so many damn pirates. Where the fuck do they keep coming from?
I’m almost there—just a few steps?—
A hand wraps around my forearm and I’m yanked backwards.Hard.
I twist, ready to sink my blade into whoever dared to touch me?—
Thankfully, I pause just in time.
It’s Daegel.
“What the fuck?” I try to shake him off. “Let me go! Roman needs help!”
“We’re overrun,” Daegel snaps. “They had backup waiting for us. Someone tipped them off. You need to get off the boat. Now.”
“NO!” I try to break free. “Roman’s still fighting!”
“He won’t last long.” His grip tightens. “If you don’t get off the boat now, you’ll die with him.”
His words are as sharp as one of my knives, and they slice right through me.
