“Takeit with honor,” Soren said.
“Fuckthat!”
Zariagrabbed the bunny’s leg, trying to pull her toward the edge.Soren raised hercutlass.
“Hey!”
The twopirates stopped as Isaac leaped onto the pipework.He almost collapsed, theimpact lurching his balance enough that he had to lean against a blast gate forsupport.His bloody robes smeared over metal.His face sweaty, his blond hairhanging loose above his eye, he raised his head and pointed his dagger directlyat Soren.
“I’mstill her champion,” he said.
“Thatso?”the bunny replied.
“Youhave to go through me.”
Sorenbarked out a laugh.A grin split through her burns.She kicked Zaria’s handfrom her leg, taking a generous step across the metal cage beneath their feet.“Oh, you woulda made a fine cabin boy.All spit and pecker.”She twirled hersword.“I like you, love.Shame it’s gotta be this way.”
Isaacdid not reply.
Zariagrunted and hissed, trying desperately not to fall.
“Youever held one of those before?”Soren asked, gesturing to his dagger.
Isaacpanted for breath.Every pull of his lungs pressed on the knife in his chest.Below, the battle of bones and fire had fallen silent, the elementsdisappearing within the distance and gloom.He did not need to look to know hisfather had lost.
“Allyours, then,” Soren said, twirling her sword.“Let’s dance.”
Isaacgritted his teeth.
Suddenly,the screaming of the souls erupted around them.Plumes of energy gushed fromthe broken power grid, swirling in the air.Soren stepped back, avoiding thegrasping fog.Isaac let the souls wash over his body, watching as they wrappeda dozen ethereal hands across his chest and neck and limbs.Purple light drankthrough his skin.
Thepain faded away.
He feltnew energy surge inside him.He felt his arms regain their strength.He feltall the confidence of a thousand loving voices.
Thesouls whispered again.
“Saveus.”
He putthe dagger back in its sheath and began to cast a spell.
Theswirling light reflected from Soren’s black eye.Seeing the danger, her fingersraced across the sheaths of throwing knives.She found them all empty.When herhand fell to her belt, there were no more grenades.
Isaacforced his arms to the second position.
Sorendashed forward, her bare feet pounding across pipes and metal.
Isaacwrenched into the third.
By now,more souls were spewing from the broken machinery, filling the air with abright, sparkling nebula, and Soren found herself continually blocked by thegrasping hands, the moaning voices, the smoky plume of ethereal limbs.Shedodged around the worst of the fog, weaving and sprinting, her sword glintingbright.
Isaacachieved the fourth and final position.
Whenthe spell was complete, the flame that came from his hand was no more than aweak sputter, something that would’ve earned a reprimand at any self-respectingDiet college.Here and now, it was still more than enough to burn Soren’s face.She missed her slash, stumbling.Her head became wrapped in fire.She flinched,slapping her cheek, gasping for air, nearly losing her footing on the pipes,beginning to flail wildly as the flame quickly spread to the skin below herfur.
“Youcheating cunt!”she yelled.
Slowly,the souls descended upon her.When they touched the flame eating through herface, they turned Isaac’s weak spell into a great spout of fire, their essencefueling the conflagration until the entirety of the captain’s body was subsumedin the blaze, becoming a formless mass of heat and light.The only thing louderthan the flame was the sound of Soren’s agonized scream.
