Torvus narrowed his eyes at the fiend, and a pale glow emanated from beneath his eyepatch. “Let her go, or I’ll make you let her go.”
The minotaur roared and charged, taking me with him. I swing at its side like a ragdoll, pain shooting up and down my arm as I grasp its limb to ease the pressure. Torvus drew his hand back and pitched the ball at my captor. The orb hit it square in the face, and this time it didn’t disintegrate in all directions.
Instead, the ball broke into tiny droplets that invaded the creature’s nostrils and open mouth. The fiend stuttered to a stop and choked on the droplets. It shook its head, failing to evict any part of the water. My captor dropped me to paw at its face with both hands.
I fell hard on the ground, but Ramaro was right there to give me comfort. “Get up and run, you idiot!”
Chapter 13
I ignored the pain in my wrist and scrambled to my feet. The creature tried to snatch my arm, but another strike from Torvus’ ball struck it in the eyes. The thing screamed and stumbled back, tripping over a crooked root. The fall nearly caused it to tumble into the ravine.
That gave me an idea.
“What are you doing?” Ramaro snapped at me. “Keep-gah!” I had grabbed him about the neck. He flailed in my tight hold, and his voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not sure, but we can give it a try.”
“Larkin!” Torvus shouted as he beckoned to me with his wet hand. “Over here!”
The ground rumbled and more cracks opened all around us, including the fiend. The island left a straight shot to me, however, and the thing staggered toward me. The last water ball had partially blinded the creature, and it waved its hands in front of its face, groping for me. I ducked and swung Ramaro’s stiff, crooked tail against the back of the thing’s knee, forcing the pressure point to collapse the whole leg. The minotaur flung itself at me, but another round of magic water balls struck its face, especially the ear that was turned to Torvus.
Blinded by rage and Torvus’ magic, the fiend flung itself at me. I threw myself and my captive out of its path and used my leg to trip it up. The minotaur tumbled forward and into one of the larger cracks. Its horrible scream echoed off the walls as it disappeared out of sight.
The whole island began to shake. I jumped when Torvus’ arms wrapped around me. “I believe it’s time to leave!”
He hefted me to my feet and grabbed my hand. We raced across the crumbling terrain, jumping over more cracks and fallen trees. The fronds tried to grab us, but Ramaro snapped his jaws and cut their stems. Torvus worked his magic with any puddle of water we came across. The liquid flew up all around us, creating walls that repelled our ferny foes.
We eventually burst out of the jungle and onto a white sandy beach. The ship was lying only a quarter of a mile away, but the island wasn’t done trying to kill us. Columns of jagged rocks shot up out of the sand and tried to skewer us. A few even popped up around the ship. Torvus’ eyepatch glowed, and the ocean swamped the boat, lifting it off the rocks and dragging it out to sea. The men on the deck crowded at the railing, waving their arms.
One of the columns shot up close by me, sending me toppling against Torvus. Ramaro was thrown from my shoulder and landed hard on the sand. He sat up in a daze and didn’t have time to recover before a spear-like rock pushed itself out of the ground beneath him.
I grabbed Torvus’ flask and threw it at the agama. The container struck him and knocked him out of the way before he was a skewered lizard. We sped past and each picked up our belongings. I the lizard and Torvus the flask.
We reached the spot where the boat had sat, and Torvus tried to drag me into the tides nearly up to my neck. I dug in my heels to slow, but not to stop. “I can’t swim!”
I felt water swirl around me, and my waist was lifted above the surface. He was likewise elevated, and a mischievous smile slipped onto his lips. “Now you can.”
Ramaro rolled his eyes. “Humans and their frailty.”
A rumble from our backs made us twist around. The whole island rose hundreds of feet above us and opened a gaping maw. The mouth was filled with jagged rocks and moss, and water dripped from its dirty lips.
The lift of the mountains set us tumbling forward, and the ship was also pushed away from the shore. The island dove down on us, its rock teeth aimed to swallow everything whole. A terrible rumble emanated from deep below us, and a vortex formed twenty feet below the water. A column shot out just behind us and slammed into the island’s upper jaw. The water came out the top and sent rocks and plants flying in all directions.
While the island was distracted by the gaping hole in its face, the water around us propelled us to the ship. We landed hard on the deck, and the men were quick to lift us off the boards. The water spun the ship around so we faced away from the flailing island.
“Hold on to something!” Torvus shouted.
The sailors dove for everything that was nailed down. Torvus himself wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to the railing, where we both grabbed hold. He stretched his body over mine as the ship flew forward, carried on the waves by the mysterious glow under his eyepatch. I clutched Ramaro close against my chest with one arm and held on tight to the railing with the other as we bounced our way across the ocean.
The island shook its head, sending bits and pieces of itself flying in all directions. It let loose a terrible, echoing roar like a cry down a long tunnel, and then gave pursuit. Its rocky outskirts nudged the aft of the ship, but the thing’s momentum created a wave that assisted us in keeping out of its large jaws. That, combined with Torvus’ driving, widened the gap. I didn’t dare breathe until the hideous island disappeared behind the horizon.
We flew for more miles before the ship sailed into a gentle pace. Torvus drew himself off me, and I could finally straighten.
Ramaro squirmed in my arm. “You’re crushing me!”
“Sorry,” I apologized as I let him down. My heart filled with relief as I turned to the captain. “Thank you so-”
My thanks were stifled by the look on his face. He stood on his own strength, but his skin was ghastly pale. His chest moved up and down in an irregular rhythm, and his eye was unfocused.
