I scream again, “Shift. Go to the shore. They will drown on their own.”
The water rises higher, and the last remaining Wielders abandon the ship, leaving a few creatures screaming as the darkness below drags them to their watery graves.
We both quickly holster our weapons.
Larkin extends his hand, and I struggle to hold onto it against the dark liquid covering most of our exposed skin and clothes.
“Hang on,” he instructs.
We shift together, both using our magic to propel ourselves toward the Andorwood ship—still intact and waiting to fight the next ship of the resurrected beings.
Faster than a shooting star, we land on the ship's deck, startling a few Wielders who wait with anticipation and weapons drawn. Upon seeing Commander Spiridon and the Queen of Daramveer in this state, several gasps rise into the thick air, and I hear hushed prayers offered to the Gods of Light and Darkness. I push through the tight crowd of waiting warriors and make my way to Captain Darcy, who is steering the ship.
“My Gods,” he says, as we walk up the wooden stairs to the command deck.
“Captain,” Larkin says, with a dip of his head. “I’m sure we are a sight to see.”
“You two look as horrifying as the creatures aboard those ships,” he says with a flinch. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”
“I’m fine for now,” I say. “Our surviving Wielders are headed back to the land to prepare the others. The creatures can’t swim.”
His eyes widen. “Blessed, a fleet of ships traveling with weapons that can’t swim.”
“Exactly,” I respond. “They have a plan, and it’s in action. The first ship was designed to take one of our ships down; I believe the second one will be an attempt to wipe us out, while the third will contain their strongest heads to shore.” I wipe my blood-soaked eyes. “They have Wielders steering the ships, and they have Rigils everywhere on their bodies, like scars. If we can take out the Wielders, we can stop them from moving forward.”
Darcy shoots Larkin a look and raises his brows.
“She’s impressive, I know,” Larkin says, responding to their silent conversation.
I narrow my eyes. “If you agree, I think we should sink the strongest ship.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?” he asks.
“Well,” I say. “Like their ship did to ours.”
Larkin sighs, “Briar.”
“What do you mean?” Darcy says with a weary look in his eyes.
“We will ram it.”
“Oh, blessed Gods.” Captain Darcy shakes his head. “You can’t be serious.”
My lips form a thin line. “I am.”
He pauses and looks toward the two ships heading in our direction. Both appear identical, with what seems to be the same number of creatures lining the decks. Distinguishing which one is which will be nearly impossible and a gamble. The violent winds rip around us, and our time is running out as the angry waves continuously push us closer. I glance toward the shore, and that familiar shadowy wall stands tall.
“Or, we try to take them both down instead of risking it with choosing one,” Larkin says.
I snap my head in his direction. “How?”
“We split up,” he says.
“No,” I say, with a furrowed brow. “Absolutely not.”
“I can take a few of our strongest warriors and shift to the boat. You stay back with Darcy and the masses and take down one of the ships entirely,” Larkin explains. “Killing even a few of the creatures will help us if they get to land. Once we can limit their numbers or kill the Wielders in charge, we will shift to the shore to prepare Silas.”
I roll my head around my shoulders and weigh the options. “I don’t like this, and he’s going to kill you for leaving me.”
