The wizards are already on their second crate. “Ready?”
Kalyan nods.
“Chagnyawodohs,”I whisper, and wisps of red float off my fingers. The red mask adheres to my face in cold strokes. Then I cast a purple spell, and my magic plunges into the fibers of my black clothes, sewing thick, armorlike red swirls into the fabric. I quickly teach Kalyan the spell, and a white mask fastens to his face, turning him into a ghost come back to life. I can only imagine how freaky I must look, but it’s the best disguise I’ve worn in all my spying and ambushing. A black magic spell I created myself.
“When you see red, you know when to attack,” I say, then run and dive behind more shipping crates. Two more leaps behind cover and a jump off the one-meter-tall seawall and I’m on the beach, the sand sloshing upward with each footstep. Hubris bounces off my thigh.
“Sthairya Saritretaw,”I call to the sea. A dark wave breaks unnaturally farther inland. A thick foam of unrest eddies. I run and, without a second thought, step onto the water. Stairs bubble in small breaking rifts as they jolt upward, and I climb in unbalanced havoc.
Only have a few seconds before the stairs disappear.Gods!
I jump for the anchor’s rope as the water stairs shimmer and fall in one flat crash. The wet braids of fiber burn my palms as I grapple for a grip. Blood! I slide. One meter. Two meters. I tighten my hold and finally stop my descent, an arm’s length from the ocean. My heart pumps in my ears. That was…notgraceful.
The Vencrin may have heard the wave or my fumbling, so as soon as I’m level with the deck I reach over with a knockout spell ready on my lips. But there’s nothing. No wizards, no levitation spells carrying crates; nothing but dead silence.“Vrnotwodahs,”I say, to reconnect with the shadows of the ship as I climb over the side and crouch.
Then I hear it, the clatter of a crate cracking, the yell of a spell, and the grunts of fighting. I run to the ramp and take in the scene on the dock with wild searching eyes. Kalyan has a bubble shield wrapped around him like a re-creation of the sphere in the Underground. The purple forte wizard pounds it with orange magic, shearing off sheets of dust and smoke. Inside the bubble Kalyan punches a wizard in the gut. The big-nosed wizard lies to the side, motionless.
What about my plan?
“Nizleah,”I send toward Mr. Hit-It-Until-It-Breaks, then drop behind the ship’s railing. My red magic flames toward his purple forte like an arrow. It misses by centimeters and splatters against Kalyan’s shield. Blood. I low-crawl fast on the deck, awaiting a spell to hit the place I fired from.
Instead, the wizard bellows, “Intruders!”
In a blink, movement rips through my senses. The boat feels alive as noise vibrates within it. Vencrin, some already rumbling up the stairs to get to the main deck, are coming for us.
“Agati Drumahtrae.”Planks peel away from the deck and I throw them toward the door. They slam in a random crisscross fashion, but it does little to slow the wizards. In one loud explosion the pieces burst apart. I drop and cover my head as splinters rain down on me. The only good thing is that all the debris, plus my black magic, conceals me from the seven Vencrin who rush onto the deck. These Vencrin aren’t dressed like cage casters. They’re sailors, with worn brown kurtas, greasy hair, and tall boots made to walk or climb on water like I just did.
“Over there!” one Vencrin on the far side calls, and three others immediately rush onto the ramp to reach Kalyan and their bellowing friend. No! I can’t let Kalyan be overrun. As the Vencrin race down the ramp I chant a green magic spell. In one heave the ramp tears and then slides from the ship’s deck. Shouts of protest erupt as the three men tumble into the water. The wizard in the front hits the pier hard and falls with a splash into the water’s dark depths.
“It’s the Red Woman!” a wizard yells, and the sound is close, too close.
I spin, the red smoke of my magic already condensing into a shield. A black sword lands with brutal force and bites into my magic as I raise my defense. I want to absorb the purple magic, so I let it burrow deeper. The Vencrin jerks the sword back, trying to reclaim his weapon. I take advantage of the distraction and pound my open palm into his chest.“Sphot Pavria.”
He is blown backward and over the deck, leaving the black sword stuck in my red-plated armor. Too late I realize he chanted something before my wind tunnel took him out. The black sword lurches free, condenses back into shapeless magic, and flies around my shield. I raise my arm in protection, but the magic finds its target. I yell as sharp pain pierces my arm, ripping from elbow to mid-forearm.
Another man advances in glee at my scream. His mouth moves, but I can’t hear the spell. In a flick, I send out my go-to rebound spell. Red meets blue in a stream much like Kalyan and Tenson’s fight earlier. But this isn’t for show. I chant again, and the added force knocks the wizard into another body hurling itself at me. Too soon, yet another red-faced wizard whips something at my head. I duck, and clutch my elbow automatically when it screams open at the sharp movement.
The distraction of pain leaves me open for a second too long. A foot kicks me in the stomach and I slam sideways. Before I can take a retching breath, an orange stream slices toward my head. I jerk to the right, but the orange isn’t a stream of magic; it’s the inflamed wizard’s fists. He lands hard and splinters the planks with his strength. If he touches my throat with that power I’m dead. With a howl I pull myself up and kick out with one foot. It meets his ribs with a crunch. But instead of toppling backward, he lunges forward and we roll into the mainmast as we grapple. Every bone in my body converts to a hard angle as I try to buck him off me. He wants my throat.
“Zaktirenni,”I breathe as I lurch and grab his wrists, which are centimeters from my neck. We both grunt as his hands descend closer. Orange saturates my vision. My grip slips.
Then something white spills into my peripherals. A smoky white rope laces around the wizard’s mouth and chest. His eyes bulge and his body writhes in resistance. A moment later, his weight lifts off me and he flies backward, then over the side of the ship. Peering after him as I convulse, I find Kalyan at the other end of the stream.
“Sorry I’m late. Someone destroyed the ramp.”
My mouth gapes as I struggle to breathe. How can he be making jokes right now? He doesn’t even look tired as he reaches to help me stand.
Purple flashes behind Kalyan. A Vencrin leers, sights set, a spell pulsing over his fingertips.No!
“Are you—”
I grab Kalyan’s hand and yank.
He tries not to fall on me, hands shooting out to catch himself. It’s clear I hadn’t exactly thought it all through, especially when his chest slams into mine and we both huff out a breath. For a single moment Kalyan stares at me like I’m mad while collapsed on top of me, his entire body pressing…
The bolt of purple streams above us, right where Kalyan had been standing. Screams erupt as the spell hits another Vencrin, who crumples. Torture spell.
Understanding lights up Kalyan’s eyes, his face very close to mine. “Thanks.”
