Chapter 50
S O R E N
I narrow my eyes when it seems like there’s something bright in the distance, and it’s not the prow of the ship. It’s hard to make sense of it when the waves continue to roll into view.
Someone comes down the ladder to the mess hall—a straight shot from up top—their legs flying in the air when we dip down before he’s able to anchor himself on the bars. “Blackwell’s ship is on fire!” he shouts.
As soon as we’re able, we all stand, holding on as Tempest descends down the ladder after him. She’s completely soaked, dripping all over the floors. “We’re still boarding his ship!” she declares, holding onto the ladder as she looks around the space. “We’re almost on him. If you fall into trouble, jump into the ocean. The sirens can feel human energy and will know immediately where you are.
“Liam Rackham will fire cannons just before we collide, and he will provide the escape ship as we ram Sea Wolf into Darkwater. Antony Blackwell is mine , and I’ll kill the man that robs me of my vengeance. Do you all understand?”
“ AYE !”
She walks over to us, leaning sideways as the ship dips more, although she doesn’t need to hold onto anything. “Do you all agree?”
“I’m here for Jane,” I state.
“I as well, and Jesper,” Ritter replies.
Tempest nods, then looks at Bones. “I’m here for Anya.”
“I’m literally here for the fun of it,” Basilisk adds as she looks at him.
She doesn’t seem amused. “Affiliation? Aside from the witch?”
“Death’s Wing.”
Even if the two rarely interacted, it’s true that we rise to the call of each other when in need. And right now, Anya is in need of vengeance. Tempest tilts her head to the side, as if she accepts it. “Follow the crew when it’s time to board. Get yourselves ready.”
She climbs back up the ladder as the crew hoots and hollers. Heat sears my blood while I examine every possible outcome in my mind. Closing my eyes, I focus on the waves of energy around me. Everyone vibrates with eagerness, and I’m even able to sense out the utter chaos of Darkwater in the distance.
I swear Misery’s energy is missing, always a source of something putrid. It’s as if he’s either shut me off, or he’s not there .
Cannons fire—my eyes shoot wide open at the sound of them consecutively firing off, only having heard that once before.
There’s a disturbance in my heart that overshadows the battle cries, my mask calling to me that something is wrong with Jane. Her life is in danger. I can sense out her fading heartbeat, like a precarious warning to what needs to be saved.
I engulf myself in the calm that is second nature to me, one that is purely guided by years of training in warfare. I don’t question anything else, knowing I need to be surgical in my approach so I may reach her. Get her in the waters. I can’t do shit for her when it comes to healing, but the sirens might.
That’s my duty.
I will find her.
And the fucking world better hope she’s alive.
I take over the directing of everyone to go above deck, looking at each man’s face before they ascend the stairs while Tempest’s crew climbs the ladder, keeping it quick and uniform, before I move up myself. Once up top, I don’t even fully feel the rain that pelts against me.
Not when every step, every breath, is now fueled with a deep purpose. Every time my heart beats, I worry about Jane’s. We’re moving too slow. My eyes widen in shock when I realize what I saw belowdeck, only to blink as rain pelts in. The entire center of Darkwater is on fire, caved in right at the middle. The flames lick the air with a signature, as if imbued with the energy of the person who ignited them. Without thinking, I shout, “Jane set the fire!”
Ritter gives me his full attention as he stands to my right. “ What ?”
“I can feel it. Her energy, her anger, it’s all over the flames.” I peer around for Basilisk until I find him in the crowd, taking two steps toward him. “Do you feel Misery?”
“No!” Concern is etched in those golden eyes, furrowed brows hanging heavily over them. “I think we can risk boarding. I don’t know what happened to him!”
We all reach for something to stabilize ourselves, the black expanse of the rolling ocean like the surface to another dimension. We’re nearing Darkwater as if the winds have stopped brushing against Blackwell’s ship, as if they fuel Tempest’s more than before. I can even see Blackwell at the wheel, glancing at us before he leaves his post.
“HANG TIGHT!” ripples through Sea Wolf from Tempest’s crew, and I glance over to the other side to see Storm’s Fury is close enough to visualize the dots along his hull for the cannons.
No one outruns the Sea Wolf.
The sky above is torn apart in jagged streaks of lightning, light washing over Darkwater to reveal the damage. Sheets of rain lash at the ocean, reducing the horizon to a shifting, watery void.Crimson sails billow as if given one last burst of power, the wolf’s head about to devour Darkwater.
We all cling to rough ropes, our faces and hair soaked.
I can smell the burning of Blackwell’s ship, even the heat of the fire as the storm seems to hold its breath so the Sea Wolf can collide in an explosion of splintering wood, the fire nearly blinding after being in darkness for so long. Embers twist into the storm, the Sea Wolf groaning as it’s firmly affixed to Darkwater, the crew immediately taking action.
Nearly two dozen pirates swing through the air on ropes, landing on the ship as they start slicing at Blackwell’s crew, dancing around the fires, a few tumbling into the caved-in center.
Grapnel hooks arc through the stormy air as more pirates swarm the flaming ship, the war cries swallowed by the storm’s howl.
The heat of the fire clashes with the cold sting of the rain, and I finally make my move, running to the prow to climb off of the wolf’s head that’s bitten into Darkwater, first trying to locate Misery.
The braziers are strangely empty compared to the rest of the ship, the broken god seemingly gone.
The pirates lead most of the fight as they’re used to this terrain, my men slowly making their way over.Sliding down the wolf’s head, I let my momentum carry me until I leap off onto Darkwater. I slide out two of my swords, moving forward to start slicing at the first unfortunate fucker near me. Ritter is on the ship, too, Basilisk landing on the deck, slicing his axes to chop two heads off at once; he keeps close to Ritter, just as we talked about.
I collide into many, intently focusing with my energy, feeling Jane below us. Every blow I deliver is to get me one step closer to her.
Tempest swings over on her own rope, her captain’s jacket gone. After landing, she rises among the fire, the gold on her mask becoming translucent from the flames. “ ANTONY! ” she cries out, her voice carrying unnaturally in the winds.
Muscle memory dominates as I wade through the energies around me, sensing danger as if a puppeteer controls my actions. My steel collides with either flesh, bone, or metal. Two dangers come at me at once. Everything tells me to let the one in front hit me with the plank of wood he wields in order to avoid what’s behind.
The man collides with my chest before I duck down, looking up to see a sword swinging over my head, cutting at the man’s throat.
I gut the one behind me, his intestines slipping out of his body as blood mixes with the ocean’s water on the deck.
Ducking down to a knee, I dodge another blow, striking up to cut that man’s arm off.
A pause.
I seek Jane’s fading energy—moving to the stairwell, I throw all my weight into elbowing the first man I see so hard his skull cracks.
I glare at the door, feeling what I desire just beyond it, and barrel into the wood. Blasting it off of the hinges, I confront two men standing on the other side, wide-eyed, water and blood dripping down my body onto the dry interior.
I don’t give a fuck who they are or what their purpose is. I stab one right in the heart and pulverize the other so hard his ribs shatter.
They’re in the way of Jane.
Going down the stairs, the blood in my veins feels as if it vanishes?—
A body is splayed out right at the base of the stairs, red hair tangled around her face, most of Jane’s body exposed as the rest of her clothes have clearly burned off. A wound is above her left breast, her body covered in blood.
“ Jane ,” I say, dropping my weapons as they tumble down. I lean over her, pulling the hair out of her face; my hands are covered in bloody soot while her face is pristine, leaving dark streaks on her face. The fires burned any grime away. This injury happened after.
Relief. Absolute-fucking-relief exudes in her eyes as they barely part open. She smiles so big that she hardly seems to focus on my face, her teeth stained with blood.
“I,” she tries, and coughs. “I missed you.”
Overwhelming emotions gut me, my throat burning. “It’s okay, beautiful,” I say and gently cradle her in my arms to hold her close once more. “We’re here to help finish what you started, and to get you off this ship.”
“You were right,” she mutters, coughing again before groaning. “It was nice thinking of you just now.”
I grip her tighter, some of the fire burning me as it licks out from where she must have been, but I don’t care, even if the temperature down here is nearly suffocating. “Stay with me, love.” I pivot on the stairs, starting to climb, leaning on the walls for balance when I need to. “I’m taking you home.”
She doesn’t respond, her head unstable as it leans into my shoulder.
A man descends the stairs with a sword, and I grind my teeth as I give him my opposite shoulder, his blade piercing my skin and muscle as it cuts through some of my armor, my body blocking any access to striking Jane. I groan out and collide into him, resorting to the barbaric basics of using my sheer size to overpower him as he stumbles, stomping on his chest when he falls down, crushing him underneath me.
Jane is fading, and the comfort of not being alone almost has the opposite effect of keeping her alive. It’s soothing her into that eternal darkness.
I enter the stormy night as the cold rain wets swiftly chills the steel of my armor, looking for the closest path to the ocean. Ritter spots the two of us, fear overtaking any and all fight within him.
One of the spars cracks at the base as, slowly collapsing in a warning to that it crush all those underneath. The rope around Ritter’s leg spindles up quickly, but he doesn’t notice; he’s only focused on the dying woman in my arms. I can’t drop Jane to save him, already knowing I’d choose her over anyone here if it came to it.
Ritter realizes what’s happening, but it’s too late.
I hold Jane closer, ducking her vision away from what’s about to happen in case she can still see. Just as the rope nearly tightens around Ritter to slingshot him into the air, it suddenly doesn’t, despite the spar continuing to crash down, taking out ropes and masts with it.
Basilisk dove to cut at the ropes right as it almost took the Scorpion, rolling into a standing position to brace himself to block an attack from another.
“ RASMUS! ” I shout.
Gutting his attacker, he moves quickly to me, his face darkened from soot and blood. “I need you to take Jane! Someone needs to be with her who can feel Misery. Keep her in the waters with the sirens until I’m with you!”
He doesn’t question any moment of that order, receiving Jane as I pass her over, ensuring her head is supported until he has a secure grip. The ship sways again with a wave, and he lets himself slide right off the side off the ship, carrying away the precious woman that everyone severely underestimated, and I’ll ensure that they reap the carnage of their mistake.
I won’t leave this ship until I know no one is coming to haunt Jane again.