But I did.
Kye swung his sword against a rope, freeing one side of the dinghy. It swung free, a savage pendulum banging and scraping against theceleritein wrought fury. He turned to run for the opposite rope—raising his sword in time to deflect a blow from a nearby blade.
A hand grabbed my arm.
I jolted, eyes shooting to Demyan. His fingers burrowed into my flesh as he yanked me away from the edge.
I didn’t give him time to pull me back. The sea was already alive with the promise of a storm, and I had just enough within me to send it over the edge. Air crackled around me as I lifted my free arm over my head, the droplets in the air exploding into bursts of steam and vapor.
Demyan shot away and crouched, shielding himself with his arms as scalding air struck from above.
I clenched my teeth as heat waves danced around me.
Air hissed. Someone screamed.
The world shifted.
I lost my hold as my knees shook, weariness pressing in on me from all sides.
My ankles folded. My eyes blurred.
Sleep whispered in my ear, and I dropped to the deck floor.
Legs swung over benches. Bodies rammed into each other as men stood, swaying against the tilt of the sea. At the prow of thecelerite, one pirate cut through the others, shoving them aside in his wake, mouth curling to reveal a row of black teeth.
But I threw my gaze to the starboard side as Kye’s sword lanced off a man’s cutlass, causing the pirate to stumble. Kye grabbed him by the neck and threw him overboard, swinging to meet the blade of another.
I reached for the railing as benches groaned, men clambering to reach me. They closed in on me from all sides, constricting like the laces of my corset.
Captain Kriska threw himself across the deck, his boots thundering over wood.
The bodies multiplied, so thick I could no longer see past them.
A heavy splash signaled a small boat hitting the water. My heart fluttered in relief—until I realized the metallic sound of blades hadn’t stopped.
Kye vaulted onto the starboard railing, running along the edge like a balance beam.
I dug my toes into the plankboards, the wood grain rough under my knees.
Fingers wrapped around my arms, wrenching me sideways. Someone yanked my hands behind my back.
Kye twirled and spun, deflecting blows as he fought his way to me.
A wave struck the ship.
I slammed my shoulder into a man, forcing him off his feet. Someone grabbed my hair, throwing me backwards. I fell groggily onto the deck, tailbone grinding hard wood.
Kye slashed at a man, leaning heavily to the side as he hung from the shrouds. Body slanted, he hovered over the side of the deck, swishing, stabbing, slicing—
Kriska pulled up to a stop just ahead of me, eyes burning. His body convulsed in anger; he bared his black teeth. “Someone bring the boy down, you worthless bilge-guzzlers. And take her back below. Make sure her chains are so tight, she can’t move her arms. Where's Aleksei?”
The bright sun flickered. My vision blurred.
Kye thrust his weight into his sword, forcing a man off, buying himself time to run. He straightened out of the shrouds, fingers releasing the heavy cables as he drew upright—
An arrow whistled through the air.
Hitting Kye in the back.
