“How can I help? What can I do?” I yelled over the wind.
“Shift the sail! See if we can catch more wind!”
“Brilliant! Which rope does what, exactly?!”
“Godsdamned useless lion,” she muttered, shoving past me like I was made of fluff. “You steer. I’ll get the sail.”
She thrust the wheel into my hands.
“Who taught you how to sail?” I barked after her, wrestling the wheel straight.
“My parents,” she called over her shoulder. “They wanted me to be a water mage like them. Taught me to sail in hopes I’d magically rewrite my entire godsdamned genetic makeup.”
She tapped the scar on her cheek. “I got this from my father—the first time I summoned vines.”
“Mads…” My stomach twisted.
“Commiserate with me later. We need to ditch these bastardsnow.”
I glanced behind us—and there he was. Vasquez. Standing on the helm of the boat giving chase. His coat snapped in the wind, his eyes locked on me like a blade.
I raised my hand. Gave him the finger.
Suck on that, bitch.
More boats began to charge us. I could see a couple readying cannons.
“They’re gonna fire!”
“Aim for the beach!” she shouted, jabbing toward the Wilds.
The sails caught wind—just barely—and the boat jolted forward, skimming faster across the waves. But it wasn’t enough. The red-sailed ships closed in, faster, heavier, deadlier.
“Land’s coming up!” Maddie shouted. “Brace yourself!”
“I don’t see—”
And then Idid.
A jagged line of rocks. Dense trees beyond. The Wilds.
She veered us hard. The hull scraped, groaned, and then—we hit.
We were thrown forward as the boat slammed into the shallows, skidding halfway up a rocky shore. I hit the deck hard. Maddie landed beside me, breathless, face scraped.
“Go!” she yelled, already scrambling to her feet.
We ran.
Behind us, Vasquez’s ship didn’t stop. His men disembarked fast, armoured boots hitting water and sand. They shouted orders. Crossbows lifted. A bolt snapped past my ear.
“Run faster,” Maddie panted.
We plunged into the trees.
She flung her hands up—thick vines shot from the ground, sealing the path behind us.
“That won’t hold them long!” I called.
