Draevyn’s flame-fueled eyes met Jak’s, widening in shock. “Thanks,” he huffed before throwing himself back into the brawl as the few wounded members of his crew fought at their sides.
The pair became a relentless force. One a storm of blades and speed, the other a blazing inferno of fury. The two enemy crews fought together as if they were one in the same, the sand beneath them scorching with embers.
Jak’s chest burned. Not from exhaustion, but from helpless rage. He’d been too late to save Esmi. The vision of seeing her in that net, unconscious and dragged like a prize through the fog, set his blood boiling. And now all he could do was kill these fuckers who invaded their home, taking something that wasn’t theirs to take, and hope it counted for something.
And then a horn sounded, a sharp call that echoed from beyond the beach and waves. The soldiers retreated, hauling away the wounded while vanishing into the mist.
“They’re falling back!” Draevyn bellowed as he pulled his sword from the chest of one of the last soldiers.
The wind shifted.
Jak’s head snapped toward the sound of shuffling boots behind a broken cart. A young, wide-eyed soldier had slipped free during the chaos. He was limping, one hand clutching his chest as the other gripped a dagger slick with crimson.
He couldn’t let them all get away. If they disappeared from the harbor and into the fog, there was a chance Esmi would be lost.
“Oi!” Jak shouted. The soldier looked back over his shouldertoward them. “Phoenix, don’t let him get away!” he roared as he sprinted toward him.
Draevyn was already moving, flames spiraling from his heels as heat cracked the air around him. A wall of flame roared up in front of the fleeing soldier, forcing him to stumble backward.
Jak held the blade of his dagger between his teeth before he lunged, tackling the man from the side. They crashed into the ground and rolled several feet. He snarled, twisting him onto his stomach and wrenching his arms behind his back. The man thrashed, but Jak held him steady, straddling him on his back before taking his dagger and pressing its blade to the edge of his throat.
The soldier spat blood, gasping. “Release me, you fucking brute!”
A wicked grin lifted Jak’s lips. “Nah.” He hauled the man to his feet and shoved him toward Ren and Riven. “Bind him! We may need him.”
He looked to the sky, lifted his fingers to his mouth, and let out a loud whistle, followed by an ear-shattering owl screech. Shortly after, their crew began to funnel in from all corners and shadows of the streets.
Jak stepped up to Draevyn as he took in the sight of him—blood spattered across his jaw, his blade still raised as flames licked up its edges. He knew the moment he spoke of what happened, this version of the Phoenix wouldn’t even compare to the demon about to be unleashed.
“They have her, Draevyn. I was too late.” The last few words ended in a growl as he tried to catch his breath.
“How?!” Draevyn roared, eyes igniting again in a blaze.
Jak’s body went rigid. The power that exuded from the man was undeniable. The only other time he’d ever felt something evencloseto it was when he was with Esmyra. His next words left him in a snarl. “They had her in a net made of velsinyte. It was like a godsdamn fishing net.”
Draevyn’s nostrils flared as his neck corded. “Where?”
“On the beach,” Jak rasped, throat dry. “They were taking her to the lifeboats to bring her back to a ship. She was unconscious. I triedto fight them off alone, but more kept coming, and then they pointed a gun in her face.”
Silence fell, grief and guilt devouring them both.
“I wasn’t willing to risk it,” he finished.
Draevyn said nothing as he stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists. A moment later, he took off in a dead sprint and tore down the street.
“Shit,” Jak muttered, before turning to their crew. “Bring the prisoner, and keep him bound and gagged. Everyone, get to the godsdamn beach.”
CHAPTER 36
Draevyn
With every step, the scent of saltwater grew stronger, and the crashing of waves roared in his ears, yet Draevyn’s heart beat louder than the sea itself as he ran.
He crested the final rise of the dunes and froze.
The harbor was empty, and the docks were broken and splintered, rope ends fluttering in the breeze.
Beyond the horizon, dark silhouettes of towering sails disappeared into the early dawn mist. Lephyrin’s fleet was already making for open water, their hulls carving paths of white through the sea.
