One of the krell dove at us, its beak open wide. Instead of a roar, a spray of glittering quills shot from its throat.
"Down!" Vic shouted, pulling me to the deck just as the quills whizzed overhead.
"The quills are poisonous," Cypher called over his shoulder. "One scratch will paralyze you in minutes."
I peered over the edge of the skiff to see the second vessel with Kora and the others. They were executing evasive maneuvers as well, with Jask at the controls while Knives and Tor fired crossbows at the diving krell.
"We need to reach the Reliquarium," Cypher said. "We're too exposed out here."
He pushed our skiff to full speed, aiming for the island with the Reliquarium. The krell shrieked in pursuit, one diving so close that I could see the cruel intelligence in its eyes.
Zoya stood at the back of the skiff, her own crossbow raised. She fired, and one of the krell reeled back with a bolt protruding from its wing. It didn't fall, but it slowed, dropping behind its companions.
"Nice shot," Vic said.
"Not good enough," she replied, loading another bolt. "They're still coming."
I reached for my rift senses, trying to feel the currents around us. If I could predict the movements of the void, maybe Cypher could use them to our advantage.
"Sharp current to the right," I called. "It's moving upward!"
Cypher didn't hesitate. He cut the skiff hard to the right, catching the current I'd sensed. Our vessel shot upward with sudden speed, momentarily disorienting the krell.
"There's another one," I said, feeling the tug of a current sweeping beneath us. "Coming from below!"
Before Cypher could react, the third krell burst through the current, smashing into our skiff's underside. The impact sent us spinning, the control panel sparking as it cracked under Cypher's hands. I was thrown against the railing, pain lancing through my shoulder.
"We're losing control!" Cypher shouted, wrestling with the steering. "The crystal is damaged!"
Our skiff lurched violently, tipping sideways as the engine sputtered and failed. I caught a glimpse of the second skiff, Kora's face twisted in horror as she screamed something I couldn't hear, before we began plummeting toward a smaller island below.
"Brace for impact!" Zoya yelled.
I grabbed the nearest handhold, my knuckles white as we hurtled downward. Cypher fought the controls until the last moment, managing to level us just enough that we didn't hit nose-first. Instead, we skidded across a ruined courtyard, metal shrieking against stone as the skiff's hull tore open.
The world spun, a blur of pain and noise. Something struck my head. Then darkness.
I woketo Click's claws digging into my cheek, his mechanical tail ticking frantically against my skin. My head throbbed, and something warm and sticky matted my hair on one side.
"Juno!" Vic's face swam into focus above me. "Don't move yet. You might have a concussion."
I ignored him, pushing myself upright. The world tilted alarmingly, but I forced myself to focus. Our skiff lay in ruins,split nearly in half against what looked like a fallen statue. Zoya was already on her feet, crossbow ready as she scanned our surroundings.
"Where's the other skiff?" I asked roughly.
"Lost sight of them during the crash," Zoya replied. "They were still fighting off the krell last I saw."
Panic shot through me. "Kora?—"
"Is with Jask and the others," Cypher cut in as his eyes ran over the length of me, checking me for injuries it seemed. "They'll be fine. Jask knows to get them to the Reliquarium if we're separated. Are you okay, scavenger?"
I wanted to believe him, but fear gnawed at my insides. Ignored his question, and Click scurried back into my pocket as I struggled to my feet, Vic's hand steadying my elbow.
"Where are we?" I asked, taking in our surroundings for the first time.
We'd crashed on a small island that might once have been a residential district. Elegant buildings of pale stone stood in various states of decay, their windows empty and dark. Strange, luminescent vegetation had overtaken much of it.
"About three islands from the Reliquarium," Cypher said, shouldering a pack of salvaged supplies. "We're going to have to find another way there."
