Page 72 of By the Flames of Her Fury

The crew scrambled for the lines. Momentum carried us toward the lighthouse at an alarming speed. But the kraken wasn’t done. Two limbs surged up from beneath the bow, wrapping around it with enough force to slow its movement. A tremendous crack rang out, and I watched in horror as the front of the ship ripped off.

In my distraction, another tentacle surged up from the wreckage and sent me sprawling. I hit the ground hard, stars bursting behind my eyes. Something slimy wrapped around my ankle. I barely had time to scream before it dragged me backward.

My fingers reached for loose planks, broken poles, anything to grab, but I was sliding too quickly. The skin on my stomach burned from rubbing against the wood. A second tentacle latched onto my arm, and I tried to yank out of its hold. In my jarring motion, something shook free from the pocket of my leather jacket.

The phoenix crest. The pendant at the end of the chain swung into the red tentacle, and the kraken emitted another ear-splintering shriek. Golden light burst from the crest, casting a circular glow into the darkness.

The kraken released me and slunk back into the churning water. I scrambled to the nearest rail, searching for any sign of the sea monster, but it was gone. No menacing silhouette, no bulbous head, no tentacles clawing at the hull. It was as if the pendant had scared it off.

Chest heaving, my gaze landed farther ahead, to the other ship growing steadily nearer. Between the two of us stood a small island, not even half a mile wide, with a single ancient, stone lighthouse in the center. An anticipation I couldn’t quite place built inside of me.

Something on the banks caught my attention. A figure stood at the shoreline: a slender, feminine silhouette, with waves of hair cascading in the wind. When I blinked, she dove straight into the water, disappearing from sight in a trail of silver starlight.

Something about it felt…off. An uncomfortable needling in the back of my mind told me to look away. Starke walked up beside me, and I gestured toward it. “Starke, did you see—Starke? Starke!”

He ignored me. His boots sloshed through the wet deck, eyes transfixed on the water, as one foot mounted the rail. I reached for his shoulder to pull him back. “Starke, what are you doing?”

He shook me off, blue eyes glassy and face slack. Without pausing, he launched himself off the side of the ship.

34

Everett

It was a storm of wind, water, and tentacles, and I didn’t know where to look: the broken bow; the sharp masts hanging above our heads, inches away from impaling us; Tessa with her bloodied twin daggers; or Rossa, who was now buried beneath the waves. I hadn’t been able to get to him in time.

Several screams from the port side made my heart stop. Vera leaned over the rail, shouting Starke’s name. She barely snagged his arm and, with the help of a deckhand, they were able to pull him back aboard.

I blinked. The man had tried to jump off the ship. I couldn’t find it in me to be too upset. But as I made my way over, Tessa passed by my other side. Her daggers clattered to the ground, and she didn’t bother to pick them up.

“Where are you going?” I asked her. When she merely kept walking to the rail with unseeing eyes, fear trickled down my spine. “Tessa, get back here,” I called again.

Nothing.

She gripped the rail.

“Tessa!” I lurched for her hand, which slipped out of my grasp. She lifted one foot onto the rail. Her eyes were empty and fastened on something in the water. My stomach shot up my throat as she lifted herself up and over the rail.

“No!” I shouted, lunging and wrapping my good arm around her waist. I tackled her to the ground just in time. She fought me, eyes still not focusing. Her fist connected with my injured arm, and I let out a grunt.

“Tessa, snap out of it,” I growled, wrestling her back down. She rammed her knee into my stomach and tried to shove me off her. I slammed her shoulder into the ground, but it seemed to have no effect. Her face was blank, her eyes unblinking, even as she struggled in my grasp.

“Tessa!” I planted my knees on either side of her and brought my hand back. “This better work,” I muttered, then slapped her hard across the face.

Her head snapped back. She sucked in a breath, eyes widening. “What was that for?” she gasped out.

I loosened my hold with a sigh of relief, then hastily got off of her. “A simple thank you would suffice.”

She massaged her cheek. “I bet you’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

I suppressed a chuckle and helped her to her feet. “I’m just glad you’re…you’re…” I trailed off and slowly turned my neck toward the water. I blinked, eyes heavy. There was…there was this sound. Like a phoenix song, coming from an iridescent glow beneath the waves.

“Swift, I need you,” the voice said. It sounded eerily like Vera. My feet moved across the deck of their own accord. The song wrapped around me, beautiful and haunting and full of promises, a silver thread pulling me closer. “I love you, Everett. I was so wrong about everything before. Please, forgive me.”

Of course, I forgave her. That wasn’t even a question.

“We can be together forever. Isn’t that what you want?”

Yes, that was everything I had ever wanted. My lips parted in wonder as the voice tugged me tighter. Nearer. A hand on the rail. Silver shining from a figure slipping among the waves. Almost there. Distantly, I heard someone call me, but I shrugged it off. Nothing else mattered except getting to her.