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“Unfortunately, he can,” Nikolai shouted with his arm extended toward the one large ship that had survived the wave. Large oil lamps hung from the sail posts, making the countless canons and catapults stocked along the bottom deck visible.
Gerarda turned to me. “Can your gusts outrun them?”
“I don’t know.” I looked to Nikolai. “Do we have any weapons to fight them?”
Nikolai shook his head. “This isn’t a battleship.”
“Stop with your worrying!” a strong voice boomed from above. I turned and saw Myrrah wrapping her wrist in a strand of the custom rigging Nikolai had installed. She cut through one piece and a heavy bag of earth fell to the bottom deck, hoisting Myrrah high enough into the air that she could soar on one arm between us. She curved around the sail post, slowing enough for her to drop into the chair that Gerarda had placed at the base of the ship wheel.
Syrra and Nikolai stepped back in shock but Gerarda and I were not surprised. Myrrah had more flair than anyone at sea. She looked to both of us. “What do you do when you’re out-armed?” She’d become our teacher once again.
I laughed while Gerarda straightened her back and answered at once. “Outmaneuver them.”
A proud smile spread across Myrrah’s face and she nodded. “Do what you can, Keera, but trust I have control of this ship.” She unlocked her chair and pushed herself in the direction of the large wooden wheel. “Raise the anchor!” she shouted over her shoulder.
Nikolai tilted his head. “Is she talking to us?”
Gerarda elbowed him in the gut. Vrail stepped protectively in front of Nikolai as he folded over, but Gerarda didn’t care. “Shadesat the ready!” She called over the deck. Every Shade that could, stood at once. My eyes stung as I realized just how many we had saved. The entire second deck was full.
“Raise the anchor and gather any arrows you have. We need to fill my quiver and the warrior’s across the deck.” She pointed to Syrra, who nodded and took her place at the starboard side of the ship. Her bow was already in her hand.
Damien’s ship was getting closer. Another minute and I knew we would be in range of the canons. I ran to the middle of the deck. “We don’t have time to waste pulling it up!” I sliced through the thick Elvish rope with my bloodstone dagger and felt the anchor drop back into the sea, no longer attached to the ship at all.
The Shades collapsed against the anchor wheel as our ship picked up pace. I glanced at Damien’s; it was turning so its side was facing us. They were readying the canons to shoot.
I waved my hands and shot a huge gust of wind at our sails. Myrrah’s chair rolled backward as the ship lurched forward. “I know we’re in a rush, but a warning would’ve been nice!” she shouted as she locked her chair into place.
“Here comes another one!” I shouted back at her as I sent another gust of wind at the sails. I held the magic as long as I could, feeling Myrrah correct the ship under my feet as the wood groaned against the sea.
My legs trembled under the use of my magic. I searched for Riven, but he was laying at the edge of the deck, unconscious. We only had my powers to rely on and they were almost depleted. There was no way I could sustain the gusts long enough to widen the distance between us and Damien’s warship.
We needed to disable them. That was the only option left.
“Myrrah, lower the sail!”
Syrra’s head snapped back at me, but I ignored her shocked look.
But Myrrah couldn’t hide her doubt. She straightened the ship and shouted across the deck loud enough for everyone to hear. “Keera, I know you haven’t spent much time at sea, but that would only bring uscloserto the men with the canons.”
“Precisely!” I jumped on top of the anchor wheel and climbed the mast as quick as the children who endlessly climbed the vines in Myrelinth.
Gerarda stuffed a bundle of arrows into her quiver. “Keera, what exactly are you doing?”
I smirked down at her. “Outmaneuvering!”
Gerarda blinked once and then a feral grin split across her face. “Get us as close as you can as quickly as you can!” she yelled at Myrrah.
Myrrah used her entire body to steer the ship toward the shore. “I knew the two of you would be the death of me!” She pointed at the sail and a Shade ran to unleash it. Not a Shade—Elaran Curringham.
Our unexpected move distracted the soldiers long enough that they didn’t fire the canons. From my perch at the top of the post, I could see them frozen along the decks as they stared down at our green sails barreling toward them.
I looked down at Gerarda and Syrra. “Nock your arrows!”
“And aim for the sails!” Gerarda shouted as she and Syrra launched four arrows each at the black sails of Damien’s ship. I closed my eyes and felt the spark of fire ignite within my veins. I had just enough magic left to light their arrows. One at a time, the eight of them ignited, turning to bright flames against the night sky that streaked across the black fabric of Damien’s ship.
Stoked by the last of my magic, the flames tore at the sails like sharks at feast. They devoured them, eating through the linen until large, smoking holes were all that was left.
My grip on the rigging loosened, but I still had one more thing I needed to do. “Myrrah, are you ready?”
