Page 71 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

“What was that?” I demanded, stumbling back.

Across from me, Ambrose’s black eyes widened, as if he were shocked by the words coming out of his own mouth. “I have no fucking idea.”

Ambrose stared off into the space over my head, as if he could see something more than the dark, wooden wall behind me. His eyebrows came together. “Fuck.”

“How can you possibly not know what’s causing this?” I asked, frustration evident in my tone.

“I don’t know everything, nor do I have time to discuss it with you.” He turned on his heel and sprinted toward the door, leaving it wide open behind him.

Grasping the edge of the table to steady myself as the boat rocked once more, I stared after him, my mind moving sluggishly, seeming unable to make a decision. I supposed, if we were about to sink at the mercy of a thunderstorm, I’d be worse off inside than out.

Tripping over my dress, I stumbled after him, and emerged outside to find the entire crew in chaos. People were scurrying in all directions, slipping on the wet surface of the deck and screaming as the ship tilted back and forth. I looked up in bewilderment at the serene sky above. There was no sign of a storm or even a slight breeze to disturb my hair, yet the ground beneath me swayed as if caught in the midst of a hurricane. What the hell was going on?

As the thought entered my mind, it was immediately answered by a rush of sea water that sprayed into the air. An all too familiar reddish-brown tentacle burst from the ocean and flopped hard against the deck, writhing like the body of a gigantic snake.

I shrieked and jumped back. Was it the same monster I’d encountered while in the row boat, or another of the same type? I didn’t know, nor did I care to wait and find out.

Before I could even react, however, a second tentacle snaked out of the water and landed beside the first. Both were covered in suckers the size of dinner plates, and were thicker even than the snake I’d met in Inbetwixt.

My eyes widened as the two slimy tentacles writhed and reached out, searching for something to cling onto. I could feel my heart racing in fear as I took a step back, trying to avoid their grasp.

The one closest to me wound its way around the thick central mast, and the wood creaked dangerously. My eyes bulged, and my mouth opened in a shrill scream, joining the cacophony of panicked voices that reverberated throughout the ship.

For a long moment, I couldn’t bring myself to move. Fear rooted me to the spot, and I stood frozen, until out of the corner of my eye I saw Ambrose dashing in the opposite direction from the rest of the crew. They were fleeing from the monstrous creature, while he charged toward it, drawing his sword from its sheath at his waist.

I watched him for a split second before snapping myself back to reality. What was I thinking? I couldn’t be of any assistance in this situation, I needed to get out of the way as quickly as possible.

I sprinted along with the panicked crowd, desperate to reach the cabin where I had been sleeping. My heart raced in my chest, and my feet struggled to maintain traction on the slippery dock, making it a challenge to keep my balance. Sea water sprayed over my head, and I choked when it burned my eyes and throat, soaking me entirely.

I was only a few steps away from the door to my cabin, when a giant shadow loomed over me. A third long tentacle ascended from the dark water and struck the ground with a loud thud, blocking my path to the door. My mouth fell open with another scream.

The slimy arm slithered toward me, as if reaching for a lifeline. It twisted and turned, searching for something to grip onto. My heart raced as it inched closer and closer, its searching motions sending shivers down my spine.

Without thinking, I threw my hands up in front of me and closed my eyes. I hadn’t been using magic long enough to be sure why, but it seemed as if I performed better when my life was truly in danger. I was certain that when I looked, the serpentine thing would be engulfed in foot-high flames, charred to a crisp.

But nothing happened.

I looked down at my hands, then it hit me like a ton of bricks and I screamed, this time with anger. I was incapable of performing magic. If we lived through this, I would kill Ambrose myself for giving me that power deadening potion.

I backed away from the cursed tentacle, real fear washing over me. It was driving me back toward its other wandering arm, and in a matter of seconds one of them was bound to snatch me up. or, perhaps worse, swat me like a fly until I smashed against the boat.

My heart raced and my breathing was rapid. The tentacle inched closer to me, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

The telltale swish of a sword cut through the air, followed by a dull thud. My breath caught in my throat and I forced my eyes open to look up into the face of my savior, already knowing who I’d see there. “Fuck you.”

Ambrose’s lips curled up into a grin as he pulled his sword out of the tentacle he had just expertly severed. The limp appendage flopped against the deck, and he quickly wiped away the purple-ish blood with the leg of his trousers. “That’s not a nice way to thank someone who saved your life, love.”

“Yeah?” I shouted. “How about the bastard who put me on this ship in the first place and took away any ability to defend myself?”

“I’m not sure if I should be offended, or glad your fire has returned enough to hate me.” He mused, already backing away to return to the fight, he pulled another long blade from his belt and tossed it at me. “Here, Defend yourself with that.”

I jumped backwards out of the way of the flying blade, letting it crash against the deck. “Are you insane? You’re going to cut my hand off.”

He looked genuinely perplexed. “Not if you caught the handle.”

I gaped at him in complete disgust. Not only was that blade far too heavy for me to ever lift on my own, the fact that he would expect me to catch it and hadn’t seen the monster coming had me questioning everything I’d ever known about Ambrose Dullahan. “What kind of a seer are you?”

“The kind who wasn’t paying attention for the last hour,” he yelled over the wind and creaking of the ship. “If you want to blame someone for this, blame yourself. I couldn’t possibly be expected to look away from you in that dress.”

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