Page 120 of Of the Stars and Sea

Not even the sun’s rays penetrate the dark grey that surrounds theCaelestiaas I look behind us to ensure Blythe hasn’t caught up yet. The shadow of his ship is gone, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall.

“I much preferred when we could at least see him com?—”

“Look out!” someone shouts from below. I whirl around just as Grayson shouts to his helmsman to turn to the right.

“Fucking hells!” I scream as the mist parts and we nearly crash straight into another ship.

“Ready to fire!” Grayson calls to his men below deck. I hang tightly onto the railing as our port side comes broad against the other ship’s bow. Raised high in the air, I see a black flag with a full-bodied skeleton holding a sword.

Malihaim’s ship—theBloody Bandit.

“He’s turning, Grayson!” I tell him as I see the ship’s front start to shift. Soon Malihaim will have a clear shot of our entire port side.

“Fire!” Grayson yells and the ship shutters beneath my feet as cannons are ignited and the shots are fired.

Unable to breathe, I watch as our shots zip through the air. Several of them miss the target, but three land critical blows, peppering large holes into theBloody Bandit’sbow. Pained screams rip through the air as shards of wood fly like thrown daggers into the water and upon the ship’s deck.

Cheers erupt from Grayson’s men as they see their first blow land its mark. But we’re not out of this yet. We’re headed straight for a cluster of stone isles.

Running to the left, I look over the side of the ship. “Grayson! The current has shifted. It’s pulling us into the isles!”

He looks away from theBloody Banditto the threat ahead of us, then calls down to his helmsman to steer us to the right.

“They’re opening their gun ports,” I hear Zaos say. I look across the water at Malihaim’s ship and see cannon barrels rolling toward the open hatches.

“Fire!” Grayson yells and I feel that familiar shudder beneath my feet. This time most of the shots land their mark, including one that hits the foremast just above the rope rigging. An ear-splitting screech sounds and I cover my ears as I watch the foremast crack and it starts to fall.

“Rowenya! Get away from there!” Grayson yells as I look up and see the billowing sails of the foremast rain down upon me. Dread hits my stomach as I start to move, but I’m not fast enough. The large wooden pillar comes crashing down. I jump to the left, trying to avoid the crash, when I feel something pull me to the ground.

All the breath leaves my lungs and all I can see is white as the sail whips toward my face, but it never strikes me. Not asGrayson arches his back and shields me with his entire body. He grunts loudly and his stomach presses hard against mine as a deafening boom lands right above us.

“Grayson!” I peer up, trying to see his face, but the lapels of his long coat block my view.

“I’m fine,” he says, his voice deep and strangled. His hand moves to grab the dagger from the bandolier on his chest and he swipes the blade across the fabric that has us pinned down.

Light shines through and I finally take a deep breath in. Grayson rises, helping me to my feet. We stand in the middle of the torn sail and I look over to see Malihaim’s ship is dangerously close to ours.

“Grayson, he’s sending men over!” I point to where five men stand at the top of the rigging on the mainmast of theBloody Banditright as they jump, swinging their bodies forward. All five of them land on our main deck.

“We need to get this fucking mast off the ship!” I hear Zaos say from behind us. I turn to see him standing, the ripped sail surrounding his legs as it does ours.

Grayson steps onto the billowing fabric, heading for the railing of his quarterdeck and calls up a few of his men. Swords clashing against one another sound from below. Chaos erupts as more of Malihaim’s crew swing onto our main deck.

“Grayson, wait!” I jump over the large pillar of the foremast, meeting him at the railing. “What if we take him down now? He’s going to keep sending men over and we’re getting closer to the isles with the weight of our ships pushed together in the current.”

“If we attack, they’ll start shooting back at us. We’re too close in range. We’ll take just as much damage.”

“It’s worth the risk,” I plead. “Blythe is out there, getting closer by the second, and if we don’t break free we’re sitting ducks fortwowarships.”

“She’s right, Captain,” Zaos says, joining us. “If we sink him now, the foremast will collapse into the water on its own once the bottom of it angles down.”

A muscle ticks along Grayson’s jaw. It’s a hefty decision. Using our resources now to take down theBloody Banditor let it be a dog fight on the deck of this ship and hope that we can outrun Blythe once he finds us.

“Go below deck and tell the men our plan. Unload from the two lower levels as well, but make sure not to open the hatches until the men are about to light the fuses. We only haveone chanceof getting this right.”

“Should I wait for your order?”

Grayson shakes his head. “Fire at will. If Malihaim hears me make the call, he’ll just fire back.”

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