Page 125 of Ship of Shadows
“Are we interrupting something?” Kara asked.
I gave Bastian a quick kiss and pushed him off of me as we came to our feet.
“I feel it.” Kara’s eyes widened. “I can feel my shadow.”
Mia stepped forward, holding a torch. “Me too.”
We all turned toward the two other shadows hiding in the dark corner, behind a large cobweb.
“Well, I’m out.” Mia stepped back. “I don’t do spiders.”
The ship groaned, more wood cracking.
“What is happening outside?” I asked.
Kara looked toward the crack. “We came in on the other side, so I can’t say for sure, but I think the pixies are here.”
Blood and water.
“Goji must be fighting them,” I said. “Get your shadows and meet us out there. We’ll help her ward them off.”
“Bloody hell, it never ends,” Bastian muttered.
The window we’d entered through was now pressed into the ground, so we made our way toward the doors. Bastian pushed them open and we crawled through. I sent one look back at Kara and Mia, who both inched toward their shadows, then climbed my way through the opening to fight off the pixies and get the bloody waters out of here.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Sun blinded me as I stepped out onto the tilted main deck. We were so close to the shore, but we needed to get to the marsh, and that was inaccessible by way of the beach. We’d have to trek through the jungle to get there.
I shaded my eyes just as a ball of pixie dust came flying at my head. Bastian grabbed my arm and reeled me to his chest.
“I like this whole working as a team thing,” he whispered into my ear. “You saving my ass, me saving yours...”
I looked over his shoulder at the chaos around us. Pixies fluttered through the air, shooting balls of their shimmering dust toward the ship, the balls like cannons, bursting when they hit the ship, cracking it and shaking it.
“To be fair, it’s a very nice ass. One I have many plans for once we get off this bloody?—”
“Bastian, duck!” I yelled, and we both crouched down as more magic shot over us. The pixies must’ve been fighting us on orders from the shadow king. They wouldn’t use this magic unless they absolutely had to.
Bastian shielded my body with his own.
“We have to help Goji,” I said.
“I know.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “So let’s get to it, then.”
He stood and jumped from the tilted ship to the ground.
I held out my hand, letting my water flow from it and shoot toward a pixie above me. The water hit her square in the chest and she fell toward the ground with a thwack.
Meanwhile Bastian climbed a tree, balancing his way across a branch and fighting through the pixies who lunged at him. He stabbed one with his sword, balancing on his feet as he then spun and sliced down another one. A ball of magic flew at his feet and he jumped, landing back on the tree and wobbling before catching his balance. I’d never actually seen him fight before, but he was amazing. I supposed when you were ninety-five years old, you had a lot of time to learn how to be a master swordsman.
“Love, I know I’m handsome, but there’s an angry-looking pixie coming your way, so maybe focus on that?” Bastian yelled as he ducked to avoid getting hit with magic.
I startled, jumping to attention right as a pixie descended upon me. Instinctively, I threw up a water shield, and the pixie slammed into it. Then I used the shield to ram straight up into the pixie’s chin, and they shot into the air before dropping to the ground.
Above us, Goji shot out her magic at the pixies. I couldn’t imagine what made her turn on her own kind. Yes, she loved the shadow king, but how did that love outweigh her loyalty toward her own? I glanced at Bastian again as he now fought against three pixies. He thrust his sword toward one of them while kicking out his back leg and jamming it into another’s chest, then he slammed his head into the other pixie. They littered the ground now, but still, more came. We wouldn’t be able to sustain this. They’d kill us, or more likely, capture us and take us to the shadow king so he could dole out whatever punishment he pleased.
We had to get out of here. I needed a distraction. Maybe a big burst of magic. It would drain me, though.
