Page 129 of Ship of Shadows
“I’ll stay and watch your brothers,” Bastian whispered in my ear. “You go now.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Now is not the time to be stubborn.”
The pixies flew closer, near enough that they could shoot their magic at us. A ball hit one of the crew members in the back, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Ollie.
“No!” Bastian yelled, running to him and checking the pulse on his neck.
Bastian’s face twisted, and that was all the confirmation I needed that Ollie was dead, along with countless others.
Driscoll’s brows furrowed. “You just killed one of my friends!” He shot out another hand, a huge tree toppling overand falling on a few of the pixies. Another tree tipped and blocked them from going farther.
The final crew members ran through, and Lochlan and Mal gestured for me to go. We didn’t have time to argue. I ran through the tree line but paused at the edge, Bastian by my side, Lochlan and Mal right behind me.
“Gabby, let’s go,” Lochlan yelled.
I met Hammond’s gaze, looked at all those brave boys who’d helped us. “We’ll be back for you,” I said, and he nodded.
I turned and ran onto the bank, Bastian, Mal, and Lochlan right behind me. Driscoll closed the trees, right as Lochlan squeezed through.
He let out a scream that stopped me in my tracks, his face stark and pale.
“What’s going on?” I rushed to him, grappling at him.
“Driscoll!” I looked back at him. “Open the trees back up!”
Driscoll raised a shaky hand, falling to his knees, but all he could manage was to snap a branch.
Lochlan’s face turned into a grimace as he yelled out, and shadow hands crept out over him, trying to pull him back in.
“No!” I screamed.
I grabbed his arm, and Bastian and Mal grabbed his other as we pulled and pulled, finally yanking him free. He stumbled out onto the bank, but unlike everyone else, his shadow had been left behind.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
“We have to go back!”
I struggled against Bastian, pounding at his chest.
“Let me go!” I snarled. “I’m getting his shadow back.”
“Love, you know we can’t.”
Pixies still shot their magic through the tree line, balls flying toward us. Bastian whirled me out of the way, and Mal and Lochlan dove into the muddy sand.
I got up again and tried to run toward the trees, but Bastian grabbed me and hauled me toward the empty boat, where Leoni and Driscoll sat. The final batch of boys rode their wave toward Bastian’s ship, but I couldn’t leave, not without Lochlan’s shadow.
“Stop!” I thrashed in his arms until a large hand landed on my arm.
“It’s okay,” Lochlan said.
“It’s not okay.” My voice wobbled. “Your shadow, you?—”
I gasped. The blue lines had already appeared, faint dots at the top of his neck that would slowly stretch the longer he was away from the island, from where he was bound.
I broke into sobs as Lochlan gently pushed me toward the rowboat.
