Page 131 of Ship of Shadows
He blinked, then his hand slipped from mine, and just like that he disappeared below the water. A scream wrenched from me as the crocodile pulled him deeper under. Crimson spiraled up, then coated the surface of the water.
The crew let out gasps, screams.
“Gabby,” Lochlan said softly. “We need to go. If the clouds cover the sun, the shadows, they could come after us.”
I shook my head, searching the water wildly. “No, no.”
“Just pull her up,” Kara said quietly as Mia sobbed.
It was my fault. This was all my fault.
The water was blood red, and a ragged cry tore through my throat. “Just let me try,” I pleaded, hanging there on the side of the ship. “I’ll use my magic. I’ll get him back.”
“You’re too weak—” Mal started.
“No,” I said, feeling inside of me for that thread, tugging at it, begging the water.
Bring him back. Bring him back to me.But Mal was right: I was too weak.
I couldn’t move, and the world melted away as I stared, willing Bastian to come back.
My heart leapt to my throat as the water bubbled around me. I braced myself for the crocodile to come for me. I’d kill it. I’d kill it for what it had done.
The seawater exploded, wood flying as Bastian broke the surface, gasping, blood everywhere. I grappled for him, using one hand to grasp his jacket tight and pull him to me. His eyes rolled back in his head.
I arched my neck. “Get us up. Now!”
I wound my arm around him as we were pulled up, hands reaching for us and yanking us safely on deck, where we both sprawled out.
I didn’t even take a breath before rolling to my knees, patting Bastian down, looking for the source of the blood.
“Where is the blood coming from?” I murmured. “Where?”
Everyone crowded around us.
“There,” Mia said with a shaky voice, and I followed the line of her pointing finger to Bastian’s hand. His missing hand.
Blood poured from the wound, his mangled flesh hanging down, and bile rose in my throat.
He coughed, and I cupped his cheeks. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
One of the crew members knelt down, the doctor they kept on board, tying off the wound and stopping the flow of blood.
“So that’s what it takes, huh?” Bastian said weakly.
I jolted, not realizing he was conscious. “What?” I said.
“To get you to touch me? Just need to lose my hand.”
I let out a half laugh, half cry and hugged him tight as the tears came.
“I’m so sorry the crocodile did that to you.”
Bastian gasped in pain, his face twisting. “I did it... to myself. Sliced off my hand and swam as fast as I could toward you.”
My hand floated to my mouth.
“You said no more sacrificing myself.” He swallowed. “You said to fight for us. So that’s what I did.”
