Page 130 of Ship of Shadows
I stepped into the boat, numb, despite what we’d accomplished. We gotten the boys and most of Bastian’s crew out. We’d gotten their shadows, and yet the losses weighed on me. Multiple crew members dead. Multiple of the older boys dead. Goji dead. Lochlan was as good as dead.
Bastian grabbed the oars and began to row.
The boat rocked underneath us, and my gaze snapped to the murky green water.
“What was that?” Mal asked.
A chill skittered down my back.
“My guess is a crocodile,” Driscoll said, swallowing. “Something was helping us, keeping the crocodiles away, but now...” His eyes darted nervously to the water.
“What do we do?” Mal asked.
Leoni slumped forward, her limbs likely as tired as mine were after all that use of magic.
“Use your magic,” I said, “to get our boat the bloody waters away from the marsh.”
I peered down, looking for signs of the mermaids. I’d seen them—I was sure of it. Maybe their magic was growing weak, too, all of us depleted after using so much.
I thought about mentioning the mermaids, but Mal hadn’t seen his sea princess in months, and I didn’t want to get his hopes up that she was here.
A large, green body leapt out of the water, its huge jaws opening, sharp teeth snapping right at Mal’s face. He threw up a water shield, stopping the crocodile.
“I can’t use my magic to help,” Lochlan said quietly.
Right. Without his shadow, he wouldn’t be able to use water magic.
“It’s okay.” I reached across the boat and laid a hand on his arm as Bastian stood and jabbed a sword into the water.
Mal directed the boat through the marsh as crocodile heads slowly popped up, Bastian using his sword to slice at any creature that came near. Leoni grabbed her sword and stood, doing the same. Between them and Mal, we were able to get out of the marsh and into the open sea, the ship so close now. Another crisis averted.
Mal steered us in silence as we approached the ship, and Kara threw a rope ladder down for us. Driscoll went first, then Leoni, then Lochlan, and then Mal. I turned to Bastian, and he gestured for me to get on the ship.
I could barely believe we’d made it. I grabbed onto the rope ladder, my heart finally starting to beat in a normal rhythm.
Just then the rowboat cracked in the middle, splitting apart as a crocodile pushed up through the bottom. I screamed, grappling for the rope, my fingers grasping tighter onto it as our little vessel splintered, wood flying everywhere. Bastian flying back with it.
My body slammed against the side of the boat, while Mal, Lochlan, and Leoni screamed to get me pulled up.
“No,” I yelled. “Don’t you dare! Not without Bastian.”
My eyes swept down as I hung from the ladder, and there Bastian was, on the edge of a piece of the boat, the crocodile’s mouth clamped down onto his hand. I reached out.
“Grab my hand,” I said with a shaky voice.
Pain lanced his face, but he stretched out his other arm and grabbed onto my hand.
I yanked him, but he yelled out in pain, the crocodile still latched onto him, unmoving.
He slowly looked up at me and swallowed. “I love you,” he said.
“No. This is not goodbye.” My voice came out raw and ragged. “This is not the end. I fought and fought for you, and now it’s your turn to fight for me. For us. For our future. Bastian Lore, don’t you dare leave me now. Don’t you dare let go.”
A low rumble left the crocodile’s throat, and he tugged at Bastian. I gripped Bastian’s hand tighter in mine.
“He’ll take us both down,” Bastian warned.
“No.” My voice shook. “Bastian, no. Don’t let go. Please.” My voice broke on that last word.
