Page 99 of Ship of Shadows
Still, the thought of those massive jaws rising from the water and snatching me up sent shivers down my spine.
“So how did you get past the crocs the first time around?” I asked.
“Mostly luck.” Kara rowed the boat toward the marsh. “One of them nearly bit off Bastian’s hand, but I managed to stab at it with a sword and keep it at bay.”
Our boat pushed through big lily pads, frogs sitting on them, staring at us with their black eyes.
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” I glanced down at her side. “And where is your sword?”
“The crocodile ate it,” she said.
My eyes widened. “That sounds worse.”
“And there’s not thirty of us this time,” she said. “It’s just you and me and your water magic. So what can you do with it, Princess?”
I heaved a sigh. The boat rocked under us, and we both flew to the side.
“Was that the ocean?” I asked, knowing full well I was still using my powers to keep it calm.
Kara continued to row. “What do you think?”
“Right,” I said as a massive crocodile lunged up from the water, jaws snapping at us, body thrashing as it swiped a massive leg through the air. Its claws scratched against our boat, its teeth nearly as long as my pinky. It landed with a crash on top of Kara.
“Use your magic!” Kara screamed as the beast hinged its jaws open, pinning her to the boat. She lay flat on her back, kicking at it wildly.
I thrust my hands out as the croc’s teeth swiped dangerously close to Kara’s face, and she grunted, straining her legs against its stomach, which seemed to have no effect on the animal.
I moved my palms higher, asking Spirit Water to aid me in this moment. Water curled upward behind the crocodile, dipping down and gripping it tightly. It thrashed, eyes wild, as the water gripped it tighter and yanked it back. Kara and I both slumped, breathing heavily.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I said as she shot me a glare.
“That’s easy for you to say when you weren’t about to be that croc’s breakfast.”
I nodded toward the oars. “Let’s just keep going.”
She looked around at all the bumpy, scaled heads peeking out of the water and grabbed the oars.
“Maybe I should save my magic for them. Do you think you can row us the rest of the way? The water’s pretty calm here anyway.”
“Yes, just focus on the crocodiles.” Her eyes darted to the beasts as she started rowing.
The boat ran over the tall, brown reeds sticking out of the marsh, and we navigated around the big tufts of moss and spindly bushes that sat atop the surface.
“You’re doing great,” I said, keeping my hands out, ready to shoot my magic toward any threat that popped out.
Kara continued to row, her entire body tense. I didn’t blame her. She’d been very close to getting her head bitten off. That kind of thing tended to stay imprinted in one’s memory.
A crocodile lunged from the water as we passed it, and I shot a stream of water right in its eyes. It let out a screech and dipped back down.
“Good, just keep doing that,” Kara said.
“Are you afraid?” I asked.
“I’ve been through much worse than crocodiles.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Of your brother knowing you betrayed him.”
“Like I said”—her muscles bunched as she heaved the oars through the water—“I’ve faced much worse.”
