Page 9 of Beasts of Briar
The men manning the cannons paid us no mind, all of them listening for Matthew’s orders from above.
I turned and began walking up the stairs, the rustling of feathers and the light tap of the swans’ feet on the wooden boards as they followed me. I lifted the hatch, peeking out to see everyone busy, distracted.
Perfect.
I crept out of the hatch while shouts rang out in the air. The other ship slowed, its sails closing as it neared ever closer.
The crew murmured about a pirate lord, the fear on our ship palpable. I hadn’t heard of this pirate lord, but he must’ve been a formidable figure to have the crew cowering and shaking as they held out their swords and prepared for a fight.
I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, and hopefully once Driscoll realized I was no longer on this ship, he’d call off the attack—or convince this pirate lord to.
I turned to my swans, crouching as they crowded me.“Fly. Toward the island. Land and find me. Do not go into the jungle without me.”
They eyed me, expressions blank as always, but I knew they understood. One by one the swans took flight, forming a V as they soared toward the island.
I wasted no time, running toward the side of the ship, where Arno had a small rowboat waiting. I stopped in front of him.“Thank you.”
He nodded, hesitating. “You know, you could’ve asked for our help. You could’ve been honest instead of trying to use your magic to trick us.”
My mouth dropped open. He knew? The crew knew I’d been using magic to visit their dreams? To manipulate them.
He tilted his head. “We would’ve helped you. If you just took the time to get to know us instead of hiding, pushing everyone away.”
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. He didn’t understand. I had to push people away. I couldn’t trust anyone. Couldn’t let anyone in. Not after everything I’d been through. Not after all the betrayal, the lies.
I watched the swans as they flew through the sky. Not when their lives were at stake.
I squeezed his shoulder and nodded, then hopped over the side of the ship and dropped into the boat. Arno lowered me all the way, then cut the line and set the boat free.
“She’s escaping,” I heard Driscoll shout.
It was a calm day at sea, and I rowed with all my might toward the black-sand shores in the distance. I gritted my teeth and pushed the oars through the sparkling cerulean waters. Sweat rolled down my back, my dress sticking to my skin. I looked behind me. Matthew’s ship grew more distant as I rowed harder, faster. This pirate lord’s ship had already closed their sails, slowed their ascent, and were now blocked by our ship. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
I turned, my smile fading as a large crocodile leapt from the sea, mouth hinging open as it flopped back into the water. I’d forgotten this side of the island was infested with the creatures. My father had told me stories about this place when I was little,and I’d laughed as he and my brothers imitated the crocodile, hinging their mouths open to pretend to bite me.
Tall reeds popped out of the water as it turned marshy the closer I rowed toward the island. My rowboat rocked, the creature now underneath it. I realized it was trying to flip my boat. I didn’t come all this way, get this far, just to be eaten by a crocodile. I shaded my eyes and looked toward the sky, the swans still soaring, diving down toward the sandy beach. At least my brothers were safe. But they wouldn’t be for long if I didn’t live. Their survival depended on mine. I gripped the oars tighter, rowing faster as my rowboat rocked again.
Green heads popped up from the marsh, their scales glinting under the sun. If only it would sink faster. I could put them all to sleep. But there were still no stars visible in the pink sky.
Another crocodile blasted from the water, its mouth chomping at me, teeth snatching onto the sleeve of my red dress and ripping it. I thunked it on the head with my oar, and it sank back into the water.
My heart hammered in my chest, muscles sore and trembling from all the exertion.
The rowboat slowly tipped up, and I fell toward the rear of it, back slamming into the wood. I scrambled to grab my satchel and stuffed it between my legs. The front of the rowboat lifted higher into the air, a crocodile nudging it with its nose. I flattened my body to the bottom, reaching up to grab an oar. I jabbed it straight into the creature’s eye, and it hissed and fell back into the water, my boat landing down with a plop.
With no time to waste, I clenched the oars tight and continued to row through the marsh, reeds bending backward as I pushed over them. The shore was closer now, but more crocodiles were emerging, their black eyes trained on me. A string of them blocked my path forward, their long scaled bodies in a line.
Fuck. I glanced up again, but still no stars twinkled in the sky. In the distance, the ships sat still in the water, and I wondered if everyone was watching me, watching my inevitable demise. No, I wouldn’t think like that. I would get out of this.
I was a survivor. A fighter.
The four crocodiles turned their bodies, now facing me, their mouths all opening at once. I stood, unsteady as the boat wavered. I grabbed both oars and braced my feet, ready to fight with the only weapons I had on me.
My boat floated steadily closer to the creatures, and I looked behind me to realize it wasn’t floating. It was being pushed by a crocodile. I inhaled a shaky breath and clutched the oars tighter with my sweaty palms.
A whistle pierced the air right as seven white swans dove down over the crocs. I startled, and the oars slipped from my hands, landing with a thwack on the bottom of the boat.
I almost cried out but bit back the sound, my hand coming to my mouth as I watched the crocodiles in horror. They snapped their sharp teeth at my swans.
