Page 199 of Seven Oars
“Stop! What the fluff are you doing?”
“Cleansing my mind from pirate rot, goob.”
“Phex’s not a pirate!”
“If it quacks like a duck…”
Galan joined Anske, and he alone outmatched Eze, Gro, and Rosamma combined. They swarmed him, but he was too strong, and Anske wasn’t helping.
Fawn laughed from across the room, a shrill, crazy sound.
Xorris circled back, reengaging Fincros.
The Habitat snapped to life in its usual, inglorious way, with screaming, cursing, and banging. Bodies collided in chaos.
This was never part of our escape plan,Rosamma thought wildly.
But maybe Fincros had implied it. After all, this was how it always went down on Seven Oars—and always would, until the lights went out.
Eze squeezed off a shot.
Xorris scattered and Anske hit the floor, legs splayed and jaw slack.
Galan clutched his arm and howled as the smell of fried flesh stung the air.
Eze and Gro were already in the passageway, waving frantically at Rosamma.
“Finn!” she called out.
Fincros lunged toward her voice, dragging Phex along. He couldn’t shake him.
“Come on, Finn. I’m here!”
He dropped and rolled, finally slipping free. He came to a stop at the protruding threshold—he remembered it. Another heartbeat, and he was on his feet, stumbling over it and slapping his hand on the wall. A panel slid from the wall.
A door!
“Go!” he shouted at Rosamma.
She couldn’t.
Phex had her.
“Finn!” she screamed.
She kicked and twisted, to no avail.
The door was closing inexorably, sealing the pirates—and her—inside the Habitat.
She stopped struggling, catching one last look of Fincros in the passageway.“You go,” she whispered.
“Rosamma!” She’d never heard panic in his voice, but it was there now.
She caught movement from the corner of her eye.
Still sitting on the floor, groping Fawn’s thigh, Thilza straightened his leg and slammed his boot into Phex’s ankle.
Phex stumbled. His grip on Rosamma slacked.
