Page 62 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

Lincoln stepped forward. “Mazie, that isn’t your sister anymore. That’s not her.”

The town of ghosts had stopped following them—surprisingly—but Bay was still there.

Raven reached out to her twin sister, wanting to brush her fingers against the spirit’s cheek. How could I fear my own sister?

A split second before Mazie could graze Bay’s skin, her hand sank through the spirit’s body, her hand turning into a bright beam of light instead.

“We can’t touch. Not yet,” Bay explained. “The bridge is over there, Mazie, remember?” She pointed towards the old bridge. “All you have to do is jump, and we can be together again,” she had said. “Fly, Mazie. Fly like a raven.”

“Mazie, look at me,” Lincoln interrupted the ghost. “Mazie!”

His first mate snapped from the trance her sister had over her and fixed her eyes on her captain.

“That’s not Bay,” he said again. “That—thing is not your sister!”

When Mazie looked back to Bay, her face was almost unrecognizable. Tousled. Decrepit. Then, the spirit arched its neck beyond any living creature ever could. Nola and Kitten averted their eyes in disgust. Following a gurgling sound, hundreds of white maggots began crawling out of her mouth.

What the actual hell is happening?Lincoln thought, gripping at his weapon.

Mazie’s jaw clenched before letting out an ear-splitting scream, toppling over her feet until she fell hard on her back. Bay’s spirit looked up as Lincoln wielded his sword over his head.

Sorry, Mazie,he thought as the sword sank, slicing through the creature. The apparition crumbled before their eyes into dust.

Mazie wiped her tears as she watched the wind pick up the ashes and carry them far away. Raven, trying to catch her breath through the thickness of the air, mumbled, “I don’t know what the bloody hell that was, but I’m not stayin’ around to find out.”

The wall was still behind them. The only way back to the shore was through the city, where more of those creatures would be waiting for them.

“There!” Nola shouted, pointing to a tree. “We can climb to the top branches. It’s tall enough. Maybe we can jump to the other side.”

Lincoln beckoned the crew.

I hope this works,he thought.

Time was ticking and their lives depended on that tree. It was their only way to escape.

The crew ran to the old tree. First, Lincoln laced his fingers and shot Nola a look for her to go first. Then Big Red and Boots helped Kitten up.

“Come on my love. Latch onto the edge of the wall. I’ve got you,” Boots began, grabbing hold of her waist to hoist her over.

Mazie, agile as she could be, helped herself and Tipsy onto the trunk and up a few branches. Once all the ladies were safe, the four men climbed, boosting their legs onto the next branch. Lincoln reached the top, securing his hands on the stone wall and looked over. He could see their ship about a mile down to the left of the wall.

“It’s quite the drop, but we can do it,” Lincoln assured Nola. “I’ve got you.” He girded his arm around her chest, cradling her in a possessive hold. “We’ll jump together.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him tightly before Lincoln let go of the wall. They plunged to the sand. The siren let out a whimper as she felt a sting at her ankle.

Lincoln looked down at her, concerned. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

The sound of the waves crashing against the seashore gave the crew a sudden relief.

“We’re alive! We’re alive!” Hill chanted.

The captain clutched Nola’s arm and picked her up from the sandy shore. He then ran his hand over her hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear.

“Almost home,” he whispered.

A faint smile reached her lips as she looked over at the rest of the pirates jumping back to their feet.

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