I’m not alone.
But as Darkwater is starting to rise higher above me, it means we are getting lower and closer to the ramp that will?—
“Do not put Jane down. Do not let her, under any circumstance, enter that ocean,” Blackwell commands.
Okay, well, that just confirmed for me that Ishouldenter the ocean.
As they carry me up the ramp to Darkwater, a crack of lightning, along with a gust of wind, helps me see that there’s a design from the fates. It’s as if my mind has had many pieces floating in a murky pool of water, and suddenly there’s clarity. There’s a reason.
I’ll have Blackwell and Jesper on this ship, along with every fucking asshole that follows Morvock’s shadow, while the rest burn out. I’m not sure how to kill a god, but I know how to bleed a man. Stop his heart.
Burn him.
I’m immune to fire, aren’t I? So are these women, then? What if I can set this ship on fire, out in the open, in tumultuous waters? Kill the mages so they can’t put it out, just like Soren did? If Tempest is coming, it might buy her time. At the very least, I’d be getting rid of Blackwell and Jesper in one fell swoop.
As soon as my feet touch the deck’s surface, someone grabs my soaking shirt and starts to tie ropes around my arms, to which two more guards are back on me to secure my wrists, too. As soon as I give alittlefight, an arm is wrapped around my neck in a threat to choke me out.
They’ve learned not to trust me.
Can’t fault them. I wasjustthinking about bolting to the edge of the ship and tumbling over into the water…
Jesper approaches Blackwell while I’m being bound, and he has what looks like bandages over his left eye, along with an eyepatch. It seems intentional that he won’t look at me. “What is happening?” Jesper asks.
The man that came to alert us comes forward, and I’m placed down on the wooden deck. “We’re under attack,” the man says.“One of them has a mask like Blackwell’s. But I thought we were told that none of the Zenith would follow, so I’m not sure. Nearly all of the fire mages have been killed.”
Jesper finally looks at me with his one eye, that thing wide and locked in shock.
“Then it is as I feared,” Misery says, his voice carrying unnaturally in the winds, his back still to us. “Not only is Ritter among those, butSoren. AndBasilisk. I sensed themtoo late…”
“Get this ship out of the harbor!” Blackwell shouts, placing his mask on, the golden decorations of his design along the jaw and chin. “If anyone doesn’t make it, then that’s their shit luck. We leavenow!”
The Cinders are all guided to the center of the ship, standing near the hatch to the stores below. A sword is poked into my back shoulder to nudge me forward, my torso completely useless.I still have my legs… I could run?—
As soon as I try to dart, I’m yanked backward and slammed onto the deck’s surface. Looking up in confusion, I see a guard holding onto a strand of rope like a leash, one that’s intertwined in my bindings.
Shit.
There’s an explosion that spirals into the sky near the castle, the flames consuming nearby homes, everyone jumping in surprise. I swear I can even hear the faint clashing of swords, and it’s a struggle to stand so I can get a better look.
The flames now glow frominsidethe castle, reaching out the windows to stain the stone. Jesper screams loudly like a child who lost his inheritance.
One of the flames even turns blue.
“Get out of the harbor!” Misery cries into the air, the sound cracking through like a whip as Blackwell commands his ship.
“Where is Merciless?” Jesper shouts.
Blackwell pauses before ascending his stairs to stare down the petulant man. “He backed out like the cunt he is! Which means he must have seen the Sea Wolf.”
Oh, I fucking like seeing them all concerned.
I’m poked with a sword once more and move forward. The deck is slick, everything set in motion to get us out of harbor.
Now that I’m up here and not worried about being choked out, I can see the devastation of the peninsula.
They’ve razed it.
People are running through the flames, some on fire despite the pouring rain. The fight edges closer to the ocean, the raging inferno consuming the east end of the castle, the blue flames mixing with the burning yellow and orange.
