Page 52 of Lightningborn

“Wait,” Gem said, grabbing his sleeve. “He might not have to. Does this ship have a captain’s walk?”

The captain’s walk was a balcony attached to the captain’s quarters at the rear of the ship. Remy straightened as he realized where she was going with this. “I believe it does,” Bart said slowly. “I don’t know how that will help us, though. It’s not like we could get to it on our own.”

“That would be true,” Gem said, “if we didn’t have a dragon.” She turned back to Remy. “If you can make it to Jhaeros’s quarters,” she said, “Cloud, Sir Bartello, and I can meet you on the captain’s walk. From there, we can fly back to theQueen’s Bladewith everyone.”

Remy nodded. “I think that’s the best chance we have.” Pulling the cap low over his eyes, he backed away. “All right, then,” he said. “I’m going to get Storm. If I’m not at the captain’s walk in ten minutes, go back to theQueen’s Bladewithout me.”

The princess of Gallecia bit her lip, looking worried but trying not to show it. Taking a quick breath, she composed herself and gave him a brave smile. “Be careful, Remy,” she whispered.

“I will.”

“Boy,” Bart said, and Remy turned around. He glanced back and met the gaze of his oldest friend, who looked both proud and angry at the same time. “Trust your dragon,” Bart said after a moment. “That’s the secret to being a sky knight. No matter what happens, no matter what goes wrong, always trust your dragon. If you do, they’ll never fail you.”

A roar sounded overhead, the deafening boom of several cannons firing at once. Remy winced as the echoes died away. They didn’t have a lot of time. Hurrying to the ladder, he gazed up at the hatch overhead, listening to the sound of thudding feet and men shouting at each other as they rushed back and forth. At least Bart was safe. If anything happened, the old man would escape the ship with Gem and Cloud. Now there was just one more thing to do.

Hang on, Storm. I’m coming.

Taking a deep breath, he started to climb. Pushing up the trapdoor, he hopped through the hatch to a scene of utter chaos.

The deck he emerged onto was narrow and cramped, with low ceilings and square gunports lining both sides of the walls. The air was hazy with smoke, and the smell burned his nose and made his eyes water. Long black cannons marched down either aisle, and figures scurried between them, pirates and a few boys his age or younger. As Remy watched, a pirate would grab a cartridge of gunpowder from a powder monkey and shove it into the mouth of the cannon. A wad of cloth followed, with another pirate using a long staff to jam it down the barrel, and then the deadly black ball was heaved into the opening.

Looking down the deck, Remy spotted another ladder on the other side of the room. It was close. He just had to cross a crowded floor of pirates, guns, and cannon fire to reach it.

Tugging down his cap, he stepped forward, and someone slammed into him from behind, jostling him forward. He caught himself, heart racing as he looked around, wondering if anyone had seen him. But the pirates were all too busy with the guns to notice the collision.

“Watch it!” The boy who ran into him didn’t even stop to look back as he stumbled. Clutching the gunpowder bag in both arms, he handed the cartridge to the nearest pirate, who yelled at him, then instantly scurried off to get more.

Remy clenched his jaw. Bart had been right; there was no way to sneak through this mess unseen. Pulling his cap even lower, he ducked his head and stepped into the room.

Bodies jostled him, pirates snarling or shouting curses as they moved around the cannons. Remy caught an elbow to the ribs, followed by a hard shove and a yell to get out of the way. Dodging pirates, he stumbled through the room, keeping his head low and his eyes on the stairs.

“Boy!” Something grabbed his shirt, yanking him around. Remy’s stomach twisted as he stared into the angry face of a pirate, a vivid scar running down one eye.

“Where’s our powder, rat?” the pirate snarled with a blast of hot, fetid breath. “I’ve been waiting to load this gun since the first volley!”

“Sorry, sir!” Remy gasped, ducking his head. “I just gave mine away. I was going to get more!”

Another shudder rocked the ship, and somewhere overhead there was a deafening crash, as if something large and round had finally smashed through the outer hull. The pirate gave a curse and shoved Remy to the floor.

“Useless brat! Go fetch another! Hurry, before I cut out your worthless eyes!”

“Yes, sir!”

Remy scurried away, hoping the pirate wouldn’t see him going in the wrong direction, but the man was already turning back to the cannon. Men were cursing, orders were being shouted, bodies were scrambling over and around each other. Remy dodged a leg, ducked beneath an arm, and finally reached the ladder on the other side of the gun deck. Without hesitation or waiting to see if anyone was watching, he scrambled up the rungs, emerging onto another section of the ship.

This was another gun deck, but even more chaotic than the last one. Pirates were scrambling back and forth, and Remy could see a hole in the wall where a cannonball had hit just right, punching through to the other side. Cannons had been overturned, the floor was full of smoke, but despite that, the pirates were still loading the remaining guns with steely determination. Looking down the aisle, Remy felt his stomach twist as he realized how much firepower theWindsharkactually had. TheQueen’s Bladewas fast and agile, and Cutlass was a wily captain, but if their smaller ship took a direct hit from this many guns, they would be blown to pieces. No wonder she had been so hesitant to engage Jhaeros and theWindshark.

Glancing out the hole in the wall, he saw the distant form of theQueen’s Bladewheel around, coming in for another pass. As it swept forward, the line of pirates down the row of cannons raised their linstocks, sticks holding a burning length of rope, over the cannon fuses.

“Fire!”

The sticks plunged down, igniting fuses, and the cannons boomed as they fired all at once. Smoke filled the air, and the cannons rolled backward several feet, sending a deadly barrage of iron at theQueen’s Blade.

Remy clenched his fists, but at the last second, the smaller vessel rose sharply into the air, as if yanked by invisible strings. Most of the barrage missed it, but a few cannonballs still struck the bottom of the hull, smashing through wood and sending debris plummeting into the Vortex below.

“Reload!” roared the commander, and the pirates hurried to obey. On the other side of the room, the stairs to the upper deck beckoned. One final obstacle before Remy reached the main deck and the captain’s quarters. With a last quick breath, he ducked his head, hunched his shoulders, and sprinted forward.

He had reached the stairs and was almost to the top step when he nearly ran into a body coming down the staircase. Quickly, he moved aside to let the pirate pass, but a meaty hand suddenly clamped down on the back of his neck, stopping him.

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