Page 114 of The Sea Witch
“Fuck,” Alys growled. The likelihood of ever seeing that book again, and the answers it contained, was nil.
Alys and her crew dove out the doors to the balcony just as the roof buckled and the rock wall caved in. More stones poured through the doors onto the balcony, sweeping into the cannon and the two Redthorns beside it. The balcony itself shuddered as it collapsed.
There was only one way to get out alive.
Alys and the witches jumped into open air. Immediately, they fell. The cliffside whizzed past and the strait raced toward them as they plummeted.
Susannah flung out her hands. Wind gathered, swirling around the crew. It gained strength from moment to moment, until they all spun and rolled upon wild eddies of air, buoying them up just enough to keep from complete freefall.
TheSea Witchgrew closer and closer. And then, Alys and her crew landed on the deck, rolling in a dizzy jumble. They had made it through the strait. Her crew greeted their arrival with cheers.
A pair of sharp resounding bangs reverberated across the wooden planks, splintering the cheering into stunned silence. From her sprawl on the deck, Alys lifted up to find herself staring up at the two remaining Redthorns. They were covered in dust and blood.
The sons of bitches had survived the collapse of the monastery’s roof, and had flown down to the ship.
Over a dozen witches massed around one of the monks. Snarling, he swung his mace. The crew remained just out of striking distance, and began attacking him in waves. Nets of magic held him in place. Some witches thrust with spells of lightning or ice. Others, led by Inés, slashed with their cutlasses. Each hit struck deeper into the monk.
The remaining Redthorn stood in front of Alys. His black and gold eyes were maddened with fury, his mouth twisted.
Raising his mace, the monk readied himself to smash the weapon down on her. Alys lifted her cutlass and gathered her last scraps of magic to shield herself.
The metallic sheen of a cutlass’s blade emerged from the center of his chest. Stunned, the Redthorn stared down. Blood welled, darkening his robes. The blade retreated.
The monk turned to face whoever had possessed the audacity to stab him.
Ben stood with a crimson-streaked cutlass in his hand. His face was tight with determined rage. His shirt was open, revealing the intricate markings coursing down his chest, up his arms, and covering the backs of his hands.
“You...” the Redthorn gasped in a gravelly voice. Recognition glinted in his eyes. “The first.”
“What?” Ben frowned. “Firstwhat?”
The monk shook his head, and moved back toward Alys, raising his mace once again.
Ben darted in front of Alys, sword outstretched. But the Redthorn ignored him and made a staggering attack at Alys. Before the blow could come down, Ben thrust his cutlass into the hollow of the Redthorn’s throat. The monk dropped his mace and clawed at his neck. When Ben withdrew his blade, a river of blood poured forth. The Redthorn gurgled and gasped, looking at Ben with confusion. Then he fell with a hard thud.
The other monk also lay dead upon the deck.
Ben’s chest heaved with the force of his breath, his legs bracing wide upon the deck. The fury left his face, replaced by shock.
She took a step toward him.
The ship rocked, jolted from a sudden impact.
“A creature,” Cora cried. She stood at the gunwale and pointed into the waves.
Alys, Ben, and the rest of the company raced to the railings. A massive beast with red scales and two long curving tusks swam beside the ship. It had the head of a boar, with long pointed spines sticking up along its back. Whatever it was, she’d never seen its kind before.
It kept ramming against theSea Witch.
“Is it with the navy?” Polly demanded.
“Don’t see any naval ships nearby,” Susannah answered. “The beast’s acting of its own will.”
“I cannot hold it back,” Stasia said as her hands moved through the air, purple light cascading from her fingers.
Alys turned to her crew. “Feed it the Redthorns.”
The company swarmed around the dead monks. As one, they hefted the bodies up, carried them to the railing, and heaved the monks’ remains overboard.
