Page 97 of Take No Prisoners
"Storm's brewing," Hannah called from the crow's nest.
Efren took his scope from his breast pocket and watched the storm clouds circling Coryn's ship.
Eel's Gold, it said on the side. A flash of lightning hit the water off her port side. Then, another fork of lightning splintered the deck between the two masts.
Vadim clawed at his temples as he fell to his knees. "Klaus," he whispered.
"What's wrong?" Efren went down on one knee, trying to support Vadim back to his feet, but the death weaver fell to the floorboards, repeating Klaus's name.
Beatrice left her wind station and rushed onto the navigation platform.
"Your life bond is the only thing keeping Klaus alive. You have to break it before it takes you both."
"No." Vadim struggled to his knees and wiped at his face with the back of his hand. "I'm strong enough for both of us."
"You need to let him go." Beatrice took Vadim's hands in hers. "Concentrate on removing your hold on him."
"It's too far," Vadim insisted. "I can't reach him."
"It's no different from killing someone at this distance. If someone on Coryn's ship consented to die, you could grant that death from here. It's the same with healing, and with removing your tether."
"He's unconscious," Vadim said. "I can hear his thoughts, but they're a jumbled mess. Nothing makes any sense, but I can tell you, he doesn't want to die."
"Then let him live. Niall can heal him if you let go. That's all you have to do."
A tear slipped down Vadim's cheek. "I can't."
"You can." Beatrice patted his shoulder. "I know you care for him. You must if you were willing to tie him to you in the first place. I promise you, either my grandson or I will heal him in time. You have to trust us."
Vadim nodded, but he lifted his gaze to Efren, the unspoken question clear.
"Niall is closer, and they're friends. He won't let Klaus die."
Vadim sank back to the floor, his forehead flush against the smooth wood as he heaved a broken sob.
"Captain," Hannah called. "You've got to see this."
He rushed to the railing and looked through his scope again. He saw sharks in the water. Countless sharks. Big and little, their dorsal fins trailing streamlined wakes. The sharks circled to the landward side of the ship, where he couldn't see them. The ship listed that way, too, her masts no longer at a ninety-degree angle with the water.
"She's sinking," Efren said. "That bolt of lightning must have put a hole right through her."
"He's calling your sharks." Olivia sidled up to him with binoculars raised. "Does he know what he's doing?"
Beatrice tugged his scope from his hand. "They need our help," she said after a moment of studying the ship from aft to stern.
"If we help, she'll send the entire navy to Aquarion," Efren said. "If we let Niall escape on his own, she might search the closest ports for him, first."
Efren would send messenger birds to every port between Stony Eel Island and Hearthstone to keep her off Niall's trail. Later. Now, he wished he knew how to hide his ship the way Coryn hid from Olivia on their return trip from Luminest. He wanted to sail closer.
"It's done." Vadim wiped his face on his sleeve, and Beatrice helped him to his feet. He glared at Efren. "You'd better be right."
Efren wanted to go to him, to ease some of his pain, but he felt another tug on his power, a request to call Arrowtip.
∞∞∞
Niall
Niall's grandmother had warned him about magical bonds, especially now that he had one with Efren. He and Efren were linked through their water element, at least. Klaus didn't hold any magic, which had baffled his grandmother. Vadim's link to him was directly to his life source. Vadim had already used his limited healing power to keep Klaus alive. Now, if Klaus died, Vadim was as good as dead, too.
