by Simone Pond
A hand rested on my shoulder. “You saved many,” said Haggai.
“But …” I couldn’t stop myself from crying. Tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision and smearing everything before me. “There were so many more.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Jordan.” Haggai stroked my head, trying to soothe me, but the bile in my stomach began to curdle into boiling acid. Heat rose through my body, and I remembered the way the liquid gold had eaten through the High Tower in Endor.
I’m going to annihilate them.
I yanked away from Haggai and inched backward. “It was my fault. I should’ve taken down those ships first.”
“You did the right thing. This is how it was meant to be,” he said.
“Meant to be? Children burning to death on a sinking ship? How could the Ancient One allow such a thing?”
Haggai took cautious steps toward me, undoubtedly sensing my intentions. He reached out his hand. If he touched me, he’d shut me down in a heartbeat. He was a powerful elder and his magic had the ability to paralyze—I’d experienced it firsthand. His fingers were about to grab my wrist, but I teleported off the Jericho and landed on the deck of the main pirate ship.
Chapter 18
A fiery arrow zipped right past my cheek as I hit the deck of the pirate ship in a flurry of white light. Thank the Ancient One, the chaos happening all around disguised my sudden entrance. Hundreds of grungy and scurvy-ridden men—and a few women—scurried about. Some fired blazing arrows at the Sinai, while others manned the cannons. I dove behind a barrel to avoid getting noticed.
In the distance, Levi’s men continued firing at the pirate ships. I counted ten in their fleet, not including the three in flames and the one that had been blasted apart into chunks of wood drifting down the river. I was going to wipe out all ten ships. After what the bastards had done to the Giza, I’d be sure they’d never take another innocent life again.
“Whadda we got ’ere?” A filthy hand gripped my wrist and whipped me around.
“Watch yourself,” I said as my magic shield shot up around me.
The woman standing before me looked part sea-hag, part granny. Her stringy gray hair hung to her waist and her wrinkles scored deep lines across her forehead. When she grinned to reveal what remained of her blackened teeth, a rot exuded from her mouth that was strong enough to break my concentration. Too bad the shield couldn’t ward off such foulness. She lifted her sword and came down hard, right onto the shield. The impact sent her reeling into the sky and overboard into the river. Pirates weren’t exactly known for their good sense.
“What’s goin’ on over ’ere?” shouted an oily man as he came skittering over.
“Your friend messed with the wrong lady,” I said.
He pulled back his arrow. I lifted my hand and sent forth a wave of energy, knocking him overboard, too. I couldn’t do this with every single pirate; I’d surely use up my resources before I got halfway through the first ship. The only way to take down the entire fleet would be with the golden stars. I’d start by taking out the nine other ships first, then deal with the one I was presently aboard.
I came out from behind my hiding spot and headed to the watchtower. Most of the pirates were too busy refilling the cannons or restocking their arrows to notice me. The ones that did take note came after me only to sorely regret it. When they smacked against my shield with their swords or daggers, a strong charge of electricity would send them soaring skyward, then overboard. My anger for what these savages had done fueled my determination to end every last one of them. I became unstoppable in the face of evil. I could’ve teleported to the watchtower, but it was far more enjoyable watching these beasts get batted off one by one. I carefully climbed the rope ladder to the top and yanked the men from their crow’s nest. There I stood high above the deck with a bird’s eye view of the whole fleet.
The day was rolling into evening as the sun lowered over the Red Mountains in the west. I thought about my father and how I’d go to him after this was over. I planned to ask the Ancient One the reason for losing the children. But until then, I had a fleet of deadly raiders to level. I held up one of the golden stars, letting the last rays of sunlight reflect against it, signaling to the Sinai. I don’t know if they understood to hold their fire for what was about to go down, but they’d know soon enough. I took aim at the row of nine ships lined up across the wide river and hurled the golden star with every last bit of magic I had left in my reserves.
The flash of gold swept across the sky and punctured the closest ship, slicing right through the side. Like before with the attack cruisers, the star continued onward, blazing a trail as it sliced through the other eight ships. The river’s currents helped by pulling apart the ships and sweeping the large broken chunks downstream in a mad rush.
Below, the shouting and hollering increased by decibels as the scraggly men and women watched in astonished befuddlement as their sister ships capsized and were taken down by the force of the river. I needed to finish off the last ship, though I didn’t have a plan just yet. I thought about teleporting to the Sinai and letting Levi’s men finish it off …
What the—?
A strong force came from behind and propelled me forward. I toppled over the side of the watchtower and grabbed a loose rope to keep from smacking into the deck below. My magic hadn’t protected me, telling me it’d been drained by throwing the star. That also meant I couldn’t teleport. So I was stuck hanging from a watchtower thirty feet above a bunch of seething barbarians who had just witnessed me destroying their fleet. I still had the two stars, but how could I use them to fight off the pirates and not go down with the ship? If I could somehow swing over into the water, I might be able to swim to the riverbanks of Lycaeon. It wasn’t too far away. Or maybe I could drop down and fight off the pirates—all I needed was a sword. I let go of the rope …
My boots landed on the back of a rotund woman, her plump body cushioning the fall. I quickly rolled off to the side, right into the legs of one of the men, knocking him off his feet. His sword clanked to the deck and I swiped it up, leaping to my feet just as a swarm of the grimy brutes lunged toward me. I fought them off, clanging against their blows, and though they were skilled, my training from the Academy was far superior. I also employed a touch of psychological warfare—breaking down their confidence would throw them off their game.
“What’s that? Letting a girl beat you?” I baited one of the brawny men.
“I’ll slice ye to bits, girl!” he yelled.
“Your lady friend has a better chance, that is, if she can take the challenge,” I goaded.
“Oh, ye tink yer so smart, missy. I’ll trow ye overboard for the fishes to eat!” shouted a woman with ratty red hair as she poked her sharp sword at my belly.
I whipped it right out of her grip with my sword and while she watched it fly overboard, I rammed into her and the man. Both careened into the railing and toppled over the side. More pirates surrounded me and I spun around, swishing my sword and pushing them back. No matter how many I fought off, it was clear I was outnumbered. I sliced and diced, dodged arrows, shoved and kicked, until finally, one clever wench was able to free me of my sword, leaving me defenseless. It was time to use the stars.
I removed one and held it up. “Don’t come any closer, scumbags! You saw what the last one did to your fleet!”
“Stop yerselves, me hearties!” A bellowing voice came from around the bend.
The pirates stopped and stepped back, making room for whoever was clambering across the wooden deck. I continued holding up the golden star while I inched my way toward the railing. From there I planned to jump overboard and wrestle with the mighty river currents until I made my way to Lycaeon.
“Ahoy! Looky at this fine young lass among thieves,” said a tall and hulking man as the pirates bent down to one knee for their captain.
He ambled toward me in slow motion. Each step landed with a thump, swaying the ship ever so slightly. The man had to be
part giant with his towering height and indestructible-looking frame. I remembered my friend, Dandrek, and the way he’d sacrificed his life for me. Giants weren’t indestructible. None of us were.
“Ye think ye can destroy me fleet and get off scot-free?” He stood about twenty feet away, his large hands on his hips and a wry grin across his thin lips. His white hair fell in long strings around his sun-weathered face. I didn’t have time to bargain with a pirate. This thief had just stolen the lives of innocent children.
“Actually, I do,” I said, winging the golden star as hard as I could directly toward the man’s heart.
The streak of gold whizzed across the deck and zipped right through the captain’s chest and continued sailing airborne at great velocity until it landed on the riverbank of Lycaeon. The flecks of gold glimmered from the sand. My stomach folded over and my blood turned to ice. I’d fallen for the same damn trick twice. Shame on me!
The cackling started low, then grew into a full-blown cacophony that rattled my insides. Soon, the chorus of pirates joined in. The illusion of the captain faded away and Glendora—the impeccable and stately version of the High Witch—stepped out from behind the crowd of roaring heathens. She wore a magnificent corseted ruby red dress and her raven hair was piled high in ringlets with rubies sparkling between the curls.
“I see your cousin let you live,” I said.
“He had no choice. If he kills me, he loses the power of the Red Ruby. A caveat his dear mother put on the thing before he killed her off,” purred Glendora.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“You should’ve stuck with the deal, sweetness. I told you I have connections along the river. Many who can’t stand Counselor Magnus and would do anything for me. As you’ve witnessed firsthand.”
This version of the witch might’ve been more pleasant in appearance, but she was still the same devil. And no doubt she had grisly plans for me. I reached into my pocket for the last golden star; I was going to end this once and for all.
This is your last star.
Yes, it was the last star. But what was I supposed to do? I didn’t have any other defenses against the High Witch. My magic was drained and I was surrounded by pirates. If I used the star to kill Glendora now, I could at least take out some more pirates and possibly get back to my ships. Or the pirates could kill me before I had a chance. What did this mean for the Ancients? What good was a dead chosen leader?
I removed my hand from my pocket, leaving the star tucked safely inside, and lifted my arms in surrender. “Fine, witch. You win.”
She released a long and annoying fit of laughter as she waved over a few of her pirates to restrain me in chains and take me down below with the other prisoners.
The men shoved me down the rickety steps into the cramped, dank galley where men sat chained to benches with oars in their dirty hands. The pirates locked my heavy chains to a wooden pole in the middle of the galley, leaving zero room for movement.
“If any of ye see this lass try any tricks, ye shout over to Tank. Ye will be rewarded with yer freedom,” grunted one of the men before they stalked back up the stairs.
Tank, a rugged man wearing sullied rags with a face covered in burly red hair, stood at the front of the galley with a whip. He gave it a loud crack, and the slaves started rowing, their chains clanking and clattering as the pirate ship started heading southbound. Where Glendora was taking me, I didn’t know, but I suspected it wasn’t Endor.
Chapter 19
The men in the galley hummed a depressing tune as they pushed and pulled the oars back and forth. They kept their dirt-stained faces turned in my direction, hoping for me to attempt a jail break. But I wasn’t going anywhere. The heavy chains were doing a fine job at restraining every part of my body. I couldn’t reach the golden star in my pocket no matter how flexible my abilities happened to be. Also, I had a gut hunch the slightest move on my part would trigger a riot in the cramped space. I wasn’t about to be a blood sacrifice for anyone’s freedom. As the ship continued southwest, I tried to get a glimpse through one of the holes to figure out our location, but again, I didn’t want to move too much.
It seemed like only twenty minutes had passed when Tank cracked his whip and shouted, “Slow ’er down and bring ’er in westward.”
The leather slapped against the bare shoulders of the men, creating immediate welts on some and gashes on others. They didn’t wince at all, so accustomed to this deplorable abuse. I felt sorry for them and longed to set them free, but I didn’t think they’d listen to me over Tank.
Once the ship came to a halt and the anchor dropped, footsteps started up again on the deck above. The door to the galley creaked open and down came two large men. They unfastened me from the pole, but kept me shackled in the heavy chains as they shoved me up the stairs.
“Oh, sweetness, you reek.” Glendora stood on the deck, waving her hand across her face.
She sauntered across the small footbridge from the ship onto the dock, then snapped her fingers for her minions to bring me over. As I clanked across, I saw signs for Lycaeon at the end of the dock. So the witch had an alliance with the Alpha … But the wolf man had planned to hand me over to Magnus just days ago. How had the Confederated Six lasted this long with everyone constantly backstabbing one another?
“Come along, sweetness,” said Glendora. “We have a werewolf to see. One that wishes to help my cause and who happens to reign over a simply gorgeous city. As you know, I’m in the market for new one.”
I dragged my boots along the dock, feeling the burn in my legs from the chains weighing me down. “Any chance you can remove the ankle shackles?”
Glendora kept walking, her laughter trailing behind. One of the minions shoved me forward. The other one grunted and followed suit. This continued until we reached a black limousine waiting in the parking lot. Glendora waited for the driver to open the door and carefully lowered herself into the sleek vehicle. I started to walk toward the open door.
“Tsk, tsk, sweetness. Baggage goes in the trunk,” she said.
The driver rushed around to the back of the limo and popped open the truck. The minions bent down, giving the old heave-ho, and hoisted me and my chains into the trunk. I slammed down hard, my face grazing against the rubber of the spare tire. The skin on my cheek burned and the shoulder I landed on locked up in shooting pain. Glendora would make me pay dearly for escaping Endor with Isabella—and this was only the beginning.
The vehicle pulled away from the port and sped through the streets. I listened for anything to give me clues, but all I could hear was the wheels swishing over the pavement. I rolled and flopped around, helplessly bound in the heavy chains as we cruised through the city of shifters.
At the twenty-minute mark, the car slowed down and turned onto another road that wasn’t paved. We bounced over rocks and dips, winding downward. Since we were moving at a slower speed, I could hear the outside noises—calls from the howling wolves.
We finally came to a stop, and a couple of doors opened, then came the sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel. The trunk popped open and Glendora’s two minions hoisted me up onto the driveway. I turned around to see a spectacular estate lit up like royalty. Several fountains decorated the walkway to the white marble castle—a kingdom fit for an Alpha king. We were at the bottom of a grove, surrounded by hundreds of looming oak trees and pines. They reached high above, their branches and leaves creating a canopy over the nook deep in the forest. I couldn’t see the sky, the stars, or the guiding star. But I trusted it was out there watching over me.
“Move it,” grunted one of the men.
I shuffled forward down the gravel driveway to the flagstones that led up to the majestic estate. Statues of wolves in action flanked the pathway all the way up to the front doors. Glendora stood waiting for us to join her at the entrance, reapplying a layer of dark lipstick the color of tar. I was about to step into the den of decadence, but I still had the one golden star as my last hope.
The giant doors opened to a large foyer lit up with hundreds of candles and tiered chandeliers. A svelte butler with thinning black hair and a wiry look in his wrinkled eyes stepped forward and welcomed Glendora. He announced her name loudly as she crossed the barrier into the Alpha’s estate.
“What shall we do with your prisoner?” asked the butler.
“She must stay with me at all times. Quite sneaky, that one is,” said Glendora.
“I can’t allow those dreadful chains to touch the floors. You understand, I’m sure,” said the butler.
Glendora gave a cordial smile, then turned to her minions and jerked a quick nod of silent instruction.
The two men lifted me up by my armpits and carried me a foot above the gleaming black-and-white-tiled floors. Their strong fingers dug into my skin as the weight of the chains pulled me down. The pain was like fire pokers piercing through me, but I remained quiet as I sucked in a breath and held it until we reached a doorway.
“The Alpha is in his study awaiting your arrival,” said the butler as he tapped on the door, then opened it for Glendora to follow him in.
The men shoved me forward, the chains making a loud clanking sound as I toppled into the enormous study. The Alpha, clad in his black hooded cape trimmed in sparkling gold, glanced over from where he stood next to the fireplace, reading a hardback. He set the book down on the mantle; his dagger-like claws scraped against the marble, and a low chuckle came up from his belly, then turned into a full roar of laughter. His half-man, half-wolf face peered right at me.
“Welcome back, child. You seem a bit weighed down.” He laughed again and his baritone roar bristled the hair on my neck.
Glendora meandered gracefully across the room and held out her hand for the Alpha. He sniffed her fingers with his long snout, then licked the palm of her hand. I cringed and looked toward one of the many bookshelves throughout the vast study.