![]() |
Available in ebook from Amazon |
All that Asahel could see was a cloud of pale feathers as the Rukh lashed out at the cannon that had fired. Screams throbbed around him as the Rukh lifted, golden talons now rusted with blood. Broken bodies lay on the wood, ribs smashed by the weight of unearthly claws. The men were too distant for Asahel to put faces to as he fell to the deck, heart pounding at the sound of the wings beating once more.
The Rukh dove again, its beak rending the ship’s prow. The heavy timbers cracked like bones against the pressure. A slow tearing sound cut through the haze of chaos settling over the ship as panic took hold. Spice spilled out of the hold the beast had torn open. Pungent scents of oil and cedar clouded the air as chests smashed against the bow, breaking apart into the water below.
“Zuane!” He called, hoping that the captain was near. When that failed, Asahel shouted out for others. “Felix! Nicolas!” His knee edged forward as he crawled, the coarse wool of his trousers suddenly damp. He looked down to see the blood of the fallen pooling in the cracks of the boards.
“Soames—”
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Asahel said.
“I can’t swim.”
“Ship,” Asahel corrected gently, looking over his shoulder at the waves.
Recent Comments