Page 209

“Rev,rev, revyour boat, aggressively down the canaaaaal,” Malakai sang, his grating voice slicing through the fog, like a fork scraping across a plate. “Un-merrily, un-merrily, un-merrily, un-merrily, life is but a nightmaaaaaaaare.”

Where he sat with Max in the bow, keeping watch over the silky waters of the canal they were coasting down—rather,revvingdown, making way too much noise for a city swarming with monsters—Travis glared at the back of Malakai’s head.

The rest of their group—everyone was here, including those who were at the Duchess during the riot—was stationed along the sides of the vessel, firearms at the ready. All except Jewels, who sat in the front with Malakai and Aspen, and Magenta, who Travis assumed didn’t have enough experience firing guns for Scarlet to feel comfortable giving her one.

Jewels was having a hell of time breathing. Apparently acute dyspnea was a symptom she had struggled with since she was diagnosed with the Tricking, but this was by far the worst bout she had ever experienced. Travis wondered if the portal was to blame for her sudden decline, but?—

Nah. It didn’t make sense. If Spirit Terra were the reason she couldn’t breathe, the rest of them would be having trouble, too,including him. He was breathing fine, though, and everyone else seemed to be, too.

Maybe it was her brother. Giving her a heart attack or something.

“Gods, he’s annoying,” Travis grumbled.

“And a terrible singer,” Max replied with a whisper, his black eyes fixed on the water.

Malakai started singing his twisted version of that old nursery rhyme again. Each time he belted out the wordrevhe hit the throttle, jerking the boat forward. “Rev, rev,rev…”

Travis was going to be sick.

Dallas clutched her stomach. “He’s going to make me puke.”

“Delaney!”Max hissed. All around them, fog curled and darkness eddied like thick smoke. There could be just about anything lurking in there. Waiting for an opportunity to pounce and sink its teeth into the sweet, juicy morsels who were stupid enough to be out here in this boat.

Hopefully, they’d go for the idiot steering the boat first.

Malakai paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Huh? What’d you say, Reacher? You got a problem with me?”

“Cut it out!” Max hissed. “You’re going to get us eaten.”

“You,”Malakai corrected, entirely unbothered.“I’m going to getyoueaten, Reacher. I’ll survive—I always do.” He returned to his song, and this time he belted the words out louder. “Rev,rev, REV…”

Travis ground his teeth. “If we die,” he whispered, “it’ll be his fault.”

“No wonder Jewels is having heart problems,” Dominic grumbled.

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“Heard that,” Malakai drawled. “If you guys got a problem with me, you can swim your asses to shore and walk.”

Travis rolled his eyes and gripped his gun tighter, scanning the water that looked like a black mirror.

A warning prickled up his spine as the surface suddenly rippled with a serpentine motion.

A barbed tail flicked up, spraying water before vanishing into the depths.

He shifted his index finger across the trigger.

“Did you see that?” Max murmured.

“Sure did.” He blinked the Sight into his eyes.

Below the surface of the canal swam an Aequorwyrm, its aura a pulsating mess of acid-green lines and smoky gray splotches, its gaping mouth full of long, needle-thin teeth. Not only was that thing big and strong enough to drag this boat and everyone in it to the bottom of the canal, but its body was armored with impenetrable scales. If they were to shoot it, the bullets would bounce right off like rubber balls. It didn’t matter that the boat was covered with security spells; if it managed to drag them under, they’d be done for.

“Blue?” Max called softly over his shoulder.

Feet thumped as she crossed the deck and knelt on the seat between them.

“Aequorwyrm,” Max said. “Eleven o’clock.”