Page 17

As my eyes come into focus, so do the dark shapes.

Oh god, what the fuck isthat?!

A monster the size of a pig, like a cross between the worst parts of a lobster and a termite, with six segmented legs, dark orbs for eyes, buzzing wings and a thick exoskeleton covered with spines and bristling hairs.

It scuttles into the room, immediately followed by four others along the ceiling, their antennae waving as their heads bobble inquisitively back and forth. Outside, there are hundreds of them flying around the ship, like mosquitos coming in to feed. A cold chill goes through my body as the insect moves towards me, clicking its mandibles and shaking its head. It moves like a machine without any emotion or thought, just impulses. I try to right myself, but freeze in place, my legs hanging stupidly in the air over my head. Seeing the monster upside down makes it look even more grotesque, like a hallucination from a nightmare.

My eyes are watering from the ozone stench radiating from its body, and as it leans closer its antennae whip across my face like a riding crop. Well, shit. Out of all the possible ways I imagined dying, getting eaten by a giant bug was not on the list.

It spreads its mandibles, revealing a disgusting, slimy maw. Then, there's a loud crunch and a green flash, and I'm suddenly covered in tingling goo. There's a huge chunk missing from the bug, and through it I see the silhouette of a man standing in the opening of the side of the ship. The other bugs turn to attack him, but he dispatches them quickly with blasts of energy from the staff held in his hands.

My savior steps out of the glare, his golden hair pouring to the side as he tilts his head to look at me. Airos's shit-eating grin is both the most infuriating and the most wonderful thing I've ever seen. I'm thrilled to see him. Ihatethat I'm so thrilled to see him.

"Are you planning on staying like that, or...?"

"My hands are tied up, asshole," I bark. "Maybe you could fuckin' help me?"

With a laugh, Airos gets me upright. Then his expression goes stark serious as he looks me over. "Gods," he says. "What did they do to you?"

He reaches up to touch my battered cheek and I pull away.

"I'm good. There are more important things we need to deal with, like these damn handcuffs. Can you get them off me?"

"Turn around."

I feel him grip the center of the shackles, pulling me closer to him.

"How did you find me?" I ask.

"Not without trouble," he replies.

"No shit."

Suddenly, a huge shining bird swoops up to the hole in the hull. It quickly shrinks as it lands, transforming into a man. It's Kalistratos and Tyler.

"Good, you've found him!" Kalistratos exclaims. "Let's go, while our new friends are distracted."

"Wait," I say. "We can't. There's?—"

But before I'm able to tell him about Dustin, the bugs swarm the hull with such force that I nearly lose my balance and slam my face into the wall. As they pour into the room, Airos blows the door open with his magic and forces me out. We all run as a tidal wave of bugs crashes into the hallway after us, scurrying along the walls and ricocheting off each other like manic, out of control drones.

"There goes our easy escape," Kalistratos yells.

The passageway opens up, and I realize that we're now in the lower level of the engine room. I look up to where the walkway and the phoenix furnace are, and out of shock at what I see I come to a halt.

The ceiling, the walkway, the furnace, all of it is a shimmering black mass of insects. They're pouring into the doors and holes punched through the walls, clambering to reach the very center. They must be drawn to the engine—the phoenix power.

"No time to gawk," Airos says, and he grabs me by the elbow and pulls me along with him.

The bugs behind us divert their pursuit and go for the engine too. We exit the engine room into a hold filled with coils of rope and racks of clay pots. Two guards rush in from the far entrance, but they ignore us and run past as more of the bugs chase after them. We take cover behind rope thick as my wrist coiled into a tall pile, and watch as the wolf men flee into the engine room. Their screams are quickly covered by the buzz of wings.

"Dammit, Airos, just blow a hole in the side and get us out of here," Kalistratos says.

"We can't leave," I say. "The other omega is here on this ship."

All three of them turn and look at me.

"Seriously?" Tyler says. "You're sure it's them?"