Page 31

“That’s a pretty axe for a weed.”

I resisted the urge to unclip it from my back. “This axe is all I have.” Plus the dagger at my side, as his eyes noted. Plus the mist vial that would turn my enemy to stone for a short while. I could only use it twice, but would it work on three people at once? The merchant hadn’t clarified.

I really didn’t want to use it so soon. But I made note of the weight of my pack in case I had to reach for it quickly.

“Just kill her and be done with it,” Tall One said as if my death were nothing more than unpleasant business to be dealt with, then he wouldn’t give it another thought.

My heartbeat ratcheted.

Not the one on my forearm though. That one remained as steady as ever as if it slept.

“I’m not going to win. The fortune teller at the gate told me so. I’m just here to collect a bit of magic to sell back home.” I spoke quickly. If needed, I could swing my axe. But I was just aslikely to end up with one of their daggers in my gut before unclipping my weapon.

So stupid of me to trap myself in this tower.

“I’ve never killed a Seaweed before,” Blood Shirt said. From the excitement in his tone, the idea thrilled him. Now I highly suspected that was real blood on his clothes. Not from a Seaweed at least.

“I’m not alone,” I warned them. “You don’t want to mess with my companions.”

Bow and Arrow glanced down the stairs behind him. “We’ll deal with them later.” He reached behind him for his arrow.

“I know Gerald Montclair!” My words were a chaotic jumble, dripping from my lips with desperation they were sure to smell. “I’ve talked with him many times, and he taught me about the Silver Wings. If you want to captain it, you’ll need a tattoo like this.”

I jerked my sleeve up and held out my arm.

The sight of the pulsing tattoo stilled them. Bow and Arrow let his hand fall to his side as he peered closer.

“What is it?”

“The heart of the ships. Every sailor aboard has them. It marks them as part of the crew. If you want to captain, you’ll need a tattoo first.”

Blood Shirt eyed it. “Why is it…moving?”

“Because it came from the seas and the seas are alive.” I was lying through my teeth, hoping they didn’t realize as my other hand reached for the gap in my bag. I was about to find out how many the mist could freeze at once.

Tall One spotted my hand, and he snarled. “Just kill her.”

I’d be dead, if Clark hadn’t appeared behind Bow and Arrow with a blade in his hand.

“Let the girl go, and we let you live.”

Let you live. As if either of us knew how to fight.

But something about Clark’s gaze was deadly enough that it gave pause to the room. Silence followed, laden with tension. Clark looked at me briefly, and that was all it took for Bow and Arrow to turn as Blood Shirt threw a blade. It whizzed by Clark’s head, missing, but close enough to cut. A small slice of skin opened along Clark’s cheekbone.

I saw red.

Theycuthim.

Forget turning them to stone. I reached for my axe as the room exploded into action.

Blood Shirt needed time to get his second dagger. I struck the blunt end of my axe against his temple first, feeling his bone collide with the handle. He staggered back, eyes rolling back before correcting himself.

Tall One stepped into the place he left, and he was quicker on the draw. I had to roll to avoid the swing of his sword.

Sword, axe, daggers, bow and arrow. We were kids playing with an arsenal of weapons that none of us had any business holding, and none of the weapons paired easily with each other.

There were no rules in the labyrinth.