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My vision blurred as a wave of terror flooded me. I nearly passed out, but then survival instinct kicked in and I found myself

lunging back from the railing before I even knew what I was doing. Around me, I was aware of bodies moving, voices shouting,

the flash of steel in the sun. From the corner of my eye, I saw the insect rider jam on her helmet and swing herself onto

her mount. The beetle’s back carapace split open, and its translucent wings hummed as it lifted them into the sky.

“Maederyss’s mercy, what is happening?” Halek gasped as we backed swiftly away from the side of the ship. Beyond the railing,

I could hear the scrapes and thumps of the creature scaling the strider. “What is that thing?”

“An abomination that should be extinct.” Raithe’s eyes were steely, his gaze never leaving the opposite railing. As I watched,

a long, jointed leg rose over the edge, followed by another, and the hideous bloated form of the monstrous insect crawled

onto the deck with a shriek that chilled my blood. Captain Gahmil stood at the center of the deck, his face white as he stared

up at the thing looming over him. His hand shook as he groped for the blade at his belt. “Get out of there, Captain,” Raithe

growled. “Don’t try to be a hero.”

Faster than thought, the monster darted forward and pounced, seizing the d’wevryn in its jaws.

Captain Gahmil let out a single shout as the mandibles closed, severing the d’wevryn’s body into several pieces.

Blood rained onto the deck and spread rapidly into a pool, and the mangled mess of Captain Gahmil vanished down the monster’s gullet.

One severed arm thumped to the wood and lay there, twitching.

Gore dripping from its jaws, the abomination turned, multiple legs moving, and fixed its beady eyes on us. Halek and Raithe

tensed beside me, but my limbs felt numb with absolute terror. As the creature scuttled forward, a spear flew through the

air and struck it in the face. The monster staggered back, legs flailing, as the insect rider and her mount buzzed overhead.

Kysa shouted something at us as she passed, probably telling us to get inside, but her words were lost in the wind and the

drone of wings.

“Sparrow.” Raithe stepped forward, curved sword at his side; despite the horror on deck with us, his voice was calm. “You

and Halek get inside. Try to keep the passengers from coming up. Don’t come out until you know it’s safe.”

“Raithe...” My mouth was dry with terror, but realizing what he was about to do filled me with a different dread. “Don’t.”

He shook his head without taking his gaze from the monster. “These things can burrow through solid rock. If I don’t kill it

now, it will start chewing through the hull to get at the people inside.” His pale blue eyes met mine. “Don’t worry about

me—just keep yourselves safe. Even if I’m not there to guide you, you have to find your way to Irrikah and meet the queen.”

The spear in the monster’s head finally came loose, falling to the deck with a clink.

Lunging forward, the creature pounced on it, seizing the weapon in its mandibles and snapping it into pieces.

The insect rider swooped overhead and the monster reared up with a hiss.

One long front leg came up, swatting at the beetle and striking a glancing blow.

The beetle wobbled in the air, almost falling, and the monster followed it relentlessly across the deck.

“Go,” Raithe told us, and sprinted toward the abomination. Racing up behind it, his sword flashed as he struck one of its

chitinous legs. It didn’t sever the joint or even seem to hurt the creature, and the monster spun on him with a scream.

Halek’s eyes narrowed. Setting his jaw, he stepped forward, making my stomach clench. I quickly grabbed his arm. “Halek, what

are you doing?” I gasped. “The door is this way.”

He gave me a half-serious, half-apologetic look. “I can’t let Raithe and Kysa take on that thing alone. It wouldn’t be right.”

One gloved hand came up, gently prying my fingers from his arm, and he nodded at the door. “Get inside, Sparrow. We’ll deal

with this oversize cricket. I might not be a warrior or an assassin, but I’m really good at being distracting.”

“You can’t! What if it kills you?”

That familiar wry grin came creeping back. “You already know the answer to that,” the Fatechaser said quietly, and stepped

away. “Protecting innocent people from a massive abomination? That’s the best fate I can hope for.”

And before I could say anything else, he whirled and sprinted away toward the battle and the towering monster in the center of the deck.

I watched as he charged fearlessly up to the massive predator and hurled something at its injured face.

There was a burst of fire and smoke, not large, but the abomination turned with a snarl to face this new enemy.

I bit my lip and ran for the door.

Screams followed me, the enraged shrieks of the abomination grating painfully in my ears. I clenched my jaw and didn’t look

back, praying the monster wouldn’t notice me. I put on a burst of speed and reached the door at last, my fingers closing over

the handle.

And then... I stopped.

The battle raged behind me, the hisses of the abomination mingling with Halek’s explosions, the clang of Raithe’s sword, and

the drone of beetle wings. The three of them fighting not only for their lives, but for the lives of everyone aboard. And

here I was, running for safety once again. Abandoning them to their fates.

My fingers tightened on the handle. I wasn’t a warrior. I wasn’t a fighter. I was a thief, and in my world, it was everyone

for themselves. When a guard appeared, you hid. When a patrol spotted you, you ran. You didn’t worry about the others. You

didn’t go back for them, even if they were caught. Vahn and the guild had taught me this. Take care of yourself first, and

let others do the same. A brave thief was a dead thief.

But there had been no hesitation on Raithe’s part. Even when faced with the scariest, most terrifying creature I had ever

seen, he hadn’t fled. Neither had Halek or the insect rider. They were all fighting to protect everyone on the ship, and to

make sure I could escape.

If they die, where will I be? I have no one. Everyone else is gone.

I raised my head, took my hand off the door handle, and turned.

Immediately, I saw the huge creature in the center of the deck, and terror stopped the breath in my throat. It seemed even

bigger than it had a moment ago, its movements frighteningly quick. Raithe and Halek were doing a good job of keeping its

attention split between them as Kysa and her giant beetle harassed it from above, but the three of them looked like ants trying

to take down a scorpion.

I breathed slowly, trying to think. The creature’s legs were armored, and its body was massive. My thin daggers would do very

little if I charged in from below. Maybe if I came at it... from above.

My gaze fell to the strider’s center mast and the swaths of canvas stretched over the deck to protect it from the sun. The

network of ropes and cloth was high enough that the top of the monster’s head cleared them with room to spare, but anyone

dangling from those lines would be within easy reach of its serrated jaws. If I was noticed, my choices were to risk the long

drop to the deck, or watch my bottom half fall away as I was bitten in two.

Fear crawled up my spine. Before I could think too hard, I ran for the mast. Toward the abomination and the three souls still

fighting it valiantly. Reaching the ladder, I started to climb.

Heaving myself to the top of the mast, I peered through the gaps in the cloth at the pale, segmented body of the monster below.

Now that I was closer, I saw that I’d been right; the back and legs of the monster were heavily armored with chitin, which turned away most sword blows.

And the hairy, bloated abdomen, though it had been cut several times and was leaking a greenish fluid onto the deck, was so large that the small gashes weren’t slowing it down.

Only its face, where Kysa’s spear had first struck, seemed vulnerable.

It was also the closest point to those grinding, gnashing jaws.

My heart roared in my ears. I could see its eyes, black and shiny, protruding from the top of its head. They twitched...

and then fixed right on me.

Instantly, the abomination broke away from Raithe and Halek, spinning around and rushing toward the mast. I threw myself across

the network of ropes, feeling them sway under my feet as I scrambled away from the horror now crawling toward me. The huge

arachnid easily scaled the mast and crawled onto the ropes, its multiple legs balanced on the lines as easily as on a web.

I saw its jaws working, grinding against each other, as if it could taste the prey just within reach. My thoughts fractured

in utter terror as I stared into the face and soulless black eyes of death.

“Sparrow! Cover your eyes!”

Halek’s voice rang out behind me a moment before something small and round flew through the air and hit the side of the monster’s

head. The blinding flash that followed caused the abomination to shriek and whirl around to search for its attacker.

The buzz of wings droned as the huge black beetle appeared overhead, its rider holding out one armored hand as they swooped

in.

“Jump!”

The monster whirled back toward me, jaws gnashing as it lunged.

I leaped for the insect rider’s outstretched arm, grabbing her wrist, and the beetle rose swiftly away.

The abomination’s face filled my vision, serrated jaws coming for me as it rose after us, legs waving to either side.

I kicked, and the toe of my boot struck the inside of one mandible as the beetle pulled me farther into the air.

Raithe scaled the mast, leaped onto the ropes beneath the monster, and plunged his sword into its abdomen.