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“ S tarboard side!” a man yells from the deck below.

“Blythe’s ship!” another screams.

A jolt of panic races through my body as Grayson and I part, both of us scanning the mist to the right of the ship.

“There!” I point off the stern. In the distance, there’s a shadow of a ship and it’s headed straight for us.

“Like I said, we’re in the middle of a battle,” Zaos deadpans. Then he moves to the quarterdeck railing and starts shouting orders at the men below.

“Not helping, Zaos,” I chastise and Grayson laughs. “And you ”—I jab my finger into the center of his chest—“aren’t helping either. This is no laughing matter.”

We both turn around and take our places next to Zaos at the railing. The moment the warmth of his hands leave my body, I feel a chill cling to my skin.

“It seems Blythe discovered the eastern side of the passage is the less deadly of the options.” Zaos grips the edge of the railing, his knuckles turning white as he looks over at the looming shadow of our enemy’s ship.

It’s growing closer, but seems to be turning east. He’s probably maneuvering around one of the isles.

“What do we do now?” I ask Grayson. “You said the western side of the passage is a death trap.”

A breeze flutters through Grayson’s dark locks and I watch his mind work as he assesses the situation. After a few priceless moments, Grayson finally says, “We only lower the foremast and make our way to the western side.”

“The foremast? But Captain, it’s already taken a big hit from the storm and we won’t be able to evade with those as our only sails.”

Grayson looks at Zaos. All the light has winked out of his eyes, leaving only primal determination and focus. “The goal is not to evade, Zaos. When we make it into open water, we will have two ships trailing us. Ships that are working at full speed. They will rally at our sides and take us down.”

“You mean to wound one of them while we navigate the isles,” I say.

Grayson turns toward me and nods. “Yes.”

I swallow the dryness in my throat and look down at all his men. All their lives are at stake and there’s not a single one who wouldn’t gladly forfeit theirs to ensure the prize is won. Including Tommy. He’s high on the rigging with Collin, ready to take orders from our captain.

“Then let’s not wait any longer.” I look back up at Grayson. “Give the order.”

His gaze lingers on me for a moment. And another. Then he looks out over the bow and shouts, “Hoist the anchor! Lower the foremast sails! We move west!”

My fingernails bite into the wooden railing as I grip it with all my might. The weight of the golden objects in my coat hangs heavy over my shoulders. Everything we’ve worked for comes down to this fight. If we cannot win against Blythe, the treasure will be his and our lives will be forfeit.

For whatever stars may be listening, I send up a silent prayer that every soul on this ship will see the other side of the isles. That we will make it through this fight and it will be Blythe who plummets beneath the waves.

Wind gathers in the sails and we start moving. “Fucking hells, the fog is even thicker now,” Zaos mutters as the Solise Mountains disappear behind us and we move further into the haze.

“It’s another deterrent, isn’t it? The fog?” I ask Grayson.

“To protect the mountain, yes.”

I shake my head in wonder. Whatever power it draws upon must be great, indeed.

A damp coat covers my face and hair as we continue through the mist. Grayson commands his men to ready themselves at the gun ports and I feel that familiar rush buzz through my veins at the threat of a battle being so near.

An ache starts to form in the space between my brows as I squint intensely, keeping my eyes peeled for any signs of another ship, knowing that Blythe has another in his employ.

Not even the sun’s rays penetrate the dark grey that surrounds the Caelestia as I look behind us to ensure Blythe hasn’t caught up yet. The shadow of his ship is gone, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall.

“I much preferred when we could at least see him com?—”

“Look out!” someone shouts from below. I whirl around just as Grayson shouts to his helmsman to turn to the right.

“Fucking hells!” I scream as the mist parts and we nearly crash straight into another ship.

“Ready to fire!” Grayson calls to his men below deck. I hang tightly onto the railing as our port side comes broad against the other ship’s bow. Raised high in the air, I see a black flag with a full-bodied skeleton holding a sword.

Malihaim’s ship—the Bloody Bandit .

“He’s turning, Grayson!” I tell him as I see the ship’s front start to shift. Soon Malihaim will have a clear shot of our entire port side.

“Fire!” Grayson yells and the ship shutters beneath my feet as cannons are ignited and the shots are fired.

Unable to breathe, I watch as our shots zip through the air. Several of them miss the target, but three land critical blows, peppering large holes into the Bloody Bandit’s bow. Pained screams rip through the air as shards of wood fly like thrown daggers into the water and upon the ship’s deck.

Cheers erupt from Grayson’s men as they see their first blow land its mark. But we’re not out of this yet. We’re headed straight for a cluster of stone isles.

Running to the left, I look over the side of the ship. “Grayson! The current has shifted. It’s pulling us into the isles!”

He looks away from the Bloody Bandit to the threat ahead of us, then calls down to his helmsman to steer us to the right.

“They’re opening their gun ports,” I hear Zaos say. I look across the water at Malihaim’s ship and see cannon barrels rolling toward the open hatches.

“Fire!” Grayson yells and I feel that familiar shudder beneath my feet. This time most of the shots land their mark, including one that hits the foremast just above the rope rigging. An ear-splitting screech sounds and I cover my ears as I watch the foremast crack and it starts to fall.

“Rowenya! Get away from there!” Grayson yells as I look up and see the billowing sails of the foremast rain down upon me.

Dread hits my stomach as I start to move, but I’m not fast enough.

The large wooden pillar comes crashing down.

I jump to the left, trying to avoid the crash, when I feel something pull me to the ground.

All the breath leaves my lungs and all I can see is white as the sail whips toward my face, but it never strikes me. Not as Grayson arches his back and shields me with his entire body. He grunts loudly and his stomach presses hard against mine as a deafening boom lands right above us.

“Grayson!” I peer up, trying to see his face, but the lapels of his long coat block my view.

“I’m fine,” he says, his voice deep and strangled. His hand moves to grab the dagger from the bandolier on his chest and he swipes the blade across the fabric that has us pinned down.

Light shines through and I finally take a deep breath in. Grayson rises, helping me to my feet. We stand in the middle of the torn sail and I look over to see Malihaim’s ship is dangerously close to ours.

“Grayson, he’s sending men over!” I point to where five men stand at the top of the rigging on the mainmast of the Bloody Bandit right as they jump, swinging their bodies forward. All five of them land on our main deck.

“We need to get this fucking mast off the ship!” I hear Zaos say from behind us. I turn to see him standing, the ripped sail surrounding his legs as it does ours.

Grayson steps onto the billowing fabric, heading for the railing of his quarterdeck and calls up a few of his men. Swords clashing against one another sound from below. Chaos erupts as more of Malihaim’s crew swing onto our main deck.

“Grayson, wait!” I jump over the large pillar of the foremast, meeting him at the railing. “What if we take him down now? He’s going to keep sending men over and we’re getting closer to the isles with the weight of our ships pushed together in the current.”

“If we attack, they’ll start shooting back at us. We’re too close in range. We’ll take just as much damage.”

“It’s worth the risk,” I plead. “Blythe is out there, getting closer by the second, and if we don’t break free we’re sitting ducks for two warships.”

“She’s right, Captain,” Zaos says, joining us. “If we sink him now, the foremast will collapse into the water on its own once the bottom of it angles down.”

A muscle ticks along Grayson’s jaw. It’s a hefty decision. Using our resources now to take down the Bloody Bandit or let it be a dog fight on the deck of this ship and hope that we can outrun Blythe once he finds us.

“Go below deck and tell the men our plan. Unload from the two lower levels as well, but make sure not to open the hatches until the men are about to light the fuses. We only have one chance of getting this right.”

“Should I wait for your order?”

Grayson shakes his head. “Fire at will. If Malihaim hears me make the call, he’ll just fire back.”

Zaos nods and disappears down the stairway and a few of Grayson’s men finally make their appearance.

“Help us roll the sail,” he commands, and I immediately start moving to gather the end of the sail with his men while Grayson gives orders to his helmsman.

We’re dangerously close to the isles. Locked into the ocean’s will, it won’t take long before we crash into them with the Bloody Bandit ’s foremast drawing more weight into the current.

“Come on, Zaos,” I whisper, and not a moment later, cannon fire blasts.

Spinning around, I see our shots blare through the side hull of the Bloody Bandit .

Wood splinters and smoke fills the air. Another round goes off, and another.

Vibrations from below deck shake up my legs as I watch our cannons rip Malihaim’s ship to shreds.

A smile sweeps across my face as I peer over the side of the railing. “It’s taking on water!” I yell to Grayson as I watch Malihaim’s men start to jump overboard.