Page 83 of Pirate Witch

More fire exchanged on both sides. They’ve started imitating me by adding mage fire into the combination, making their shots all the more lethal. Nilsa’s sigils are burning on my chest, her magic and mine doing their best—and failing—to mitigate the damage that my body is suffering.

It’s not getting any better. The more this drags on, the worse I become. A few volleys later, I’ve taken down more of their mages, but at a huge cost. I’m now clutching the wheel for support, working hard to ignore the bleeding on my arms as I focus on trying to get that one critical shot with the swivels that will break that fucking ship.

One of the Eagle’s ships breaks away, sailing out of the bay as it flees the violence. I wait for one of ours to pursue it, but no one does. How many of our ships are left? I can’t tell. The air is so thick with smoke from the cannon fire that it’s hard to see much beyond the silhouette of that giant ship bearing down on me. My lungs burn as I breathe it in, and I swallow back the urge to cough. For all I know, I’m the last pirate standing.

For the first time in my life, I can feel the limit of my reserves. The bottom of the well of power that I rarely even come close to.

Fear settles in the pit of my stomach and my eyes—watering from the smoke—blink closed.

Is this how I die?

Fuck. If it is, I’m taking these bastards with me.

At least my crew is safe on land. At leastshe’ssafe.

Glancing down at Titan is my undoing. The usually sappy mastiff is pressed against my side, growling at the ship beyond the railing as he lends me his support.

“You’re the best boy,” I whisper, bringing his attention back to me.

I pat his fur one last time, leaving a bloody handprint, before spending a little of my remaining power to teleport him away from the ship. The accusatory look in his big, brown eyes almost breaks me, but I refuse to let him go down with me.

Now alone, I stare at the bulky fucker in front of me. “Bring it,” I growl.

I funnel all of my remaining magic into the guns, dropping the shields completely in favour of pure firepower as theDeadwoodlines up for a final shot.

Our guns fire at the same time. Only this time, with nothing to protect me, they rip through my body and my ship. I don’t have to look down to know they’ve made mincemeat of my organs. No. That becomes fucking obvious as my legs give out from underneath me and I slump completely against the wheel on my knees.

I’ve survived worse. I’m immortal. This won’t kill me. They’re going to have to try harder.

I turn my head, hoping to see the Man O' War in splinters, or at least sinking.

No such fucking luck.

She sits tall in the water, battered and listing slightly, but otherwise still hanging on. The skin of my arm tears open as the crew starts the process of throwing hook-ended ropes between our two vessels.

Goddess, I’m being boarded. Can’t a pirate die with some fucking dignity? What’s wrong with just blowing me sky high with their guns and letting myDeadwoodsink to the bottom of the sea in peace without robbing her?

I snort at the hypocrisy of my own thoughts, only to grunt in pain when a boot kicks me away from my ship’s wheel, landing me flat on my back.

A face I haven’t seen since I was a boy swims in my vision.

“So my useless son was right,” Everett grunts. “Elaria’s brat did survive.”

“Fuck you,” I cough, and spit the blood at his boots.

Only lifting my head is too much effort. Vomit burns the back of my throat and my skull thumps back onto the deck, face lolling back until Cooper comes into view, standing behind his father with mages on either side of him.

They clearly don’t expect him to put up a fight. He isn’t even restrained. I see their point. What good can one speckly kid do in this situation?

His pitying look is worse than his father’s vile face, so I turn back to my uncle.

“A pity my other sister, Ellandra, didn’t manage to turn you to our cause. She went to a lot of trouble to get you under her influence, not that it worked out for her in the end. I suppose you’ve got more of Elaria in you than she anticipated,” he continues, turning my head from side to side with his boot. “Yes, I see her stubbornness in you, though you clearly get your looks from your father. He had the same stupid inability to keep his nose out of things which didn’t concern him.”

I want to tell him to go fuck himself, but the world has started spinning again. I’m not sure if it’s smoke or blood loss this time.

“Take what you can, then blow this pathetic excuse for a ship out of the water.” Everett gives my head a final kick and draws an ornate sword from his belt. “I think it’s time we cut off the last rotten branch of our family tree.”

He raises the blade and I close my burning eyes, trying to summon up a picture of my ship in all her glory.