Page 123 of Traitor Witch

"Don't worry," I retort. "You seem to be coping just fine with ferrying siren body parts, what's an assassin compared to that?"

His glare is pure ice. "So itwasyou sneaking around in the hold. I suppose I should be grateful you've not stabbed any of us in the back with your shadow tricks. I bet you're behind the mage-tech I keep sensing too!"

I shake my head, but Elsie shuffles nervously on the spot.

"Got something to add?" Val demands, stalking forward, crowding Elsie against the rail. "Are you a dark witch too?"

"No! I serve the Sun Goddess," Elsie protests. "But my mage friend gave me this."

She pulls out the pendant that Cooper gave her.

It only takes a glance for Val to know what it is.

"A tracker? Just which mage has been tracking my ship since you came aboard, witch?"

Elsie shrinks back. "Cooper Castleman."

Val's face goes from angry to blank. All around him, the ropes on the deck start to writhe like angry snakes. The sails flap. The very wood of the deck starts rumbling.

In the distance, the black and white figures on brooms move closer, sensing the disturbance.

"You brought Castleman mage-tech onto my fucking ship and didn't think to tell me?!"

My eyes leave Val's, travel to Nos's and I hate the grimace on his face.

He didn't see this.

Even Cas looks grim.

"Calm down, you're scaring her." I put myself between the two of them, trying to ignore the waves behind me.

But in the time it took me to glance at Nos, Val's left furious behind. His dark eyes are flashing with death.

"GET OFF MY SHIP!"

"We'regoing!" I bellow back. "Just give us a boat and we'll be gone!"

Val turns on his heel and strides away from us. "Fuck that. You canswim!"

"Valorean—"

A rope flies across the deck, smacking into my stomach so hard it sends me crashing into Elsie. We topple over the side in a tangle of white and black.

"You bastard! She can't—"

But Cas's roar is cut off by the roar of the waves crashing into the cliffs.

The water hits us hard.

Elsie pushes away, kicking herself to the surface of the cold water easily.

But I can't.

I struggle against the water. Trying not to breathe. Trying just to move myself. In the murky waves beyond, I see Opal sinking too.

I can't seem to get closer to her no matter how hard my limbs flail.

No. No, no, no.