Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails, #1)(35)

I can’t help there, either. I know a handful of shielding spells, but a good shield doesn’t let anything in—or out. I might be able to keep us safe, but then we wouldn’t be able to attack. Beyond that, my strength is no more bottomless than Bowen’s is. If the dragon keeps attacking, it will get through. End of story.

I hate this.

I don’t want this fight, but I also don’t want to die.

Even as I debate with myself, Kit and a trio of crew members rush to the side of the ship to replace Miles and the other three who just attacked. I can’t see that they’re actually doing any damage, and every time they land a strike, the dragon attacks in kind.

In fact, it didn’t strike our ship until we threw fucking spears at it. Which doesn’t mean it wasn’t going to attack, but we definitely went on the offensive first. Of course we did—the dragon has been eating people, and even if I don’t love the C?n Annwn, I can admit that that’s probably not a good thing. Probably.

No, damn it. I’m doing it again. Looking for an angle where there is none. We’re fighting for our lives here. There is no angle.

There’s always an angle, little bird. If you haven’t found it, it’s because you’re not looking hard enough.

Dragons protect. That’s what I was thinking before the last strike threw me off. So what is this dragon protecting?

I don’t mean to move away from Bowen’s back, but I find myself drifting closer to the railing nearest the dragon. It hasn’t attacked again. It’s twisting and roaring and causing a huge fuss, but it hasn’t struck the ship again.

It feels almost … defensive. Protecting.

Instinct guides me, and I spin toward the center of the ship where Lucky stands. They have a sword in their hand and a grin on their face, showcasing their sharply pointed teeth.

I grab their arm. “What else did you see down there?”

They shake me off, their black gaze pinned to the dragon. “Get off me.”

“It’s protecting something, isn’t it?” I grab their arm again and shake them. “Tell me!”

Lucky snaps their teeth at me, which startles me enough to release them. “We’ll deal with the baby after we deal with the mother. Don’t get impulsive.”

A baby.

A mother.

Even in my realm, we know better than to antagonize a wild creature defending its young. I don’t know if this dragon has really killed people, but wouldn’t it make more sense to send it home? Or to do literally anything than to murder it for the sin of existing in its natural state?

This is wrong.

No one pays any attention to me as I charge up the railing to the upper deck. With the dragon curled around the center of the ship, that’s where everyone has congregated. I pause just long enough to note that there are plenty of crew members who don’t seem overly eager about this whole process. That hasn’t stopped them from grabbing weapons. Something to worry about later.

Bunny taught me never to go anywhere without chalk on my person, and so I have a stick tucked into my pocket. No one bothers me as I sketch out a messy circle and write the glyphs from memory. This won’t hold forever, but hopefully it will hold long enough.

I pull my stolen dagger out and cut shallow lines on my forearms. I’ll need my hands if it comes to a fight. A quick drag of my fingertips through the blood and I press them to the wooden deck and speak the words to trigger the spell.

Not a moment too soon, either.

Miles launches a spear that will take the dragon in its throat. My shield locks into place a breath before it can leave the perimeter of my spell. The spear explodes in midair.

Every eye on the ship snaps to me.





CHAPTER 15




Bowen


I’M GOING TO KILL THE LITTLE WITCH. I’M NOT GOING TO have a choice. I don’t know if she has a death wish or she thinks she’s calling a bluff that doesn’t exist, but she’s forcing my hand.

As I charge to her location on the upper decks, I keep my barrier around the ship in place. Just in case this is a trap. I try to step over the lines of her circle, but a secondary shield bounces me back. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“It’s a mother. She’s defending her baby.” Her green eyes practically glow with emotions. “This is wrong.”

Something like horror twists in my stomach, but I muscle it down with the ease of long practice. Being one of the C?n Annwn means making hard decisions. It always has. The greater good is the only thing that matters. “Mother or not, it’s killed people on this island.”

“Who told you that?”

I jerk back. “You can’t seriously be questioning the honor of my people? Of the Council?”

Evelyn doesn’t drop my gaze. For once, there’s no amusement or subterfuge on her face. Only fury. “She only attacks after we attack. Her first appearance happened after Lucky went into the water. Look!” She flings her hand out to where the dragon hovers partially out of the water.

It’s still writhing in pain, but … she’s right. It hasn’t attacked. More than that, now that I have a moment to pause, I can admit it hasn’t used any of its more devastating attacks. It doesn’t matter what realm they come from, dragons are magical down to their very blood and bones. The creature has more catastrophic strikes. It hasn’t used them.