Page 28 of Journey to the Elderoak
“Alright. Where’s Casimir?”
“He’s in charge of the soldiers who’ll be fighting in close contact if they end up boarding. Plus, he has a couple of the stronger hybrids with him on the upper deck to focus on the larger ships.”
She nodded, not taking her eyes off her target.
“He’ll be okay,” Raine whispered. “Don’t get distracted worrying about him.”
“I know.”
Ava reviewed the steps in her head to keep calm. Draw, aim, release. Grab another arrow. Nock it in place. Find your next target. Repeat. Draw, aim, release. New arrow. Nock it. Target. Again and again, she repeated it.
“Archers draw!” Raine called.
Ava drew her bow along with the group. She focused on thedaemon soldier she had set in her sights and took a deep breath.
“Release!”
She let go. The fletching brushed her cheek as it speared toward her target, piercing his neck. He toppled into the water along with dozens of other soldiers.
“Find your next target!” Raine shouted beside her, reloading his own bow.
Ava pulled back, aiming at another daemon in the same boat.
“Release!”
She released again, this time hitting him in the eye. They repeated the process, taking down as many enemies as possible while magic shot across the water. Ice burst from the extended hands of a crew member beside her, freezing a rowboat. Another directed a ball of starlight—likely astral magic—at the frozen boat and it shattered along with everyone on board.
The two of them alternated, ice and starlight, as they took down boat after boat. They were making headway as Ava focused on the enemies who weren’t being destroyed by magic. The daemons rowed with vigor, but the team of archers kept them at bay.
She kept going, breathing in a bit of relief that no one had boarded the ship. She could do this. Focused and determined, her aim was perfect.
As her confidence soared, a crew member shouted from the crow’s nest, “Incoming!”
“Ava,” Raine barked. “Look up. New targets. Shoot them down.”
Her eyes moved to the sky and her heart leaped in her throat when massive shapes appeared in the night, headed straight for their ship. Two dozen winged creatures. She glanced down to the sea to find dozens more rowboats drawing closer, as if they’d appeared out of thin air.
The first group was a test of their defenses, but now they were unleashing their entire force. They didn’t have enough archers. They’d be overrun.
“Archers! Shoot down the monsters! Magic wielders, keep focusing on the boats!”
Ava aimed at the sky and released an arrow at one of the creatures. A blood curdling scream erupted from its wide mouth as a hole was torn through its wing, but it clumsily flew on, trying to reach their ship. She aimed for the other wing, her arrow tearing a bigger hole, and the being plummeted to the water with a splash.
One down. Many more to go.
Ava continued, ignoring her panic and following Raine’s instructions. The monsters would be here in seconds, and they’d only managed to take down a few. Once they reached the deck, they’d be so focused on fighting these creatures, the daemon soldiers would board. Probably what they’d planned all along.
“Raine!” she shouted over the noise of beating wings and shouts of soldiers. “There aren’t enough of us!”
“Keep bringing them down,” he ordered.
She followed his instructions, but the flying beasts were much more difficult targets, avoiding her arrows as they neared the deck. A massive shape swooped low, and Ava ducked just in time. It grabbed the sailor beside her, talons piercing his shoulders, and rose higher before releasing him. His body smashed into the deck with a crunch.
Raine turned to her, wide-eyed as another creature dove. He shoved her to the ground, protecting her with his body, and gutted it with his sword.
“We need to move.” He grabbed her arm. “Fall back!” he shouted to the archers. “Get to the center of the ship and take down the beasts!”
They sprinted to the middle of the deck where Casimir anda group of soldiers had their swords drawn. Ice blasted through the air from Gisela, but the monsters dodged it with ease.
