Page 96 of Heir of Broken Souls

“I’d say get a room but considering we may lose this ship I don’t think that’s wise.”

Scoffing at Harlow’s dramatics, I keep my hand latched onto Knox as the ship tilts to the left. “We’re not going to lose the ship.”

“We’ve barely entered the storm and Lenox is already seasick.”

Knox rolls his eyes. “Lenox has always gotten motion sickness, and I hate to break it to you, but losing this ship doesn’t depend on the movements of his stomach.”

“It might if the ship nearly capsizes,” Elysia mumbles, leaning as the ship tilts again.

“How long until the storm hits us at its peak?” I ask.

Harlow cocks her head side to side. “It’s hard to say considering it isn’t natural.”

Knox’s eyes jump to the sea growing darker by the minute, gray and black clouds rolling in despite the sun beginning to rise.

“Do you think we have something to fear?” Elysia asks softly, her gaze also upon the churning sea.

He swallows thickly. “I think we all need to hold on tightly.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the storm hits the ship at full force.

The mermaids are safe, well below the sea in the deepest parts of the ocean, as they’re apparently able to hold their breath for hours on end without surfacing.

The ship rises, the mast rising higher and higher and I can’t help but scream as we pass over a wave and see the treacherous drop below. The ship falls, careening down the wave face and it takes everything within me to hold on.

Lenox maintains a steely determination as Harlow screams in frustration, her right hand clinging to Elysia as she, the weaker of us all with no combat training, has nearly fallen three times. Axel covers her body with his, assisting Harlow in keeping the blonde Fae from plunging to the raging water below.

We’re all clinging for dear life.

“I can’t do this much longer!” Elysia screams, her voice full of panic.

“Just keep going!” Knox roars over the wind, his body slowly moving toward mine until we’re flushed side by side. “Everyone get as close as you can!”

“Can’t we just…fly?” Elysia calls back.

Harlow’s voice cuts through the wind, the slight fear tinging it making my heart plummet. “Not with winds this strong. Our wings would never survive!”

“Gods, how don’t you know that? You’re Fae!” Axel growls out of frustration.

“Axel!” Harlow and I reprimand at the same time.

“Excuse me for never being in a storm as deadly as this before!” Elysia spits.

“Enough!” Knox screams. “Focus on clinging to the ship!”

Knox’s order rings through right as a precariously large wave tips the ship, making it free-fall at such an alarming rate I scream. From the sheer drop, from fright, from the pain of my fingernails digging into the wood. Knox wraps his arm tighter around me and yells over the rushing wind, “Get to the griffins! We can’t keep holding on like this or we will die! We need to get in the?—”

But as Knox is screaming his order, a large ball of black fur flies past my head.

All I have is a moment—a split second.

Because what falls past me, their wings no longer flapping, is Aurora.

The roar that leaves Zephlyn is one full of agony and panic.

Without thinking I move, screaming her name with a fierce plea to the forgotten gods.