Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
I nodded slowly.
“Except sharks, but only because they’re rabble-rousers,” he muttered.
And this made me grin.
He grinned back, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and unwound himself from around me.
And then, my big brother, my Jorie, gave me one last, long look to ascertain I was all right, and I showed him that I was.
He then nodded and struck out toward the mouth of the cave.
I swam beside him.
The long, long necks and flat, jagged heads of the angmostros coasted in the water, their mouths agape, out of the dark depths of which spiked pointed tongues, those dread mouths were further lined with sharp teeth, and the gleaming pinpoints of their blue eyes followed us as we swam to the opening of the cave.
Jorie was right.
They allowed us to pass.
We entered its light, and instantly, I felt a contented warmth from within.
And with a few kicks of my fin, gazing in wonder all about me, all I could think was…
I wished I could take Mars here.
153
The Rising
Magnus Reardon
Aboard the Pirate Ship, Medusa’s Navel, Outside Bloody Boy Cove, Twenty Miles North of Nautilus
STRAIT OF MEDUSA
“Captain!” Bellamy shouted, and Magnus looked down from the helm to watch his man’s swift approach. “You need to see!”
Just looking at Bellamy’s face, he knew it.
He knew there was a reason he’d turned back from delivering their load to Fleuridia in the Northlands.
He jerked up his chin to Tallis beside him and Tallis took the wheel as Magnus made his way to the stairs, down to the main deck and all the way to the bow.
When he saw what he saw in Bloody Boy Cove, he grunted, “Spyglass,” to Bellamy.
Bellamy handed him his telescope.
Magnus elongated it and held it to his eye.
Sirens damn it.
He turned on his boot and ordered, “Birds. Now. We need to get word to Aramus. Mar-el is being invaded.”
“But…by whom. And…why?” Bellamy asked, the gods not granting the man much stature, thus he was running to keep up with the long strides of his captain.
The answer to his question was, by the looks of it, everyone. Airenzian. Dellish. He even caught sight of some Nadirii.
He did not share that with Bellamy.
He stopped short, turned to look down to his man and repeated, “Birds. Now.”
He then made haste to the helm in order to come about and head to Nautilus.
Nick Walsh
Hayloft, Public Stable, Nautilus
MAR-EL
“The female has separated from the pack,” Angus reported.
He’d seen this from his vantage, studying the inn.
She’d gone out the back.
He’d also seen the gnomes go after her.
“Follow her,” Nick ordered.
Angus immediately ran to the stairs.
“I will repeat, I do not know why we’re here,” Rory said.
Nick did not take his eyes from the inn as he asked, “Do you wish to go on thieving?”
“Of course,” Rory replied.
Slowly, he turned his head to look at his friend. “If you wish there to be an Airen, and Airenzian, to charm out of their baubles, we have work to do. Here.”
“Nick, mate, one of the males has gone,” Leith stated.
Bloody hell.
They were initiating.
Nick did not break contact with Rory’s eyes as he commanded Leith, “Go after him.”
He heard Leith’s boots on the boards.
“Highwaymen, helping to save all realms,” Rory muttered in disgust.
“That’s about it,” Nick confirmed.
“If I get dead in gods-damned Mar-el, trying to save all realms, I’m dragging you to the under-realm with me,” Rory declared.
Nick grinned at him.
Then he looked back out from the loft to see another of the creatures in human form steal away.
“I’ve got that one,” Kaden called.
“That means we’re on the last,” Nick murmured.
“Fantastic,” Rory replied.
Nick grinned again.
Even if his stomach felt sour.
This did not stop him from saying, “Let us move.”
And this, they did.
Galbdor and Welbrix
Nautilus
MAR-EL
They made the roof and raced across it.
Gal made the leap to the next roof, and Brix jumped after him.
Gal then took a turn, dropped down, caught a finial, swung around it, launched himself across the alley, and landed on his feet on the roof opposite.
He did not wait until Brix had landed solid with him.
He kept running.
Though he was glad to hear his friend’s boots hit tile.
They made many jumps, swings and heaves before, thanks be to their Green god, they made the roof they sought.
Gal dropped to shimmy down a drainpipe. He then swung to the window ledge and did not hesitate a moment before he kicked the window in with his boots.
He landed on the floor inside amongst a sprinkle of glass, only to face Serena and Chu, both of whom, in the commotion, had drawn their arms and were at the ready to attack.
Brix landed beside him as Gal said, “The priests were wrong. They have venom. You need to gather the others. They need to ride. Now.”
“Venom? They can freeze people with their poison?” Serena asked in a grim tone.
“No,” Brix answered. “They can turn them.”
“Turn them?” Chu queried.