Midnight Sky (Dark Sky Book 2) (10 page)

I reached for them, but Davin stepped in front of me, nearly stomping on my hand. I skittered back, but not far enough. The back of his fist crashed into my cheek, knocking me onto the deck again. As soon as I pushed to my hands and knees, Davin kicked me in the stomach. I collapsed onto the bloody deck and he kicked twice more. Knowing I couldn’t move anywhere quickly, he stormed to the helm. An ear-splitting whistle cut through the howling wind. I heard the Hellions inside my house scream, a sound that stabbed fear into my chest. I couldn’t see anyone through the broken windows. Sawyer, Riley, Gemma, Nash… I didn’t know where they were.

Fighting the panic rising over my heart, I glanced at the satchel again, and was forced to make a sacrifice. Davin didn’t know I had my mother’s journal in my coat. If I remained behind to take the satchel, he might find the journal while he tossed me around. I had come all this way, and refused to go with Davin to the Vesper. I wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Looking up to see Davin standing with his back to me at the helm, I got to my knees and dragged my torso over the railing of the deck. My stomach tightened painfully every time I moved, and I was just about to push myself over when six Hellions poured out of my house’s front door. Their clothes looked darker than before, blood splattered on their faces and ringing their mouths in terrible crimson clown smiles.
 

Fear curved its barbed wire agony around my heart. I couldn’t imagine that Sawyer and the others were dead. They
couldn’t
be.

I raced across the deck, preparing to throw myself over the edge, but the Hellions were swarming up the skiff. They dragged themselves up and circled me, making escape impossible.
 

Bloody teeth and scarlet eyes focused on me. I had nowhere to run, nothing to see but blanched flesh and gleaming claws. I couldn’t think through my fear, and any resistance I showed would be torn out of me.
 

Think think think! There has to be something–

“Claire!”

I thought I imagined it, the voice that carried through the blizzard. The one that sounded like Sawyer. I whirled around, searching for him through the spotty chaos of the storm.

Then I heard Davin shout, “Looking for a chase, brother? Come get me!”

The skiff lurched and pitched me forward. I bumped into a Hellion and was pushed back. Another one caught my shoulders and shoved me toward the other monsters. One of them snapped its jaws at me, so close that its bloody lips grazed my nose in a macabre kiss.

“Careful, boys,” Davin shouted as we sliced through the storm, “Vesper wants her alive. Besides, I have some fresh meat trying to catch up to me.”

The Hellions turned, and I was finally able to see past them and Davin. The billowing snow created a greyish white curtain, but there was no mistaking the black shadow of another skiff pursuing us. Hope put the beat back in my heart. I squinted to count how many people were on the other ship, which was gaining speed. I could have sworn there were four.

Davin accelerated and tilted the skiff up, drawing us higher into the clouds and over the craggy rooftops of the drafter district. The sudden momentum nearly threw me from my feet again. The blizzard’s wind whipped around us, battering the skiff and sending violent shudders through it. Davin glanced over his shoulder and laughed. The skiff pitched sharply against the wind as he fought for control. His muscles strained as he steadied the helm. Regaining as much control as he could muster, he looked at the Hellions and barked an order in their language, which sounded more like nails dragging over broken glass than actual speech. Two of the Hellions surrounding me lumbered to the stern of the ship. The pursuing skiff came closer, so close I could almost see the marauder crew with clarity.
 

My
crew. Nash. Gemma. Riley. Sawyer.
 

They staggered along the deck of their skiff, grabbing at ropes tied to the side or clinging to the mast to steady themselves. Their arms flew back and forth, pointing with urgency. I could hear their raised voices, but was unable to make out the words. I saw Sawyer gripping the helm, struggling to nudge his skiff closer to ours. His eyes frantically searched the deck of the ship I was trapped on.

He froze when he saw me. Unhidden fear covered his face, and I knew it wasn’t for him. His crew was shouting at him, but he wasn’t listening. He could only look at me.
 

I knew they were panicking, I knew the immense risk and danger they were putting themselves into for me, but I was focusing more on the thought of them simply being
alive.
 

Before I could feel any hint of joy, the Hellions leaped from the back of Davin’s ship and sailed onto Sawyer’s skiff. Sawyer snapped out of his trance and yelled an order for his crew to brace themselves. In his haze, Sawyer had edged his skiff closer to ours, creating a five foot gap between both ships. The Hellions had no problem crossing the distance.
 

My heart went back to my throat when the monsters collided with my crew. Nash stumbled for grip, grabbing the Hellion as it clawed at him and throwing it onto the deck. Gemma was there instantly, dropping to her knees and driving a knife into the Hellion’s throat over and over. Riley raced across the deck and kicked a Hellion near the edge of the skiff. It staggered and struck the side, unable to find its balance before Riley kicked it again and flipped the monster over the ledge. I watched it fall, grimacing as its body descended toward the jagged rooftops of the city below us.

A third Hellion bounded past me and leaped the distance. It landed and darted to the helm. Sawyer fumbled for a weapon on his belt, but the Hellion was too quick. It knocked Sawyer from the helm, throwing the skiff sharply to the left. My crew tumbled as the wind punched the bottom of their skiff. A scream ripped from my throat as they rolled to the edge. Sawyer kicked the Hellion off him, knocking it end over end until it tumbled off the edge of the tilting skiff. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed the helm, jerking the wheel violently toward us. The sharp motion swerved the skiff until it straightened again. Tears pricked my eyes, and I could barely feel the relief straining my chest before Davin yelled again.

“Stubborn bastard,” he bellowed, adding in a harsh laugh. He shouted at the Hellions again, and the command sent another two of them scurrying around the deck.
 

Sawyer pulled up beside his brother’s skiff, meeting my eyes desperately. He was close enough that I could make the jump safely. I started running for him, but the remaining two Hellions grabbed my arms and held me back. Davin twisted the wheel sharply, jolted Sawyer’s skiff and pushed the smaller ship away. Sawyer turned and shouted at his crew, words that were lost in the wind, but had Riley moving quickly. Gemma and Nash continued to fight the Hellions, throwing kicks and punches, all of which were blocked by the monsters.
 

Nash halted the right punch of the Hellion he was fighting, only to have its left claws rake across his chest and stomach. He roared and tried to swing a punch, but the monster caught Nash’s fist with its right hand. The Hellion closed distance and drove its head into Nash’s. The big man staggered back, raising his hands to defend the flurry of punches that followed.

In front of him, Gemma had taken on the Hellion that attacked Sawyer. She lashed out with a strong kick to the creature’s side, and nearly lost her leg when the Hellion stabbed its claws into her thigh. She screamed from the pain, almost buckling under the weight of her injured leg. She landed on the deck of the skiff and rolled away from the Hellion, staggering to her feet. It slashed its claws at her, but she dodged around its arms and scurried behind its back. She drew her knives and pounced on the Hellion’s back and stabbed her knives into it wildly. The Hellion howled, reached back to grab her, and threw her over its shoulder.

While this was happening, Davin continued to crash into Sawyer’s skiff, nudging them away as Riley tried to tie a thick rope around his waist. While he focused on leveling his ship out, the two Hellions returned with heavy tubes. I squinted at them, my eyes widening when I saw one of the Hellions place a slim harpoon in one end of the tube. I pulled against the Hellions holding me again.

“Sawyer!” I screamed.

Claws dug into my arms, pinching my skin to the breaking point. I pulled and thrashed, trying to break free, but I wasn’t fast enough to stop the harpoon.

There was a metallic
clank
as the bolt was fired directly at Sawyer’s skiff. I stilled only for a moment, certain I was about to see him die. But my captain had hit the accelerator, and the harpoon found another target. The Hellion screamed as the thick bolt plunged through its side, stumbling against the far ledge and falling into the storm.

Davin laughed maniacally. “Not bad, brother!” he called. “But not good enough!”

He plowed into Sawyer’s skiff again, harder than before. The impact nearly threw Riley from the skiff. The rope secured around his waist saved his life. Davin barked sharply in Hellion-tongue. One of the creatures suddenly released me. A single Hellion restrained me, but my arms were bleeding from its pinching grip. The Hellions began reloading the harpoon gun. I turned my head to Davin, and saw him reaching into the cargo pocket of his pants and pulling out a small round object. His grin was malicious, even though Sawyer couldn’t see it.

This was my only chance.
 

I kicked back, the heel of my boot colliding with the Hellion’s knee. It jerked and stumbled, loosing its grip on my arms. I wrenched free and gained distance, but instead of fighting the monster, I grabbed a flashbang from my belt, grateful it hadn’t broken when Davin was throwing me around. I had designed it similar to my torch, but with one crucial difference.

I twisted the caps at either end of the tube, then tossed it at the Hellion. Davin shouted, but I was already ducking and covering my head. Light exploded behind me as the flashbang’s tube shattered, turning the world white. I lowered my arms and saw the round object tumble in front of me. Dread pierced me when I saw the grenade. If I’d hesitated any longer, he would have pulled the pin and blown Sawyer and my crew out of the sky in front of me.

I grabbed it and got to my feet, glancing over my shoulder to see the other Hellion swaying and batting its face, scratching its skin as if to rip away the white spots that must have blinded it. The Hellion staggered toward the side of the skiff. I ran for it. I pulled the pin free of the grenade, shoved it into the Hellion’s jumpsuit, and pushed it over the edge. I grabbed the side of the skiff to keep from falling over myself, and watched the Hellion screech as it tumbled through the air. Seconds later, a burst of orange light erupted from the Hellion, blasting it apart and illuminating the rooftops of downtown Westraven. We were crossing the city at a terrifying speed, and I couldn’t see anywhere that we could attempt a safe landing.
 

Not that Davin would want to land in Westraven. Fear gripped my stomach and my mind like icy talons and I whirled around. Davin hadn’t taken the brunt of the flashbang’s light like I wanted him to. Instead, he lowered his arm and squinted, any humor dying on his face. Furious red eyes glared at me through the slashing, snowy haze.

“Claire!”

Hearing my name caused me to jump. I whirled around to see Riley flying through the air, crossing the distance between the skiffs now that Sawyer had pulled up beside us. He landed safely on the deck of the skiff and wrapped his arms around me, at the same time Davin abandoned the helm, raced onto the deck, and slammed into us with frightening speed.

The autopilot must have been turned on before our charge, because the speed of the vessel slowed and we didn’t instantly lurch to the side. Knowing we wouldn’t crash to our deaths was a small comfort with Davin pinning us both onto the deck. Between the two of them, I couldn’t move. Riley twisted, trying to get his arms up and fight, but Davin struck him so hard in the jaw his head bounced against the bloody floor. After punching Riley again, Davin grabbed my throat and lifted me off the ground. He put his foot on Riley’s throat, trapping him onto the ground.

“The Vesper wasn’t lying when he said you were smart,” Davin growled at me against the aggressive storm. “Thought you had some sense, though.” He tilted his head, looked over my shoulder, and smirked. Somewhere behind me, Sawyer was shouting and cursing. “Wonder how brilliance tastes.”

When Davin opened his jaws, I saw death. It was a black cavern filled with swords and smelled like blood. The moment those jaws clamped onto my throat, I felt that death. I screamed as I was stabbed by dozens of blades, each one tearing through muscle and veins. He squeezed my throat, pushing my blood into his mouth. He clenched his jaw, shredding more skin until my neck burned in agony.
 

The shouts behind me were lost in the distance. Pushing and beating against Davin’s chest did nothing. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t scream anymore, couldn’t hear anything but the howling breeze. Muffled shouts sounded behind me, and Davin suddenly jerked away from me. I swayed, my head feeling too light. I landed hard on the deck, my throat feeling like it had been branded. Metal struck metal somewhere around me, but I couldn’t see what was going on.

Arms curved around me and pulled me into a sitting position. A warm hand was placed on my bleeding neck.

“Sawyer! Sawyer! We need to leave!”

Riley’s shouts were unheard. Metal continued its violent song.

New boots stomped beside me. I looked around groggily, blinking to see blurred versions of Gemma and Nash.
 

“Take her back to the ship,” Riley shouted. It was the same commanding voice he’d used on Abby. Nash didn’t hesitate when he reached down and scooped me into his large arms.
 

“Drive the skiff,” was Riley’s order to Gemma. She flinched, but did as he asked.
 

The wind beat against the skiff. Nash held onto me tightly, stomping his feet against the deck to secure his footing. It was like he was trying to wade through snow, but he made it across the deck to hand me to Gemma. She supported me until her lover crossed onto the second skiff and took me again. Nash sat down on the middle of the deck and pressed his hand against my neck to slow the bleeding. I groaned from the pain.