Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

  "Not a chance," Jose said, his voice more serious this time. "Me and my crew come with you."

  "Nathaniel," Wil said in a careful voice, "we don't have a choice."

  Nathaniel closed his eyes in annoyance. "Fine, but remember what I'm paying you for. That includes not asking questions."

  Jose laughed once again. "I know this. Transport wherever you want. No questions."

  "Thank you. Let's load so we can get there as quickly as possible."

  Jose shrugged. "This is a hundred-foot trawler and it isn't very fast. It would take a miracle to make it to the Deep before dark. No promises."

  "We'l take what we can get," Wil interjected. He and Nathaniel went back to the truck and pul ed out the large black duffel bags containing the arsenal.

  "You can put those in the cabin, if you'd like," Jose cal ed. They did just that before heading back to unload the sarcophagus. When they lugged the large wooden box off the truck, the Elsa's crew watched them suspiciously. I prayed they wouldn't get too curious.

  Jose wasn't immune to curiosity either. "What you got in there? And why do you want to take it out over the Deep?

  You dumping it over?"

  Nathaniel glared briefly at him. "No questions, remember?"

  The captain nodded in disappointment. "Can't be too heavy, if you're swinging it around like that. And if it isn't heavy, then it isn't important."

  I wanted to laugh.

  "This needs to go below," Wil said as they walked past. Jose pointed the way.

  I fol owed Wil and Nathaniel past the cabin and down belowdecks and into the large, stuffy hold, which smel ed strongly of fish. Water thumped against the boat's steel sides, making echoes that bounced around the cavernous room. They set the box down and shoved it up against a wal . A heavy padlock kept the lid locked tightly.

  "Do you think it'l be okay?" I asked.

  "Yeah," Wil answered. "It's much safer down here than up on deck."

  "If we're attacked, then it won't matter."

  He dipped his head and flashed me a sil y grin. "We won't be attacked."

  Jose's voice cal ed from somewhere above. "Amigos, we're casting off soon."

  We went back up to the main deck, staying out of the crew's way. They lifted and stowed the gangplank, and we final y set off. The gritty trawler rumbled out of port and into the open sea. I peered over the edge of the railing into the dark water, watching the waves. I wandered around the perimeter of the boat to explore. When Jose appeared around a corner, I stopped.

  He walked up to me smel ing of fish and cigarette smoke. I failed to keep my nose from wrinkling at his unpleasant stench. "So what are you kids planning on doing once you get over the Deep? You're not going swimming, are you? You some kind of thril seekers? Where are your parents?"

  I shook my head, my pulse building. "I thought you weren't supposed to ask questions."

  He shrugged. "I don't mean any harm. You don't want to go into that water, little girl. There are sharks bigger than the Elsa swimming down there. Like monsters from a nightmare."

  "I don't plan on going into the water," I assured him. In truth, it wasn't sharks that gave me nightmares.

  "You going fishing?" he probed. "Why not board one of those fancy fishing boats to do it? Why do you pay an old fool like me for a few hours on this old trawler?"

  "I don't exactly know why," I said, and turned away to walk briskly back toward the bow, hoping he didn't fol ow me.

  "You had better not be doing anything il egal!" Jose cal ed behind me. "I hope you don't have bodies in that box, and you better not be CIA!"

  I rounded the front of the cabin to get away from him, found Wil , and stuck close to him for the rest of the voyage. He seemed to sense that the crew was weirding me out, and his protectiveness turned on ful force. If anyone got too friendly with me, I could probably beat the crap out of them myself, since I was used to fighting much bigger monsters than a bunch of smel y dudes, but I let Wil do his thing. He seemed happiest when he got to play bodyguard.

  After an hour on the ship, I began to get bored. I leaned on the railing next to Wil as the wind whipped my hair around like a tornado. My natural waves were beginning to rear their ugly heads, and I hadn't remembered to bring a hair tie to tame them. Annoyed, I tucked my hair behind my ears, but the locks didn't stay under control.

  I looked over the edge and my eyes went wide when I saw dolphins, at least a half dozen of them, dipping in and out of the water, their shimmering gray backs vanishing and reappearing through the waves. I couldn't help the squeal that escaped me.

  "Dolphins!" I cried, pointing at them for Wil to see. He peered apathetical y over my shoulder and said nothing.

  "They're fol owing us. It must be good luck or something, right?"

  I heard an ugly snort behind me. I turned to see Jose

  walking by. "Don't get too excited," he grumbled, scowling down at the dolphins. "They're hoping we find shrimp for them to steal. Greedy bastards. Carroneros! " He angrily slapped the side of the boat, and I was glad when the loud resulting thump didn't spook them. I didn't like him cal ing the dolphins

  "scavengers.". When Jose was out of earshot, Wil leaned toward me.

  "Don't let him bother you," he said.

  "He's just creepy." The captain left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't wait until we got rid of the Enshi and got the hel back to San Juan. And then home.

  "You used to think I was creepy, " Wil said. He grinned. I held his eyes chal engingly. "Used to?"

  His grin widened. "You don't mind me so much, now."

  I huffed. "Don't get your hopes up."

  Nathaniel appeared around the cabin, glowering. "These men are real y awful."

  "Why?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "They like to talk--and we'l just leave it at that."

  I had an idea of what he meant by that. I suddenly felt cold and damp and wished I'd brought a hoodie to wear on board. Or even a trash bag.

  "Shal we go below?" Nathaniel offered, seeing me shiver. Wil and I agreed and we al went into the kitchen belowdecks. The room was painted a dul white, with only steel appliances, rust, and something black growing on the wal s as accents. The room smel ed of mold. I wrinkled my nose disapprovingly. Wil sat down at the wobbly kitchen table and I joined him. Nathaniel pul ed out a grimy pack of cards from his jeans pocket and laid them on the table as he plopped down on a chair.

  "Where'd you get those?" I asked, happy that we had something to do during the trip.

  "The first mate gave them to me," he explained, pul ing the yel owing cards out and shuffling them. "What shal we play?"

  "Poker," I answered.

  "No chips."

  I raised a finger. "Imaginary chips."

  He laughed. "Al right, then. You in, Wil ?"

  Wil nodded and smiled. "Deal me in."

  We played a few hands, and Nathaniel kept trying to bet with more imaginary money than he had, which got annoying. Wil was pretty good and had a disturbingly effective poker face, but I stil destroyed them both. I got bored after a few games and left to go above. Wil fol owed me.

  On the main deck some of the crew sat at a smal table, two of them smoking fat cigars. I smiled pleasantly when I walked by them and made my way to the stern. When I saw the sun dipping below the horizon, I uselessly wil ed the ship to go faster. A giant wake streamed behind the boat, and swirling strips of white water danced on the dark surface of the sea. The water was no longer the bright sapphire of the Puerto Rican coastline but a murky blue-black with no end I could see. The Caribbean twilight sun cast fiery golden light on the clouds above as it set. I caught myself searching the horizon for the silhouettes of winged monsters. I had a horrible vision of reapers swooping down us, like the Wicked Witch of the West's army of flying monkeys, tearing us to pieces and taking off with the sarcophagus.

  Wil stepped up close behind me and laid his hands on the rail on either side of mine, resting his chin on my shoulder. "We'l be fine," he assured me. "
This is the scariest part of the night, but we'l make it through." His cheek touched mine inadvertently and my gut did a little flip. I stood frozen like a statue, afraid to move. "Relax," he said, and kissed the back of my neck. His warm touch sent a shiver through my body and didn't pay much attention to what he said next.

  "Nothing is going to happen. We're almost there, and we're going to shove that damn box off the ship and it'l be crushed to nothing before it even hits the bottom of the ocean."

  I smiled and let out a breath, trying to loosen up. I turned around to face Wil , who kept his arms wrapped around me, but his body stiffened. I leaned back against the railing.

  "You always say the right things, don't you?" I grinned playful y up at him.

  The wind blew through his hair. "I like happy El ie more than sad El ie."

  "It's going to take more than that to make me happy."

  He flashed me a mischievous grin and relaxed. He dipped his head low, but his lips stopped a few inches from mine. "Then what wil it take?"

  I struggled to breathe and speak at the same time, staring at his mouth. "You've got a good imagination. I think you could come up with something."

  "May I?" he whispered.

  I nodded stupidly, unable to articulate a yes. His lips brushed mine, lighting tiny firecrackers on my skin. His hands settled on my waist, and he pul ed me a little closer to his body.

  I heard a scream and Wil spun around, releasing me. A second scream tore through my skul . Wil threw an arm out to shield me, and I stepped up close behind him.

  A body flew through the air and landed on the deck in front of us. When he slid to a stop, I recognized him as one of the crewmen. He was bleeding horrifical y from his chest. He sputtered and reached up for me, his eyes wild and bloodshot. My body froze with fear as I watched the man die. I heard another shriek.

  We were under attack.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF--NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Children's Books

  ..................................................................... 31

  MY BREATHING WAS SHALLOW AND RAPID. THE screams grew louder and they multiplied, fil ing my head. I heard laughter, high and lilting, maniacal, like a clown on crack. I was suddenly lightheaded, and nausea overcame me. I pressed against Wil 's back, feeling faint.

  "El ie," Wil said firmly as he turned to me. "Do you hear me? We need to get our weapons and fight. We aren't at the trench yet."

  I said nothing but stared ahead into the blinding glare cast by the ship's lights, which reflected off the mist that was rising off the seas with nightfal . Beyond was darkness and more screams. I heard the pop-pop of gunfire and saw white flashes like firecrackers on the other side of the cabin. Wil jumped in front of me and grabbed both my shoulders, his green eyes brightening fiercely. "Snap out of it, El ie! If you stay here, you wil die and so wil everyone else. You can't let everyone die!"

  "I need my swords," I said weakly.

  "There's my girl," he said, and touched my cheek. I cal ed my swords. The fading light caught the Enochian etchings running the length of both blades. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I believed in myself. I had faith in my power.

  We ducked low and darted in through the cabin door. Wil lugged the hard gun case out of the duffel bag and flipped it open. Inside were two pistols and a shotgun, along with a lot of ammunition.

  "I've never shot a gun before," I said shakily.

  "Don't worry," he assured me. "They're not for you." He loaded up and stuck the pistols in his jeans and held the shotgun in one hand.

  "But guns won't kil a reaper," I said.

  "You shoot enough bul ets to destroy the head. It wil turn into stone once it's dead."

  I gave a slow, understanding nod. "Where's Nathaniel?" I asked, my voice steadying.

  Wil shook his head and stood up with me. "I have no idea. Probably fighting. He needs these. Are you with me?"

  I nodded.

  "I need you, El ie."

  "I'm with you."

  He studied my face for another few excruciating moments, his expression hard. "Let's go. People are dying."

  I fol owed him back out of the cabin and up onto the main deck. The cries were chaotic and shril , flooding my ears. The first thing I saw when I emerged was Nathaniel standing with his back to me, and above him Ivar. Her massive wings spread high and wide, her pale eyes grew bright like twin ful moons embedded deep in her skul . Her power surged around her, whipping her ashen hair wildly about. She backhanded Nathaniel's face, and he crashed to the ground.

  "Nathaniel!" Wil bel owed and threw the shotgun. Nathaniel grabbed it, spun around, pumped the shotgun once, and blasted Ivar square in the chest, knocking her back a few steps. She righted herself and stared down at the hole in her rib cage. She looked back up to him and snarled, baring fangs, and the wound closed back up.

  "You ruined my dress," she hissed, and stomped toward him.

  He pumped the shotgun again, blowing a hole through her shoulder as she jerked her head out of the slug's path, which thumped her body to the side, but she kept coming. Something thunk ed above me, and my head snapped up to see the madly grinning, shark-toothed face of Geir leaning over the roof of the cabin. His wings spread like a canopy over me and he leaped off the roof and landed between me and Wil .

  "Thought you could run, eh, Preliator?" he asked, licking his lips with a devilish hunger. His mouth grinned wider than biology should have al owed.

  A rush of courage went through me, and I ran at him, swinging my swords, but he vanished from my sight for a heartbeat. Something pounded into my back and I hit the floor. I flipped over and saw that Geir's hands had transformed into monster claws again. He reached down for me and grabbed me around the throat. His other hand yanked my swords away, and lightning fast, he wrenched me high over his head and slammed me into the cabin wal . He held me too high for my toes to touch the floor, and his claws tightened around my throat. He pressed me harder into the wal until I could barely breathe.

  "Where is the Enshi?" he snarled.

  When I didn't answer him, he yanked me forward and then slammed me deeper into the wal , the metal crunching. I cried out as pain shot up and down my body.

  "Where is the sarcophagus?" he screamed into my face, his yel ow eyes blazing. He roared and threw me. I hit the floor hard and slid until I struck the gunwhale. Geir's clawed hand snatched my ankle and dragged me back toward him. He flipped me onto my back, held both my wrists over my head with one hand, and crouched over me, digging his talons into my cheek and throat with his other hand. A crewman swung a steel rod at Geir, but the reaper slashed with his talons and ripped the poor man's chest wide open. "As I was saying," the reaper said, flicking the points of his needle teeth with his pale tongue. "Even if we have to tear this tin can apart bolt by bolt, we're stil going to kil you al ."

  I wrenched an arm free and punched Geir in the face. He released me and doubled over, hissing obscenities at me. I twisted away from him, but a hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and jerked my head back. I stared into the beautiful, ghostly face of Ivar.

  "I've had about enough of you," she growled, her hair flowing around us wildly in the misty ocean wind. My fear spun into anger and I threw a fist at her, but she grabbed me by the throat, flipped me over her head, and chucked me upside down like a rag dol into the ship's smokestack. The metal clanged and crunched upon impact, and I slid to the deck headfirst, crumpling into a heap. I looked up to see Ivar launching herself toward me, wings spread wide, hands outstretched to grab me, and I saw one of my swords lying between us.

  I leaped for it, grabbed the helve with both hands, and swung high. Ivar hissed and dived to the left, but my blade sliced through her wing. She shrieked and lost control, spiraling into the rail. I jumped to my feet as she recovered, and as I raised my sword high and slashed down, her hands caught both my wrists and we were locked in a battle of brute strength.

  Ivar snarled like an animal up at me, her corpse blue lips curling bac
k and flashing viper fangs. Her wings spread wide, and I swore as I watched the damaged wing regenerate to perfection. Her power erupted in my face and sent me flying through the air. I landed on my back hard enough to crack the steel surface of the deck beneath me.

  "El ie!" Wil cried when he saw me hit the ground. He was battling against Geir, and I lost track of both of them through the hysteria.

  "Where is Nathaniel?" I yel ed as I climbed to my feet. My fear for his life made me forget about the pain in my back. Ivar's too-large pale eyes glowed bright white until her pupils nearly vanished and a cruel smile spread across her lips. "You don't have to worry about him any longer," she sneered as she took a step toward us, her wings wide and blocking out the light. The movement of her wings and swirling wind stirred the hem of her dress at her ankles, and I could see that she was barefoot. "You kil ed Ragnuk, and I thank you for ridding us of that annoyance. However, I must confess I didn't think you had it in you."

  "It's your mistake that you keep underestimating me," I shot back, my grip on my sword tightening. I searched the deck for the other and spotted it lying against the cabin door. Ivar scoffed. "Don't presume too much, child. Bastian seems to think very highly of you, though. In fact, he even wants to meet you."

  "Excuse my lack of enthusiasm," I growled. "The feeling is not mutual."

  Ivar pouted. "He'l be so disappointed."

  "Bite me," I snapped.

  Her lips curved into a sensual, eloquent smile. "I can do that."

  She lunged at me, but I twisted around, bolting for my sword by the cabin door. In two long strides I was there, grabbing the hilt with my free hand and lighting it with angelfire as I turned around. Ivar slammed into me and sent us both crashing through the wooden cabin door, splinters flying everywhere. I smashed into a wooden table and Ivar landed on top of me. I shoved a helve into her throat as she gnashed at my face, snapping and snarling like a wolf. Her fingers grabbed at me, pul ing at my shirt and hair, her claws slashing away at my skin. My power slammed into her, launching her into the ceiling and fil ing the cabin with bright white light. Her body crushed the fiberglass; the glossy surface crumbled into chunks and the flakey insides fel like snowflakes, covering Ivar with powder. She flapped her wings and settled graceful y down to the floor. The room was entirely too smal for her wings to be spread as wide as they were.