The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,92

and Spout each hit a four. They grinned at each other, then chaos ensued. Spout pulled water from the sea. Pyro latched onto fire from the lantern she kept hanging near the door. The two forces slammed together, erupting in a blast of steam. The particles must have tickled Spout's nose, because she sneezed, and just like that it was done. Pyro rolled underneath the water, grabbed the dice, and won.

"No one say a word." Spout glowered, staring particularly hard at Brighty, whose cheeks puffed with barely contained laughter. "I'm allergic—"

"We know!" they all said in unison, breaking out in guffaws.

She stomped off and the game circled on. Rafe lost his first toss and won his second. Jolt and Archer dueled. He wrapped a chain around her ankles and yanked them out from underneath her. Before he reached the dice, she sent a bolt of lightning toward his chest. He dove to save his life, and she snatched them for the win. Fairness wasn't exactly a huge part of the game. Brighty and Leech had the next match up. Palm high, she blinded him with her light. Well, blinded them all. Rafe thought it would be an easy victory, but by the time the spots in his vision cleared, Leech held the dice and she was nowhere in sight.

"What…" He trailed off when he noticed the gaping hole in the deck, an opening that quickly sealed with a flick of Leech's wrist, his earth magic stretching the wood back together.

The door behind them slammed open and Leech caught Rafe's eye with a wink.

"Every time," Brighty spat from somewhere behind him. "You get me every damned time."

"You always jump in too quickly."

"Clearly, I don't jump quick enough."

She hunched against the rail with her arms folded to watch the rest of the game, out of spite if nothing else. Rafe managed to squeak by a few more rounds, losing some coins and gaining some coins. Jolt took out Leech. Pyro took out Jolt. Then there were only two—him and Pyro. They rolled back and forth for a little while, passing coins between them, until finally they each rolled a two.

Pyro smirked, lifting her hand to catch the flame shooting toward her from the lantern. Everyone seemed to hold a breath. No one had expected him to get this far. No one had even expected him to play.

"No shame in backing down," Pyro murmured, eyes flashing with wild delight. "I wouldn't want you to get burned."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

Rafe dove for the dice. A wave of flames descended on the spot, encasing them in an angry glow, and he snatched back his hand. Pyro sauntered closer, as though without a care in the world, only missing a whistle on her lips. He knew it was stupid, and he knew it would hurt, but in the back of his mind he imagined Brighty's face while she washed his dirty underwear, and that was all the motivation he needed. Rafe stuck his hand in the fire, ignoring the pain, and grabbed the dice.

"You can't be serious!" Brighty erupted.

"For magic's sake, Rafe!" Pyro quickly snuffed out the flames, the crazed look in her eyes instantly replaced by fear. "I didn't think in a million years you'd actually— I mean, it's just a game. Did I hurt you?"

"I don't hurt so easily." He shrugged and held up his hand. Silver magic glimmered beneath his skin, already healing the subtle burns along his fingers. They all watched him, not with fear or loathing, but with respect. It was the first time he thought maybe Brighty was right—maybe life on this ship wouldn't be half-bad. He tossed the dice to Brighty, and she caught them with a scowl. "My laundry bin is downstairs, and it's full."

Her lip curled and she growled.

"All right, men," Patch cut in, and they all jumped. Where had he even come from? Last they'd seen, he had been at the wheel, taking lead while the captain napped.

"And women," Jolt said quickly.

He rolled his eyes. Well, eye. Come to think of it, Rafe had never seen what was underneath his patch—an empty socket, maybe a scar. He wasn't in a hurry to find out.

"I meant 'men' in the generic sense."

She shrugged. "I'm just saying."

"All right, men, and women, Captain just got a direct order from the king. We're switching tactics. Catching a dragon out in the open doesn't seem to be working, so we're going to the rift. Playtime is over. Understood? Leech, fix