last breath.
With all the strength he could squeeze out, he ran into Kelarac, thrusting his blade. His armor could handle Jerri’s flame long enough for him to run her body through.
A jeweled dagger appeared in her hand. Kelarac turned Calder’s blow with ease.
Overhead, Alagaeus’ bronze staff swept through the mist and into Estyr. It smashed The Testament’s mast on the way, sending green-veined sails tumbling. Calder’s gut churned and his head shook with the blow.
A gunshot cracked and Calder looked back to see Foster pulling the trigger again. And again.
His weapon was a work of art more than a gun. It was covered in green hide that looked as though it had grown there, and the end of its barrel looked like the mouth of a hungry beast.
His Awakened gun, the one he didn’t even like to talk about.
Oath to Eternity.
Kelarac swatted each bullet from the air, then caught the last one between his teeth.
Petal screamed as she threw a glass bottle overhand. It contained a thick pink liquid…which splattered all over the deck at Kelarac’s feet.
His shark’s smile grew wider. “We always liked you, Petal. We’ll keep—”
The pink liquid erupted into a gel a thousand times bigger than the bottle could have possible contained. It swallowed half of Jerri’s body, locking Kelarac in place.
Calder was still dazed from the blow to his ship, but he stumbled forward to take the opportunity.
Green flame shone through pink as Kelarac burned his way out.
Andel stepped forward, white light projecting from his outstretched hand. It bathed the Great Elder, but Calder couldn’t tell if it was doing any good.
Calder reached down into the ship. Through the chains.
Get rid of him, Calder sent.
“Loyalty” meant something very different to Elders.
The Lyathatan burst from the Aion Sea, its six black eyes gleaming. It slammed one fist down onto Jerri’s body. Chunks of hardened pink gel skittered over the deck.
Half a second later, the Elder’s huge blue hand exploded into emerald flame.
The Lyathatan screamed, stumbling back. One of its shackles slid off its charred stump.
Kelarac drifted up. A glossy brown braid streamed behind him and his yellowed shark smile was untouched.
But Calder had never expected that to work. He was moving his strongest piece into place: himself.
The second Kelarac destroyed the Lyathatan’s hand, Calder was already there. He drove the orange-spotted sword through Jerri’s midsection.
He felt it pierce through flesh and emerge from the other side. For a second, he dared to hope.
Kelarac’s smiling face tilted down to the wound, then back up to Calder’s face.
“We both want you,” Kelarac said. He wrapped a thin caramel-skinned hand around the blade. “You will be our toy until time has worn you to dust.”
With one moment of effort, he crushed the Awakened sword to pieces.
Calder backed up. He let the hilt slip from his fingers.
Kelarac had gifted him that sword. He had even told Calder that it was made to use against Elderspawn. Calder should have known it would never work.
The clash between the Regents and their bronze effigies still raged, but the sound was muted. Silver mist surrounded them, so that Calder could believe the entire world was just him and the Great Elder.
Until Andel marched in.
A bright light emanated from the White Sun hanging against his chest. “I never liked you,” Andel said.
Kelarac tilted his head slightly.
“Either of you,” he clarified. He focused his light on Kelarac.
The Great Elder’s power wavered, his body dipping in the air.
Calder took the opportunity. Between Bastion’s Veil and the light of a Beacon, both of which had the Intent to suppress Elders, Kelarac might be weakened enough. In full armor, Calder leaped onto the Great Elder in the body of his wife. He seized her with both hands, wrestling her down.
Kelarac gave an annoyed huff. “That’s en—”
For the second time, he was cut off. This time by a gunshot.
Foster wore his shooting-glasses, holding a musket up to his shoulder. He tossed it aside, pulled Oath to Eternity, and fired once more into Kelarac’s chest. Calder felt the impact shudder through Jerri’s body, but he was in no danger. It wouldn’t penetrate the Emperor’s plate.
“Get away from my captain,” Foster snarled. He slid open the chamber, loaded more rounds in, and snapped it closed.
Then green fire exploded at his feet.
His body tumbled across the deck.
Andel dashed for him, but a worm opened a mouth full of teeth and bit a corner of Foster’s jacket. It dragged him over to the side and dropped his body into the ocean.
There would be no bringing