Page 48 of The Divine Lies We Weave

The ship lurched as the angstent soared into the skies. Sand fell in a rivulet of grains and hit the deck. Rajesh used his arm to cover his eyes, the sand tapping against his bare skin. When he was able to look, he craned his neck back and watched three Bats attack the second angstent’s head. Five Hawks circled before shooting down with glistening claws and attacking from the middle.

Multiple arrows pierced the sky, flinging forward with the blood of a poisonous Flame. But the angstent’s scales were hard to penetrate, and most of the arrows sank into the sands.

Rajesh realized the sword wasn’t going to cut the angstent’s emerald scales and grabbed a bow and arrow. He ran to the ratlines and climbed the rope, trying to stay steady as the ship swayed around the hulking monster. He heaved himself up until he got to the crow’s nest. The wooden banister bashed against his hips, and he hissed in pain.

There was no point in trying to attack and kill. It was best to survive and escape.

From the crow’s nest, Rajesh surveyed his crew and the deck. He watched as the Flames in the skies attacked the angstent, aiming for the eyes.

How would he get his crew out of this alive?

Vessels and Flames fought alongside one another, trying to defeat the beast together. Fear choked the mortals’ breath, their hands desperately twitching at their sides. All of them had families, some still back at the den or in the Awakening. Some might not make it out of this alive, but Rajesh had to ensure they all didn’t die tonight.

Rajesh steadied himself against the banister and notched his arrow into the rest of his bow, aiming toward the stern of the ship. Once his hips were perpendicular to the stern, he pulled back on the string with three fingers, ensuring it was tight and his shoulder and arms were leveled into a T. Closing one eye, he steadied his aim on one of the angstent’s eyes with an arrow dipped in the ashes of the Flames and made to penetrate the tough skin. He took a breath, raised his elbow an inch higher, and released. The arrow shot through the skies with no interference and whizzzzzzed. A golden weave laced itself around the arrow, the Flames’ ashes merging into the wood and igniting it.

It didn’t land.

“Fuck!”

Rajesh ground his teeth and notched another arrow. And another. And another. The ship was swaying too much for the arrows to hit their moving target, as the angstent was too eager to bite the Bats and Hawks circling them to focus on the ship.

Rajesh shook his head but loaded another arrow. He aimed at the angstent, praying that this one would sink into its prey. He took a deep breath, easing the blood pounding in his ears.

He released the arrow. Gold split the air and funneled until it hit the target. Right into the eye on the angstent’s first head.

Rajesh punched the sky. “Eat that, angstent!”

The angstent reared back with a piercing scream. Two fangs flashed in the night sky as the tail end of the angstent burst and black ichor darkened the sands.

Rajesh’s crew scrambled out of the way of the oncoming blood but kept attacking with whatever arrows they had left.

The angstent calmed and turned three yellow eyes to the ship, peering right at Rajesh. The happiness was short-lived as the angstent shot back into the sands.

“Fuck,” he cursed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He scuttled down the mast and jumped back onto the deck. His crew peered over the edge, waiting and watching for any shuffling grains.

“Where? Where is it?” Hema asked, panicked. “Where has it gone?”

Rajesh tightened his hold on the banister and watched the red sand at the edge of the ship shift. Navya kept them steady. Tanmay was at the wheel.

Rajesh’s breath was stuck in his throat as he waited for the angstent to reveal itself. But the sands were still, and there was no movement aside from the ship’s. No matter how hard Rajesh focused. No matter how long he watched.

“Maybe it’s—” Vedant started.

“Don’t say it,” Rajesh snapped. “Get back into position. All of you. It will come back again. We’ve only angered it.”

“You angered it,” Vedant muttered.

Rajesh flashed Vedant a deadly look. It took all of Rajesh’s patience not to punch the man in his face and make him bleed out on the floor.

“We—”

Hema’s words were cut off by another piercing scream. Sand rained down on the crew, and everyone took shelter. Scales glistened as it continued to rise, higher. The frill around the angstent’s head fanned out as its eyes steadied over the crew and shadowed the entire ship.

Rajesh grabbed onto Hema, pulling her out of the way as a rock hit the deck.

The other end of the angstent rose with a terrifying scream rattling the earth like thunder. The ship lurched to a hard left, and the wheel shook from Tanmay’s grasp. The crew stumbled across the deck, unable to hold their positions as the starboard side was hit.