Page 163 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

The shadows melted. The one on her throat dripped down her body as a hole burned through Blake’s dark smoke. Rain poured in from the sky, flooding the deck, washing away the blood. Kora rose, running towards Hector, grabbing his hand as the rain soaked into her body, her elemental power increasing.

“What . . . that’s not possible!” Blake said.

“You will never have me,” Kora replied, her voice beyond her comprehension as she waved her free hand, dissipating his magic in one swoop. Blake cried out in anguish as his second shadow faded, sucking back into his body.

“No! No, you can’t do this!”

“Your magic is rotten. You have stolen what isn’t yours.” She had no idea what she was saying, but it flowed from her lips freely as she became a mouthpiece for a higher power. Warmth tickled her eyelids, a cool brush of long fingers down her back, and a vibration beneath her feet. The gods were watching.

Blake looked up at Kora, and screamed, scrambling back. Even Hector craned away, whatever was on her face terrified them. Good.

“Kaiah blesses you, Blake Marwood. Their creations will always have their gifts.” Kora clicked her fingers and Blake spasmed, his hands returning to their normal colour, his eyes brightening. He sobbed, whimpering as, with her final push, Kora spirited away with Hector.

72

Kora

Kora collapsed, her body crumpling into the sand as ocean waves smothered her, soothing her burning hot skin. She could barely breathe, her eyes glued shut as she focused on staying conscious. Every fibre of her muscles ached, with white-hot pain crushing her chest.

“Get up!” Hector ordered. A pair of hands grabbed her by the pits, dragging her from the ocean. “Fucking wake up!”

The cacophony of screams came into focus, followed by strange thuds and clashes of metal. Cool droplets splattered her face as her hair stuck to the nape of her neck, weirdly soft against the coarse sand.

Those hands disappeared, dropping her body, and she moaned, rolling to the side. Her gut twisted, and Kora spewed up everything she’d eaten, her stomach churning out every drop of strength onto the shore. Something vibrated in the air above her, and the smallest hint of panic surged from the depths. Kora forced her eyes open, the lids scraping like sandpaper.

A sword, splattered with blood, attached to the hand of a pirate. They were dressed in grey clothing, hanging limp from their bony frame.

“Traitor!” Hector snarled, his sword blocking the killing blow above Kora. He fought back three pirates, and Kora’s vision swam as the pain sang up into her temples, her scar nearly blinding her with the agony.

She glanced to the other side—a pool of diluted blood dripped from her. She touched her nose, grimacing as her hand came away stark red, the rain causing it to trickle down.

Well, shit.

“Get up now!” Hector yelled at her, gesturing to the sword he’d left by her side. Swishing ocean water in her mouth, wiping the blood from her face, Kora rolled again, avoiding an attack from one of Leto’s crew. Clambering to her feet, she clutched the sword in one hand, and her dagger in the other as she turned to face the promenade.

Hector’s back slammed into hers, and Kora jolted in surprise as they faced off a small group of grey pirates. Her head relentlessly pounded, her limbs utterly weak as she deflected attacks. Hector’s mighty sword swooped down, saving her every time she stumbled.

“Ye used too much magic!” he shouted, spinning as a Talmon soldier replaced a fallen pirate.

“I know! I just need a second!” Kora gritted the words out, staggering as her sword deflected a soldier’s attack. Their armour was impenetrable, no weak spots that were visible. And stabbing them wouldn’t work either. Callan’s suit had kept him alive, until Blake had desiccated him from within.

“We don’t have a fucking second!”

“You’re not fucking helping!” Kora screamed back.

More soldiers advanced, a tidal wave of black and malachite enclosing in on Kora and Hector. His good brown eye raged, scanning their enemies. Their armour was absolute, not a single kink or crevice that exposed their skin. As though they were encased in stone. Callan’s had been a fluke.

She was going to die beside Hector Read. That hadn’t been on her list of fate predictions.

Just as Kora readied to pray to Thanos, a figure shot from the sky, a blast of extreme wind knocking the soldiers into the sea. A streak of lightning followed, and their enemies spasmed, writhing in the water as lightning snuck into the slits of their helmets, smoking them from the inside out.

Raiden landed before Kora, panting so hard, fury etched into the hard lines of his face. He stared at her, as if disbelieving she was there. The bond snapped open, a tidal wave of regret, shame, and relief slamming into her.

“Turns out some magic can kill them.” Wisps of wind pulled Kora towards him, and she crashed into his chest, burrowing into him as he held her. Within the chaos of battle, Raiden cupped her face gently, his lips crushing hers.

His kiss took her breath away, hot desire and desperate need replacing her fear. He was alive. He was here.

“I thought they had you.” Raiden leaned back with a smile.