Cyrus looked up. His eyes focused on the grinning witch. She moved ever soslightly forward. The stranger’s body tightened. Aghamorelet out a squeal of pain. Cyrus reached out and grasped the vial. Then he scrambledto the door and tried the knob. It was locked.
“Looking for this?” Rorroh asked, producing agreasy, black key from within her cloak.
“Hand it over,” the stranger demanded, pressing his blade to Aghamore’s throat.
Aghamore’s gilledneck flared and his misshapen eyes peered about crazed.
“You misunderstand, traitor,” Rorroh said, hereyes twinkling with the glow of the furnace, “I do not serve Aghamore. He serves me. Attack!”
Cyrus watched dumbstruck as Aghamore threw hishead back and struck the stranger in the face, breaking his nose. The strangerlost his hold. Aghamore spun around and againhead-butted his opponent. The stranger wiped bloodfrom his mouth. Then he clutched Aghamore by the collar.He flipped him over his back, slamming him to the deck. Then he grasped an armand a leg and, spinning on his heels, cast the villain headfirst into a nearbywall. The boards splintered and Aghamore dropped likea broken marionette to the floor.
“Break the door open,” the stranger shouted.
Breathing heavily, he pointed to a row of battleaxes resting at thebottom of a shelf. Cyrus set the snoozing Edward down near the door and grabbedan ax. The weapon was heavy, causing hisinjured side to ache. He struggled to raise it shoulder height.
Rorroh began to creep closer.
“Tell me, child, how were you ableto tame the blodbad spider? Even I would not darehandle such a hostile and poisonous creature. Besides, I thought them alldead.”
Cyrus’ breath quickened as he chopped at the door. Blodbadspider? Poisonous and hostile? Did she mean Edward?
The door was old and hard like stone. With each awkward blow, the woodchipped away in small, jagged shards.
“Stay back, witch,” the blue-eyed creature demanded, raising his knife.
Rorroh ignored his words and shambledcloser.
“Even if you were able to flee my ship, there is nowhere to run. You sawthe map. Wherever your boat lands, my minions await.”
Terror lent Cyrus strength. The axbecame light in his hands.
“I said back,” the stranger repeated.
He reversed the grip on his weapon and flew at Rorroh.He brought the blade down hard at her skull. Cyrus watched in horror as Rorroh caught the blow mid-air and turned the knife. Thestranger slammed into the witch, impaling himself on his own blade. Steel pierced his back.
“No!” Cyrus cried.
“You have grown foolish and weak, traitor,” Rorrohspat.
Black bile dripped down her horn-like chin.
“Better than what I once was,” the stranger choked.
She struck him with a backhanded blow, casting his limp body to theground. Cyrus looked past the panting witch, at his rescuer lying blood-spattered and battered on the damp floor.The knife had penetrated his heart. Dark blood pooled around his still corpse.Cyrus grew faint, watching as all hope drained from the room.
Chapter 19
HORROR
RORROH BEGAN TO CACKLE AS SHElooked up at Cyrus.
“If only you had not crossed my fence.”
A grill of thin teeth grinned cheek to cheek, tearing the right side ofher face. Cyrus again chopped at the door, tears streaming down his face.
“Your death could have been quick and painless,” she said.
“You don’t have to do this,” Cyrus said, striking the metal lock, “I’llgo home. I promise!”
“Oh, it’s too late for that,” Rorroh said,stepping closer.
Cyrus swung at the steel bolt. With a spark, the lock broke. The doorcreaked open.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Rorrohasked, her face snarling behind her white, wooden nose.
“Cyrus, what’s going on? Where are we?” Edward asked, half asleep.
The spider was beginning to rouse, trapped within the glass tube.
“It’s okay,” Cyrus breathed, casting a quick glance down at his bestfriend.
Edward’s vial rolled back and forth along the deck with the motion ofthe sea.
What was Cyrus going to do? If the stranger could not stop Rorroh, how could he? He thought of making a run for it.She was too close.
Cyrus turned on the witch and raised his ax.
“Please, just let us go.”
“Let you go? But you’ve only just gothere.”
Rorroh came within strikingdistance. Cyrus prayed to the Angel King and swung with all his might. The bladearched through the air, whistling towards her skull. Rorrohcaught the ax by its neck, the blade inchesfrom her face. She wrenched it free and broke it in two.
“Wha-? Cyrus, run!” Edward shrieked.
The spider was now fully awake, clinging to the wall of the glass.
Rorroh reached out to grab Cyrus. Hepulled away and tripped, falling to his backside.
“Edward!”
He clutched at the glass vial andpulled it away from Rorroh’s reach. Then he kickedand scrambled himself against the wall. There was nowhere to turn. He was trapped between thick hull boards and achild-eating demon.
“No,” he cried, hugging his legs tight to his chest.
“Cyrus, run!” Edward screamed.
Rorroh, an arm’s reach away, grinnedin delight. The torn half of her mouth was a wolfish snarl. She came nose tonose with the boy.
“I was going to save you for the stew, but you’ll be just as tasty raw.”
Cyrus squeezed his eyes shut.
“Please…”
With long, coarse fingers she gripped his throat and pinned him to thewall. Cyrus felt something drip on his face. He forced himself to look. Rorroh’s bloated tongue squirmed in her mouth. Shedislocated her jaw and opened it wide. Dark drool dribbled onto Cyrus’ cheek,smelling of vomit and tar. She was going to bite his face off, tear out histhroat. Cyrus attempted to scream. He could not find the breath. Then he heardwhat sounded like a hissing barn cat. It came from the vial in his hand. It wasEdward, seething and clawing at the glass wall. He appeared crazed, like arabid dog, his fur on end. The witch pulled away, frightened. Then she peeredover her shoulder. Cyrus suddenly became aware of the scent of burning oil andfertilizer. He looked past Rorroh. The galley was onfire. More specifically, the stranger was up,knife through his chest. He had opened the stove and was casting flaming logsabout the cabin, setting it ablaze.
“My ship, no!” Rorroh shrieked.
She leaped up at the stranger, strikinghim with a heavy palm that sent him skidding across the deck. Then she
