The weapon issued a soft gurgle as liquidtraveled from the tank and through the gun. Though she had takensome care to hide the flash gold from view, streaks of yellowlightning escaped, coursing along the weapon, creating a rivetingdisplay. Kali rolled her eyes. The stuff always seemed to want tosteal the show.
Then the fuel ignited.
Kali had been expecting a flame-that was thewhole point of the design, after all-but the three-foot-long,six- inch-wide inferno that whooshed out of the barrel surprised herwith its size and power. She nearly dropped the gun. Even with theflame shooting out of the end, heat crackled in the air, beatingagainst her hands and face, and she eyed the wooden stock withconcern. It ought to be all right, for the short term. Shehoped.
“What is it, you ask?”Kali said, trying to cover her surprise with nonchalant words. “Ihaven’t thought of a name yet. Got any ideas?”
“Shit,” the pirate said,sort of. The gag made elocution difficult.
“That won’t impress anyoneat the patent office.”
The air buzzed around the weapon, andlightning continued to dance, streaking along the outside of theshotgun shaft to mingle with the flame. The stink of burningkerosene arose, and Kali wondered if she should have made a switchthat could modulate the amount of fuel sent to the flame. Ah, well.Next time. If nothing else, this ought to scare some pirates. Shelet go of the trigger, and the flame died out.
Thus armed, Kali jogged for the ladderleading to the upper decks of the ship.
“Whar…goin’?” the piratetried to call through the gag.
“To put a wrench inCudgel’s wheel.”
Kali clanked her way up the ladder, the gunbumping and tangling in the rungs, the leg iron adding weight toher ankle.
“Perhaps not the bestweapon for stealth,” she muttered.
Nonetheless, she made it to the top andmanaged to juggle her gear long enough to ease the hatch open andpeer out. She didn’t see any feet in the narrow door-filledcorridor above, but the hatch blocked half of her view. Shelistened. Muffled voices came from somewhere nearby, someone’scabin most likely, but no footsteps thudded toward her, so shehoped that meant the corridor was empty. From her point of view,she couldn’t see the steps or ladder that ought to lead to the opendeck up top. All of the doors in view were shut, including one atthe far end.
If Kali could find the navigation areawithout anyone spotting her, maybe she could surprise whoevermanned those controls and take over the ship before anyone knewwhat was happening. Except that she feared a ship like this,designed like a naval vessel, would have its navigation bridgeabove decks where lots of people could see it. Well, it was themiddle of the night. Maybe the crew would be sleeping or down inthe city, enjoying their ill-gotten earnings on gambling andwomen.
Kali lifted the hatch the rest of the wayand climbed out.
“You!” a pirate barkedfrom narrow stairs that had been hidden from view by the hatch. Hecharged her, a cutlass raised overhead.
Kali cursed in her mother’s tongue andwhipped the modified shotgun up, pulling the trigger.
This time, with the weapon already primed,the flames leapt to life immediately. The pirate ran right intothem. They poured against his chest, incinerating clothing andsearing flesh. He screamed, an ear-piercing cry of pure agony.
Kali pulled her weapon to the side andreleased the trigger, half because she couldn’t hold those flameson a man, and half because she was afraid she’d catch the woodencorridor on fire. The pirate’s scream only grew louder. Knowing sheneeded to quiet him, she slammed the butt of the shotgun into hishead. It was cruel to beat a man already so wounded, and she hatedthat she had to do it, but she couldn’t have him carrying on,alerting the entire ship. The pirate crumpled to the deck,clutching his chest, and sobbing. The air stank of burning flesh,and Kali’s stomach roiled. Frustrated with her lack of options, shepushed him so that he fell through the open hatch and into theboiler room below. There was a lock on the hatch, and she threw itinto place. It blocked out the man’s sobs, but she would neverforget the sight of his flesh and muscle being burned off beforeher eyes.
“
A door in the corridor flew open, and abarefoot man stumbled out, gun belt clenched between his teethwhile he fumbled to fasten his trousers.
No time for self-doubt. Kali stood, foot onthe closed hatch, and aimed the weapon at him. Cruel or not, it wasthe only one she had.
The pirate stared at her-no, at the strangegun in her hands-and didn’t immediately run toward her. She thumbedthe flames on again, judging him far enough away that he’d feel theheat without being burned. Fire leapt from the end of the barrelwith surprising flair. Narrow streams twisted and twined in theair, shifting intensity and direction, like dancers on a stage.Watching it gave Kali a chill, as there was no mundane explanationfor that. The flake of flash gold had to be affecting it, as if ithad a mind of its own and was taking artistic license. Showingoff.
After a long, stunned second, the piratestumbled back, his belt falling from his mouth.
“Go back inside yourcabin,” Kali said, “and don’t come out until the sun’sup.”
She had no idea what she looked like afterthe rough night, but he stared at her, mouth agape, as if he’d seenthe Grim Reaper. Then he lunged back inside and slammed the doorshut.
“That’s a better solutionthan maiming people,” Kali said, then shut her mouth, because therewas a tremor in her voice. Her hands were shaking too.
Somewhere above her, people shouted. Thewhole ship had to have been roused by that man’s scream. Kali wassurprised pirates weren’t already charging down the stairs to gether. Sneaking to navigation was out of the question now, and shefeared she wouldn’t have much time to come up with a plan beforeshe found herself in a firefight.
Another door opened, this one behind her.Kali spun, weapon at the ready. This time, she recognized the hugeman who ducked to poke his head into the corridor. Sparwood. Hisbeard and hair stuck out in all directions, and a knife in his handdripped blood. His button-down shirt was open, showing black matsof chest hair as tangled as the snarled locks on his head.
Like a bear, Kali thought. An animal. Not ahuman being.
She held her finger on the trigger, butdidn’t pull it yet, not when he might easily duck back inside forcover. He smirked, eyes gleaming as he watched her. There was nofear in them. The cotton-for-brains lummox didn’t even look at herweapon.
He stepped into the corridor and raised hisfree hand, beckoning her with his fingers. He held the knifeloosely in the other, like he didn’t think he’d need it. If herweapon failed her, he wouldn’t. But, no, she couldn’t think likethat. It had worked before; it would work again.
As if in response to her thoughts, theconverted shotgun hummed in her hands. In the back of her mind, sheacknowledged that that was strange-she hadn’t pulled the trigger toturn the weapon on yet-but she had to stay focused on Sparwood.
Kali walked closer, slowly, steadily. A softsob came from within the beast’s quarters, but she didn’t letherself feel any relief at hearing the girl alive. She might wellbe beyond help at this point. Kali forced herself not to think, notto feel anything.
Then the bear leaped for her, his massivebulk filling the entire corridor. Kali pulled the trigger, even asshe realized there’d be no evading him. He’d crash into heranyway.
Flames burst forth, a massive inferno thatlit the corridor like a sun. She didn’t aim for his chest, but forhis prick. Even if he survived the burns-and she hoped hedidn’t-she’d make sure he didn’t rape anyone else again.
The fire flowed into him, engulfing him,wrapping about him and bathing him fully. He didn’t scream, but heroared, all pain and rage.
Though Kali had thought to stand her ground,to brace herself for his weight tumbling into her, she foundherself backpedaling as his huge form filled her vision. She wasn’tfast enough, and he slammed into her legs, sending her tumblingbackward. She hit the deck hard, the shotgun flying from her grip.The flames winked out, and Sparwood was on top of her.
His roar filled her ears. He thrashed about,and she thought he was grabbing her, that his knife would come
