Stepping inside, I felt confused. This was unlike any boat I had ever traveled in. What I had thought was a compartment was more like a long screen, separating the back of the boat from the front. There was no wall in front of me. The compartment was wide open, giving a full view over the bow of the boat. A wide cushioned seat was fixed a few feet in front of the door I’d just stepped through, and in front of that was some kind of metal stand upon which rested two thick ropes. The ropes, secured in place by iron clamps, trailed down the front of the vessel and extended into the water. I thought perhaps this was a way of anchoring the boat, so I followed the ropes to the edge and looked down into the sea.

Not exactly an anchor.

I found myself staring down at two black shadows beneath the water. Some kind of sharks. Their shiny fins poked above the surface. The ropes bound the creatures like… reins. I cast my eyes around the other boats and spotted the same type of sturdy reins dipping down into the ocean, each tied to a variety of sharks and other smaller creatures—a species of dolphin.

My eyes traveled back to the sharks that were tethered to my boat, and I looked around the deck once more, just to be sure that there was no kind of engine. Heck, there weren’t even sails on this boat.

I’d learned to navigate a submarine, and found it fairly intuitive to navigate a boat—but a boat drawn by sharks? How exactly would I communicate to them which way to go? Perhaps it was a bit like riding a horse, something I’d never done in my life.

Brushing aside my apprehension, I took a seat in front of the reins and slowly unraveled them from the stand. I clutched them tightly and tugged a little, feeling the resistance of the sharks. I experimented tugging with different levels of pressure, but found that the sharks only bolted forward once I tugged hard.

Their speed caught me by surprise. I found myself forced back in the seat. They swam straight ahead, and while I still wasn’t sure how to steer them, straight ahead was good enough for now.

I looked back toward the shadowy harbor as the sharks pulled me away. A wave of déjà vu washed over me as I recalled the last time I had stolen a boat. I’d been with River. She’d taken it upon herself to scare off the security guards while I navigated. I remembered the shaken look on her face as she’d put down the gun…

“Help!”

A strained call. Julie’s voice.

It came from somewhere behind me, to my right. I spun around to see her standing on the bow of her boat, soaking wet with her arms outstretched, waving frantically.

What in the world?

I tugged on the sharks and managed to pull them to a stop. With a lot of trial and error, I steered the animals around and headed toward Julie’s boat.

“What?” I called in a hushed tone as I neared her.

She pointed down at the water. It was stained with blood. The corpses of two sharks bobbed near the surface.

“They came here to my boat first,” she breathed. “They destroyed the cabin area, plundered my supplies, chopped the reins to bits, a-and slaughtered my animals.” Tears of panic lined the corners of her eyes.

Swallowing hard, I moved my boat closer. Steadying herself, she took a leap, and landed shakily on the deck.

“We need to get far, far away from here!” she whispered.

Tugging on the reins again, I tried to steer the sharks again. Noticing my inexperience, Julie gripped the reins and pulled them from my hands, taking control of them herself. She guided them toward the open sea with practiced ease.

As we skidded through the waves, Julie cast a glance my way. “I-I’m sorry,” she said, her voice low but a little steadier. “I hate to intrude like this. I won’t be a burden. You can drop me off wherever you’re headed and I’ll find my way from there.”

I highly doubt you want to go wherever I’m headed.

CHAPTER 14: BEN

Wrapping the reins around her wrists, Julie took a seat on the chair.

I remained half-glaring, half-watching her closely until, finally, she threw me a bone.

“Those men,” she said. “They meant to kidnap me tonight.”

“Why? Who were they?”

She drew in a deep breath. “They are allies of my father.”

That was the last answer on earth I’d expected to hear.

“Why would your father want to kidnap you?”

She smiled bitterly. “Fair question… One that wouldn’t surprise you if you knew anything about the Taihang coven.”

I raised a brow.

She let out a sigh.

“It’s a coven that used to inhabit the Taihang Mountains. In China.”

So the Elders had infiltrated China too. I doubted my parents knew about that—at least they’d never mentioned it to me. India, China, where else?

“My father was—and still is—its leader,” she continued. “After the demise of the Elders, he led us into this supernatural world where we all became full-time wanderers. Or perhaps pirates would be a better term. We—or I should say they—have a big ship that they live on—mostly at sea, though sometimes they stop at a port if the atmosphere isn’t too hostile. I… I escaped.”

“Why did you escape?”

She turned her gaze away from me and set it straight ahead on the ocean.

“Because my father is a tyrant.” She bit down hard on her lower lip. “My mother died a year ago, and something snapped in him. He was always an authoritarian, but now he rules our coven with an iron fist. And me…” She paused. “He was forcing me into a marriage I was desperately unhappy with.”