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" All that bloodshed, crimson clover
Sweet dream was over
My hand was the one you reached for "
//
" Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?
Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? "
―I BRACE MYSELF as Alina throws up her arms, casting a warm glow over us, a protective orb around the entirety of the Hummingbird, a few skeins of sunlight going awry and twisting outwards, veins eager to spread and shower light everywhere. I release a small breath of relief, but the heavy darkness is petrifying, so unlike anything else in the world. With Alina's sun summoning, I feel comfortable enough to slowly rise to my feet, but I'm immediately hit by a wave of vertigo, swaying slightly as I get lightheaded. I've never exactly been fond of heights, and being in a wall of darkness surrounded by screeching monsters that have yet to arrive isn't the best way to take small steps to overcome the fear.
"They're coming," Mal says. "Listen."
Over the roar of the wind, I hear a loud shriek echo through the darkness, seeming to shatter the trance I'm in. The sound of wings flapping and snapping fills the air as the figures of the volcra slowly become more evident, their inhuman screeches indicating that they're hungry for human flesh. They stay away from our orb of light, wings beating as if they're trying to blow it away with gusts of wind. Clearly, they've been hungry since the crossings through the Fold have ceased.
Alina spreads her fingers wider, the light expanding like a flower in early spring.
"No," Sturmhond tells her. "Bring them closer."
"What?" My eyes widen in fear. "Why?"
"They hunt us," he states, raising his voice so the whole crew can hear. "Maybe it's time we hunted them."
An excited whoop sounds from one of the crew members and I have the urge to jump off of the ship when the rest of them all join in, a series of excited barks and howls. They're going to get us killed.
Sturmhond is going to get us killed.
"Pull back the light," the privateer orders.
"He's out of his mind," Alina scoffs, turning to Mal. "Tell him he's out of his mind."
