“Move!” I yelled at the captain.
But the captain didn’t move—not fast enough anyway. The ghost slammed into him. Cochran flew up, off his feet, and his head crashed into the glass. The window splintered, cracking dangerously outward, but did not break.
Then the captain slumped to the floor, blood spreading from his head like a halo.
“Father!” Cassidy struggled to get up, but I shoved her back. The ghost wasn’t finished. It cycloned around, knowing it had missed me.
But then Murry stepped in front of me and thrust out the horns—stabbed them at the ghost. “Stop.”
The ghost froze in midair. For several breathless moments I didn’t move. I simply gaped at the spirit. My mind reeled, still stuck in the panic of flight. In the blood that ran from the captain’s head.
Then Murry snatched the gun off the floor and rounded on me. “You’re a goddamned idiot, Striker. If you hadn’t come up here, I could’ve ended this without violence. We could’ve all reached Natchez happy.”
“Without violence?” Cass cried. “We’re on a collision course with Devil’s Isle and ghosts are killing us!”
Murry didn’t answer. He cocked the pistol with a soft click and aimed it at the captain’s head. “I know you’re awake. Open your eyes, Cap’n.”
Cochran’s eyelids snapped up. “Coward,” he snarled. “You’re just an old, yellow-bellied coward.”
“Coward?” The scars around Murry’s face stretched taut, his eyes twitching with rage and the horns shaking in his left hand. “You’re the coward—you’re the one who did this to me. You ruined my sight forever!”
“So why did you stay?” Cochran’s lips spread in a nasty grin, his teeth covered in blood. “You could have run off with your tail between your legs, but you chose to st—”
“And miss seein’ you suffer?” Murry barked a harsh laugh. “Not a chance in hell. You’re finally getting what you deserve.”
“But why hurt the Queen?” Cassidy asked, her words clipped and furious. “Why destroy your own life along with—”
“My life was destroyed five years ago.” Murry sneered at her. “All those ‘glory days’ everyone praised Cochran for—those were thanks to me.” He pounded his chest. “I’m the engineer. I work twice as hard as him. I’m the one who gets the Queen moving, but no one ever thinks of me, do they?” He wrenched his face toward Cochran. “I got you the fame you wanted by always keepin’ that engine strong, and how did you repay me? By burning off my face. Well, I’ll be damned if I let you get your glory days back—”
“He won’t.” My words were hoarse, but I lifted my voice, saying, “The Queen is leavin’ the river as soon as this race ends.”
“What?” Murry growled. His blind eyes darted to me.
“Once we hit Natchez,” I said, thrusting out my jaw, “the Lang Company is shutting us down and they’re firin’ Cochran. It doesn’t matter what you do—or don’t do—to us.”
“Liar,” Captain Cochran spat. Blood flecked from his mouth. “You’re a liar, Striker.”
“You can go ask Mr. Lang yourself. He’s promotin’ me”—I tapped my chest—“and firing you.”
“Is this true?” Cass whispered beside me. Her fingers latched on to my arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because he’s a liar!” Cochran roared, drawing in his legs and pushing upright. “He’s a murderer too. A fugitive with a big reward on his head that I intend to—”
Crack!
The pistol fired. Blood blossomed on Cochran’s shoulder. His jaw fell open. He staggered back and hit the floor once more.
Cassidy screamed. “Father!” She dived toward him, and I wrenched my gaze to Murry—to the barrel of the gun, still smoking.
But then the boat jolted. Everyone toppled sideways, and the Queen tipped dangerously left.
Lang had kicked the paddle in reverse. This was the moment I’d been praying for.
I attacked. My fist smashed into Murry’s nose, and in the same movement my left hand knocked the pistol from his grasp. It clattered to the floor, and I wrenched the horns from his other hand. Then I spun, flung my arm out, and let the horns loose. “Jie!”
The gilded antlers dropped from sight.
“Stupid,” Murry shrieked beside me. “Stupid, stupid, Striker! You just killed us all.” Before I could round on him, he had reached the stairs and was barreling down. I flung a glance at Cassidy, but she was at her father’s side, applying pressure to his shoulder.
Cochran would be fine. So would she.
Which meant I could go after Murry.
In a burst of power I jumped down the stairs—three at a time—until I hit the Texas Deck. Murry wasn’t in sight, but neither was Jie. I could only guess she’d gone down and Murry had followed. . . .