Crow’s glassy eyes cleared for a moment, and he let the girls slide down to the ground. But they didn’t like what was happening and ran screaming after their favorite friend.
Captain Baldhead roared his displeasure at Crow and clutched him tighter, his hook digging deeper into Crow’s neck. Crow’s eyes bulged, and a trickle of blood rolled down to his collarbone. The captain switched directions, swatting at Fifer, who was closest. He reached her and yanked her up under his free arm.
“Mewmewmew!” Kitten howled, trying her best to assist Alex, but there was nothing she could do.
Fifer wailed. Thisbe screamed at the pirate. Crow’s eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. Alex revived, pulled himself to his feet, and started running after the man again, but seconds later a Warbler enemy plowed into him, knocking him flat.
Thisbe, red faced and furious, pointed her finger at the captain. “Boom!” she shouted.
Captain Baldhead’s face turned gray. He shuddered and took an unexpected step back, his boot landing on top of Kitten and crushing her porcelain body to bits. Crow sank to the grass. Fifer tumbled to the ground. And with a loud boom, the captain’s body cracked from head to toe. His appendages separated, like broken pieces of a toy, and went flying in different directions.
Alex rolled and got to his hands and knees, then crawled over the dirt and grass to gather his sisters. He held them tightly, unable to believe what he’d just witnessed from Thisbe.
Scarlet, who’d seen everything from afar, came running. She saw Crow on the ground, knelt next to him, and helped him sit up.
“Are you okay, Crow?” she asked, her white-blond hair swishing close to his face.
Crow’s eyelids fluttered and opened. He stared at her, dazed.
Scarlet gently pressed her sleeve to the cut on Crow’s neck and wiped the blood away. “You’d better have that looked at,” she said.
“Hi,” said Crow.
Scarlet smiled. “Hi. I think you might be in shock. Come on, let’s help Alex and get you checked out.” She took Crow’s hand and helped him to his feet, then put his arm around her neck and led him to where Alex and the girls were. She picked up Thisbe and handed her to Crow.
“Can you hold her until we get inside?”
Crow nodded numbly and took the girl.
Scarlet picked up Fifer and gave Alex a hand so he could get to his feet. Together they limped and stumbled safely to the mansion.
Kitten’s crushed body lay still on the ground for a moment. Then all her porcelain pieces magically came back together. When she was in one perfect piece again, she jumped up and down, gingerly at first, and then less so, testing her body out. Everything felt as good as new.
“Mewmewmew,” she said before heading back into the fight. Seven lives left.
A Short Reprieve
What?” asked Henry as he stitched up the ugly gash in Alex’s side. “You’re saying Thisbe killed the pirate captain?”
“I’m not sure killed is the right word,” Alex said. “Dismantled. Scrambled and flung about, maybe.” He winced. “Ouch. Unless I’m delusional, which is entirely possible.”
“How did she do it, though? Here, drink some more juice.” Henry shoved Alex’s glass at him with his free hand and finished his stitching, then fetched some ointment to put on it. “You’ll feel good as new by tomorrow.”
“I have no idea how she did it,” said Alex. “She didn’t have a component or anything—not that we have a spell that does what she did anyway. She just got mad because the captain was running off with Fifer, and she yelled ‘Boom!’ at him and it just happened.”
“Yikes,” said Henry. “Can we get her to stop saying that word? If she starts saying it randomly to our people, I’m not sure I’ll know how to fix them.”
“That’s just it—she’s said the word lots of times, like when she’s knocking down sand castles and piles of stones and stuff like that. She never blew anyone to pieces before, though.”
“Maybe it was different this time because she was mad.” Henry reached for a roll of bandages and lifted Alex’s arms into the air, then wrapped his chest. “Try not to get hit in that same place, all right? Otherwise you’re good to go if you feel strong enough. Did you eat?”
“Yes, I ate. I’m fine now, thanks to you. How’s Liam, by the way?”
“He snuck out to fight after the whole bird incident. He was limping but feeling okay, last I saw him.”
“So you heard about the birds?”
“Yeah. Crazy.” Henry shook his head. “I’m sorry Spike and I didn’t get here sooner. After Florence and Pan left and Spike and I were getting ready to leave, Talon suggested we all go. I couldn’t turn the offer down. Are they helping?”
“Immensely. We’d be defeated by now without them. I’m just glad you’re not dead. When you didn’t show up, Florence and I feared the worst.”