- 45 -

As her strength wasted away, Pandora reflected on the one outcome she hadn't accounted for. It had been clear Lily meant to weaken her, but for some reason, she had assumed it was solely for comfort; a sense of safety. She had imagined having time to explain everything as they cuddled together afterward. Instead, Lily had meant to stop Pandora from chasing after her. It was obvious in hindsight, but then everything always is.

Regardless of whether she should have known better or not, she couldn't change the situation. The real question was what would she do now? Lily had run off alone with both a murderous monster and a youkai on the loose. Pandora wanted, no, needed to protect her but she was half naked and alone with barely the strength to stand. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

There's nothing to consider. I don't have the strength, so I'll just have to crawl to my feet and do it anyway.

Pandora refastened the button of her trousers and scooted to the edge of the bed. She rolled onto her feet, but her legs gave out on her immediately and she dropped to her knees. She had hoped to simply leave but it seemed she would need a crutch. Crawling was difficult in the cramped room, but she managed to push herself through the narrow spaces and reach the far wall. Taking hold of her shotgun, she pulled herself up. No chance in hell bringing a gun would calm Lily's fears, but that wouldn't matter if she never found her. At least this way she would be able to walk.

Weapon in hand, Pandora hobbled back across the room to the door. She entered the hallway, fell into it really, and was struck by the difficulty of her task. She had watched Lily disappear to the left through the doorway, but had no idea where to search beyond that. Her lack of mobility would only make things harder. She had a certain amount of experience fighting in a weakened state, witches sacrificed their own blood to cast curses after all, but her body was reacting even worse than she had expected.

The first step was the most difficult. Anxiety fought against her nearly as hard as her legs did. Even though she knew Lily had headed in that direction she started to second-guess herself. It was an impossible task. Between the size of the ship and her physical state, finding Lily...

Pandora exhaled. I will find her.

Thinking otherwise wouldn't help anything. Pandora knew what she needed to do, so she would do it, whether it was impossible or not.

She followed the hallway to its end where she found the door to the main stairwell sitting open. On a ship with hundreds of passengers that wouldn't be unusual, but everyone was meant to be on lockdown at the moment. It didn't prove anything, there were still a million scenarios where someone forgot to close that door, but it was all she had so she stepped inside.

Pandora tried to remember exactly how many decks the ship had. Seven? Or was it eight? She shook the question away; she was doing it again. Instead of focusing on how many places Lily could hide, she should be worried about narrowing down the possibilities.

Rather than taking a guess, she decided to climb all the way up looking for anything out of place along the way. It was a difficult choice given the state of her legs, but when she reached the top it paid off. There she found the exterior door swinging in the wind. The hall door was one thing, but no crew member would make that mistake. Black Star wouldn't pay to employ anyone willing to heat the oceans on their dime. At most, they would get one voyage before being summarily fired. No, she was sure Lily had come this way.

A frigid wind struck her as she stepped outside. She hadn't redressed before rushing after Lily so her body attempted to clothe her in a layer of goosebumps. If humans had been a furred species, like yeti or werewolves, then it might have even done something. Theoretically, giving air more space between each strand would increase insulation. But as it was, the cold was free to blast her bare skin and leave her shuttering. Still, the wind's effects couldn't compare to the shiver that ran her spine when she looked across the deck.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

In the distance, Gamal stood hunched over against the railing. She tried to tell herself that he was seasick. No matter how much joy the image of him puking his guts up invoked, she couldn't get herself to believe it. She stepped closer and noticed the second pair of legs; someone standing behind him. Another step closer. The person dropped to their knees. Pandora couldn't see a face yet, but she was certain it was Lily. One more step. Her chest went tight. Now that she was close enough, she could see Lily's face. Her eyes were barely open and her jaw hung slack.

That fucking bastard drugged her.

Pandora burst forward. The opening stride of her sprint was explosive, and the second catastrophic. No amount of hatred in her heart could will her muscles to support her weight. As soon as her leg became load-bearing, it failed sending her crashing to the deck.

The thud must have drawn Gamal's attention because he laughed as she pushed herself back to her feet then said, "You're almost as out of it as she is."

"I'll kill you!" Pandora growled the threat through gritted teeth. Her hatred pooled in her heart like a lead weight.

"Well, you can certainly try." He let out another breathy laugh then picked up Lily and tossed her over his shoulder. He turned and started down the length of the deck, adding, "Room A four."

This fucking bastard!

Gamal had captured and killed the first woman Pandora ever loved, and now he was trying to do it again. It didn't matter if her body gave out on her, she would drag herself to the edges of the world to make him pay. Compared to that going to his cabin was nothing. But why wait even that long?

She pulled her gun up and pointed it toward his back. Her legs quivered at the removal of their support, but she managed to keep standing. The real issue was her aim; the barrel of her gun swayed in and out of line with her target. That would have been fine, his back was large enough, and a shotgun would give some leeway on accuracy. But she couldn't risk hitting Lily. As a succubus, maybe she could heal a minor injury, but it was her head and torso that hung over Gamal's shoulder. A stray shot might kill her instantly.

Her finger trembled. Even if she recovered, Pandora wouldn't be able to live with herself if she hurt Lily. Without a guaranteed shot, pulling the trigger was impossible. Getting closer might work, but in her state, Gamal could outrun her simply by walking. Pandora glanced down at her tattoos. Casting a curse might give her the opportunity to attack. But would she be able to stay conscious after losing the blood? Maybe, maybe not. But if she killed him it wouldn't matter. She would have to take the chance.

Her arm shook in protest as she raised it to her mouth. She slipped a finger into her mouth and positioned it below her fang. A heavy bite flooded her mouth with blood. She spit out the excess then turned her attention to her arm. She traced the runes slowly, careful that the trembling of her muscles didn't link the wrong path; she would only have one shot at this.

Raising her arm to his back, Pandora began to speak the words, "I can't take it, it's just so amusing. You bask—"

The world turned sideways. Pain shot through her body as she bounced. Bounced? What had she bounced off of? Her mind struggled to piece together events. She was lying on the deck but didn't know why. Three clicks sounded to her left. She turned her head to find a scaled talon resting on the wood. Three more clicks echoed from the right; the other claw. How? She hadn't seen it approach. Then she noticed the throbbing pain building on her left side; her blind side.

The kotengu straddled her, regarding her with curiosity. Its head flicked around, taking her in from every angle. It probably wondered why she wasn't fighting back; why she was so sluggish. She needed to act before it realized that wasn't some act. She twisted her wrist until the barrel of her gun pointed at the creature's underbelly. Her focus narrowed to a point as she strained against the weapon's weight. Was it in the right place? Would she be able to hold the angle while she pulled the trigger?

The blood spray struck her before she even registered the gunshot. The kotengu doubled over and let out a shrill cry. Its open beak nearly engulfed her head as it screamed. Its putrid breath washed over her, warm and humid. For a moment, she thought the beast would snap its jaw shut and kill her. Instead, it jumped back and took flight. She had escaped death for the moment, but her shot hadn't been enough to kill the youkai. If anything, it seemed to piss it off.

Waves of pressure slammed into her with each flap of the creature's wings. It pushed higher and higher until it was a small dot in her vision. Any hope that it would simply leave was shattered when it spun around and began to dive. The beast planned to kill her, and if she didn't do something it would succeed. Not that there was much she could do in her current state.

Pandora took a deep breath and readied herself for the most difficult hunt of her life.