I held up my wand. "Can't we do what we did before? I make sparks, and you set them on fire?"

"I don't think..." He sighed. "Okay. We can try."

I aimed my wand at the odd one out. He was farther from the others, an easy target. "Mar!"

For a moment, my sparks were just tiny specks. Then, Charlie flung out a hand, and the sparks burst into flames. They didn't last long. The flames burned out incredibly quickly.

He shook his head sadly. "It's too wet. I can't keep a fire going in this rain."

The one we had set on fire turned to us and started to run. He crossed the deck in a split second. It almost looked like his feet hadn't even touched the ground.

"Big mistake," he said.

I couldn't believe how fast he was. I thought vampires were fast, but somehow he'd been even faster. I took a step back in shock and stared at him. He had white hair, blowing wildly in the wind, and pale skin. His eyes were what caught my attention; they were white and blue. And moving. He wasn't a vampire or even a dhampir. He must have been an elemental! He raised a hand and swung it forward like he was throwing something. A gust of wind nearly knocked me off my feet, and raindrops suddenly pelted me.

"Going to set me on fire now, imp?" he laughed. He made imp sound like an insult.

I looked at Charlie in horror; the rain had hit him, too. Thankfully, he hadn't been hit by much, but I could see the water steaming off of him, and he rubbed his arms.

"I would if you'd stop cowering in the rain, sylph," Charlie said.

The white-haired guy laughed and raised his hand again. Then, someone tackled him to the ground. They rolled across the deck and out of the rain. Mariana! The white-haired guy angrily shoved her off of him and started to stand. Charlie lunged at him, fireball in hand, and the two tumbled back. He managed to get away from Charlie, but he was hurt. Then, impossibly fast, he ran away from us and back out into the rain. Mariana started to follow, but Charlie grabbed her arm.

"Don't. There's too much wind out there; he's got the advantage. He could knock you right off the ship."

"I'll be fine!" Mariana said. "Even if I do go overboard!"

Charlie turned to me. His eyes were beyond smoldering. They looked like a bed of coals ready to go out. He wasn't just worried. He was scared. "I'm useless in all this damn rain. You two have to get somewhere safe while you can. I don't..." He glanced over his shoulder at the battle. It rained so hard I had trouble seeing, and I was using my night vision spell. Charlie looked back at us, eyes even dimmer. "I don't think we can win this," he said in a choked whisper.

We both stared at him in horror.

"But... but," Mariana started.

"If we can't end this, tonight..." Charlie hesitated. "Someone has to report this. Nathaniel has to be stopped." He put a hand on each of our shoulders and gave us a push. "Go!"

"I'm not going to—"

Charlie cut Mariana off. "And tell Ember I love her."

Mariana's jaw dropped. "Charlie! Don't talk like—"

"And you know I love you, too, right? As much as Danio does. Now get out of here and don't leave the room for anything!"

Tears started rolling down Mariana's cheeks, as she gaped at him. "Are you crazy? I'm not just going leave you here!"

"Mariana, you—" Charlie stopped, and his eyes widened. He flung an arm out in front of us and backed us up. He wasn't looking at the fight. He was looking toward the snack bar. I followed his gaze, but saw nothing. "You may as well stop hiding," Charlie snarled. "I see you." A fireball flared to life in his hand.

And then, something appeared. At first, it looked like mist, gathering in the shadows by the bar. Then, it solidified into a shape. It looked like a cross between a dog and a wolf. It was hard to see vivid colors with my night vision, but it looked solid black. My heart pounded in fear as I stared at it. It bared its teeth and growled, as it stalked closer.

"Damn fire elementals and your heat vision," the creature snarled. I shouldn't have been surprised that it could speak; it was obviously a magic of some kind. But it was even more frightening because I hadn't expected it.

"What is it?" I whispered.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"It's a jackal," Mariana said. She looked around, clearly scared. "Who is it with?"

"One way to find out," Charlie said. "Jen?" He gestured to my wand.

With a nervous gulp, I aimed my wand at the jackal. "Mar!"

My sparks flared up with Charlie's help, and the jackal howled in pain. It rushed by us and into the rain, then started rolling in the puddles on the deck. Charlie cursed, as the flames died down. The jackal staggered to its feet, snarling. Then, the vampire that Dani and TS had been fighting was there. He hissed furiously and stepped between the jackal and us. The jackal's growl turned into a laugh, and it stood behind the vampire's legs. The two glanced at each other. It was brief, but the way they looked at each other reminded me of something.

"I'll kill you for that," the vampire said.

"The witch is weak," the jackal said. "Her wand even looks brand new. But the elemental controls the sparks she casts."

"Shall I save her for you?"

The jackal's lips curled back into a cruel smile. "Please."

They moved. The vampire edged one way, while the jackal circled the other. Their eyes met again, and I realized what it reminded me of: Thomas and TS. They weren't just looking at each other. They were communicating. The vampire and the jackal were bonded! Charlie moved in front of Mariana and me and raised his hands, ready to fight. The jackal and the vampire stopped just at the edge of the roof. As long as the rain poured down, they were safe. Then, the bald dhampir appeared. Maybe we’d had a chance, but now that the dhampir was there, I was worried. Charlie wouldn't be able to hold off all three of them. I looked out into the rain desperately. Thomas and Nathaniel circled each other, neither looked hurt, but neither looked eager to attack again. Dani looked like he had his hands full with the white-haired guy. TS and the other two dhampirs were in a standoff.

Just when I thought that nobody could help us, TS lunged and caught the dhampir girl by the leg. She screamed in pain, and I was sure TS had broken it. The jackal turned and raced across the deck.

"Tethys!" Charlie yelled.

He was too late. The jackal sprang into the air and landed on TS’s back, sinking its teeth into the back of TS’s neck. TS yelped in pain and released the dhampir girl. He started twisting and thrashing, trying to reach the jackal. He couldn't help us now. The vampire laughed, and the dhampir moved to take the jackal's place. It seemed like the white-haired guy wasn't done with us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wave an arm. Wind lifted Dani completely off of his feet and hurled him across the deck. He hadn't even started to get up, when the white-haired guy appeared, just beyond the edge of the roof and safely in the rain, grinning.

"This looks more fun," he laughed.

The vampire and the dhampir laughed, too. Then, all three of them stepped under the overhang and out of the rain. I kept my wand raised, but had no idea what to do. I could only cast sparks on one of them. But two of them were so fast that the other one would be on us long before I could cast my spell again. Charlie backed us up another step. And then, miraculously, the white-haired guy cried out. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, as he dropped down to one knee. With a cry that was part-anger, part-pain he yanked a knife out of the back of his knee. He threw it with a yell. Dani dodged the knife easily and sprinted right past him, stake ready, to the vampire. Without his allies, the dhampir hurried back into the rain and stood still, watching in concern.

For a few terrifying moments, Dani and the vampire fought. I was impressed and shocked at how well Dani kept up with the vampire. But it was only for a few seconds. All too soon, Dani lost the advantage he'd gained from his sudden attack. It was obvious when he changed from striking to blocking. And then, he missed, and the vampire struck. His fist caught Dani right in the stomach, exactly where Sandra had already hit him. Exactly where Dani was most vulnerable. Before I could even cry out, the vampire swung around and kicked Dani right in the same place. The kick was so powerful that it sent Dani flying. He tumbled across the deck before slamming into the snack bar, hard enough to crack it.

Heedless of the danger, I ran to Dani. Mariana and Charlie had the same idea, and the three of us reached him at the same time. Dani was hurt. Seriously hurt. More, probably a lot more, than he had been when Sandra had punched him. He coughed and gasped, but this time, blood didn't spatter when he coughed. It gushed. I fell back in horror and almost threw up at the sight.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Mariana sobbed. "He's going to bleed to death!"

She was right. There was so much blood. And there had to be even more that we couldn't see. It was clear that Dani was having trouble breathing, too. For a few seconds, his eyes were open; pale grays churning with whites. Then, they rolled back, and he went limp. I almost thought he was dead, but his chest was still heaving, and the blood was still running out of his mouth. And then I felt an intense, blistering heat. I stared at Charlie in shock; the flames in his eyes were so bright they were nearly glowing. He slowly climbed to his feet, turned, and ran right at the startled vampire. They burst into flames, and the vampire's screams of pain filled the air. At the same moment, the jackal howled in agony.

Suddenly, the flames flared even brighter. Larger. It wasn't just a small fire surrounding the vampire and Charlie, anymore. It was a spreading inferno. Everyone else stopped and watched. It engulfed the injured white-haired guy and the bald dhampir before either could run. I could still feel the heat from the fire. Thomas and Nathaniel both backed away, as did TS and the other two dhampirs. And still, the flames seemed to be getting bigger.

"Dani!" Mariana screamed. I turned, fearing the worst, but he was still alive. "Dani, you have to wake up! Charlie's erupting!" Mariana grabbed his shoulder like she was considering shaking him. "Please! You have to stop him, before he sinks the ship!"

I looked back at the fire in horror. I knew that she wasn't exaggerating. I'd seen Charlie lose his temper now and again. I knew that fire elementals could snap, just like water elementals. And, having seen Dani typhoon, I knew just how scary it could be. But somehow, I had always been more afraid of Dani losing it again than Charlie. When he had typhooned, Dani's eyes hadn't just been black; they had been completely devoid of sanity or reason. He could have killed Thomas if he had wanted to. He could have killed any of us. As much as I had grown to trust Dani, I never forgot what he was capable of. But I had never thought of what it would be like if a fire elemental lost it. Dani was only a danger to people he could physically get a hold of. If Charlie couldn't control the raging inferno he had caused, he could kill everyone on the ship.