Right Hand of the Pirate Queen

8. TO MEET ONE'S MAKER, pt.2

(I need to move. Move! MOVE DAMMIT!!!)

The shadow of Rivra's ten-foot-tall frame engulfed Milo.

She cocked her hand back and aimed directly at Milo's head. Tereine and Albany shouted from the sidelines, but she ignored them.

Lucianna wheeled on her heel. Hey eyes bulged.

"Milo!"

She threw up her hand, a blast of energy surging forth.

But it was much too slow for Rivra. The energy had only made it halfway to them when Rivra's fist sprung forward, only inches from Milo's face. A green eclipse that would soon fade to black. Milo closed his eyes.

(This can't end like this.)

(But what can I do? I'm just a weak human.)

He could almost taste the chalk from Rivra's fist as it sliced through the space between them. He had a mere fraction of a second before Rivra punched his head clean off.

(DUCK, MILO!)

(Lucianna?)

As if possessed, his body ducked straight down.

Rivra's brow knitted together.

"Oh? You dodged?" she said.

As her fist completed its trajectory, a massive current of wind whipped at Milo, throwing him back several feet. He tucked into a ball and rolled as best he could until sprawling onto his hands and knees. His stomach rolled over. (Did I just survive her punch? How?)

Rivra quickly closed the gap between them again, her thick legs posted on either side of him. The energy bolt Lucianna had thrown smashed into a wall, creating a dent the size of a stop sign.

Lucianna dashed toward them. "Fight me, Rivra!"

One of Rivra's gargantuan hands wrapped around the back of Milo's neck, and she lifted him up like some defenseless kitten. Her breath warmed his neck, the remnants of roasted chicken causing his stomach to churn.

"Your luck's run out," she said.

She tossed him up in the air. He flipped over and over, like a human-sized coin. He clapped both hands over his mouth. (I'm totally gonna puke!)

"Die!" Rivra shouted.

A snake coiling to strike, her fist cocked back.

Lucianna halted. She threw her hand up and aimed it at Milo. A light pink aura enveloped him as he plummeted.

Rivra's hand struck out and hit its mark, striking Milo squarely in his face and chest. The impact made crumpled Milo. His body shot backward like a rubber band. He soared through the air and crashed into something solid. Something beneath him cracked as it absorbed his weight. A clanging sound filled his ears.

Rivra grunted. "You sure are persistent."

Milo opened his eyes. His eyes darted around the room. He'd landed all the way on the opposite side. His entire body throbbed and ached, as if he'd just ran a marathon. Mucus and bile coated his throat as he tried to keep from puking.

"Huh, you're...not as heavy as I thought."

The voice had come from beneath him, and so Milo scrambled up and turned. Lucianna grinned at him. Her arm had been smashed up to the elbow, a slew of bolts and screws scattered over the floor.

"Lucianna!" Milo grabbed at her arm, slicking his hands with grease. Sparks stung him as he swallowed back more bile. "What did you do?!"

"You were about to be splattered," she said. Grimacing, she rose to her knees. Her eyes glowed violet as she glared at Rivra. "Pick on someone who can actually fight!"