The Dead Fleet (Juggernaut #3)

Thirty Three

The gloom in front of Tila wobbled. Instantly she skipped out of view of the passageway.

'Mal,' she whispered. 'I think someone's coming.'

Malachi emotions leapt at once from guilt to fear. He rushed to her side.

'Are you sure?' he asked, hoping against all reason that Tila was wrong. But he knew she wasn't. Their chances of making it back to the ships undiscovered were already slim. They were about to vanish.

Tila pointed down the corridor.

'Down there. I saw the shadows move. It could be flashlights.'

'Can you tell how many?'

'No. I would guess at least two.'

'Probably more than two,' he whispered, looking over her shoulder.

'Why?'

Malachi's grin broke against the danger. 'They've met you.'

Tila only replied with a soft grunt but he saw her shoulders relax. Whatever happened next, they would face it together.

'Do we run or fight?' he asked again, serious once more.

Malachi could see her assessing her options, knowing only one could win. The outcome would be the same. She would choose whichever could best keep Ellie safe. She always did. But he knew she lacked the certain knowledge to make that decision.

'We fight,' she said, reaching back over her shoulder for her staff. 'This is the only corridor that goes the right direction. The other one turns back the way we came. Are you ready?'

'No,' he said with resignation.

'It's a good place for an ambush. You stand over there. When they come through we'll catch them by surprise from two sides.'

'You always preferred the direct route,' he said as he took up his position opposite Tila and facing the elevators. Malachi pressed himself against the wall as flat as possible to.

'It's better to go through someone than around them.'

'You mean quicker,' he corrected.

'That's what I said.'

Malachi's nostrils flared. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him. He wanted to run, not fight.

'I don't know how much more of this I can take,' he whispered.

Tila readied herself. Her staff was out and low, ready for her to swing it like an axe at the first person she saw.

'You get used to it,' she whispered back. 'Be ready. Go hard and fast. Don't let them react.'

'I'm not a fighter like you, Tila.'

'I fight because I have to. Now you have to. We have to. You'll be fine. I'm right here.'

They waited. Malachi's heart threatened to burst free and fly away. His palms were slick and his head felt light. Tila simply waited. There was a job to be done and she was ready to do it.

They sounds were too close now to risk looking around the corner so they had to rely on hearing alone. But muffled echoes hid the truth of the numbers coming their way. Tila assumed more than two pirates were nearby but how many exactly? Three? Four? To Tila it made no difference. She would fight ten of these pirates if it meant keeping her friends safe.

Unless they were agents, not pirates.

The sounds came closer. Individual footsteps became more distinct. Lights played on the elevator doors. The flashlights were in the corridor now. They were almost here. Tila still couldn't tell how many. The rapid and confusing interplay of light and shadow made it impossible to be sure.