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Back Sea of Ruin Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Copyright
  3. Author's Note
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. Other Books by Pam Godwin
  63. About Pam Godwin
  64. Don't miss out!

I tumbled downward along the sharply sloping deck, shoved by gravity and banging into debris. The descent was unpreventable, terrifying, stealing every ounce of breath from my lungs. Even so, I swung my head left and right, looking for Ashley, desperate for a last glimpse of him.

The waves rose up and grabbed my legs, drenching me in salt water and tossing me into the flotsam of netting, chunks of wood, dead bodies, and chaos.

I tried to stay afloat and evade the line of cannon fire coming from HMS Blitz. My lungs seethed with smoke. Busted casks slammed into my head, and the ocean rolled over me, pulling me under.

Warm currents surged from every direction, driving water into my nose and eyes. Pieces of shipwreck arrowed through the water like bullets. I pumped my arms and legs, trying to avoid the volley while swimming toward the surface. But I was too deep.

Far above, the ship exploded in orange balls of fire, lighting up the sea. The hull’s broken skeleton dove into the abyss, clouding the water in boils of smoke as it dragged canvas, spars, and cables down with it.

Ashley’s shirt fluttered around my upturned legs, contorting my view of the devastation. As the warship plunged to its death, following me into the nether world, it felt dreamlike. Fantastical. Beautiful even.

But it wasn’t. I’d lost Ashley and Priest.

All had been taken from me, and soon my last breath would be taken, too.

My lungs began to give out. Something crashed into my head from behind. Pain shattered. My heartbeats slowed, and the inevitability of the end fell upon me.

I wasn’t ready.

I wasn’t ready.

I wasn’t ready.

39

I was floating.

Not in water.

Not on a ship or a piece of flotsam.

I floated in the air, held up by an unseen heavenly force.

It must have been a dream. Certainly not death, for when I departed, my destination would be far below the seabed, down in the infernal regions of torment for the bad and the worse.

A breeze kissed my face, warm and briny. It felt so unreal I didn’t want to open my eyes to reality. But my lashes lifted on their own, pulling against the weight of a strange drowsiness. My head felt achingly heavy, my lungs bruised and eyes bleary.

Sprinkles of light filtered in, dominated by one brilliant color.

Blue sky.

Blue water.

Blue eyes.

My heart missed a beat.

I struggled to sit up, but there was nothing beneath me.

Except arms. Strong, masculine arms.

Salt stung my skin and burned my nose. I gulped in air, coughed, and blinked rapidly, trying to focus past the daze. Then I saw him.

“Welcome back, Goldilocks.” Ashley smiled down at me, his full lips tipping wearily amid a glow of blinding light.

“What?” I wiggled and twisted, unable to find purchase, swimming in confusion. “You died.”