Cover

Praise for SEAFIRE

PRAISE FOR

“One of the most spell-binding adventures of the year. This is female piracy at its best.”—SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“The best kind of fantasy. . . . Impossible to put down.”—PASTE

“This is Mad Max by way of Davy Jones, a high-energy, breathless adventure.”—BOOKLIST

“The pace of the book is fast and relentless, and the action sequences tense and believable, but the best moments are the ones in which the female relationships shine.”—NPR

“Absolutely enthralling. Seafire is a relentless adventure about friendship and found family, trust and betrayal, and a vow for vengeance as unstoppable as the sea.” —HEIDI HEILIG, author of THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE and THE SHIP BEYOND TIME

“Parker has crafted a thrilling, empowering tale of doing what is right, not what is easy. Any reader who’s dreamed of the high seas, adventure, and freedom will be clamoring to join the crew of the Mors Navis. An emotional and pulse-pounding read.” —TESS SHARPE, author of FAR FROM YOU and BARBED WIRE HEART

“A stunning and powerful book about choosing to fight in the face of vicious odds. Seafire will stay with you long after you finish reading.”—BRENDAN REICHS, New York Times bestselling author of NEMESIS

“A brilliant story that shows the strength and bravery of girls against the world. Natalie C. Parker has given me a book I wish I’d had when I was younger.” —ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA, award-winning author of the BROOKLYN BRUJAS series

Dedication

For Sean & Maureen

and

Travis & Carly,

my siblings before the law had anything to do with it

Before

BEFORE

The stars felt close tonight. From his place cradled in the nest, far up the mainmast on a night as dark as this one, Donnally felt they were especially near, almost within reach. He loved that illusive, unsettling feeling of suspension. If he held still, breathed just right, he could convince his mind that it was as possible to sink upward into the sky as it was to slip into the sea. For a split second, his body was as light as air, and the entire universe was at his fingertips. When he reached up to pluck a single star from the glittering array, the illusion broke. In a flash of disorienting dizziness, he was part of the earth again, with feet firmly planted on the floor of the nest and head tipped up.

“Would you quit picking at the sky?” Ares slumped against one side of the protective bowl that encircled them both, bored and tired. The combination made him irritable. Like his older sister, he was destined to be tall with broad shoulders and long arms. His skin was the same sunny brown as Pisces’s, and his hair was long and black.

“Why does it bother you?” Donnally asked, tipping his head backward over the lip of the nest so that the ocean became the sky.