“What was that?” Viola shouted.

They had their answer when a Hookshark vaulted from the water. It reached so high that its white eyes were level with the Bewlah’s rail, and it opened its mouth, exposing hundreds of sharp teeth. Hasu screamed and fired the harpoon, but it missed. The Hookshark splashed back into the water.

“Barclay!” Ulick bellowed.

Barclay scrambled to his feet and aimed more wind at the sails. The Bewlah narrowly dodged the second whirlpool.

“Cecily!” Ulick yelled. “Is the island ahead?”

Still hugging the mast, Cecily peered ahead through the spyglass. “Not yet!”

A terrible doubt wheedled itself into Barclay’s mind. What if they hadn’t found the Isle of Roane at all? What if he was leading them all to their doom?

Another Hookshark surfaced. It leapt so high that when it fell, it tore off a chunk of the Bewlah’s starboard rail. Wooden beams and crates plunked into the ocean, and the shock of impact sent the ship quaking from side to side.

Barclay held on to the boat for dear life and gave all his power to the sails. That was the only way they would make it to the island. He blew gust after gust. Faster. Faster. The Bewlah danced around the dozens of whirlpools, until at last, Cecily shouted, “I see it! I see an island to the northwest!”

Before Barclay could cheer or sigh with relief, another Hookshark sprang out of the water. It landed on the Bewlah, and the boat groaned as it tilted downward from the weight of the Hookshark’s massive body. Even Ulick shrieked this time—surprisingly high-pitched for a man his size—as the ship nearly tipped over. The Hookshark flailed, trying to squirm its way farther up the deck. It opened its jaw wide, wide.

Viola screamed. The ropes she held slipped from her grasp, and she skidded down the deck—right toward the Hookshark’s mouth.

“Help!” she wailed.

“Wind!” Barclay shouted desperately. The gust sent Viola rolling out of the Beast’s path. She grabbed ahold of what remained of the rail and squeezed tight.

The Hookshark thrashed, and the Bewlah groaned louder beneath it. Any moment now the Beast would snap the ship in two.

Then Shazi took off running down the sloping deck. After nearly losing her balance twice, she whacked the Hookshark hard on its snout with both her swords. It jerked away and sank into the water.

The Bewlah whipped back to an upright position and continued onward. The Isle of Roane came into view in the distance. It was smaller than Barclay had expected, and he scanned its shores for Tadg. But from this far, he couldn’t see anything.

“We need more wind!” Ulick told him, and Barclay snapped his focus back to his job. Tadg had to be there—alive. He had to be.

“There’s something else out there!” Cecily shouted.

“More Hooksharks?” Viola called fearfully.