"El ie," Wil said firmly as he turned to me. "Do you hear me? We need to get our weapons and fight. We aren't at the trench yet."

I said nothing but stared ahead into the blinding glare cast by the ship's lights, which reflected off the mist that was rising off the seas with nightfal . Beyond was darkness and more screams. I heard the pop-pop of gunfire and saw white flashes like firecrackers on the other side of the cabin. Wil jumped in front of me and grabbed both my shoulders, his green eyes brightening fiercely. "Snap out of it, El ie! If you stay here, you wil die and so wil everyone else. You can't let everyone die!"

"I need my swords," I said weakly.

"There's my girl," he said, and touched my cheek. I cal ed my swords. The fading light caught the Enochian etchings running the length of both blades. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I believed in myself. I had faith in my power.

We ducked low and darted in through the cabin door. Wil lugged the hard gun case out of the duffel bag and flipped it open. Inside were two pistols and a shotgun, along with a lot of ammunition.

"I've never shot a gun before," I said shakily.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "They're not for you." He loaded up and stuck the pistols in his jeans and held the shotgun in one hand.

"But guns won't kil a reaper," I said.

"You shoot enough bul ets to destroy the head. It wil turn into stone once it's dead."

I gave a slow, understanding nod. "Where's Nathaniel?" I asked, my voice steadying.

Wil shook his head and stood up with me. "I have no idea. Probably fighting. He needs these. Are you with me?"

I nodded.

"I need you, El ie."

"I'm with you."

He studied my face for another few excruciating moments, his expression hard. "Let's go. People are dying."

I fol owed him back out of the cabin and up onto the main deck. The cries were chaotic and shril , flooding my ears. The first thing I saw when I emerged was Nathaniel standing with his back to me, and above him Ivar. Her massive wings spread high and wide, her pale eyes grew bright like twin ful moons embedded deep in her skul . Her power surged around her, whipping her ashen hair wildly about. She backhanded Nathaniel's face, and he crashed to the ground.

"Nathaniel!" Wil bel owed and threw the shotgun. Nathaniel grabbed it, spun around, pumped the shotgun once, and blasted Ivar square in the chest, knocking her back a few steps. She righted herself and stared down at the hole in her rib cage. She looked back up to him and snarled, baring fangs, and the wound closed back up.

"You ruined my dress," she hissed, and stomped toward him.

He pumped the shotgun again, blowing a hole through her shoulder as she jerked her head out of the slug's path, which thumped her body to the side, but she kept coming. Something thunk ed above me, and my head snapped up to see the madly grinning, shark-toothed face of Geir leaning over the roof of the cabin. His wings spread like a canopy over me and he leaped off the roof and landed between me and Wil .

"Thought you could run, eh, Preliator?" he asked, licking his lips with a devilish hunger. His mouth grinned wider than biology should have al owed.

A rush of courage went through me, and I ran at him, swinging my swords, but he vanished from my sight for a heartbeat. Something pounded into my back and I hit the floor. I flipped over and saw that Geir's hands had transformed into monster claws again. He reached down for me and grabbed me around the throat. His other hand yanked my swords away, and lightning fast, he wrenched me high over his head and slammed me into the cabin wal . He held me too high for my toes to touch the floor, and his claws tightened around my throat. He pressed me harder into the wal until I could barely breathe.

"Where is the Enshi?" he snarled.

When I didn't answer him, he yanked me forward and then slammed me deeper into the wal , the metal crunching. I cried out as pain shot up and down my body.

"Where is the sarcophagus?" he screamed into my face, his yel ow eyes blazing. He roared and threw me. I hit the floor hard and slid until I struck the gunwhale. Geir's clawed hand snatched my ankle and dragged me back toward him. He flipped me onto my back, held both my wrists over my head with one hand, and crouched over me, digging his talons into my cheek and throat with his other hand. A crewman swung a steel rod at Geir, but the reaper slashed with his talons and ripped the poor man's chest wide open. "As I was saying," the reaper said, flicking the points of his needle teeth with his pale tongue. "Even if we have to tear this tin can apart bolt by bolt, we're stil going to kil you al ."

I wrenched an arm free and punched Geir in the face. He released me and doubled over, hissing obscenities at me. I twisted away from him, but a hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and jerked my head back. I stared into the beautiful, ghostly face of Ivar.

"I've had about enough of you," she growled, her hair flowing around us wildly in the misty ocean wind. My fear spun into anger and I threw a fist at her, but she grabbed me by the throat, flipped me over her head, and chucked me upside down like a rag dol into the ship's smokestack. The metal clanged and crunched upon impact, and I slid to the deck headfirst, crumpling into a heap. I looked up to see Ivar launching herself toward me, wings spread wide, hands outstretched to grab me, and I saw one of my swords lying between us.

I leaped for it, grabbed the helve with both hands, and swung high. Ivar hissed and dived to the left, but my blade sliced through her wing. She shrieked and lost control, spiraling into the rail. I jumped to my feet as she recovered, and as I raised my sword high and slashed down, her hands caught both my wrists and we were locked in a battle of brute strength.