21
The battle between Luca and the pirate raged on, with my mate getting the worst of it. He was not only slower because of his mortality, but because his inability to swim meant he couldn’t dodge some of the broader swipes. The results were several cuts into his arms and across his chest, some of which merely sliced his clothes and others that had produced blood. His thick life fluid floated out of him in thin strands as his foe stood before him with a mocking grin on his face.
The pirate pointed his weapon at one of Luca’s wounds. “So you blue-bloods bleed as we do, do ya?”
Luca clutched his bleeding arm and glared back at his foe. His tail swished wildly behind him, and an idea struck me. “Luca!” His eyes flickered to me, and I stabbed a finger at his tail. “Rudder and oar!”
