“Thing is,” said Ossian, “you need consent for a sacrifice. Without the consent, it’s a dark magic, one with a serious cost. And it’s not that I care about the Ollephest. I’m just worried about what you might unleash.”
Gina’s sneakers squeaked in the blood. “I’m somewhat regretting leaving the hotel, because this is worse than the Nando’s situation.”
I could hardly hear their words. Pain trembled up my limbs. Images flashed in my mind—Salem’s perfect body, burning in a cave.
“I understand that,” I said. “But what else will we come up with in the next few hours? She said now. How long do you think we have?” I felt a tug in my chest, like a rope of hot fire pulling me toward Salem. “Gina. If you’d heard Anat’s threats, I’m pretty sure you’d be on board. Anyway, the knights do it all the time. The shadow fae, the sea fae—they dedicate their kills to the gods they serve. Nothing bad happens.”
“But they don’t ask for magic, do they?” said Ossian. “It’s the bargain that’s the problem. Anyway, I just thought I’d warn you. I still want to do it, honestly. I’d do anything to kill that serpentine fuck.”
“Good. Because we don’t know that something terrible will happen with a sacrifice. But we do know something terrible will definitely happen without it. And you know what? I’ve sacrificed someone for power before. And it worked. And I’m fine.”
Ossian stared at me. “You’ve sacrificed someone else’s life to the gods in exchange for more magic? Here I was thinking you were nice.”
My heart was thundering in my chest at the memory. “I did it to protect Ys. I did what I had to do. It’s what a leader does.”
In fact, that sacrifice was seared into my memory, because it had been my first kill.
“The man I killed had conspired against the crown,” I began. “Mama said he didn’t think women were fit to rule—that he planned to gut us like fish. He was a bad guy, like the Ollephest. So I used the sea to smash his body against the rocks. We dedicated his death to the sea god. Ys had been suffering from a drought, and his death brought the crops back to life. The sea god gave us his power in exchange for a life. It worked. I did what I had to do, and I’d do it again.”
My skin was growing hotter again, burning. That long-buried memory rising from the depths of my mind was making me too hot. That man’s broken body on the rocks, arms bent at odd angles…
But it got the job done, hadn’t it?
I took a deep breath, certainty rising in me. “I’m going to kill the Ollephest. A sacrifice to the sea god. It’s the best we can do right now. Ossian, let’s get to the soul cage.”
5
Aenor
It had taken us less than an hour to get back to the little island near where I’d left Salem yesterday. By Ossian’s side, I stood on the craggy shore, watching the sky turn a dull, dusky blue over the Atlantic. Jagged rock and moss spread out behind us. Before us lay the turquoise sea, fading to dark blue in the depths where Salem lay.
This was where we’d battled the Fomorians yesterday, not far from Mag Mell. It seemed insane that only a day had passed since Salem had locked himself in the driftwood. He wasn’t far from me now.
I gripped Ossian’s sword, its blade destined for the Ollephest’s neck. That burning cord was burrowing deeper into my chest, simmering hot. It tugged me to my mate.
Ossian was facing the opposite direction from me, looking back at the jagged coast. “The knights aren’t going to bury their own?”
It wasn’t till he mentioned it that the stench of death hit me hard. I was so intent on thinking about Salem that I’d barely noticed the corpses slumped between the rocky crevices. Turning, I surveyed the slain, surprised to find that some of the fae knights still lay among the dead Fomorians. Weren’t the knights going to collect their fallen, give them a proper burial? As for the Fomorians, they’d probably lie here rotting among the palm trees until the sun bleached their bones.
I turned back to the glistening water. “You’re sure Gina will be okay in your cottage?”
“I put up some intense magical protections before we left, and she’s got several bags of crisps. She’s just annoyed you’re not listening to her cautions.”
I closed my eyes, and immediately I was greeted by the horrific image of Salem burning in his old cave in Gehenna. His beautiful body twisted and contorted in the flames, smoke rising from his agonized face. I felt the pain.
No time left.
My eyes snapped open again, and I gasped for breath. A cold sweat beaded on my brows.
“You all right?” asked Ossian.
“I just need to get him out.” I hadn’t meant to say anything at all, but the words came out desperate, almost a growl. Primal.
Sunlight gleamed in Ossian’s blue eyes, and he took a step closer to me. “I get it. I know that desperation you feel. It’s very familiar to me. Only it’s too late for me to save mine. You still have a chance. All I have left is vengeance, yeah?”
I nodded.
“And you’re doing what you have to do to stop Anat from returning,” he continued. “Salem will be grateful to you for letting him out, even if he can’t love.”
There it was again… that phrase can’t love. It made my heart tighten.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do this. Just try to make sure you don’t murder me if the Ollephest starts poisoning our minds with fears. And try not to succumb to my charms when I’m using my Morgan magic.”
He rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll be fine, love.”
I pulled my comb from my pocket, carved from a seashell, and stroked my fingertips over the ridges. Then I crossed to the rocky shore, my pulse already racing.
I closed my eyes and pulled the comb through my blue locks. I launched into a low, sweet Morgan song to lure the Ollephest to me.
My sea magic snaked up and down my body, trembling along my legs, my hips. As my song floated through the air, I tuned into the screeching magic of the Ollephest. I could sense my power coiling around its undulating body. When I stepped into the cold waves, I felt the monster moving for me already. Its shrieking cries reverberated through the water.
I opened my eyes again. Now, the sunlight seemed to burn brighter, gleaming off the waves.
I felt a hand at my feet, and I glanced down at Ossian. With my song in the air, he’d fallen to his knees, seawater glistening over his tattooed chest. He stared up at me like I was a goddess. Seemed he’d been hit in the crossfire of my enchantment.
I gave him a light kick in the ribs, and he seemed to snap out of it. He looked horrified as he stood and focused again on the sea.
As for me, I pulled my focus back to the oncoming Ollephest, searching the seas for its sinuous body. If I let it get too close, Ossian and I were goners. I had to keep a razor-sharp focus.
I sang louder, eyes on the sea, and pulled the comb through my hair.
At last, I caught a glimpse of it moving closer, snaking along the waves. I grinned at the sight of its serpentine body, its scales glistening in the sun. A perfect sacrifice for the sea god. My power would be immense.
Already, I thought I could smell the creature—a bitter, acrid scent so sharp that it made me want to retch.
A flicker of nerves fluttered in my chest. One could make the argument that luring the Ollephest closer was a terrible idea, that its inspired hallucinations would make me vulnerable. I could end up screaming in hysteria as its magic infected my mind, and it would simply sink its enormous ivory teeth into me, ripping through my lungs, my bowels. But—but—
Terror savaged my mind. Why was I here?
I gripped the hilt of the sword tighter, trying to keep my wits about me. Already, my mind fogged with the creature’s magic.
Another frantic heartbeat, and I was ripped off the island, into another time and place in my mind.
Now, I was standing on the side of a cliff in Ys. Clouds rolled in, roiling in the skies above me. I stared down at the churning sea, and the bells of Ys tolled for an execution. The m
an lay chained to the rock at the bottom of the cliffs—the traitor who wanted to kill the queen.
A sacrifice to the sea god.
Queens, princesses… we all had to do what was best for our kingdoms. Even if it meant getting our hands dirty.
On the cliffs, sunlight beamed, radiant over the sea. I lifted my arms to the skies and called the sea forth. A wicked smile curled my lips as my magic crackled through my veins. I’d keep my kingdom safe with blood if that was what the gods required. The sea smashed the man harder against the rocks, breaking his bones, cracking his head.
When I’d finished, I looked down at his broken body. The sea god’s euphoric blessing vibrated up and down my skin. But this had been a dark spell… a blood sacrifice, and it made my knees weak.
And when I looked too long at my victim, the panic hit me hard.
There he was, the broken prisoner. Rivulets of blood streaked his limbs, webs of crimson on his arms. The blood flowed over his pale skin, meeting in the center of his bare chest.
My legs were shaking now. It wasn’t the prisoner beneath me. It was Salem, his body shattered by the waves. I’d killed him.
This was all wrong. Wrong.
Ossian’s screams ripped me from the nightmare, and I found myself straddling him, my arms around his throat. He flung me off him, and I landed on the rocks.
My breath came fast and sharp as I scrambled to get my bearings. “The spell!” I shouted.
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Ossian was rattling off the spell, his melodic voice floating over the waves. Swallowing hard, I focused on the sea again. The Ollephest was only a hundred feet away now, rushing right for me.
I stared at the creature, its body skimming the surface of the sea in undulating waves, and readied my sword. If this failed, we’d both be dead.
But it seemed like Ossian’s spell was working. I stared as droplets of water rose from the Ollephest’s scales, rising into the air above it. It was like a heavy rain falling upward.
The creature’s bitter scent curled into my nostrils, thick like bile on my tongue. My legs still shook from fear. The creature’s body writhed in the water. Its tail snapped back and forth in what looked like death spasms, but it was moving too fast for us, still strong.
As it slammed onto the shore, headfirst, the monster opened its jaws.
And I was struck by the sudden realization that this all may have been a miscalculation.
6
Aenor
I leapt out of the way, and the Ollephest reared its head above me. I thrust upward with my sword, and the blade plunged through the roof of its mouth. Blood poured from the wound. I pulled the sword out as fast as I could, but that hadn’t been enough to kill it, and I scrambled back.
The creature was screaming, head writhing. He lunged for me again, snapping its jaws. I flung myself out of the way, landing in a tumbler’s somersault on the rocks. Frantically, I jumped up to run for the monster’s neck.
With a jolt of panic, I tried to grab on to the scales to climb just behind its head. The only safe place was the one spot the creature couldn’t reach me with its jaw.
The scales felt crumbly in my fingers, and it was hard to hold on, but I dug my fingers in. As I climbed the Ollephest’s back, I could feel its thick muscles beneath me. Heart pounding, I just managed to slide my leg over its neck. It was frantically slamming its head down, trying to fling me off, and I struggled to stay on, my pulse racing wildly.
I was gripping the top of its head, clutching the dry scales as it twisted and jerked over the rocks. It was only then I realized I’d lost my freaking sword while I was trying to climb the bastard, but I was more focused on trying to stay mounted.
But now, the water was streaming faster from the serpent’s body, rays of water shooting into the sky above it. It was withering beneath me, twisting and twitching as Ossian chanted the spell.
Now, its single eye looked like rough black pebble, the scales on its back dry and desiccated. It was like the creature was deflating beneath me, body turning into dust. My heart started to slow down a little as its screams began to fade, movements growing weaker. The scales turned to powder in my hands, and I slid off him.
Ossian handed me my sword, and I looked down at the wilted monster.
“If you take his head off,” said Ossian, “he’s dead.”
I raised my sword above his neck. “I dedicate this death to the god of the sea, and I ask for his blessing.”
I brought the sword down hard, severing the monster’s head. Dust clouded around the blade as I brought it through cleanly to the rocks beneath. Not a single drop of blood spilled out—only a powder.
For a moment, I looked up at Ossian.
He beamed at me, eyes shining. “I think I love you, Aenor. I think we are a perfect team.”
I caught my breath, waiting to feel the sea god’s blessing. “I don’t feel any power yet.”
Despite the chill in the air, a bead of sweat dripped down my temple, and I wiped it off. The scent of almonds and sea-swept stones rose around me, reminding me of Lyr. When I turned to look at the water, it seemed to grow darker with a red sheen, the color of dried blood.
Coldness surged through my veins, and icy tingles ran over me. There it is.
My back arched as the blessing filled my body. Now, each beat of my heart was like a wave slamming hard against the shore. The gale picked up, rushing over the salty ocean, carrying the scent of brine over the rocks. My hair whipped around my head.
Life.
The sea was the source of all life. This was where it had all begun, and its power was mine. Waves of ice rushed through my veins, and I lifted my hands to the skies. The god imbued my muscles with strength. I closed my eyes, and the magic rose stronger within me, a tidal wave. I could feel the sea god’s presence here, feel his silky magic.
Ossian was speaking to me now, but I could hardly hear him. A bell-like god’s voice filled my skull, a language meant only for the divine. I couldn’t make out the words, and they made me feel half-mad. But I was sure this would do it. This was what I needed to seal the fissure, to rip the soul cage open once more.
My body vibrated like a harp string.
When I opened my eyes again, I found that someone else had joined us, standing just ten feet away before a portal ripped in the rock. My heart slammed against my ribs at the sight of Lyr—the demigod of the sea. Sunlight streamed over him, and his cold breath clouded around his head in the chilly October air.
“Lyr,” I whispered. I had certainly just been caught doing something he would not approve of.
What a time for a knight to return to collect the bodies.
Lyr’s fingers twitched at the hilt of his sword. As he prowled closer to me, his eyes were glacial. He must have seen his father’s magic radiating from me, and I felt like I’d stolen it. But he couldn’t stop me now, could he?
“What are you doing, Aenor?” he asked, his voice distant.
Becoming a god. At least for a moment.
When I breathed out, frost spread along the wind. When I inhaled again, glimmering snowflakes fell from the skies, catching with amber in the sunlight. Beneath my feet, webs of frost spread out, crawling over the bloodied rocks in thin tendrils. Ice gathered on the eyebrows of the dead, in their beards.
Ah, this wasn’t an October chill. This was me.
I beamed at Lyr. “I have been blessed with the magic of the sea god. Your dad gave me this gift. I’m going down to the fissure, and I’ll seal it up for good. We won’t need any more drowned gods.”
Lyr’s hand was at his sword again. “Aenor. What have you done?”
“I did what I had to do, Lyr.”
“My father will extract a price from you that you might not want to pay. This is an outrageous transgression.”
The surge of power roiled in me like a storm. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“But you did have a choice.” Lyr took another step closer, like he was trying to calm a wild an
imal. “Because you’re not doing this to save the world, are you? Salem’s magic is keeping the fissure shut. You could leave him there, and a wise person would. You’re doing this because he is your mate.”
That felt like a fist to my gut. I hadn’t wanted everyone to know. “Where did you get that idea? Is that what the Winter Witch told you? She’s mad, you know.”
“And yet she’s often right.” Sadness shone in his pale eyes. “Beira suspects he’s your mate, but she doesn’t know for sure. And I think that she must be correct, because why the fuck else would he lock himself in a cage—a monster like him, who cares for no one, who likes it when things burn? And why the fuck else would you be making an idiotic decision like this?” His eyes were shards of ice. “So, I think perhaps the mad old hag is right. Again.”
“The old hag wanted me to wear a binding collar, remember? She wanted to turn me into a husk of a person.”
“I remember. You ran from me. But the collar is gone now.”
“Look, Lyr. This isn’t just about Salem. His mother issued some very specific and disturbing threats if we didn’t get him out right away. Lots of winnowing and burning of fae, starting with Ossian and me. She happens to be the war goddess Anat, and she’s not messing around.”
“I was there,” added Ossian. “She was terrifying. Hot, but terrifying.”
“Perhaps,” said Lyr. “But what you’re doing will cost you dearly. And maybe Salem is your mate, but he killed your mother and destroyed your kingdom. You haven’t forgotten that, have you? This is traitorous.”
“I’d never forget that,” I said. “But just so you know, we weren’t innocent either. Mama and I drowned his sister. It was a way of stealing more magic for Ys. We drowned his twin, Lyr. The only person he ever cared about.”
Palpable anger rolled off Lyr. “You’re actually defending him.”
“The bargain is made.” The ocean was calling to me now, a seductive whisper luring me closer. “It’s done, Lyr.” That time, it wasn’t my voice. No, I thought it was the voice of the sea god.
Rising Queen Page 3
