by Tara West
When her pale cheeks colored, Alec thought he’d said too much, though he spoke the truth. How cruel fate had been to rob this sweet soul of her body.
“Lunch is served, lad.” Grim laid a plank of raw fish fillets before him. “Sorry they can’t be cooked, but you must eat to regain your strength.” He picked up a fillet, slurping it down with a grimace. “See? Like this.” He washed it down with palma juice.
Alec grabbed a fillet, hesitantly taking a bite. It tasted sour, almost spoiled—unusual for fresh meat. He quickly washed it down with palma juice, ignoring Khashka’s scowls and grumbling that they were draining their reserves.
Grim slurped down another fillet, then held one up to Khashka. “Hungry? It’s nothing like Dwarven meat pies, but it will have to do.”
“Not I.” Khashka waved the dwarf away.
Alec swallowed another bite, nearly retching it back up, then took another long drink of palma juice. He pushed the plank away. “I can’t stomach anymore.”
“I must feed Gorpat.” Grim abruptly sank to his knees and fell over, his eyes rolling back.
Alec shot up. “Grim!”
He looked at Ryne and Thorne, who’d dropped their blades and were stumbling around the barge like drunks. Alec’s tongue and limbs felt strangely heavy.
“Dada!” Gorpat screamed, knocking Alec back with her hot breath. “Dada sick!” She stopped kicking, causing Khashka to nearly tumble off the barge.
“You foolish broots.” Khashka kicked over the bucket of fish entrails. “Those fish are somnus.”
“Thomnus?” Alec mumbled, his heart slowing to a dull thud.
Swearing, Khashka dumped the guts over the side of the boat. “Don’t eat these, Gorpat.”
Mari floated down to Alec. “Eris’s soldiers used somnus innards to make sleeping darts.”
“Oh,” Alec rasped, then slid down on his back, blinking up at the blinding sun, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
“Khashka!” Thorne cried. “I know why you want to go to Eris’s island. ’Tis a fool’s quest. Stay the course. Stay, stay....”
Alec heard nothing but the slow beating of his heart and the sound of his father’s voice.
Fear not, dear son. I will keep watch.
* * *
The guards led Dianna to Simeon and Jae, who were wrapped in leafy cocoons in a small, dank cell. When she blasted the ivy restraints, they shriveled up and turned to dust, leaving Simeon and Jae gaping up at her like newborn babes. The scene was so comical, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“What is so funny!” Simeon grumbled, stretching his arms and legs.
She wiped her eyes and fell beside Simeon. “I’m sorry.” She took his hands in hers. “Now is not a time for merriment.”
To her surprise, he sat up and pulled her hands to his mouth, feathering a soft kiss across her knuckles.
“There’s always time to be merry,” he said.
She jerked her hands back as if they’d been scalded by his lips. She was angry with herself for falling for Simeon’s charms. After what happened with Feira and Tumi, Dianna never wanted to go through the pain of falling in love, only to cruelly lose him to old age and death while she continued on without him.
She got to her feet, wiping her knuckles on her breeches. “Zephyra is imprisoned, and the rest of The Seven are dead.”
Jae sat up, brushing debris off her tattered dress. “Why didn’t you kill my mother?”
Dianna blinked hard at the lack of emotion in Jae’s words, though she could hardly fault her for hating Zephyra. “I couldn’t.” She turned away, unable to stand the look of disappointment in Jae’s eyes.
“I could,” Jae whispered.
“Do not worry, sister.” Simeon grasped Jae’s shoulders, searching her face. “She will face judgment.”
When Simeon gave his sister a hard hug, Dianna felt like she was intruding on their tender moment, though she didn’t look away. Instead, she watched longingly, yearning to be reunited with her brothers.
Simeon kissed his sister on the forehead, then helped her stand. He released her, then stepped forward, taking Dianna’s hands in a surprisingly warm and strong grip. “Thank you for freeing Jae and me, and the people of Kyanu from The Seven’s tyranny.”
She nodded, feeling regret. Had she found her magic before they’d first fought The Seven, Feira might still be alive. “Feira did not survive.” She pulled away from him, wiping her watery eyes.
“I know. She has gone to the Elements with Tumi. Do not cry.” He wiped moisture from her cheek. “Tumi will be whole again, and they will be happy together.”
“How do you know this?” Dianna sniffled.
“The journey of the afterlife is written in the scrolls,” Jae said, “passed down from Kyan.”
It is true, Sindri echoed.
Neriphene laughed. I helped my mother write those scrolls.
This made no sense. Feira kept her three-hundred-year-old corpse of a husband barely alive when they could have passed happily to the Elements together? “Then why didn’t Feira and Tumi go to the Elements long ago?”
Simeon rocked on his heels. “I believe she was waiting for you to take her place.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know if she was ready to accept Feira’s role as deity of the Shifting Sands. Up until recently, she had simply been Dianna, big sister to Des, skilled huntress, and secretive witch. She’d been forced to flee with Madhea’s dragon, an unwelcome visitor in a strange land. She did not wish to be anyone’s deity. She simply wanted to keep her brothers safe.
Simeon arched a brow, his smile revealing the dimple in his cheek. “Have you found your magic?”
She stared down at her hands. Even now she felt the buzzing energy after striking down The Seven. “I have.”
“Good.” Simeon stepped close to her, so close, his fresh earthy scent wrapped around her senses. “Now we go save your brother.”
Chapter Fifteen
Alec knew he had to be dreaming, for Rowlen was dead, and yet he was back home in the family hut, sitting across from his father at the breakfast table. Father was drinking black coffee, saying not a word while penetrating him with those dark eyes. Their hut was slowly rocking as if ’twas a ship at sea. Alec stood and stared out the window, expecting to see his mother’s herb garden. Instead there was a massive volcano jutting out from the ocean, waves crashing against its rocky shore.
Alec stumbled back when a great green beast with dripping fangs passed in front of the window.
He fell back into the chair, looking at his father. “What was that?”
“Eris’s dragon,” his father answered. “You must wake.”
* * *
Alec’s eyes flew open, and he rolled over, gasping as he tried to stand.
“Easy, boy, before you topple off the barge.”
Alec sat up and looked into Khashka’s crinkled eyes through the haze obscuring his vision. “Where are we?” Wherever they were, the thick, soupy air was surprisingly warm, too warm.
The old man’s gaze flickered away, then back to Alec, the smile he plastered on his face appearing to be carved of stone. “We are headed for Aloa-Shay.” He latched onto Alec’s arm. “Don’t try to get up.”
Alec shook off Khashka’s grip. “Don’t lie to me.” He stumbled to his feet, weaving to the back of the barge where the giant was still kicking. The poor girl’s droopy eyes looked ready to fall shut. Her nose and forehead were red from exertion or the sun, her lips chapped, and her fingers soaked, bloated sausages. “Gorpat, are you tired?” Alec asked.
“Gorpat tired.” The giant heaved a sigh, her forehead folds handing over her brow. “Gorpat thirsty. Gorpat hungry.”
He scanned the fog gathering on the water, so thick he could barely see a few paces in either direction. “Stop kicking. I think we’re going the wrong way. I need to wake your father.”
He bent down beside the dwarf, shaking his shoulder. “Grim, wake up.”
Khashka hovered over them,
wringing his fingers together. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He glared at the old man as an unsettling feeling washed over him. When he filled his lungs with the heavy ocean air, he was left with a bitter taste on his tongue, as if he’d eaten ash from a campfire. Though he’d never been to the fishing village of Aloa-Shay, he knew they were far from there.
Something was definitely not right. He shook the dwarf again, to no avail.
He looked up at Khashka with a scowl. “You knew those fish were poisoned. Why didn’t you warn us?”
“I can’t help it if Thorne is a fool.” Khashka chuckled, rubbing a hand over his bald head. “He’s a fisherman, too. He should’ve known better.”
Alec stood, clenching his hands in anger. “But Grim and I are not fishermen.”
“No matter.” Khashka waved at a dark spec in the distance, though it was hard to tell if it was land or illusion, as thick as the air was. “We are almost to land.”
“Which land?” When Khashka averted his eyes, Alec punched his shoulder. “You son of a siren! You brought us to Eris’s island!”
“Alec, please.” Mari floated between them. “It’s a safer route.”
“Is that what you believe, Mari?” Alec spat. “Or are you in on this plan to retrieve your body?”
The spirit winced, looking at Alec as if he’d struck her heart with a barbed arrow. “We are not here to retrieve my body.”
“Aren’t we?” He looked at Khashka, who turned his back on them both.
“Father!” Mari shrieked, floating after him. “Tell me you did not deliberately put these men’s lives in danger.”
Khashka walked the edge of the barge, staring out at the water.
Mari moved in front of him, hovering above the waves. “Answer me!”
“I could not pass up the chance.” Khashka threw up his hands. “Mari, we have a goddess stone!”
She shrank back. “Do you think I can defeat Eris with a stone?”
Khashka vehemently shook his head. “We present it to her as a gift in exchange for your body.”
Rage pumped through Alec’s veins, and he gaped at the man who may have just doomed them all. He advanced upon Khashka with a roar, pushing the man face-first into the water.
“No, Alec!” Mari shrieked, her aura flickering as she swam above the bubbling water in circles.
Alec was relieved when Khashka popped above the surface, grabbing onto the sides of the barge, if only for Mari’s sake. He couldn’t deny he felt bad for upsetting her, and he, too, wished there was some way they could retrieve her body, but tricking men into taking on the vindictive sea goddess was not the way to do it.
He badly wanted to kick Khashka below the surface for good. “And how do we know she won’t just take the stone and kill us all?”
Khashka didn’t answer, heaving himself back on the barge without Alec’s help. Sitting on the planks, he wrung out his tattered pants. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Alec’s vision clouded with red. He charged the man again, but Mari blocked him with the stone, sending him flying onto his back.
He shot to his feet, storming toward Khashka again.
“Alec, no!” she pleaded as he passed through her.
“Risk your own neck, old man!” He screamed in Khashka’s face, spittle flying from his lips. “Not ours!”
Khashka was wise to scramble to his feet and back up a step. “You will not do this for Mari after she saved you twice and healed your broken bones?”
“No, he won’t do it,” Mari cried. “I won’t let him risk his life for me. We must turn this barge around now!”
Alec’s heart came to a violent stop when he went to give the giant orders to turn the barge around. Gorpat was gone!
The barge shook so violently, Alec and Khashka fell over.
“What was that?” Khashka rasped, the whites of his eyes standing out against his tanned, leathery skin.
“Leviathan!” Alec cried as memories of his dream came racing back. “My father warned me in my sleep.”
“It’s not a dragon.” Mari pointed. “It’s a broot. Look at all of them!”
A bulbous gray head with a solitary horn surfaced, blowing a spout of water before disappearing beneath their barge. Then another and another. They were surrounded by dozens of sea creatures! He fell to his knees when Gorpat surfaced with them, laughing and waving to Alec. “Big fish friends! Fish play with Gorpat!”
He cupped his hands over his mouth. “Gorpat, do not stray from the barge!”
But the giant was too busy laughing to pay him any heed.
“Great goddess!” Khashka’s hands flew to the top of his bald head. “There must be over three dozen.”
Indeed, there were so many, Alec lost count. They swam precariously close to them. He felt their low, guttural wails through his feet, yet none of them toppled the barge. Truly, they were gentle giants. He couldn’t help but smile as Gorpat laughed and splashed with the horned beasts. She had found kindred spirits.
Mari floated over them, laughing when they sprayed her spirit with water. “I’ve never seen one up close.” She turned to Alec, eyes sparkling. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Aye,” he agreed, though if he was being truthful with himself, he thought Mari far prettier than any whale.
“What’s happening? Where are we?”
Grim sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Alec bit back a curse, for once he told Grim of Khashka’s trickery, the dwarf would start swinging his axe.
When Ryne and Thorne stirred, Khashka turned as white as his spirit daughter. He would soon face his reckoning.
“No, fishies!” Gorpat hollered. She swam back to the barge when the whales suddenly became violent, jumping out of the water and rolling over each other, bumping the barge so hard, Alec fell and slid to the other side, nearly careening over the edge.
Mari spun a fast circle. “Why are they acting this way?”
He pulled himself up once again, scanning the water. Despite the heated air, a chill raced up his arms.
Thorne sprang up like a rodent popping out of his hole, pointing to something in the distance. “Naamaku!”
“Dragon!” Alec cried, his knees buckling as two glowing aqua orbs raced toward them.
“Kick, Gorpat!” Grim screamed. “Kick!”
* * *
Once again, the moon was heavy in the sky. Thousands of Kyanites gathered along the bank of the pond, their numbers stretching into the dunes and beyond. For the mortals among them, this was their first glimpse at the world above ground. Though a few witches among the crowd seemed uneasy, most easily joined with their mortal kinsmen, linking hands and collectively bowing their heads.
Dressed in a long, black robe, Simeon stood solemnly before the pyre, holding hands with his sisters while reciting the prayer. “Through life these dreams we make. With magic, these blessings we partake. In death our spirits wake. To the Elements we ask our souls to take. Amen.”
Dianna was surprised to find the prayer almost identical to the one she had recited for her parents, a prayer that had been passed down through generations in Adolan.
She leaned against Lydra, tracing the membrane of her smooth wing, pleased to see the healing magic she’d used on her after they’d freed Simeon had worked.
Tan’yi’na lit the pyre with his fiery breath. Simeon’s sisters had taken much care wrapping Tumi and Feira in shrouds, and within the blink of an eye, they had been reduced to ash.
When the wind shifted direction, bringing smoke and ash, Dianna had to shield her face.
The leviathan attacks. Brother is in danger, the wind hissed.
“Wh-What?” Dianna spun in a circle to find the source of the warning.
’Tis a message from the Elements, Neriphene warned.
Dianna raced up to Tan’yi’na, her heart pumping so fast, she thought it would burst. The golden dragon was hunched over the debris that had once been his deity, his fanged face longer and more drawn t
han usual.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but we must leave—now.”
What do you see?
“Eris’s dragon is attacking my brother. We may already be too late.”
The dragon’s frown deepened. Naamaku spits venom. I doubt we will make it in time.
She did her best to quell her shaking limbs. “We have to try.”
Chapter Sixteen
Gorpat grabbed hold of the barge and pushed, then abruptly released, letting out an agonized wail when the leviathan drove his fangs into her leg. She turned, crying and shielding her face when the dragon arched back again, blood and venom dripping from his fangs.
A broot jumped between them, spraying the dragon’s face with a stream of water. The monster let out a soul-shattering screech and dove for the whale, digging its fangs into its fleshy body. Blood pooled in the water, then then whale let out a shuddering breath and sank. Dozens of whales circled the dragon. Were they risking their lives for Gorpat?
Mari hovered between Gorpat and the serpent. “Stop!” she cried. The stone lit up like a starburst, then emitted spirals of light. The dragon slunk beneath the surface, water bubbling in its wake.
It wasn’t until Alec released a pent-up breath of air that he realized he’d stopped breathing. “Is it dead?” he asked as Mari returned, the stone humming softly in her hands.
She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
Thorne squinted into the fog. “A leviathan as powerful as Naamaku doesn’t die easily.”
“My pearl!” Grim hollered as blood pooled around his daughter’s leg.
“Leg burn!” the giant yelled.
Khashka wiped sweat and water off his brow. “She needs to push us to shore, then Mari can heal her wound.”
“Aye, you’d like that, you stinking son of a siren!” Grim roared, swinging his axe at Khashka’s kneecaps. “Right into the sea witch’s den!”
“Grim, we don’t have a choice.” Alec gestured to the swirling water, where the monster had disappeared a few moments ago. “That dragon may not be dead.”
As if to prove Alec’s point, the whales scattered as the water began to boil again.
