by Tara West
“Go, Gorpat!” Grim bellowed, his eyes widening to saucers. “Kick!”
She kicked up a mountain of water behind her, driving the barge on the edge of a rising crest. The barge continued to tilt forward, forcing Alec and the others to hang on to cracks between the planks, clutching what weapons they could while the rest of their salvaged supplies slid into the ocean. The air was punctured by Gorpat’s heavy breathing and the occasional agonizing cry of a whale.
Great goddess, the dragon had awakened!
To Alec’s amazement, the broots swam alongside them, coaxing Gorpat forward. Despite the terror which twisted Alec’s innards, the gentle beasts brought Alec comfort, and he sensed they were purposely sacrificing themselves to impede the sea serpent.
Ahead, the volcano rose from the sea, shuddering and smoking like an angry god. As the crest beneath their barge grew, he feared they’d all fall into the water. More cries were heard behind them, followed by an angry and ominous roar. Gorpat kicked harder, faster, and just as he feared he’d lose hold of the barge, they were swept into a barren lagoon, its shore covered with black sand.
The leviathan screeched, circling and hurling venom at them, nearly hitting Gorpat’s backside.
“Leg hurts,” she complained, stumbling to her feet and pulling the barge up the beach.
“That’s enough, my pearl,” Grim jumped off the barge and ran to his daughter. “Mari!” he called as Gorpat plopped down on her arse with a thud.
She went to Gorpat, pressing the pulsing stone against the giant’s leg and sealing the wound until it was nothing more than a faint scar.
Gorpat looked down at her father as a fat tear slid down her cheek. “Dragon scare Gorpat. Gorpat no like dragon.”
Grim crawled up his child’s leg, hugging as much of her as he could get his arms around—and let out a blubbery sob. “I’m so sorry, my pearl. So, so sorry.”
Alec narrowed his eyes at Khashka. “You are not the only father who suffers for his child.”
Khashka hung his head.
Ryne walked past Khashka, purposely jarring his shoulder. “We need to find food and shelter before more monsters find their way to us.”
“Where’s Thorne?” Alec asked.
“I don’t know,” Ryne said, scowling at the lagoon.
Khashka covered his eyes. “He fell off the barge.”
Alec gaped at him. “Did you see him fall?”
Ryne circled Khashka with a sneer. “He probably pushed him.”
“No.” The older man protested. “I would never—”
“And we are supposed to believe the man who poisoned us, tricking us into retrieving his daughter’s body?” Ryne jabbed Khashka’s chest, backing him up a steep incline. “Tell me, was a venomous sea monster part of your rescue plans?”
Alec followed them. “We have to look for Thorne.”
Ryne had Khashka’s bony elbow in his grip. “No, he has to look for Thorne. I’m not going back out there.”
“Nobody is looking for Thorne.” Grim stalked up to them, chest heaving. “’Tis a fool’s errand. There is no possible way he survived.”
Alec’s heart sank. Thorne had told him he was a good swimmer, but Grim was right. No mere mortal could have survived falling into the sea serpent’s path.
Khashka pulled away from Ryne, running a shaky hand down his arm. “I agree with the dwarf.”
Ryne advanced on Khashka again. “Nobody asked your opinion.”
“They’re coming!” Mari shouted, then fluttered away like a bird, disappearing up Gorpat’s sleeve.
“Trespassers. In the name of Eris, drop your weapons!”
A row of at least three dozen beefy soldiers stood on the ridge above them, wielding spears big enough to take down full grown broots.
A team of soldiers rolled up a cannon, pointing it directly at Gorpat.
One soldier stepped forward. He was the biggest of them all and covered with patches of discolored skin ranging from pink to dark brown, as if the Elements had sewn him together, creating a human quilt from many different-colored men. Even his eyes were two different colors, one pale pink and the other dark brown. He wore a green breastplate that was similar to the sea serpent’s scales and had the bearing of a military captain. “Drop your weapons, or we fire a cannon through the giant’s skull.”
“Curse the Elements!” Grim dropped his axe to the ground.
Alec threw his blade, and Ryne tossed a sword.
Khashka held up his hands. “Please take us to your goddess. We mean her no harm. We only wish to make a trade.”
Patchwork Captain pointed his sword at Khashka. “What do you have that our goddess could possibly want?”
“What do we have?” Khashka cast Ryne a wary look and then stepped forward. “A rare and sacred treasure.”
“No, Khashka,” Alec hissed. “It belongs to the ice people. It is not yours to trade.” The man was desperate to retrieve his daughter’s body, but that didn’t give him the right to steal, not to mention a goddess stone in Eris’s hands was dangerous.
“You would dare give away my people’s stone?” Ryne’s blue face turned an alarming purple.
Deep lines marred Khashka’s brow. “Neither of you have children. You do not know the daily pain I suffer, having my child near but so far away, never being able to hold her in my arms, knowing she can never have a family of her own. I would give Eris my soul and all of yours if she would but give my daughter her body back.”
A gasp and then a soft sob came from Mari, who was clearly distraught over her father’s deception.
“Very well,” the soldier said, whistling to the others.
They shot Gorpat full of darts. The giant stumbled, then fell on her arse. The ground shuddered under her weight.
“My pearl!” With a roar, Grim dove for his axe, then fell face-first into the black sand, a dart sticking out of his buttocks.
Alec raced to Grim, pulled the dart out, and rolled him on his back.
Before Alec could stop them, four burly soldiers had him in a headlock and were binding his wrists in heavy chains. They did the same to Khashka and Ryne before connecting everyone at the ankles with short lengths of chain.
“What will happen to them?” Alec whispered to Ryne, staring forlornly at Grim and Gorpat.
The leviathan still paced the waters like a hawk circling his prey. “The giant and dwarf? They’ll probably be fed to the dragon.”
Alec glared at Khashka. “See what you’ve done?”
He had the decency to stare at his feet. “I didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt.”
“I think you did.” Ryne’s grumble sounded like Tar’s low growl. “You just didn’t care.”
* * *
Dianna held tight to Lydra as they flew low across the water. Beside her, Simeon rode Tan’yi’na. Simeon had been solemn since he’d said goodbye to his sisters and the people of Kyanu, leaving them in the capable hands of Rení the Wise. The old man had graciously accepted the role as Kyanu’s new deity, though he insisted the position was only temporary.
When a brilliant burst of fire lit the sky, Dianna looked over at Tan’yi’na, who flashed a fanged smile. It feels good to fly over the ocean again.
Simeon fanned his face when Tan’yi’na’s cinders and smoke blew over him. His dour mood was out of character, and she knew he feared not returning to his family. Though she’d begged him to stay behind, he’d insisted on accompanying her. She prayed that his charms would work on Eris. She would never forgive herself if the sea goddess took her wrath out on him.
Hurry. You mussst stop the sssacrifice, the Elements whistled in her ear.
“Sacrifice? What sacrifice?”
The sssea witch will have all the power.
She leaned over her dragon’s neck, peering at the ocean waves that moved like a blur beneath them. Lydra had never flown this fast before.
“This is as fast as we can fly,” she said to the wind.
Not fassst enough, the Elemen
ts hissed. We’ll help you.
She looked over her shoulder and saw a sideways funnel of wind stretching toward them like a giant finger.
“Brace yourselves!” she screamed. “The Elements are coming!’
When Simeon looked behind them, his mouth fell open. “What in Elements’ name is that?”
Dianna didn’t have time to answer as she hunched over Lydra and faced forward.
The dragons roared when the wind tunnel caught them, but the sound was sucked into the vortex. She held tight to her dragon’s reins as the wind propelled them at mind-numbing speeds. Islands and ships passed in a blur, and they streaked across the sky like falling stars. Not much longer, and Dianna would face down a goddess.
Book Three
Sacrifice of the Sea Witch
Chapter Seventeen
Eris’s soldiers left Grim and Gorpat behind and marched Alec, Ryne, and Khashka across the hostile volcanic landscape for what seemed like hours. The sweltering heat made Alec’s legs go weak, and he stumbled across scalding rocks that bloodied and bruised his feet. He alternated between crying out in pain, worrying over Grim and Gorpat, and dreading his meeting with the sea goddess.
Every so often Alec caught sight of Mari behind a bush or boulder, ducking when the soldiers looked in her direction. Many times he tried to signal her. Why hadn’t she used the goddess stone to save them?
By the time they arrived at a cave high above the shore and at the base of the smoking volcano, the blisters on Alec’s burned feet ached so badly, he feared they were infected. When the soldiers unlocked their ankle chains and led them to a shallow pool deep within the cavern, collective sighs and moaning ensued as everyone fell to their knees, drinking the water.
Alec nearly passed out from exhaustion while splashing his face. Despite the difficulty of working with bound hands, he managed to palm several scoops of water, spilling most of it down his bare chest, trying to wet his blistered lips. He sat back and took in his surroundings, wincing when the cracks in his heels split open, though he was too tired and terrified to dwell on his feet overly long.
The cavern was eerily beautiful, with huge crystal spikes rising from the ground and similar dripping spikes hanging from the ceiling. Some of them appeared to be lit from within, illuminating the cavern with a pleasant, soft glow. On the other side of the pool was a stone throne with a raised, steaming pool in front of it. Mist swirled from the top of it, fanning down the sides and out across the surface of the water, making it look like a miniature volcano.
Alec jerked at the sound of a soft splash and saw Mari in the water.
“Mari,” he whispered. “Do something.”
“I can’t,” she said. “Aletha will not help.”
He bent over her, unable to keep the note of desperation out of his voice. “Why?”
“She’s angry that my father deceived us.”
Alec fought back the urge to punch the water. Now was not the time to hold grudges. “Tell her if she doesn’t help us now, we will all be captured by Eris, including her.”
Mari’s spirit faded in and out like a blurred dream. “She is trying to get me to flee the island and take her back to Ice Kingdom.”
“And risk Madhea capturing her?” When a soldier passed behind him, Alec dropped his voice to a low whisper. “Tell her if she helps us, I will persuade Ryne to take her to the Shifting Sands.”
Ryne knelt beside Alec, jabbing him in the ribs. “Eris!”
Alec looked up, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of the beautiful woman whose head had surfaced at the other end of the shallow pool. Long, black hair clung to her back in sodden waves as she gracefully rose above the water, swimming past them as if propelled by magic.
When she struggled to pull herself onto the rocky bank, he was compelled to look away but not before he saw the awkward fish tail and gills. Spying from under his lashes, he observed her slither across the slick stone floor before pulling herself up on a throne covered with carvings of broot whales. Her deep blue tail twitched as it slapped the slab beneath her. He kept his head bent while Eris’s assessing look swept over the row of prisoners.
She steepled her fingers, regarding Ryne for a long moment. “Who speaks for you?”
Ryne and Khashka answered simultaneously, “I do.”
Eris scowled at Khashka, waving him away with a flick of the wrist. “I would hear from the blue man.” She offered Ryne a fanged smile, her gaze roaming the length of his body. “What is your name?”
“Ryne,” he answered tersely, stiffening.
“Ryne?” She toyed with a strap on a flimsy leather top that barely covered her chest. “What magic has turned your skin blue?”
“I’m not sure.” His voice was emotionless, as was his expression. “It’s how I’ve always been.”
She licked her lips and shifted in her seat. “Where are you from?”
“Ice Mountain.”
“Madhea’s mountain?” The goddess leaned forward, her tilted eyes narrowing to slits. “Do you serve her?”
Ryne puffed up his chest. “I serve no one.”
“No?” She tossed her wet hair over a shoulder, laughing. “Soon you will be serving me.”
Ryne turned as pale as Mari’s inert stone.
“Oh wise and beautiful goddess.” Khashka waved his bound wrists at her.
She bared her fangs with a hiss. “I didn’t give you leave to speak.”
He hung his head, his cheeks coloring. “Forgive me, but I have an urgent message for you.”
“Urgent?” She arched a thin brow, drumming her fingers on the armrest. “Well, spit it out then.”
Khashka released a shuddering breath. “Fifteen years ago, you took my daughter’s body from her, leaving her spirit to wander the earth. It was a lesson well learned for killing your beloved broot whale.” He wiped the sweat off his brow. “I have since learned the error of my ways, and I vow to never harm another broot again.” He struck a prayer pose, his hands shaking so hard, Alec feared the man was about to seize. “Please give my daughter’s body back to her, and in return, I will give you something more valuable.”
Ryne jumped to his feet, chest heaving as he bore down on Khashka, his bound hands raised. “It is not yours to give, old man!”
“Oh, Captain?” Eris drawled, pointing to Patchwork Captain.
He swiped Ryne’s legs out from under him, and he fell to the hard ground with a crack and a groan.
“Bow before your goddess!” the captain hollered, the pale parts of his patched skin turning bright pink.
Ryne slowly came to his knees, shooting the captain a look that could melt metal.
“Enough!” Eris held up a hand when the captain advanced upon Ryne again. Her lips pulled back in a sinister smile, the wicked gleam in her eyes more threatening than her sharp fangs. “What could be more valuable than her two beautiful, long legs and pretty smile?”
“We have recently discovered a goddess stone, and I offer it in trade for my child’s body.”
The sea witch bolted up and flung herself into the pool. She swam the short distance between them, climbing up the rocky embankment and sidling up to Khashka with an inhuman growl. “The Elements hid those stones far below the earth centuries ago. How did you come by one?”
A bead of sweat rolled down his brow. “It belonged to an ice dweller, who has since been eaten by your sirens.”
“The stone belongs to the ice people and is not available for trade,” Ryne bellowed, then fell over when the captain clubbed him on the back of the head.
“Do not kill him!” Eris spat. “Put him in the dungeon.”
“Yes, my deity.”
Alec’s heart felt as if it would implode when two soldiers hauled Ryne’s limp body away. Despite all the trouble the ice dweller had caused, Alec feared he’d never see him again.
Eris slithered between him and Khashka, her twitching tail nearly slapping his knees. He slowly scooted back, the dark aura which radiated from her soul
shrouding him like a poisonous fog.
“Let me see it,” she whispered in Khashka’s ear.
The old man trembled. “Only after you return my child’s spirit to her body.”
She dragged a fingernail across his bald head, inspecting him as if he was a cut of meat. “I will do no such thing.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice shook. “I cannot give you the stone then.”
She tilted back her head and laughed, her high-pitched squeal hurting Alec’s ears.
“You are a funny man.” She toyed with his ear, tracing a pattern down his neck. “Where is your spirit daughter?”
“She is here somewhere.”
When the goddess batted her long lashes, Alec easily saw through her attempt at kindness, for the chill that radiated from her eyes reminded him of a serpent preparing to strike her prey.
“The chalice!” She snapped her fingers, and the captain brought forth a wide bronze goblet intricately carved with broot whales on the sides and matching lid. She palmed it in both hands, and the soldier removed the lid. Swirling mists poured forth.
“Have her put the stone in this chalice,”—she held it above her head—“and I promise you her beautiful body will rise, and you can hold her once again.”
“Thank you, my goddess.”
Khashka let out a blubbering sob, and Alec couldn’t help but feel pity for him. Though stealing the stone was wrong, loving one’s child was not. What he wouldn’t have given to have been loved like that by his father.
“Mari!” Khashka called. “Come out.”
“No, Father. The stone is not mine to give.”
Alec searched the cavern, but didn’t see Mari.
“Mari!” Khashka’s face reddened. “Do what the goddess says.”
“The chalice is a trap. She intends to banish my spirit to the Elements and take my body for herself.”
Time grounded to a halt as Alec slowly processed Mari’s words. Banish Mari! Fear pumped wildly through his veins.
“W-What?” Khashka stammered.
“That has been her plan all along.”
“Silly spirit.” Eris handed the chalice back to Patchwork Captain. “Where did you hear such nonsense?”
