“I believe we’re within range now for the cannons,” Captain Shaw told him.
“All right. Let’s do it.” Leo waved a small black flag.
His man in the crow’s nest saw it and waved a larger black flag. Soon, all the seamen in the crow’s nests of the fourteen ships were waving a black flag, and each ship began loading their cannons. As soon as they saw an orange flag, they would open fire.
Leo was reaching for his small orange flag when General Harden grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Look!” The general pointed at the sky. A young soldier was being tossed about in the wind like a ragdoll. “What the hell is he doing up there?”
Leo winced. “That must be Mikayla, the one who can fly.”
“She’s not flying now,” Dimitri muttered. “She’s falling.”
Leo recalled the information on the list he’d received. The girl was only thirteen years old. “Those bastards are using children.”
“I’ll get her.” Dimitri pulled off his clothes and shifted into a dragon, causing the ship to dip from the added weight. He took off just as the girl plummeted into the ocean. Swooping down, he scooped her up, then circled back to drop her on the quarterdeck.
Leo took a step toward the unconscious girl, then retreated as a pool of water spread around her. Even with his boots on, he was afraid he might accidentally kill her with his lightning power.
Captain Shaw kneeled beside her as she coughed and sputtered. “Are you all right, Miss?”
Dimitri landed on the main deck and shifted back to his human form.
General Harden tossed him his clothes. “Get dressed. She’s been frightened enough. And see if you can find a blanket for her.”
After Dimitri dashed belowdecks, Captain Shaw helped the girl sit up.
Mikayla looked around, terror in her eyes. She began to shake, her teeth rattling. “Am . . . am I a prisoner?”
Captain Shaw patted her shoulder. “Nay, Miss. You’re a guest here.”
A swooshing noise drew Leo’s attention, and he turned to see the wall of water crashing down. A ball of fire had been hurled toward them, but Rupert promptly stopped it.
A now-dressed Dimitri climbed the stairs to the quarterdeck with a blanket in hand. “Here.” He wrapped it around Mikayla’s shoulders.
She clutched the ends together under her chin. “Thank you.”
“We’ll get you some hot soup in a little while,” Captain Shaw assured her.
“Aye, we’re a little busy now,” the general grumbled, frowning at the wall of water, which was climbing once again. “Can you fly over that, Dimitri?”
“We can’t send him,” Leo quickly said. “Alfred would hit him with a lightning bolt.” An inkling of an idea took root in his mind. “But if Dimitri gave me a ride, I could shoot back. How close are the other dragons now?”
“They’re almost here,” Dimitri replied. “Just a few more minutes.”
The ocean surface began to churn and foam.
“Something’s happening.” Leo leaned over the railing to look at the water. An enormous shark leaped up, snapping its jaws at him, and he jumped back.
“What the hell?” Captain Shaw ran to the railing as the giant shark skidded down the side of the ship, causing it to shake and wobble.
“Are sharks usually that big?” Leo asked.
“No.” The captain pointed at a huge swordfish that leaped from the ocean. “Look at that!” It flew at Rupert’s ship and embedded its sword near a porthole.
An enormous whale, bigger than any of their ships, breeched nearby, then slammed back into the water with so much force, a large wave crashed onto the fleet of ships. Some of the smaller ones listed dangerously to the side.
Leo and all his men staggered about as their ship rolled back and forth.
“It must be Irene,” Mikayla cried as she crawled toward the railing. “She made all the sea creatures grow.” She screamed when a giant tentacle slithered past her.
The ship teetered as a humungous giant squid spread its tentacles across the quarterdeck and pulled it down toward the sea. The bow rose, and seamen tumbled about on deck.
“Stand back.” Leo shot a bolt of lightning into a tentacle, and the squid retreated into the water.
They were safe for now, but a few of the smaller ships had come under attack from other creatures and had capsized, the men falling into the ocean. Screams filled the air as sailors were attacked by huge sharks.
The giant squid turned its attention and rage toward Rupert’s ship, wrapping its tentacles around the bow and cracking the ship in two. The men scrambled for lifeboats, but Rupert remained in the crow’s nest, frantically blowing the giant creatures out to sea. Unfortunately, with Rupert no longer pushing against Darroc, the whole fleet was being moved farther out to sea.
The whale returned, ramming its head into Leo’s ship. The impact caused the ship to rock violently, and everyone careened along the deck. A few men screamed as they fell overboard.
Rupert managed to shove the whale out to sea, but a gaping hole had been left in the ship’s side.
“To the lifeboats!” Captain Shaw ordered, then turned back to Mikayla, who was crying and clinging to the railing. “Don’t worry, child. We’ll take care of you.”
“Dimitri, fly her to the elfin ships,” Leo yelled over the shouting voices of sailors scrambling to get on lifeboats.
Dimitri shifted, his clothes ripping, and with a gasp, Mikayla fainted. He grabbed her and flew east.
The ship was now taking on water fast.
“Get yourself to a lifeboat!” General Harden yelled at Leo.
“You go!” Leo ran to the mainmast and began to climb. He didn’t dare try a lifeboat. They were all bobbing wildly, with waves splashing in. Some had capsized, dumping the men in the water. The risk of falling into the ocean was too great.
He climbed into the crow’s nest, then looked below. Water was seeping onto the deck. Crap. There was no way out of this. The entire armada was in trouble. Some ships had broken in two. Others were so damaged that they were sinking. Rupert was still in the crow’s nest of his floundering ship, using his power to push the sea creatures farther away. Soon he would be in the water.
Leo surveyed the ocean surface, where hundreds of seamen were clinging to pieces of wood. Dammit to hell. If he fell into the water, his lightning power would kill everyone. Rupert would die. Nevis’s father, who had been like a father to Leo, would die. All the seamen would die.
His heart tightened as the crow’s nest sank lower and lower. Holy Light, don’t make me kill these people.
What could he do? He pulled the wooden-handled knife from his belt. If he killed himself, wouldn’t his power die with him?
Then everyone else would be safe.
* * *
Brody followed Cahira as she dashed into the throne room.
She spun in a circle, looking frantically about. “Guards! Where are my guards?”
“You have none.” Brody pulled his sword and stalked toward her. “If you wish to live, you will remove my curse.”
Cahira backed away. “No. Once I remove it, you’ll kill me.”
“Mother, you have my word.” Maeve strode toward her. “I won’t let any harm come to you.”
“Why should I trust you?” Cahira sneered. “You sided with my enemy! How could you?”
“I fell in love with him long before I knew he was a prince,” Maeve said. “And long before I knew you were my mother. He’s suffered enough! Please remove his curse.”
Cahira snorted. “I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
Brody gritted his teeth. This was taking too long. He couldn’t afford to run out of time in his own body. “An armada of twenty ships is arriving. Your Embraced army will be defeated. It’s over for you. Your only hope of survival is to cooperate.”
Cahira lifted her chin. “Never.”
Brody groaned inwardly. He had no choice now but to attack the woman. And he’d have to do i
t right in front of Maeve.
“Have you seen Gavin?” Gabby shouted as she ran into the throne room. “I can’t find him anywhere. He needs to be with us so his curse can be removed.”
Maeve looked around, then gasped. “There he is!” She pointed to the throne on the dais, where an orange tabby was curled up, napping on the purple cushion. He raised his head and blinked sleepily at them.
Cahira huffed with indignation. “That bastard is on my throne!”
The cat stretched, then scratched at her pillow.
“How dare you!” Cahira waved a hand, and several glass ornaments close to the throne exploded.
“No!” Gabby screamed as the cat ducked down.
Gavin leaped off the throne, easily jumping over the broken glass on the dais. He landed, then grew larger and larger as he stalked toward the queen.
Brody blinked, not believing his eyes. Gavin could turn into a tiger? He snorted, recalling all the times he’d fed the cat on the Isle of Mist, when Gavin could definitely have taken care of himself. No wonder there was a shortage of deer on the island. And no wonder Gavin had terrorized the guards all night long.
“How . . . ?” Cahira retreated, her eyes widening with horror as the large cat advanced.
Gabby smirked. “You cursed him to be a cat for the rest of his life, but you never said what size he had to be.”
Cahira backed into a green marble pillar, her gaze shifting frantically from the tiger to Brody as they both moved closer.
Brody raised his sword, the tip only a few inches from her neck. “If you undo the curse, Gavin will no longer be a tiger who wants to kill you.”
“Your Majesty!” two guards shouted as they entered the throne room.
Brody glanced back. Damn. They must be the guards from the front door.
One of them grabbed Gabby and held a knife to her neck. “Let the queen go, or I kill her!”
“You heard him,” Cahira hissed. “Let me go.”
Gavin roared, and the guards jumped back, even the one holding Gabby. She reached into a pocket and pulled out some gold coins.
“Release me, and the gold is yours.” She tossed the coins to the side. As soon as the guard loosened his hold, she elbowed him in the ribs and escaped.
The guards dropped their weapons and ran for the coins, but Gavin was faster. With a roar, he landed on one of the men and sank in his teeth. The guard screamed, and the second one sprinted out the door, screeching for help.
Brody turned back to Cahira. “Lift the curse now, or the tiger attacks you next.”
“Stay away from me! I’ll turn you both into slugs!”
Brody snorted. “Try it. But you’ll have to lift the first curse before you can attempt a second one, and you’ll be dead before that happens.”
Cahira turned pale. “You dare to threaten me? I am superior to you all! I will cut you to shreds!” She lifted her arms and screamed.
With a horrendous blast, all the glass ornaments and windows exploded. Even the window in the ceiling shattered, raining glass down on the room.
Maeve collapsed on the floor, covering her head and crying out as several shards of flying glass cut her arms.
Brody glanced at her, wincing as a shard nicked his cheek. Thankfully, the Seer’s voluminous robe kept his arms and legs protected. When he turned back to Cahira, she’d picked up a jagged piece of glass. Blood dripped from her hand as she threw it at Brody.
He sidestepped it and strode toward her. “Dammit, woman, don’t make me kill you!”
* * *
Kendric smiled as he watched the enemy fleet sinking fast. Screams could be heard as a few seamen were attacked by giant sharks. He spotted Rupert, standing in a sinking crow’s nest using his power to blow the sea monsters away. No doubt a few men were getting blown away with them. And as long as Rupert was focused on the sea monsters, he couldn’t move their ships to shore. Darroc was slowly pushing them out to sea, where most of the men would drown.
An utter disaster. He chuckled. Even Leo was sinking. Soon the kings of Eberon and Tourin would be dead. And he, Kendric, son of Frederic, would rule Eberon and take the Tourinian queen to be his wife. Both countries would be his. Brigitta would be his.
Even the sun had come out to shine on them. Logan must have found Hannah, for the rain had stopped.
“Good work,” he told his soldiers.
Alfred grinned. “When that king with lightning power goes underwater, he’ll fry everyone.”
Kendric nodded. “Aye, he will.” Although Alfred was clearly pleased, the others looked as if they were going to be sick. Damned fools. He wondered what would be the best way to kill them. After all, once he took over the mainland, they would no longer be needed.
Screams sounded behind him, and he turned to see a guard shouting and waving his arms on the balcony. Boom! A loud explosion rocked the castle and every glass window of the throne room blew apart.
“What was that?” Jared asked.
“The queen must have done it,” Farah replied.
“Something’s wrong.” Kendric nodded at Alfred. “You’re in charge here.” Not that there was anything left to do, he thought as he dashed to the castle. He tore off his shirt, then shifted into an eagle, leaving his breeches behind as he flew to the balcony.
The guard was shaking in his boots as he pointed toward the throne room. “T-t-tiger!”
Tiger? What was the fool talking about? Still in eagle form, Kendric landed in the passageway. The scent of shifters wafted toward him. Cahira, Maeve, and Gavin, no doubt. But the first two could only shift into sea animals, and Gavin was a small cat.
Brody? Dammit, was he here? Kendric shifted into his human form. “Your breeches and your sword. Now!”
The guard quickly obeyed orders.
Kendric pulled on the breeches and grabbed the sword. He’d fought Brody as a tiger once before in Norveshka. Damn, but he was sick of that other shifter always getting in his way. Thankfully, the Light was on his side today. Rupert and Leo would die. And soon, Brody would, too.
Chapter 25
On a rocky bluff near the forest, Nevis watched in horror as the armada began to sink. All fourteen ships. His father was onboard. Leo, his best friend. Rupert. Soldiers that he’d known all his life. All dying and drowning right before his eyes.
Elinor took his hand and stood silently beside him.
“There has to be something we can do.” He racked his brain. “Catriona! Can you blow up the sea monsters?”
“I can only do fish.” She sighed. “And those are too far away.”
Hannah stopped raining on the Embraced army and collapsed on the ground in tears. “We lost. We tried so hard, but we lost.”
Nevis winced. Now was the time to encourage the children, but with Leo and his father about to die, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
A boy shot through the forest and skidded to a stop in front of them. “Hannah! I found you.”
“Logan!” Bettina strode toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“I-I’m supposed to make Hannah stop . . .” He looked around the clearing at all the Spiders. “What are you doing here?” His eyes widened at the sight of Nevis and Elinor on the rocky bluff overlooking the ocean. “Who are you?”
Nevis glowered at him. “Come here, boy, and see how many men you have killed.”
Logan gasped. “I-I didn’t . . .”
“You’re one of them!” Hannah cried.
“No, I . . .” Logan looked around at all the angry faces. “Kurt? Wh-where’s Naomi? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine,” Kurt growled. “She’s with the little ones.”
Catriona leaned close to Nevis to explain. “Logan grew up in the nursery with Kurt, Naomi, and Mikayla.”
At the sound of Mikayla’s name, Logan fell to his knees. “They made her fly over the wall!” Tears ran down his face. “She’s gone!”
Everyone gasped. Bettina doubled over, her face in her hands.
Dammit
to hell. Nevis dragged a hand through his hair. “Those damned bastards, using children to do their dirty work.”
“I’m a bastard, too,” Logan cried. “Alfred always said I was only good for running away, and that’s what I did. I ran away!”
Elinor walked toward him. “Dry your tears, young man. Refusing to be a villain is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“She’s right,” Catriona said. “We know you never harmed anyone.”
Logan wiped his face. “Th-then you forgive me?”
Kurt gave him a slap on the back. “Are you joining us now?”
“You can be a Spider!” Quentin jumped up and down, and the others cheered.
Nevis glanced back at the ocean and the floundering ships. It made his heart ache, but there was nothing he could do for them. However, he could still help Brody.
Boom! An explosion sounded in the distance.
“What was that?” Elinor asked.
“The castle. You all stay here.” Nevis ran as fast as he could toward the castle. The Sea Witch must have caused the explosion. And that meant Brody was in danger.
* * *
In the crow’s nest, Leo watched the ocean rising and could think of no other solution. The seamen and soldiers in the water were already struggling to stay alive. He couldn’t kill them all.
Tears sprang to his eyes as he thought of Luciana. He’d promised her that he would return. Now he would never see Eric and Eviana grow up, never see the newborn babe.
Luciana, I love you. Forgive me. He aimed the knife at his chest.
A sudden shriek made him look up. Dimitri? No, there were three dragons! One of them grabbed him so fiercely, the knife fell from his hand. He wasn’t sure which dragon had him, but he carefully kept his hands and face from touching the one who had saved him.
He looked about. Another dragon had grabbed Rupert. The third dragon was breathing fire on the remaining sea creatures. And there to the east, Leo spotted the elfin navy.
Suddenly, the wooden ships began to rise. Higher and higher until they floated in the air just above the ocean surface.
It was the Woodsman! Leo watched in amazement as King Brennan of Woodwyn brought cracked ships back together. Broken pieces of wood in the water flew back to patch up holes. Once the ships were intact, the Woodsman lowered them into the water. He flipped capsized lifeboats back over, and seamen scrambled in to row back to their ships. Using ropes, the sailors climbed back onboard.
The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea Page 30
