Nammu formed a wyrmhole that took us back to the waters north of Cuba, where we'd encountered the ghost fleet before. Enki and Cleo stayed behind. They couldn't go in the fleet. I wasn't sure what spell or mechanism Nephtalie used to bind these spirits to her fleet, but we couldn't risk them being assimilated into it. Since Nammu and I were still alive, though, I figured we stood a better chance avoiding that fate. At least, I hoped I was right. Couldn't know for sure. But how else could we get to Nagga? It was a risk we had to take.
I could see the green hue of Nephtalie's ghost fleet as Nammu and I approached.
"Keep us deep," I said. "Most of the ships are on the surface. Hopefully, we'll be able to find Nagga under the water and avoid being seen."
Of course, La Sirene.
Nammu dove deep and took us under the ghost fleet. I wasn't sure where the boundaries were. Before, it wasn't until I landed on the ghost ship that the world materialized around me before. I figured we had to get close to the fleet to enter the spirit world. At least we'd have to get close to Nagga. I didn't want to attempt it until we figured out where Nagga was.
The fleet spread out for miles above us. Nagga had to be there somewhere. If I was right about what I saw before. Then again, if I was wrong, we were getting dangerously close to the enemy. If Nephtalie sensed my magic, as I could feel hers—an impressive dose of Fomorian power—she wouldn't waste any time coming for us.
Just as I was beginning to doubt myself, a massive, ghastly figure slithered into view. He was moving in our direction but was probably a good hundred feet or more above Nammu and me.
"I think I see him," I said. Nammu couldn't see the ghosts. She wouldn't until we entered their world. But she could read my mind.
"I believe that's him," Nammu said.
"I think you're right," I said. "We need to try and catch Nagga as far away from the rest of the fleet as possible. Once we enter the spirit world, he'll be able to see you. And all of them will be able to see both of us."
We didn't have to wait for long.
"I'm focusing on where we need to go," I said. "Can you see the spot in my memories?"
Yes, La Sirene.
Nammu charged directly toward the spot. Suddenly, the world around us was flushed with color. Nagga was a darker green color than the other wyrms and, as Odin had said, nearly three times the size of Nammu.
Nagga lashed his body around with fury, his jaws open wide, presumably with the intent of eating us. Until his eyes met Nammu's.
"Nammu? Is that you?" Nagga asked. I don't know why. Perhaps it was the Baron's aspect, but I could hear them speak out loud.
"It's me, Nagga."
"You've come to join us?"
"No, Nagga. We've come to rescue you from this place."
Nagga huffed. "I don't need saving. It is time for this world, this dreadful planet, to meet its end."
"I still remember the day when the gods took you, you and your brother, from the void."
"It feels just like yesterday."
"It does," Nammu said. "But I came to accept it in time. They built something beautiful, this world. And you and your brother were given a noble purpose. He was to hold the world together. And you were to protect the seas."
"How do you know this? You were not there."
"But I've been here for some time now," Nammu said. "This woman, aboard my back, is La Sirene."
"I sense the power of the old gods within her."
"It was given to me by Odin," I said. "He would like you to join him in Valhalla. That you might find peace."
"Peace?" Nagga grunted. "It was one of the old gods who killed me. What do they know of peace?"
"Njord was wrong," I said. "I know him and, trust me, I intend to have words with him about what he did. But I know he once sacrificed himself to the Kraken to atone for his mistake."
"An act motivated by guilt, not honor."
"Perhaps it was," Nammu said. "But now I am here doing what you were first charged to do. I am here to protect the world. You can't destroy this place, Nagga."
"She knows you are here," Nagga said. "If you do not intend to join us, you have to leave."
"I can't leave without you," Nammu said.
Nephtalie wasn't a mermaid. She couldn't swim down here as quickly as I did, but she had a lot of power. She could use her magic to go underwater. Or, she could blast us to kingdom come. She apparently went with the second option. A giant ball of blue, Fomorian magic flew at us through the water.
I suspected Nephtalie was trying to tempt me to siphon it, to amplify it. She had to know the magic wouldn't hurt me. Even if I wanted to, though, Odin's power was coursing through my frame. I couldn't take any more without releasing it, and Nagga wasn't ready to go to Valhalla.
Nammu hurled her body around and caught the magic Nephtalie cast at her in her mouth, then exhaled a portal—her magic, combined with the Fomorian magic, opened a gate to the void.
"Come with me," Nammu said. "Back to the void."
"Nammu!" I said. "You can't! I have to bring him to Valhalla!"
"Call on Legba, La Sirene. Bring us out of the void again."
"I can't go with you," Nagga said.
"Come with me, and hear what I have to say. After that, if you still want to join Nephtalie, I won't stop you."
Nagga grunted. "Very well."
"Get out of here, La Sirene, while you still can."
I released Nammu's reins and kicked my tail hard as Nammu and Nagga disappeared into the void.
I swam as fast as I could. I summoned my trident and blocked another blast of magic—not Fomorian this time. It was green, whatever it was. It matched the color of the ghosts when I wasn't in the spirit world. I saw her use the same power before in the Baron's vision when they abducted that fishing boat.
I was moving through the water faster than I ever had without being on the back of a wyrm. I don't know if it was my vampirism that lingered inside of me somewhere or adrenaline, but I was moving like lightning.
The ghost fleet, though, was moving with me, matching my speed. This wasn't going to work. I either had to go down or up. But as I swam down, it was like a force of some kind was preventing me from going deeper. I couldn't leave the spirit world. The only Fomorian magic I had was in my pendant. Enough to take dragon form and, perhaps, to cast a small wyrmhole of my own. I wasn't so proficient at that as a real wyrm. Still, I had all a dragon's abilities in dragon form—whether it be under the water as a wyrm or in the air as a dragon.
I kicked hard, breaking through the surface, and shifted into dragon form. I quickly grabbed my clothes with my talons—figured I might need them later. Another blast of green magic flew toward me. I pulled in my wings as I was about to take flight and ducked under it. I barely caught enough air before crashing into the water to take off above the fleet.
I was right. Many ships—some of them old pirate ships from times gone by. Some modern vessels, like the fishing boat I'd seen Nephtalie absorb before. I exhaled, casting a wyrmhole. I didn't know how far it would take me. I didn't think I could take it back to Fomoria. And Enki and Cleo were still out there... we had to be getting close to where I'd left them.
The fleet had moved too far, too fast. It matched my speed. As I was flying into my wyrmhole, I saw the ghost fleet absorb them both. Enki and Cleo were gone—assimilated into the ghost fleet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I FOUND MYSELF flying through the night sky over the Florida Keys. When I cast that wyrmhole, which was something I had very little practice attempting, I didn't know what to do other than just put as much space between myself and the ghost ships as possible. At the same time, I was trying to meet up with Enki and Cleo.
Well, I overshot them. They got assimilated into the ghost fleet. And now I didn't have any Fomorian magic left in my pendant to try and wyrmhole my way back to Fomoria. Since mermaid form was natural—according to one-half of my genetic constitution—I didn't need more magic to shift back. I just had to release w
hat held me in dragon form. But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to shift back again if I needed to. It would be easier flying back to Fomoria than swimming. And if I was in the water, and the ghost fleet happened to catch up to me, I'd be S.O.L. without any Fomorian magic left.
All I had left was the power of Valhalla, Odin's magic. I was supposed to use it when Nagga was saved after he agreed to join the Norse gods. Thor was supposed to meet me here and escort Nagga back. He'd give me the totem to summon the Kraken in exchange.
But Nagga was gone—went into the void with Nammu. And with Enki and Cleo captured, I was alone.
There wasn't any sense waiting. The void exists apart from time. Suppose Legba could bring Nammu and Nagga back. In that case, it might be only a matter of minutes since they left from my perspective, but it could be hours, days, or even years from their experience—if they sensed the passing of time at all in the void.
Usually, I just shouted out to Legba.
Instead, I released an embarrassingly high-pitched roar. If Legba heard me at all, he was probably plugging his ears.
This wasn't going to work. But I wasn't that far from the ghost ship fleet. If I took mermaid form and returned to the water, they'd probably catch up to me.
So I landed on the beach and released my dragon form, taking a human shape.
I immediately regretted it. I'd almost forgotten about it. With Nammu in the void and Enki and Cleo taken, I wasn't thinking clearly. But I felt the craving, the desire to feed... and I didn't have any Fomorian magic left to assuage my urges.
I stood there naked, holding onto my clothes. I was surrounded by people. They were screaming. Not because I was naked on the beach. But because they'd seen me, as a dragon, land and shift.
And their screams... their fear only fueled my thirst.
The only saving grace to the situation was that it was after dark. If I'd done this during daylight, not only would I burn as vampires tend to do, but there'd be more people. Those who were there weren't dressed in swimsuits. They were in nice clothes, the women mostly in dresses, taking what they hoped to be a romantic barefooted stroll through the surf.
"Run!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I didn't want to hurt anyone. But if they stood there for another second, jaws dropped, like ready to eat meals, I'd probably bite and drain them all.
The people took off, running back up the beach. Not fast enough.
As they ran, their heart rates increased. The thumps, fluttering rapidly through my mind, drew me in like a hypnotist might use a strobe light or rhythmic binaural beats. I could think of nothing else. I needed to feed.
I didn't even realize I was naked until I looked down and saw my armor in my hands. I dropped it. I didn't care. I was like a junkie, in need of a fix. There was only one thing on my mind: blood. Human blood.
The next thing I knew, my feet were running—like they had minds of their own. They moved fast, blasting sand all around me as I plowed forward. I grabbed a young man—the first person I reached. His girlfriend screamed.
"Legba! I shouted, managing to get the words out as I reared my head back, preparing to sink my fangs into the man's neck.
Did the Loa of the crossroads even hear me? Everything went black.
I rubbed my eyes. I found myself standing, again, at the crossroads. The gravel not at all pleasant beneath my feet.
I looked down one of the roads, and Papa Legba was walking toward me, kicking at the rocks.
"Hello. La Sirene."
"Oh, Thank God!" I said, breathing rapidly. "I was about to kill that guy."
"I'm glad you called me."
I nodded. "I need your help."
"The craving comes from the Baron, not me. You need to stop this yourself, La Sirene."
"I can't," I cried. "The urge, the craving, it's irresistible! And I don't have any Fomorian magic left."
"You don't need magic to return to your mermaid form," Legba said.
I cocked my head. "But every time I've shifted human to mermaid before..."
"You didn't need any magic at all to shift from dragon to human, did you?"
I shook my head. "But it never seems to work that way when becoming a mermaid again."
"You are Fomorian, La Sirene. As much Fomorian as you are human. You have everything within you already to shift back to your mermaid form with or without magic. As a vampire, your soul dwells exclusively in your other natural form. Your Fomorian nature is protecting your soul from your vampirism as most vampires lose their souls entirely. You can draw on your soul to change shapes."
"Even if I could do it, it's too late. I don't think I could shift fast enough to stop myself from biting that man."
Papa Legba removed the straw hat from his head and tossed it into the wind. He hooked his thumbs behind the shoulder straps of his overalls. "This is not the only reason you called to me, is it?"
I shook my head. "Nammu and Nagga, they've gone into the void. I need to ask you to help me bring them back."
"They belong to the void, La Sirene. That is their home."
"You don't understand. I need them both. Without them, I won't be able to save the world from Nephtalie."
"And if we bring them back, and Nagga remains resolved to join the caplata, the world will end for sure."
I looked up and down each of the four roads that formed the crossroads. "Where do each of these roads lead?"
Legba pointed down one direction, the way from which he came. "That path leads to Guinee. To the right, the path leads to the void. The opposite direction, to the great beyond, a place of rest. And if you turn around, that road will return you to earth."
"Bring them here," I said. "If they want to go back to the void, they can. But give them a choice."
Legba folded his arms across his chest and, with one hand, stroked his chin. "This is possible. But will you accept whatever choice they make? Even if Nagga wishes to rejoin the caplata on earth?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. Nammu told me to come to Legba. She told me to bring them back. I had to trust that she'd convince Nagga. "I will."
"I know the power of Valhalla dwells within you," Legba said. "Do not summon the son of Odin. Here, I will not allow any creature to be compelled to follow one path or another. The wyrms must each make their own choice."
I snorted. Dammit Legba. He read my mind. I'd thought I could call Thor, let him take care of Nagga, and return to earth with Nammu.
I sighed. "Alright. Agreed."
Papa Legba nodded. "They are coming."
I looked down the road that Legba said ran to the void. Nammu and Nagga flew toward us in dragon form. Nagga was still quite a bit larger than Nammu, but it wasn't like she was small. Next to him, though, she looked like a baby. That they appeared as dragons, not wyrms, took me off guard, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. I supposed since the crossroads were roads rather than a confluence of rivers or something, it made sense.
"Hello, La Sirene," Nammu said. Apparently, at the crossroads, I could hear them audibly. Both of them appeared in physical form—Nagga was not a ghost, here. The boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred at the crossroads.
Legba took a step back on the road that led to Guinee. He didn't leave entirely. He was observing from afar.
"Here, you have a choice," I said. "I am sorry your life was taken from you before. But now, your future is in your hands. Well, your talons, or whatever. You can choose your path. You may go to Guinee, and from there to Valhalla. You can move on to the great beyond. You can return to the void. Or, you can go back to earth."
"I think I'm ready to die," Nagga said.
"Then I am going with you," Nammu said. "Where you go, I go."
Nagga shook his head. "No, Nammu. You must live. And if I go to earth, I fear my rage will return. And if it does, I will likely rejoin Nephtalie."
"You don't know that," Nammu said. "I will be with you. You will have a reason to live."
"But you are now married to ano
ther. Dwelling in the void, together, reminded me of what once was. But that is our past, not our future."
"Then find a new future," I said. "Without you, the earth will fail. Odin wishes me to deliver you to Valhalla."
Nagga shook his head. "I do not belong in Valhalla any more than I belong on the earth. And I will not return to the void without Nammu."
"And I will not return to earth without you," Nammu said. "Your anger does not need to define you. The world can be saved. You can protect the world even as the gods once bid you do. Only now, we can do so together."
"But not together on earth, I'm dead, and you're married."
Papa Legba cleared his throat. "What you say is not completely true."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"A wyrm, or any creature of the void, who comes to the earth, assumes a material form. You will live again."
Nagga cocked his head. "I'll be alive again?"
"Fight at my side," Nammu said. "I don't know what will be of us. But our children will need a father."
"Our children?" Nagga asked.
"Now that we are here, I can feel them within me."
"Wait," I said. "Did you two do the nasty in the void?"
Nammu looked at me. "What do you think?"
"Holy crap," I said. "What about Ruach?"
"He will understand, La Sirene. He is my mate. But that is all. We are not bound to single partners like humans often are."
I shook my head. "I'm just trying to get my mind around the logistics of it all. He's three times your size!"
"Yes, he's quite large," Nammu said, giggling. "In more ways than one!"
"Oh my God!" I said, laughing out loud.
"As you often say to yourself, La Sirene. Size does matter."
I snorted. "Yeah, well. Okay. So you're having more babies?"
Nammu nodded.
"And I will be a father?"
"Yes, Nagga. Perhaps this can give you a new purpose, a reason to save rather than destroy the world. For the sake of our children."
"But La Sirene," Nammu said. "If you do not deliver him to Valhalla..."
I shook my head. "Let me deal with the old gods. I suppose, if they don't give us the totem, we'll find another way."
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