by S. E. Smith
“Be safe,” Jenny said.
She turned the lever one more turn and pulled it open. The icy water that poured in around her ankles took her breath away. Juno held his arms by his side and stepped into the icy depths. The moment he was clear, Jenny did her best to close the hatch again. By the time she was able to get it sealed, the water was almost up to her knees.
“So… so… m…uch for the di…ving bell theor…y,” she stuttered.
She reached out to steady herself when the escape pod groaned and began to move. Jenny grabbed the seat in front of her and pulled herself forward toward the front. In the distance, she could see a faint green glow moving further away from her. Juno was clear of the escape pod.
Jenny closed her eyes and slowly sank down in the pilot’s seat when she felt, more than heard, the rocks giving way underneath the escape pod. The added weight of the water had done what she feared—shifted the escape pod. Her hands gripped the sides of her seat as the world tilted, and she felt the weightlessness under the escape pod again.
She swept past the remains of the squid. The escape pod bounced against more outcroppings of rocks, as it sank deeper along the ridge. Thrown from the seat, she tumbled to the back where she lay dazed in the rising water. One of the rocks must have hit the bottom hatch just right because the escape pod was beginning to flood again.
There was nothing Jenny could do until the wild ride ended. It happened faster than she’d expected. Her arms trembled as she pushed herself up off the floor. Wading through the water on frozen feet, she tried to seal the hatch again. A dark chuck of jagged rock about the size and thickness of a large tree trunk was jammed into seal. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t dislodge it.
Her fingers and legs numb from the cold, she waded back to the front and climbed up onto a seat. The water was coming in faster now. Jenny tried blowing on her hands to warm them up, but it was no use. Even her breath felt cold. She also noticed it was getting harder to breathe.
Pulling her knees up, she pressed them against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She looked up through the top of the escape pod. Her breathing grew faster despite her attempts to remain calm. Her body was shivering so violently from the cold that she was amazed she didn’t fall out of the seat. She whimpered when the water reached the edge of the seat and continued to rise.
Jenny unfolded her stiff legs and tried to push herself up. It took three times before she was able to stand on the seat. By the time she was able to do so, the water was up to her ankles.
“I don’t want to die,” Jenny said in a broken whisper. “Please, Orion… I don’t want to die. I… want… to be… to be… a mom to… Dolph… and Jun… Juno. I wan… want to… be… I want to be… a wife… to you.”
Jenny’s sobs added to the shaking of her body. Lifting her hands up to press against the glass, she willed Orion to appear and save her. Surely she wasn’t brought all this way to die a ghastly death in the dark, alone and frightened? If the Goddess had any mercy—any compassion—she would use some magic to save her from drowning. Yet, the water continued to rise, moving from her knees to her thighs to her waist, then her chest, and no magic creature came to save her.
When the water reached her chin, Jenny tilted her head back and gasped in the small sliver of space where there was still some air. Her mind and body had become blissfully numb from the cold. The only thing keeping her upright was the water surrounding her.
A choked sob escaped her when the last, precious pocket of air filled up. Closing her eyes, Jenny tried to concentrate on the meditation technique to slow her breathing. Memories of her life flashed through her mind.
She thought of Carly, wondering if she had fallen into this magical world only to die, and maybe that was the reason no one here knew of her. Painful regret for their short lives hit Jenny. She and Carly had so many dreams they had wanted to fulfill.
I found my merman, Carly. I hope you were able to find your dragon, even if it was for just a little while like me, Jenny prayed.
Her tears mixed with the salty water. Jenny focused on Orion’s face. It was the only thing giving her a measure of comfort.
Finally, her burning lungs rebelled, and she drew in a gulp of water. Her body rejected it, struggling to expel the water and replace it with life-giving oxygen, to no avail. Each struggle brought more water into her starving lungs until there was no more air. Slowly, her body relaxed, and her eyes opened—blind to the darkness that surrounded her.
Chapter Fourteen
“What is it?” Drago asked in concern.
Carly sat trembling in their bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She lifted a shaking hand to wipe them away when her mate sat up beside her. A choked sob escaped her and she turned into his warm arms and wrapped them around her.
“I had the worst dream ever,” Carly choked out between ragged sobs.
“What was it about?” he asked.
Leaning back, Carly relaxed against Drago’s warm body and rested her head against his chest. Like most dreams, she couldn’t remember the details except the pain and sorrow—as if she had lost someone that she loved with all her heart.
“I need to check on the kids,” Carly suddenly said.
She pulled away from Drago and threw the covers back. Sliding out of the massive bed, she reached for her robe and pulled it on. Drago quickly followed her, waving his hand so that a pair of loose-fitting trousers covered him.
“Was the dream about them? I will not let anything happen to them or you, Carly. Do you want me to kill someone? Maybe Ashure? No one would miss him very much. Did he cause you to have a bad dream?” Drago growled.
Carly released an exasperated sigh and giggled. “No, I don’t want you to kill anyone—including Ashure. I don’t know why everyone wants to do Ashure bodily harm. The guy wasn’t that bad. The dream wasn’t about the kids or me. It was about Jenny,” she said, walking across the hallway to peer into their two sons’ bedroom.
“Ah…,” Drago said as he paused in the doorway behind her with a frown of confusion on his face. “I don’t understand. If the dream was about Jenny, then why are you checking on the kids?”
Carly released a sigh. The boys must have had a pillow fight after she and Drago had gone to bed because their beds were destroyed again. Marco was sprawled out in his dragon form, his tail hanging off the side of the bed, and Tucker was in his human form with his butt up in the air and a mountain of pillows surrounding him.
Neither boy had a bedspread on their bed. Those were currently the cover to their pirate fort. Carly frowned when she heard a soft snore coming from under the roof of the fort. Silently walking across the bedroom, she pulled the flap open and peered inside. Drago was right behind her, gazing over her shoulder.
Inside the fort was the newest addition to the family, Little Jenny. She was curled up on a pink blanket holding her stuffed dragon and sucking her thumb. Carly’s expression softened at the sight. Her gaze moved to the large paper bird sleeping on the pillow next to her.
The enchanted bird raised its head and released a soft chirp. Carly placed a finger to her lips, and Big Knight nodded. From the new color on Big Knight’s wings, it looked like Little Jenny had found the crayons that Carly had picked up and put away earlier.
“They are fine. I have the birds watching over them. If anyone or anything tries to harm them, the birds will let us know,” Drago murmured near her ear.
“I know,” Carly replied, pulling back and closing the entrance to the fort.
Drago helped her to her feet and they quietly returned to their bedroom. Carly walked across the room to where the open balcony doors. A light breeze blew in and she gazed out toward the ocean. She leaned against Drago when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“I wish I could remember the dream,” Carly murmured.
“What do you remember?” Drago asked, bending and pressing a kiss to her temple.
Carly wa
s silent for a moment before she released a long, sad sigh. She shook her head and placed her hands over Drago’s. She couldn’t remember anything but the residual feeling that was left behind—grief.
“I don’t know. It felt like she was calling for help—then, I just felt such a tidal wave of sorrow—as if she was gone… for good,” Carly replied, her voice thickening on the last two words.
“I am sure your friend is well. You have dreamed of her before,” Drago said, turning her in his arms and lifting a hand to her chin.
“Yes, but never like this,” Carly insisted.
“I wish there was a way to find your friend. If you like, I can approach the King and Queen of the Isle of Magic. They may know of a spell that could open the passage between our two worlds,” Drago reluctantly offered.
Carly quickly shook her head. “No!” she said sharply before continuing in a softer voice. She ran her fingers along his chest, tangling them in his coarse hair. “No. We’ve talked about that before. Maybe before we had the kids, but not now. There is no way I will take a chance of returning to my world. What if I did and couldn’t come back? I would be devastated to lose you and them.”
Drago pulled Carly close against his body and held her like he would never let her go. Carly loved it when he held her like this. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back.
“Let’s return to bed. The fear of losing you has made me horny,” Drago stated.
Carly turned her face into his chest and giggled. That was another thing she loved about her mate, he knew how to say the most romantic things. Pulling back, she smiled up at him.
“I love you, Drago,” she murmured.
“Show me how much,” he replied.
Carly’s smile turned wicked, and she slid her hand down to cup him. “Oh, boy. You are so going to know how much by the time I get done with you,” she murmured.
She released him, sliding her hand along his full cock before she stepped away and untied her robe. She glanced over her shoulder and let it drop to the floor, keeping the belt in her hand. She shot him a heated look before her gown landed next to her robe.
“Goddess, woman. How did I get so lucky?” Drago muttered, waving his hand so that his trousers disappeared.
In the darkness along the underwater cliff, Juno swam faster than he ever had before. His small body skimmed along the edge, weaving in and out of the rocks while he kept a keen eye out for any predators. His father, Kapian, and Coralus told him that a warrior always knew his surroundings and could feel the changes in the water.
Kicking upward, he slowed when he neared the top of the cliff. In the distance, he could see his father fighting the colossal squid. For a moment, he held onto the rock ledge and watched in awe.
His father swung the trident around and pierced a smaller squid with it. The squid lit up in a flash of brilliant green light. Juno could see its body glow and its veins highlighted before it writhed and crumbled to the ocean floor. The glow reminded Juno of the stone he was carrying.
Pulling himself upward, he pushed off the sand-covered rock bottom with his feet and stayed low, swimming as close to the bottom as he could, then headed in the direction of his father. Juno was halfway to where his father was fighting another squid when out of the corner of his eye he saw a black shadow rise to his right. Turning, he stared open-mouthed as the form took shape and Magna appeared.
“Go away! I don’t like you,” Juno exclaimed, swimming backwards several feet.
“I will call them away, but I can only do it for a few seconds, Juno. Tell Orion….” Magna winced and drew in a deep breath before she continued. “Tell your father... I’m sorry,” she choked out as if in intense pain. “Go! I can only control them for a moment. Go, Juno, go!”
Juno twisted and kicked forward, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and Magna. The squid between him and his father moved, giving him a narrow gap to pass through. He wanted to look over his shoulder to see if Magna was still there, but was afraid to. Passing through the floating tentacles of the colossal squid, Juno reached down into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the Eye of the Serpent. He was almost through when he felt a sharp pain in his lower leg, and he was jerked to a stop.
“Father! Help me!” Juno cried in terror and pain.
Rage warred with agonizing grief. The first emotion Orion could handle, the second he couldn’t. In an effort to push it deeper inside himself, he let the rage out, pouring all of his power into the battle.
He struck with a vengeance. Even without the trident, he would have been a deadly adversary. Although the trident didn’t work without both of the Eyes of the Sea Serpent, he could still use it to channel his own magic.
Turning around, he pierced a squid that had come up behind him. The painful memory of Jenny and Juno helplessly being pulled down into the depths by one of the creatures flashed through his mind. His howl of rage chorused with the screech of the squid as it began to glow. Yanking the trident out of the dying creature, he turned when he heard a faint cry.
“Juno!” Orion whispered, his gaze frantically scanning the water for his son. “Juno!” he roared when he finally caught sight of him. “Kapian! Architeuthis has Juno!”
Orion pressed his heels into the side of Sea Fire and leaned forward. His heart raced as he weaved his way between the tentacles of two smaller squid trying to stop him. His eyes flashed with fire when he saw Magna on the other side of Architeuthis, her arms raised.
Lifting the trident in his hand, he focused his magic on her. The heat of his rage narrowed to a fine point on the center of Magna’s chest where her black heart was beating. Orion whispered the words of a deadly spell, words he never would have spoken if not for the pain, grief, and rage pulsing through him. Sparks of red shot from the three tips of the trident, forming one powerful bolt.
Magna saw the bolt coming for her and continued to stand with her arms spread wide. Her black lips parted and her ghostly face held an accepting expression. A furious bellow escaped him when two of the squid darted in front of her at the last moment.
The red bolt of power hit and passed through the first squid before slamming into the second one. They both glowed a bright red before exploding with such force that the shockwave hit Architeuthis before rolling over Orion and his men. The shockwave stunned the colossal squid, and it released its hold on Juno.
Orion watched with horror as his son was tossed in the turbulent water before he silently sank down to the top of the dome covering the city below. Fighting to control Sea Fire, Orion kicked the sea dragon and guided him to where Juno lay unmoving. Kapian and the other men swiftly took advantage of Architeuthis’ momentary disorientation to force the colossal squid away from the dome.
“Juno,” Orion said.
Orion secured the trident to the saddle and slid off of Sea Fire. He turned and saw his small son lying on his side. He swam over to kneel next to Juno. Fearing that he had accomplished what Magna and the squid had tried to do, he tenderly reached out to touch Juno’s small and fragile body. Orion’s hands trembled when he gently turned his son toward him. Juno’s lashes lay like crescents against his pale skin. Orion swallowed and brushed his hand along Juno’s cheek.
“Father?” Juno murmured.
A chuckle of relief escaped Orion and he watched as Juno’s lashes fluttered several times before the boy blinked up at him. He could see the confusion in his son’s gaze. Pulling Juno up into his arms, Orion buried his face against his son’s shoulder and rocked him for a moment before pulling back.
“Jenny…?” Orion asked, looking over toward the edge of the cliff.
Juno blinked up in confusion before his eyes cleared, and his lips parted. “She needs your help. The power went out in the escape pod. She crushed a squid with it,” he rapidly explained, trying to push away from his father.
“She did what…? How did you get out of the escape pod?” Orion asked.
“Jenny opened the hatch. She said to give you this,�
�� Juno said, holding out his hand and opening his fingers to reveal the glowing stone in the middle of his palm.
“The eye… How… Where…?” Orion asked in shock, looking from the stone to Juno.
“Jenny had it. She said she found it on the beach before she followed Dolph,” Juno explained. “Please, you have to help mother. Her hands were so cold. Please….”
Orion reached out and took the magical stone from Juno. Rising to his feet, he turned to Sea Fire and held out his hand. With a silent command, the trident rose from the saddle and soared through the water to his hand. Gripping the trident in his left hand, he opened his right hand to reveal the Eye of the Sea Serpent.
The stone glowed brightly in the dim light, the call of the trident beckoning it to return to its rightful place. The gem shot through the water, returning to the eye socket of the sea serpent. Power filled Orion, and his senses opened until he felt like he could touch every corner of the oceans.
“Return to your home, Architeuthis! I command these waters,” Orion ordered, raising the trident above his head and swirling it around.
Funnels of water and energy flashed out of the forked weapon, hitting the squid and sending all of them far out into the ocean and away from the city. Orion ignored the triumphant shouts of his men. Instead, he focused his attention on where he last saw the escape pod with Jenny in it.
“Bring her to me,” he ordered the water.
Three orbs of light burst from the tips of the trident. They swept outward, racing for the cliff to disappear over the edge. In the background, Orion heard Kapian give a quiet order for the uninjured to attend to the wounded warriors and sea dragons and return to the city.
“Juno, perhaps you should go…,” Kapian started to say, but the little boy furiously shook his head.
“No, I will wait for mother. She might need me. Plus, I told her I would be very careful. This way she will know that I was,” Juno said, standing closer to his father.
Orion’s breath caught when he saw the first faint glow of light rising from the darkness. The orbs appeared first, followed by the escape pod, which was carried on a funnel of water. His gaze remained focused on the pod. He lowered the trident and pushed off the dome, swimming toward the pod where it settled on the sand to the west of the dome.
