Page 48 of Of Song and Darkness

I whirled around, scanning for any trace of what had dragged the body beneath the surface, but my frantic search yielded nothing, not even the faintest hint of bubbles signaling a lurking presence below. My muscles coiled so tight I feared they would snap under the pressure as the silence dragged on. The crimson smear of my blood on the rocky surface caught my attention, and my chest tingled. I had likely summoned whatever monstrosity this was from the depths with my accident. Fresh blood in this dismal water was like ringing a dinner bell to whatever lurked below.

Fear paralyzed me as a jagged fin pierced the water’s surface. Four spiky, pointed bones constructed a fin with skin the color of dried blood stretched tautly across. It circled the reef, drawing closer with each pass it made. Whatever this creature was, it was enormous, judging by the size of the fin. Soon, more fins broke through the surface, drawing closer like sharks on a feeding frenzy.

Dread threaded through me when I heard something jump from the water. I slowly angled my body to whatever this horror was. Shock threatened to overwhelm me as a creature with unholy black lifeless eyes and an endless maw of razor-sharp teeth stepped toward me. The beast was nothing but bones covered in sickly gray skin and easily the size of a human man. It opened its mouth, and an ear-piercing screech that signaled my doom reverberated in the air. My eyes snagged on its claws that were at least half a foot in length and razor-sharp. Perfect for ripping through flesh. My flesh.

It lashed out, claws swiping in my direction like tiny blades. With my powerful tail, I whipped around, knocking it back in the water. The audible crack of bones and the faint trace of blood mingling in the water assured me that my strike had achieved the desired effect. The creature’s lifeless body bobbed face-down in the water. I watched in horror as the masses turned toward one of their own, ripping it to shreds. Flesh and shards of bone flew in all directions. The cannibalistic assault was one of the most gruesome things I had ever seen. In that instant, it dawned on me that my odds of emerging from this ordeal unscathed were next to none.

Once the body had been completely demolished, more creatures surfaced. All their lifeless eyes and expressions turned to me with one clear goal—to devour me. Two more jumped up on the reef. My hands flew to the locket around my neck. I held it out like a beacon, hoping that Poseidon’s might was still vibrant inside the shiny metal. It seemed to be working. The necklace was still glowing, barely. The creatures retreated momentarily, only to have three more leap onto the rock. The subtle glow of the locket sputtered like a flickering flame about to burn out until, finally, the light died.

The creatures all stepped toward me in unison. One struck out at my chest, snatching the necklace from around my neck. My skin stung at the contact, and I knew it left claw marks across my chest, but I refused to break eye contact to look at my injury. The thing glanced down at the locket, looked at it strangely, then dropped it, crushing it beneath its jagged, clawed foot. The small piece of Poseidon’s heart shattered, turning to dust, and floated away on the wind, taking with it what little hope there was at defeating the Dark Hydra.

I knocked two more from the rock before they could reach me, but my efforts were in vain. They kept coming, multiplying at an alarming rate. I was hopelessly stranded. The thought of out swimming them skipped across my mind, but that would be suicidal without Poseidon’s heart. Dark Water was inching closer to my perch on the coral reef. My last defense was my song. I only prayed that it would work against the creatures of pure evil that happily resided in Dark Water.

I poured all that I had into my song, careful to lace each note with death. Hope soared in my chest when they paused their attack. My song lacked its typical lethal impact. It seemed to perplex them, which was evident by the tilting of their heads.

Defeat pressed down on me, as heavy as a beached whale on my chest. Without Poseidon’s heart, everything from this point on was just delaying the inevitable. Tears slipped from my eyes as I accepted my failure. Everything that I had been through over the past few months had been for naught. Seeking out the sea witch, drawing a truce with the rogue Blackheart Kai, and sentencing Medusa to death had all been without merit. I should have stayed home and accepted our fate gracefully like my father had asked me to. At least I could have bid my family goodbye and told them that I loved them, but I had been too stubborn, and now I would die alone, being ripped to shreds and feasted upon by these creatures devised of pure evil.

The faces of my family raced through my thoughts—my sister, mother, and father. I could be with them now, snuggled deep in their embrace, accepting our future with grace and going out together, yet my ego drove me to believe in a fairy tale. I thought that I was capable of something more than just being the wife of the next king of Aquarius. My stubbornness would be my death. My father had been right.

I halted my song, surrendering to my destiny. Fear lodged itself in my throat, yet I forced it back down. I was going to die with dignity. I was, after all, the princess of Aquarius. I placed my hands delicately across my lap, waiting for my death from the creatures who swarmed. Kai’s face skipped across my mind, reminding me of his features, his cocky smile, and his untamed masculinity. I had been foolish to fall for the manly wiles and danger he emanated. I was getting what I deserved for falling for his treachery and believing he could be something more than a monster.

“What are you waiting for?” I sneered, lifting my chin and exposing my throat. I desperately hoped they would swiftly end my life, sparing me from enduring the agony of them tearing the flesh from my bones.

One of the larger creatures from the group stepped forward, lifting its claws high above its head. I squeezed my eyes shut, anticipating the death blow.

Something whizzed by my face, the wind from whatever it was brushing across my cheek. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the creature had missed due to its proximity. When I heard a screech rip from the creature’s throat, I pried my eyes open. It reached up, trying to dislodge the arrow protruding from its forehead. I froze in shock as its eyes rolled back in its head and the creature fell over dead, splashing into the tainted black water.

Hope blossomed in my chest as more arrows soared through the air, burrowing into the creatures’ skeletal bodies. I spun around to see a massive ivory-colored ship with masts and rigging reaching toward the heavens. It was ladened with weapons and gliding through Dark Water like a dream, and at the stern, with a bow in hand, was Kai.

I blinked several times, my mind refusing to comprehend what my eyes were witnessing. How had Kai found me, and where did he get this hauntingly beautiful ship? My muscles quivered when I realized that this must be the Wraith and the driving force behind his deceit. Something sinister leaked into my bloodstream. The sea witch had spared her minions’ lives and sent them after me in a vessel capable of riding the deadly waves.

Arrows and spears continued to litter the air, and one by one, the creatures fell. Fate was a cruel mistress. I would rather die at the hands of these monsters than at the hands of Blackheart Kai. These creatures were hungry, and my death would only serve as a physical need, but with Kai, I would be another trophy kill to add to his collection.

The creatures circling me in the water quickly abandoned me, focusing all their attention on the more significant threat. They swarmed like barracuda around the ship, trying to claw their way aboard deck.

Kai was shouting, and he and his men were moving as one seamless fighting entity, but I could not understand his words above the boom of battle and the wind that whipped the tears from my eyes.

I sat there in stoic silence, unable to move from my perch on the coral. I was stranded without Poseidon’s heart. The vicious creatures may have abandoned me, but Dark Water had not. It eased closer, attempting to slither up the rock to reach me. My eyes shifted from the battle scene to the dark waves surrounding me. The thought of throwing myself in and ending it all before Kai got his hands on me flitted across my mind, but my thirst for vengeance spoke louder than my desire to take the easy way out. If I had the chance to see another day, I would use the very last breath in my lungs to ensure Blackheart Kai met his doom.

I jumped as the boom of a cannon engulfed the surrounding area. The creatures caught in the line of fire combusted, while those that remained unscathed plunged beneath the inky surface. I scoffed to myself. I shouldn’t be surprised that Kai had so quickly ended the attack. That was, after all, what he was good at—destroying sea monsters.

The massive ship glided closer to the coral reef I was marooned on.

“Need a lift, sea demon?” A crooked grin pulled at Kai’s lips, and my stupid traitorous heart skipped a beat.

“Being swallowed alive by Dark Water sounds more appealing,” I hissed, baring my teeth at him.

His smile widened, and mischief danced in his sea-blue eyes. “Perhaps, but I’m not giving you that option.”

He tossed down a rope that landed across my tail. I stared at it like it was a sea serpent. If I accepted his help, I would betray myself and my people all over again. I wrapped my tail tighter around my body as Dark Water slithered further up the rock. A tightness squeezed my chest, threatening to crush my lungs. What other option did I have?

I reluctantly picked up the rope and tied it securely around my waist. The air whooshed from my lungs as the rope tightened, hoisting me above the rising Dark Water. My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I swayed through the air like a fish on a fisherman’s line. Once I reached the railing, I grabbed on and pulled myself up. Kai stepped toward me in what looked like an effort to help me, but the hiss of warning I threw his way had him halting in his tracks. I slung my tail over, flipping it back and forth in an anger-fueled motion as the crew stared at me. I combed my fingers through my salt-laden hair, ignoring them and their infuriating captain.

Kai’s eyes locked on my chest. Sirens seeped lust, but anger like a bolt of lightning shot from his cold oceanic eyes, indicating that was not the reason behind his hard glare. I glanced down. The creature had left jagged claw marks when it ripped the necklace from around my neck. Blood dripped down my torso, mingling with the scales that began at my lower waist.

Kai walked off without a word and returned quickly with a cloth in his hand. “This would have never happened if you’d stayed aboard my ship,” he growled as he handed me the fabric.

I grabbed it from his hands, waving it angrily in the air. “No, this would have never happened if you hadn’t made a deal with the sea witch. One with a stipulation that included my death.” I pressed the cloth to my chest, wiping away the blood.

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