Page 53 of Of Song and Darkness

A force of energy pulsated through the water, sending me flying through the current and landing in the slimy black sand.

“Please tell me that was you,” I said as I brushed the muck from my scales.

Kai went deathly still. “It wasn’t.”

The thick Dark Water started to shift, swirling and converging in one spot before Kai. I watched in horror as Dark Water fused together, forming what appeared to be a mountain at the base of the trench. I had to drift back to glimpse the mound’s top. It was unbelievably massive. An eerie silence fell over everything once all the Dark Water had gathered together. A shiver of fear coursed its way all the way down to my tailfin.

I was so still I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. Kai’s fists balled together, and he rolled his head around, loosening up his neck muscles. It was not a good sign, considering he was a murderous pirate always ready for anything.

My heart faltered in my chest, plummeting to the pit of my stomach as a serpentine head suddenly burst out from the mass of Dark Water. The being was entirely composed of Dark Water. Its skin oozed with an evil darkness, and black fangs jutted from its elongated jaw, dripping with the poisonous Dark Water. Its glowing, unholy red eyes scanned over me before fixating on Kai. Fossilized-looking spikes protruded from the seeping black sludge, running down the length of its body. It opened its mouth, releasing a screech that would burrow itself in my memory and haunt my dreams for the rest of my life, as fleeting as that may be.

Kai never wavered. His strength was the only thing holding me together at this point.

The Dark Hydra appeared perplexed that its prey wasn’t frantically swimming for their lives. I was sure I had lost my sanity when what looked like a wicked smile crept across the monster’s face.

Five more heads emerged from the ooze, each one more terrifying than the last. My mind grew foggy as my body teetered on the verge of shutting down completely. Dark Water continued to melt away until only the monster remained. Its slick, cylindrical snakelike body floated through the water with paralyzing agility, and the six demonic heads all snapped and hissed at Kai. Dark Water spewed from their mouths with each hiss.

I didn’t know what I expected the Dark Hydra to look like, but I could not have conjured up a vision so horrible, even in my worst nightmares. It was pure wickedness and precisely what Kai had described. This wasn’t just a monster—it was evil incarnate, forged by an even darker force.

Hot tears burned the back of my eyes as I glanced at Kai. Any of those dripping, sharp teeth-lined jaws could swallow us whole. A seed of doubt planted itself in my chest and blossomed into full fear. At the beginning of this seemingly impossible mission, our chances of victory appeared dim, but after witnessing this horror, I was sure our death was inevitable.

Sink me. The abomination hovering in the water before me was beyond anything I could have ever conceived. One of the heads closest to me lunged, and I narrowly avoided it severing my arm as I surged backward out of its reach.

The beast’s long body rippled with Dark Water, creating a holographic effect. It coiled, ready to strike, completely boneless as it effortlessly moved through the water. My power seeped through my fingers, ramming into the Dark Hydra and knocking it back a few feet. That blow should have been enough to knock it clear out of the water. Instead, it rocked backward, like I had merely shoved it.

A scream ripped from Rhea, latching onto my heart like a grappling hook. Four snarling heads held me at bay while the other two attacked Rhea. She flung herself to the side, barely avoiding the monster’s bone-crushing jaws. Anger ignited in me like a lit fuse to a cannon. I sent a pulse of power through the water, sending the trench creatures who drifted in the water hurtling toward the Dark Hydra. They were lithe and swift, easily distracting the beast as Rhea collected herself and moved to safety.

My power tugged at my energy, rapidly draining me, but I directed another wave at the malevolent creature. It barely moved this time. Defeat pounded relentlessly in my chest. If my power wasn’t enough to defeat the Dark Hydra, our fate was sealed.

Another head struck at me, but I did not move back this time. I veered to the right, using brute strength to slam the beast’s mouth shut. All twelve glowing-ember eyes swiveled in my direction, darkening to a deeper shade of red as the monster’s fury intensified. It ultimately abandoned its attack on Rhea. I’d just showed it my strength, therefore putting the target on my back. Good. I may not know how to control this unpredictable power that flowed through my veins like the surging tide, but I could use my strength. Growing up, concealing my strength and speed had been a challenge, but in this moment, I had no need to hide. I could bask in it.

The Dark Hydra lunged at me, all six jaws wide and open for the kill, but I shot through the water, putting distance between me and the multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth. Then it did something I hadn’t anticipated: its mouths opened, spewing a colossal wave of black venomous breath through the water. Power burned through my fingertips as I reached for Rhea. I encased her in a protective bubble as Dark Water tainted the water around her. My skin burned as the Dark Water licked my skin, but I would not relent. I sent another blast of my sea power through the water, clearing away the inky poison that contaminated it.

A head whipped around, latching onto my arm, stopping my power from surrounding Rhea. A growl rumbled in my chest as the beast tore through my flesh, injecting Dark Water into my bloodstream. My eyes misted over in pain, but that did not stop them from seeking out Rhea. She hit the ground hard, and the sound of her body crashing into the sand and the way her head whipped back was like a knife to my chest.

She shot upright, turning eyes filled with terror to me. “Kai!”

Her voice ripped through my soul. Her concern for a wretch like me was undeserving. Rhea shot forward in the water, fear and determination glistening in her eyes.

“Don’t!” I managed through gritted teeth.

If this thing tore me limb from limb, I would happily have it do so if it meant sparing her life. I would not allow the one I loved, the light in my darkness, the song in my melancholy heart, to be touched by this evil.

Rhea stopped, for once blessedly listening to me, but I could tell by the defiant spark in her eyes that it would not last long. I used what little there was left of my energy to summon the creatures from the darkness. Rhea screamed in frustration as they gripped her arms, pulling her away from the impending danger.

Another head wrapped around my middle, lifting me from the ocean floor. Air whooshed from my lungs as the constrictor squeezed. I knew it couldn’t break my bones. I was too powerful to fall victim to minor human injuries like broken bones. Pain exploded in my shoulder as another set of jaws clamped down. My blood turned to liquid fire as it injected more Dark Water into my body. This would be my doom. Evil begot evil, and it was nothing less than what I deserved.

Throughout my entire life, I had buried the anger and pain inflicted by Poseidon deep within the recesses of my mind, along with any special abilities I possessed. I refused to acknowledge who he was to me and that his blood flowed through my veins. I took my vengeance out on all the sea creatures he created. Creatures that he cared for. Tracking and killing them came naturally to me.

Soon, I had melded into something just as wicked as what I was running from. Blackheart Kai. I possessed the ability to summon the creatures, the very beasts I hunted, to the surface. They longed to be near me, and I used that vulnerability to massacre them and make a name for myself. I reveled in their deaths, hoping that each one caused just a fraction of the pain for Poseidon that he had caused me and my mother. And then she showed up…

“Kai, please.” Rhea whimpered. “Make them let me go so I can help you!”

I learned from that little sea demon that one can overcome hate. She despised me. I was sure of it, and perhaps she still did, but even in the face of her hatred, she helped me and my crew, despite our unworthiness. Her heart was big enough to overpower the black one that pulsed in my chest.

The Dark Hydra squeezed tighter, and another set of teeth sunk into the flesh of my other shoulder. I could not hear my own screams over Rhea’s. She thrashed, rearing back and flinging her lustrous tail through the water. I marveled at her strength and her wild beauty that I never imagined I would be attracted to. She fought against the creatures’ hold, nearly knocking them over with her might.

I wanted to scream at her and tell her that her concern was wasted on a being as vile as me. I was no better than the Dark Hydra. My vision started to blur, and I could barely make out her form as death rode on a swift ship to collect me. My head lolled backward. It was all I could do to keep it upright.

---