Page 80 of The Shadow of Polaris

Aryx.

The binds loosened as he clawed them away, freeing my feet, then my ankles, my calves. As each strand of slithering weed fell away and drifted limply on the ocean currents, my muscles regained their strength.

Fully freed from my watery chains, Aryx wrapped his arms around me and paddled for the surface, biceps straining from my added weight. Where the weeds had once been, my skin oozed with blood, searing in the high salinity of the water.

Finally, gaping for air and sputtering up salt water, we broke the surface.

“Hurry. Swim for the ships!” he panted, releasing me from his hold.

I swam as fast as I could until every muscle in my body was on the brink of exhaustion. Strong, calloused hands dragged me back on the deck, leaving me heaving up water on the wooden boards. I turned to my side, letting the air flood into my lungs.

Crew members, draped against the railing, reached for the scaled creatures that beckoned to them. Arcturas lunged down the line of them, sinking her teeth into their calves and ripping them to the deck, knocking them unconscious. Like a line of dolls, they now lay limp on the deck, bite marks sunken into their raggedy limbs. I rolled on to my back and watched as a small, white cloud overhead dissipated.

My drenched clothes stuck to me like glue. Tugging at the tunic collar, I released a few shallow breaths. I was alive. I closed my eyes, letting relief wash through me like the calm waters below. Then my blood grew cold as realization sunk its sharp fangs into me.

Aryx.

He was right behind me. He should be beside me by now, celebrating another narrow escape from death.

“Where is he?” I stumbled to my feet and scanned the confused faces of my men. “Where is Aryx? He was in the water with me.”

“I don’t see him, My Queen. Are you sure?” a sailor asked, scanning the rolling swells.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I hissed, leaning against the railing to search the dark waters myself. Nothing. Not a single sign of life.

He was right there.

Right behind me.

Without a second thought, I dove off the deck and swam through the turbid water. Stroking further and further into the depths, searching for his golden hair in the muck.

He was right behind me.

Something must have happened. I dove further, passing lifeless scaly creatures floating in a cloud of dark purple blood. Their beauty had faded along with their lives, leaving only grotesque, slimy bodies with rows of razor-sharp teeth and long, pointed claws.

My lungs burned, begging me to go back. Frightened to be again sinking through the water column, my mind raced, praying to the gods I’d survive this. It was stupid to dive back in, but I couldn’t leave him.

I paused and drifted against the harsh current, scanning the water beneath me for any sign of him. Golden tendrils of hair rippled in the remaining sunlight.

There.

Swimming as fast as I could, I rushed toward his distended body and wrapped myself around his waist. My frantic kicks propelled us back toward the surface while the all too familiar black spots speckled my vision. Throwing my arm tightly around his waist, I gasped for air as we finally broke through.

“Over here!” I called, gliding across the water with Aryx in arm.

The crew rose to their feet, extending hands over the railing to help pull us to safety. It took all of my strength to lift the half-god up toward the ship. A sailor grabbed his collar and he disappeared over the rail. I knew I was safe when I felt the sailor’s calloused hands tuck under my armpits and lift me out of the sea.

Chapter 43

“He isn’t breathing!” I cried, leaning over Aryx’s cold, soaked body. I tore at the leather straps of his breastplate and flung it aside. The heavy thud as it hit the deck was the only sound in an eerie stillness that had fallen over our crew.

I tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and breathed into his lungs. There was a faint rise and fall when I exhaled into him.

“Come on Aryx, wake up,” I cried, pressing my lips against his. Continuing to breathe into him, I watched the rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall. Something felt different inside me. It felt empty, like a piece of myself was gone, leaving a vacancy that begged to be filled.

“Wake up!” My throat tightened with the onset of panic. Pushing our mouths together, I exhaled my life into him, hoping that some shred of me could bring him back.

“Aryx, please, wake up.”

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