Page 75 of Of Blood & Stone

“Elnok.” She yelled as loud as she could.

The dagger dug deeper.

“Cease your incessant yelling?—”

Suddenly its grip loosened, the dagger slipping from its fingers. Sylzenya grabbed the dagger, swimming away, breaths rapidly coursing through her lungs.

Elnok started coughing, dragging himself out of the pool before he dry heaved.

“This godsforsaken male!”it yelled,“What’s the meaning of you two?”

Then, Elnok puked.

She called his name, but then she felt slimy scales brush her leg. Heart pounding, and knuckles white around the dagger, Sylzenya swam towards the edge of the pool. But, before she reached the side, a body of scales crashed into her. Water filled her mouth as she was pushed under.

A large iridescent fish without eyes or fins floated above her. Mouth open, it exposed rows and rows of sharp teeth.

The ichthys darted for her.

A giant splash from above, then Elnok was wrangling the ichthys with his bare hands. Sylzenya shot up to the surface, gulping fresh air.

She frantically splashed, uncertain how she could help. She didn’t have brute strength or special skills to defeat a monster. Dynameis knew particular tactics for each creature in the forest, but she only knew the basics, and besides, she was powerless.If she was to kill it, then she needed a Vutrorian weapon and orodyte serum.

Realization washed over her. She checked Elnok’s dagger. It carried the Vutrorian flag’s symbol.

Please let this work.

She sliced Elnok’s dagger across her palm, coating the blade in her blood. Counting the seconds and holding her breath, she waited, hoping Elnok wasn’t dead.

The dagger glowed a bright yellow.

Taking a deep breath, she dove under. Elnok was pinned against the wall, wrestling the monster’s jaws open, his muscles pulsing and air bubbles leaving his mouth as he kept the ichthys from biting into his flesh.

Gills flashed under the monster’s belly. If what she remembered was correct, that’s the part she needed to slice with her weapon. Elnok’s yell rumbled in the water, bubbles leaving his mouth, the icthys’ teeth close to his neck. Muscles clenched, she attacked the creature, wrenching the dagger clean through its exposed gills.

A bubbling screech echoed in the water. Elnok yanked its jaws open until it cracked. He pushed the creature away as she pulled the dagger out of its scaly flesh. It drifted to the floor, lifeless, its iridescent scales mirroring the ground, turning it invisible.

As if it had never existed.

They pushed to the surface, gasping for air as they collapsed onto the marble floor.

“Are you alright?” Elnok breathed, grabbing her shoulders. “What was that? Did you kill it? Did it hurt you?”

Sylzenya grabbed onto his arms, eyes widening at his marred skin. She quickly let him go in fear of causing him more pain.

“Your dagger was of Vutrorian make,” she gasped, holding it up, the steel still glowing a bright yellow, “And I carry orodyte serum in my blood.”

His brows raised, eyes wide. “You’re brilliant.”

Her face flushed. “If you hadn’t held it down, I wouldn’t have found its gills.”

“And what exactlywasit?”

“An ichthys. It… it shouldn’t be here, but,” she choked on her words, heart battering against her chest, “Where’s the compass?”

They made their way to the spot where Elnok had emptied his stomach. Relief washed through her as she picked up the object, its gold casing just like it had been in the vision. A thin glowing piece of bark sat in its center, pointing south.

Thump.

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