Page 67 of Rise of the Siren Queen
“Begin,” Kieran said, his voice steady but authoritative, signaling the start.
Ronan didn’t waste a second. He lunged at me with startling speed, his fist aimed directly at my jaw. I barely dodged, spinning out of the way as I called on the water. The droplets in the air responded to my command, swirling into a thin barrier in front of me.
Ronan’s laughter echoed as he slid to a halt.
“Cute trick,” he sneered. “Let’s see how long you can keep that up.”
Before I could respond, his hands shot forward, and from the shadows of the cavern, dark tendrils erupted, twisting and coiling like living chains. They lashed out at me with terrifying speed. I raised my arm, instinctively calling on the water. It solidified in an instant, forming a translucent shield that absorbed the impact of his shadow constructs.
I barely had time to breathe before he was on me again, his shadowy chains whipping around my legs, pulling me down with brutal force. I hit the ground hard, pain shooting through my limbs. Ronan’s smirk deepened as he yanked the shadows tighter around me.
“You really thought you could keep up with me?” His voice was low, dangerous, as he leaned down, shadows flickering around him like a dark cloak. “You’re out of your depth, boy.”
Rage boiled up inside me, and I felt something snap. The water responded harder and faster than before. I forced it to solidify around me, transforming into jagged, unbreakable shards that sliced through his chains. They shattered with a resounding crack.
Ronan’s eyes widened for a split second before he recovered, but I didn’t give him time to respond. I surged forward, pulling the water into a blade in my hand, sharp and shimmering. His smirk returned as he summoned dark blades of his own, meeting my strike head-on.
Our weapons clashed, water against shadow, and sparks flew. Ronan’s eyes gleamed with something close to excitement. He was enjoying this. He thrived on the chaos, on pushing people to their limits. Every strike he made was precise, calculated, but I sensed my own power growing, surging with every block, every counter.
“You’ve got some fight in you after all,” Ronan said, ducking under one of my swings. He twirled around, aiming a kick at my ribs. I blocked it with a water shield, but the impact still jarred me. “But you’re still holding back. What are you afraid of, huh? Losingcontrol? Or maybe you’re just afraid of losing?”
His words hit a nerve, and I pushed harder, summoning water into twin blades, attacking from both sides. He barely dodged in time, but I saw the flash of surprise in his eyes.
“Better,” he admitted, backing up slightly, his smirk never faltering. “But let’s see how you do when the real fun begins.”
Before I could ask what he meant, his shadows darkened, growing thicker, and from within them, ghostly figures emerged, wraiths pale and twisted, their faces hollow and haunting. They floated toward me, silent and deadly, their presence sending a chill down my spine.
I gritted my teeth and summoned a barrier of ice, but the wraiths slipped through it as if it wasn’t even there. One of them grazed my arm, and a cold, numbing sensation spread through me. Panic flared as more closed in.
“Feeling the pressure yet?” Ronan called out, clearly amused by my struggle. “Those wraiths will suck the life right out of you if you’re not careful.”
I felt my energy draining and the cold creeping into my bones. But I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me falter. I focused harder, pulling the water into thick, unyielding chains. They solidified in an instant, wrapping around the wraiths and crushing them for a moment before they slip through.
Ronan’s smirk faltered just enough for me to use the opening to strike, launching a water blade straight at him. He blocked it with his shadows, but I saw the strain in his movements. He wasn’t invincible.
Before either of us could land another blow, Kieran’s voice cut through the chaos. “Enough. Shift to triton form.”
We both paused, panting. I was still buzzing with energy, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Ronan’s smirk returned, though it was a little tighter this time.
“Round two, then,” he said, stepping back toward the pond.
The second we hit the water, our bodies shifted, the familiar pain of transformation rippling through me. My legs merged into a tail, the sharp ache briefly overwhelming, but I pushed through it. I was getting used to the shift, even if it still felt like my body was being torn apart and put back together again.
Ronan’s tail flicked in the water, his movements sleek and confident. He circled me like a predator, his dark scales glinting in the low light. The wraiths, now in their true element, darted through the water, more menacing than before.
But I wasn’t afraid. The water is like an extension of myself. I summoned it into a wall of solid force, blocking Ronan’s wraiths from reaching me. Then, with a thought, I shaped the water into spears, launching them at him.
Ronan dodged easily, but I wasn’t done. I pulled more water into thick, indestructible tendrils, whipping them toward him. He countered with his shadows, but this time, I didn’t hold back. I pushed the water harder, faster, overwhelming his defenses.
I saw dread in his eyes as one of my water spears grazed his arm. He wasn’t smiling now.
I closed the distance between us, using the water to propel me forward with blinding speed. I crashed into him, my water blade pressed against his throat.
“Yield,” I growled, my voice harsh in the water.
Ronan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, but he didn’t move. After a long pause, he grinned, though it was more a grimace than a smirk this time.
“Not bad, human. Not bad at all.”
