My blade went through his neck, swift as a storm wind. The creature’s head rolled into the sea.
A loud rumbling heralded the arrival of a monstrous ocean wave. As it curved over us, droplets of spray sparked into the air like magic then disappeared in the air. Then the waved slammed down.
I absorbed its power, thrilling at the feel of it.
As the wave receded, I managed to hold my ground. The ocean had eaten up some of our attackers.
But from the darkness, more sea fae charged for us, hair streaming behind.
Salem’s power boomed over the horizon, and I stole a glance at him—up at him. Feathered wings had grown from his back, and dark horns had grown from his shoulder blades, piercing the fabric of his expensive suit. From above, he swooped closer to the sea fae. He dove for the attackers like a vengeful god, blade moving in a blur of holy fire.
His sword arced through the air, slicing bodies in two. Severed halves of sea fae slid into the waves with a sickening splash.
I refocused on the ground, getting ready for the next line of attackers to make it past Salem.
I brought my sword down into a fae before me, carving through his neck. But another had slipped behind me, clawed fingers digging into my throat.
I unleashed a burst of magic and wriggled free from his grasp. But the sea fae were surrounding me, grabbing my limbs and my throat. One of them pressed into me.
His eyes opened wide, murky as the sea.
I let icy claws grow from my fingertips, then plunged them into his stomach. “Who sent you?” I asked.
“The Merrow…” he croaked.
Another powerful ocean wave slammed down on us, and it felt like home. The sea ripped my attackers from me, and I stood tall.
When the wave receded, I found that it had sucked some of the sea fae into its churn.
But they were rising again. Sea magic surged within me, sliding down my bones like ice floes. Whirling, I threw myself into the battle. I moved fast as a sea gale, ripping attackers to shreds with my claws of ice. From the corner of my eye, I saw Salem fighting them too, severing bodies with his sword.
Death pounded in my blood like a sacrificial drum.
The Merrow…
How had the Merrow already figured out we were coming for him? I needed to get a message to him. I needed him to know I was on his side.
An attacker ran for me. Shards of ice exploded from my fingertips, landing with precision in one of the Merrow’s men. I closed my eyes, overcome by the wild rush of magic pounding through my body.
I can kill them all.
I threw back my arms, and sea magic burst from my ribs. Pure, euphoric ecstasy. I opened my eyes, surveying the glacial world around me. Ice encased everything…
I am a goddess of the cold sea…
I stared at a world of ice and raised my hands above my head.
All will fall before me. All will sacrifice to the sea goddess if they want to live.
With a dark thrill, I was calling the cold sea to me.
Salem was speaking to me, but I tuned out his silken voice.
I will bathe the world in my power.
An icy wave slammed down on us, a thousand tons of water and ice. I stood tall, absorbing the force of it. Its energy slammed into my own, and I felt life rushing around me. An orchestra of the ocean’s music boomed.
As the wave receded, I looked around at my work.
The other sea fae lay dead on the rocky beach, bodies frozen in contorted positions.
I rule the icy Atlantic. My frozen gaze slid over to the city of Brighton. I had the power to drown it all…
I could drown the whole world.
14
Aenor
A hot hand on my waist pulled me from my apocalyptic visions, and warmth spread over my skin from the point of contact. The scent of pomegranates woke me from my delirium, and the heat of Salem’s body beamed around me like sun rays. Strange that it felt so comforting, like I was melting into him.
I sighed as I felt some of my magic slip out of my body, into his hand. A relief. I’d been so desperate for my power, but it was too much.
I thought I heard him make a low, quiet noise in his throat as I pressed back into him…
“Don’t take it all,” I said.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” His breath was soft against my ear.
After that great rush of power, my legs were shaking.
Slowly, Salem pulled his hand from me. “I left you with most of it.”
At least I could think clearly again. Trembling, I stepped away and turned to face him. “I’m not used to it anymore.”
His eyes glinted. “I did get that impression when you said you were going to drown the whole world.”
“I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud.” My mind sparked with that image of the bodies floating in a world of icy water. “I shouldn’t have it all back.”
Salem flashed a smile and sheathed his sword. “But the destruction you could wreak would be breathtaking.”
“Maybe. But I have better things to do than destroy the world.” Hula-hooping, Elvis records… cutting your heart out with sea glass. All kinds of fun stuff. “What did you do with my magic?”
Salem held up a hand, and a ring shone on one of his fingers. Blue-green magic glittered around it. “It’s here if we need it.”
“Probably best if I don’t,” I muttered. I surveyed the icy beach around us.
Ossian stood hugging himself, teeth chattering. Frost whitened his eyebrows.
“Bit much, Aenor,” he grumbled.
Salem crossed to one of the frozen fae and knelt down. He was examining the soldier’s forearm, encased in ice. As I moved closer to peer over his shoulder, I could see what he was looking at. It was a tattoo beneath the ice—a trident encircled by a snake eating its tail.
“Do you happen to know what this symbol is?” asked Salem. “Looks like a sea fae thing.”
I did. It was the Merrow’s symbol. “The Merrow is trying to stop you from getting what you want. He knows you’re on the right track.”
Salem shot me a sharp look. “And you have no idea how they knew to come for us?”
“He’s a powerful sorcerer. I’m sure he can see us coming, whether or not someone tipped him off.”
The unfortunate thing was that perhaps the Merrow would try to murder us throughout our entire journey. How could I get a message to him?
“How convenient for you that he threw this obstacle in my path.” Salem’s voice was dark as midnight.
I gestured at the bodies. “How is it convenient? I just killed them all. I’m getting nothing out of this situation except that I just pissed off a powerful sorcerer.”
“Perhaps.” He glanced at the ocean, at the raging waves slowly dying down, then slid his hands into his pockets. “Go on, then. Tell me where to find the Merrow.”
I started to wander into the icy waves. In the ocean, my limbs relaxed, leaving behind a gentle buzz. The sea felt soothing against my tired legs, and it enveloped me as I plunged into it.
As I sank under the waves, home once more, the music of the ocean sang around me. And I just had to home in on the sound of the Merrow.
Problem was that there was so much of it—a swelling orchestra of sounds—that it was nearly impossible to find the right song. Magical creatures filled the sea—mermaids, selkies, morgens like me. Their music vibrated all around me.