Raging Sea (Undertow, #2)(70)

“That’s real. He’s sending you to fight the Rusalka, but none of you are ready. Riley, I know you have a million questions, but right now we have a very limited amount of time. We have to get these people out of these tanks.”

I hear a crash and then the sound of sloshing water. I turn to find one of the tanks has cracked, and a man tumbles out onto the floor. Riley scoops him up and pats his face, trying to wake him up.

“Dad, I need you to get up and walk.”

I wasn’t prepared for the Alpha to be drugged, but there’s no going back now. I turn and find a Ceto sinking in its tank. A sign has been taped onto the glass that reads CETO NAME: BUMPER.

“Bumper!” I cry, remembering her from school. I concentrate on the water behind the glass. There’s a crack and then another gush of water onto the floor. Bumper falls out with it and flops about as she morphs into her more human form. I take her squishy hand and lock eyes with hers. She recognizes me.

“It appears that I have missed some important events,” she says.

“Riley, get to work on the others!” I shout.

He’s reluctant to leave his father, but he does what I tell him. Soon another tank is shattering next to us, releasing a Sirena. I do the same to Nathan, the pufferfish man. When he spills out of the tank, he nearly knocks me down.

Riley rushes to another tank and is about to break it when I stop him. Inside is the squid creature Spangler warned me about. Its hundreds of tentacles slam against its tank. I don’t believe much of what Spangler has said, but when it comes to this thing, I think he was telling the truth.

“Not this one. And skip the Rusalka, too.”

“What about these people who are torn open?” Riley cries.

I shake my head, though it hurts my heart.

“We can’t help them. If we open their tanks, they could die. It might be cruel to leave them here, but if they’re alive, they still have a chance at rescue.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Lyric?”

“Spangler threatened the people I love, Riley,” I explain as I free an adult Triton I’ve never seen before.

“Is Uncle David part of this?”

I groan. “Yes! Doyle is part of this. He still might be, but right now he’s trying to do the right thing.”

The lights dim and flicker.

“What was that?” Riley asks.

“I don’t know, but it would suck if that’s the system rebooting,” I say. “Listen, we need to break open all these tanks at once, but again, keep the ugly ones in time-out.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Riley says.

I take his hand, and we turn our gloves on the tanks. I watch them rattle and shake. There’s an ear-jamming crash and then the sound of gallons of water spilling everywhere. It rushes at us, and I’m so focused on freeing everyone, I’m not ready for it. Both of us are pulled under and slammed around. I bang the back of my head on something, and the pain is searing. All the time, Riley holds my hand. He never lets me go, and eventually he gets me to my feet.

“Are you all right?” he asks.

“I’ll survive,” I say.

“What now?”

“The rest is up to Doyle,” I explain.

“Lyric?” Spangler’s voice broadcasts through speakers mounted in the corners of the ceiling. I hear it echo outside, too, and in the halls. It’s everywhere. “Lyric, it’s Donovan. David and I are outside, and we need to have a chat.”

“Riley, stay here and help everyone you can,” I say.

“No way!” he cries. “I’m not letting you go out there alone, not after what you told me about him.”

“Lyyyyrrrriiccc,” Spangler sings. “Come on out.”

“Riley, please,” I say. “These are our people, and they need you more than I do right now.”

I walk past all the tanks to the elevator. The water has sunk back down, but it’s a simple thing to recall it. I leap into the shaft, and it rises to catch me. I go down one floor, force the doors open, and then race down a hall until I find an emergency exit door. I push it open and find myself outside in the chilly Texas night. My wet skin and clothes make it even worse, but I have to keep going. I race around the building’s perimeter with only the moon to light my way until I find Spangler and Doyle. Both men are aiming guns at each other.

“Lyric, it’s over,” Spangler says.

“All the Alpha and the human parents are free. Soon the kids will know about your lies,” Doyle says to him.

Spangler smiles like he’s being patient with a small child.

“That’s going to be tedious to clean up, but it’s not unmanageable. I’m willing to let this go, but you have to power down now, Lyric. I’m going to reset the EMP’s console, and then we’re all going to go back inside and go to bed. We have a big mission soon.”

“Put the gun down, Spangler. I’m not going to tell you again,” Doyle demands.

“I’ve got this,” I say. I call two waterspouts from deep in the earth. They shoot out of the ground and collect in a puddle at Spangler’s feet.

“I have to say I’m impressed by this act of teamwork. The thing is, we’re all on the same team. It’s true, Lyric. Down deep, both you and David understand what’s at stake. We’re all trying to save the world.”