Sea Spell (Waterfire Saga #4)(92)

Before Astrid could respond, the monster charged, forcing them to dart off in opposite directions.

Come on! Figure this out! Astrid yelled at herself, terrified by the idea of Abbadon escaping.

She was Orfeo’s descendant. She was the one who’d spent time with him, who knew how he thought. But as hard as she tried, she still couldn’t figure out a way to kill his monster.

Abbadon charged her again, forcing her close to the doorway and Ava. Astrid took shelter there for a moment, pausing to catch her breath.

“You okay, Ava?” she asked, turning to look at her.

Heavy silver tears were brimming in Ava’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Astrid asked, alarmed. “Are you hurt?”

Ava shook her head. “I can see them,” she said in a choked voice. “I can see the souls. There are so many of them, Astrid, and they’re all in terrible pain. They want to be free. For four thousand years, they’ve wanted to be free.”

As Ava spoke, Abbadon backed Becca into an ice hill.

“No way!” Astrid shouted, streaking off.

She swung her sword with all her might, right into the monster’s leg. The blade bit deeply. Abbadon roared, spun around, and lunged at her. Astrid launched herself up, somersaulted over the monster’s head, and landed near the overhang where Ling was sheltering. Abbadon lunged again. Astrid shot under the overhang. The monster’s hands closed on water.

Astrid leaned against the back of the ice hill, panting. She looked at Ling. Her eyes were closed. She was very pale. Blood from her wound was seeping through the makeshift bandage.

“Ling? Ling, are you all right? Ling!” she shouted.

Ling opened her eyes. “Astrid, if I…if I don’t make it, sing my dirges,” she rasped.

“No,” Astrid said, panicking. “You’ll be okay, Ling.”

“Astrid, please….”

“No!” Astrid shouted, anger pushing aside fear. So many mer had died because of Orfeo and his madness. She didn’t want to lose one more. “I’m not singing your dirges, Ling! Nobody’s singing anybody’s dirges. You’re going to make it. I swear to the gods you are….”

Her voice trailed off. She felt as if the eye of a hurricane had just passed over her.

“Dirges,” she whispered. “Oh, my gods. Dirges.”

How do you kill an immortal soul? Sera had asked.

“You don’t,” Astrid whispered aloud. “You free it. Just like Orfeo had hoped to free Alma.”

“Astrid, what are you talking about?” Ling asked.

“Dirges. That’s how we do this. Ling, you’re a genius!”

“True, but what do dirges have to do—”

Astrid sheathed her sword. She swam out of the overhang. “Abbadon!” she shouted. “Hey, monster man!”

“Astrid, what are you doing?” Ling called after her.

“I don’t know!” Astrid shouted back. “I’ve never done it before!”

How do you sing a dirge? she wondered desperately.

She cast her mind back to the Hall of Elders, in the Citadel, when she and Desiderio were trying to escape from Rylka. That’s when she’d heard her father’s dirges being sung. The songspell was a simple and beautiful old Ondalinian melody. She would borrow it, add her own lyrics, and hope that her magic was strong enough.

“Abbadon!” she shouted, swimming right toward the monster. “Abbadon, hear me!”

“Astrid, no!” Sera cried.

She started to swim toward her, but Neela stopped her. “Wait, Sera!” she said. “Listen!”

They all listened as Astrid’s voice—strong and expressive—rose in the water. She’d cast a few frantic spells when she’d fought Orfeo, but this was the first time they’d really heard her sing.

Abbadon had been advancing on Becca, but as Astrid’s voice grew louder, it stopped, then slowly turned toward her. It seemed spellbound by her song, and the beauty of her voice. Its hands stretched toward her. One by one, they opened. The eyes stared at Astrid, unblinking.

“Oh, gods, no. It’s going to tear her in two,” Becca said.

As if acting on Becca’s words, Abbadon charged at Astrid, roaring.

“No!” Neela screamed.

Astrid’s own hands were knotted into fists, but she didn’t flinch. The monster stopped only yards away from her, its chest heaving. It threw its head back and roared so loudly that the mermaids had to press their hands over their ears. The entire prison shook. A section of wall behind Sera cracked and tumbled into the courtyard.

“Dirges,” Sera said excitedly. “She’s singing the souls back to the sea.”


The tides of life ceased long ago

For those sacrificed by Orfeo.

But no eternal rest for them,

No rites, no graves, no requiem.

Denied a place of final peace,

Their grief and anger cannot cease.

In endless torment they go on,

Imprisoned inside Abbadon.

Horok, come at our bequest,

Take the stolen to their rest.



Astrid kept singing. The monster clutched its head, then dropped to its knees. As it did, a thin crack opened up in its side. Light, pure and white, shot out of it. The water inside the courtyard started to whirl.