Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(90)

It roared, a dismal sound compared to its land equivalent, and flowed forward to chomp on me. A spear cut through the water, zipping in front of me and skimming the beast. It recoiled and I magically dug through its chest, feeling for its spirit box. It roared again and rushed me, but I had it. I ripped out its spirit, held it for a moment, and stuffed it back in.

Another spear sliced through the water. A merman down the way with long red hair and a mustache fought the pull of the water, trying to get closer to the dragon-thing.

I waved my arms at him, trying to tell him to stop, and pushed my will on the dragon’s soul. It jerked in confusion, but it had no choice but to obey. The merman threw another spear, retrieved from a pack on his back, and this time his aim was right. It skewered the dragon-thing’s middle.

I didn’t need a living body to work my magic. Thank you, Bria, for your excellent training.

I grabbed the thing’s slimy tail, securing my hand against its fins, and held on as it moved into that funnel. Another spear poked through it, and I punched the merman’s spirit box. He was probably on my side, but I didn’t need him to accidentally stick a spear in my back.

The water churned, aerated as it slid against my skin. Messy white water announced the edge of the funnel. My energy still wasn’t top notch, but the water had greatly replenished it. It was good enough to get the job done.

Summoning my courage, I urged the dragon-thing faster and closer, keeping us right next to that funnel, and then stuck my head through the side into blessed air.

Down about fifty feet, Valens and Kieran fought atop a surface of calm water, so flat it looked like glass. Their limbs moved at inhuman speeds, though Kieran was noticeably slower and clumsier. Blood smeared his chin and wet his clothes. He’d taken a lot of hits.

Valens whipped a pronged staff around and, as I watched in horror, stabbed it through Kieran’s middle. Pain ached through the soul connection and Kieran sagged. His presence inside of me winked out, too dim to feel.

“What a fool, thinking you could best me.” Valens ripped out the pronged staff and Kieran bent forward, panting. He put his hand to the glassy bottom, struggling to stay up. “I created you, in all senses of the word. Without me, you’d be nothing.” He hefted the staff. “And because of me, you’ll be no more. Say hello to your bitch mother.”

Kieran struggled to get up as Valens took a step toward him, and I slashed out with everything I had, ripping through Valens’s middle. He grunted and staggered backward, hitting the edge of the whirlpool. Water sprayed around him. Kieran didn’t even look up.

“Hey dickface, up here,” I yelled, pulling power from the Line and readying for another attack. I already knew he’d be too strong for me to best. Felling a Demigod was beyond my capabilities, something I knew from practicing with Kieran. But if I could just give him time to heal… “I got a little something for ya.”

I wrapped spirit around his spirit box and gave it a good shake before trying to seep in.

A blast of power hit me that was so mighty it shoved me back into the water. Various sea creatures, including the spear-throwing merman, who apparently didn’t hold a grudge, treaded water in a semi-circle around me, facing away. Guarding me. They were clearly Kieran’s people, and had obviously figured out I was trying to help. Good news.

I urged the dragon-thing back to the funnel and stuck my head through again. Valens waited five feet from me, the glassy, solid looking water still under his feet. Kieran was now beneath the surface.

That was good. Water rejuvenated him.

“Well, well, well,” Valens said, and the strength of his presence nearly pushed me back. His rugged features were just shy of striking, and a strange glimmer lit his turbulent eyes. It was clear Kieran had gotten the lion’s share of his looks from his mother, but his large and muscular bearing certainly came from this man. “Look at this, the pretty little treasure has courage. You will make a mighty prize.”

I rammed my power into his middle, trying harder to seep down in. He jerked back and released another wave of his enormous, heady magic, dunking me in a blazing fire of pain. It felt like it ate through my skin and dripped acid down my middle. Water closed over me, a tomb, and I started rising.

I squeezed my eyes shut and doubled down, battering Valens with everything I had. My dragon-thing swam furiously and its slimy surface slipped from my grasping hands. Mind-numbing pain consumed me, dripping down my esophagus, and jabbing white-hot spikes behind my eyes. Still, I kept at it, draining myself of energy and holding my breath, shaking and jerking and punching Valens’s spirit box.

And then something wormed through the blinding agony—a comforting feeling, throbbing in my middle and cooling Valens’s fire.

Kieran!

I blinked my eyes open and saw the most beautiful sight I’d ever set eyes on—Kieran streaming through the water with a glowing trident. Valens turned from me just in time for the sharp points to pierce his gut. The pain eating away at me eased. The water tomb pushing me upward vanished.

Kieran yanked the trident from Valens’s body and struck again. Valens met the trident with one of his own, battering it away. The rest of his magical hold vanished from around me, and I swam in their direction. My energy increased with each stroke, though minimally. I didn’t have much left, and not even the water and Kieran’s magical gift could help me.

I summoned everything I had left and pulled magic from the Line for one final assault. Kieran barely dodged a strike and brought his trident down on his father. Valens ducked, taking the blow across the shoulder. He jabbed his pronged staff forward, grazing Kieran’s side. Blood trailed into the water.