Beyond a Darkened Shore(82)
Lightning lit the sky again, and I glanced behind me. From out of the water rose the end of a scaled tail, and it was only a moment before I realized the creature was headed in the direction of the ships. As it rushed by me, I grabbed on. Its scales bit into my hands, but if the creature realized I now clung to it, it gave no indication.
The sea serpent seemed to pick up speed. Waves slammed over my head, and I gritted my teeth. Lightning flashed again, and there, not far from us now, were the ships. The relief I felt was so powerful I nearly relaxed my hold on the serpent’s tail, but then I realized this same creature that was so generously giving me a ride was also dangerously close to the ships.
It continued on, so close now I could see the oars striking the water. Closer and closer I came until I could make out a form in the water. Leif was swimming toward me, a tether of rope swimming behind him. He must have jumped in after me, only he’d been smart enough to anchor himself to the ship first. I was so relieved that he’d come after me—that he hadn’t left me for dead.
“Leif!” I tried to shout, but received a mouthful of water for my efforts.
The serpent dragged me forward until I crashed into Leif and let go of the creature’s tail. Leif’s strong arm wrapped around me, the other still holding on to the rope.
“Ciara, thank the gods,” he shouted, waves and rain interrupting his words.
“Sea serpent!” I shouted back, pointing toward the ships, praying he could understand me.
His head jerked back toward the ships. “Hold on,” he said. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he pulled us along the length of the rope, hand over hand.
Water gushed over the side of the ship, and I glanced up. The sea serpent rose from the sea behind the ships, as massive as a mountain. Its head was like that of a dragon, its body of a snake. Its jaws opened wide, great swords instead of teeth, and I heard the shouts of men. The rowing stopped as everyone on board the ships grabbed their weapons.
Helplessly, I watched as the creature’s head descended toward the men on board.
22
Its teeth were met by the swords of the undead. They’d all moved as one to parry before the mortal men could even rise. Around us, the storm still raged. Rippling through the water came the sea serpent’s tail, and it coiled around the ships like an enormous chain.
We were almost to the ship. Leif grabbed hold of the rudder, and I reached out with my mind—through the wind and rain, past the grim and frightened minds of the men on board, until I could feel the creature’s noticeably different thoughts. There were no words in its mind, only images and emotions. The anticipated thrill of destroying the ships, the sweet taste of human flesh—something it so rarely chanced upon—and fury and confusion at being deflected in its goals by my undead army, tainted creatures it had never encountered.
I waded in and snatched control, wrapping its consciousness with hundreds of invisible chains. The tail around us froze.
The sea serpent sent a flood of threatening images through our connection: it would find me, and then it would bite my head from my neck. Nauseous and cold, I felt fear churn within me as I was forced to watch myself being killed and eaten repeatedly, but still I held fast.
Leif grabbed hold of the ship’s rudder and boosted me up to waiting hands. He followed behind me, collapsing beside me on the deck as we both gasped for breath. He recovered faster than I did and hauled us both to our feet.
“I would hold you just to assure myself you were safe if I could,” he said, “but for now, it will have to be a promise.”
My heart beat unsteadily in my chest.
The sea serpent’s consciousness fought mine, until I struggled to hold on. It was too strong; I was losing control. Below us, its tail wrapped around the ships.
I squeezed Leif’s waist to draw his attention. “The tail will crush the ships. Hold on to me!” I yelled, and Leif wrapped an arm like a band of iron around me.
I didn’t have time to explain my plan to Leif. All those nights of practice allowed me to instantly access the door in my mind: I separated myself from my body and fell limp against him.
I could see Leif shouting fearfully at me, scooping me off my feet and clutching me to his chest, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. I knew he would keep me safe.
Closer now, I could see just how large the serpent was. Its head was wider than the ship, its teeth as long as swords. It was green and blue, its scales iridescent in the flashes of lightning, wicked spikes running the length of its body.
If I didn’t crush it from the inside, it would easily destroy the ship and everyone on it.
Finding the glowing red pulse of its heart wasn’t as easy as finding it on a human. Its massive size, and the fact that most of its body was still in the water, made it difficult. I floated above, unsure, as my undead warriors kept it at bay. I thought of what the seer would tell me to do, and suddenly, I realized: my form was all spirit—I could go underwater without needing to draw breath.
I dived into the black, churning water. I couldn’t see anything but darkness and a vague form of the monster, but I didn’t need to. Its heart was enormous—one-third the size of the ship—and glowed brightly enough to light up the water around it. I plunged my hand into the serpent’s chest and grabbed hold as best I could.
It quickly became obvious I wouldn’t be able to crush this heart—it was far too large. Someone would have to kill it with an actual blade. I was holding it enough to throw off its rhythm, giving someone else time to finish it.