I roared in pain, and it ignited the harbor into full fucking chaos.
Sirens leapt onto the ship from all sides, their tails wrapping around my sailors, shoving them overboard into the water—their talons and rows of fangs sinking into their flesh.
Screaming ensued from all ships, echoing throughout the harbor. Blood splattered from all directions, soaking me and the floorboards of the ship.
Sailors were snapping out of their stupors as the roars of agony continued, but not in time to save themselves.
With supernatural speed and strength, the sirens continued to maul my sailors, their claws easily tearing through flesh and bone.
The wails of anguish and torment blended with the lingering echoes of the sirens’ song. The ship's deck became stained with the deep red of their spilled blood. Sailors, who fell from their trance, desperately swung their blades andany makeshift weapons they could get a hold of, but the sirens moved with a grace that defied even that of the fae.
I cut through any fin or reaching claws that swiped too close to me—the shrieks of pain that tore through the conch embedded in their throats was true music to my ears. However, I was surrounded by those who weren’t as lucky, still half under the trance of the sea-witches’ calls.
Some succumbed to the sirens’ seductive allure, their vacant eyes betraying a surrender. Faces of those who resisted the trance were overcome with a mix of fear, rage, and despair as they tried to flee, while the sirens were lost in their bloodlust.
Everything was happening so fucking fast—too fast. I couldn’t keep up, and I watched as countless crew members met their fate at the hands of the wicked sea creatures. I swiped my blade in the air as quickly as I could, but rarely did I meet my target.
I wiped the back of my hand across my face, only smearing the blood of my crew around my eyes more when I meant to clear it from them.
A distant roar thundered through the air from my wyvern mount, snapping my gaze to the castle in the far distance.
My hands held my blade out before me as I backed myself against the ship’s mainmast. I tapped into my wyvern’s sight, hoping to the gods that I was quick enough to not get mauled by one of these cunts from the sea.
My jaw locked as my vision focused in through his red-stained gaze to see that a crack had splintered through the sky beyond the city gates. It was then that I knew. Thissiren attack was Elianna’s doing, and she was using it as a distraction to make her grand fucking entrance.
I willed my mind back into my own body, just in time to slice through the torso of an oncoming attacker as she lunged at me. Her severed body fell to my feet with a loud thud as black gore poured from her.
A deep growl rumbled through my chest as I tapped my bonded blood cuff three times, alerting the beast to come to me immediately. With a bloodcurdling battle cry, I unleashed all my wrath on the sirens that remained on the deck as I plunged my blade through them. However, I quickly found that I was outnumbered, as their claws sunk into my skin and shredded anything they could grab hold of.
Growls of disgust and rage continued to flow through me, and I imagined how fucking glorious it would feel to wrap my hands around Elianna’s throat and choke the life out of her for somehow catching us off guard.
Avery
The sound of my cell door creaking open woke me from the little sleep I had managed to get since I had been locked in this gods-forsaken dungeon. When I wasn’t wallowing in self-pity, I was violently trying to shake the bars of my prison, hoping that the minimal strength I had would somehow break the ancient rusted door from its hinges. Butif Lia wasn’t able to break free from this place, then I knew I was doomed.
My eyes snapped to the door as the creaking ceased, and I was met with the hideous crone. I let out a hiss at the sight of her, and my legs moved to push me further up against the far back wall.
“We do not have time for your stupid games, traitor princess,” she murmured. A second later, she appeared directly before me and wrapped her shriveled, taloned hand around my forearm without permission.
An evil, toothy grin was flashed in my direction. Suddenly, it felt as if all the air was ripped from my lungs while the realm soared around me in a tunnel of rushing wind.
When I reopened my eyes, I was in the throne room, standing before my mother and the High Witch. The moment I found my balance after the wisp-travel, I dry heaved and vomited onto the floor from the dizziness.
Veli was right—it certainly wasn’t safe for non-witches to travel that way.
“Thank you, Sylvae,” Azenna said, and then her gaze flashed to mine. “It appears that your little court of rebels has come for you, Princess. Magic bursts beyond the gates.”
My eyes widened as I stood beneath her and my mother’s stares.
“Sylvae, go to one of the towers and place a shield around the city’s battlement. None of the heir’s soldiers are to breach the gates. Am I understood?” Azenna ordered.
“Yes, of course,” the crone’s bone-chilling voice answered right before she vanished.
My heart was racing—they came for me, but they were unknowingly falling into a trap.
“You will not use me against her!” I screamed.
Ignoring my outburst, both Azenna and the queen took steps towards me until they flanked me on either side. My lips curled back in disgust as I returned their hate-filled stares.
