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Somehow, there’s energy left in my body. Fear has a way of expanding limits, and there’s no fear like being in mermaid-infested water without any defenses. I manage to move my arms and legs enough to turn and look where Juliette is focused.
They’re coming.
There are multiple types of mermaid in our realm alone. The deep-water ones who only rise to the surface during their breeding season. The poisonous ones who hunt tropical waters around certain currents. And the ones like those streaming toward us. The shallow-water hunters. Those who wait until their prey can see land and think safety is within reach. I swear they feed on despair as much as they do on flesh and blood.
I don’t see a way out of this. Even The Kelpie sometimes has problems with mermaids, and that’s a full-size ship with a crew trained in sea battle. Right now, I’m drained of all but the last dregs of my power. Juliette may be formidable in a number of ways, but not even she can battle a horde of mermaids intent on the hunt.
In a burst of strength, she manages to drag us both onto the little rock. It’s less than nothing when it comes to defense, but at least we aren’t in the water. I drag in a rough breath. “I love you.”
“Don’t you fucking dare.” Juliette crouches over me, her expression feral. “Don’t you dare give up hope. We’re not dead yet.”
No, we’re not dead yet, but the mermaids are almost to us, so that will change quickly. “Juliette—”
“There!” She points. “The Kelpie is right there!”
I manage to twist enough to look south. Sure enough, The Kelpie is racing toward us, hugging the coastline as close as can be. Too far. It’s still too damn far away. Even with full sails, which would be a suicidal move if not for all the elementals on my crew, they’ll never reach us in time. Not to mention the rocks will keep them from scooping us right up.
“Juliette. Jules. I’m sorry. I—”
The mermaids reach us. They shriek in bloodthirsty delight as they spiral around our rock. It’s a terrifying experience, but what comes next will be worse. As if they can read my fear, the mermaids dive deep.
“Get down,” I rasp. “They’re coming.”
Julia crouches over me, fully ignoring my command. Protecting me. Gods, I love this woman. I don’t deserve her. We don’t deserve this end.
Another set of screeches as the mermaids breach the surface. One flies directly over us, its outstretched claws missing Juliette by a hair. I try to pull her more on top of me, to plaster us to the surface of the rock, but she easily pushes my hands away.
The next mermaid doesn’t miss. It adjusted its trajectory and is going to sweep us right off the rock. I move in a surge of strength to yank Juliette down to me. It’s not enough, but at least we won’t get separated in the impact. Hopefully.
Again, she slips out of my grasp. Juliette strikes with the dagger, cutting into the mermaid’s outstretched hand. It shrieks in pain and flops back into the water. A beat. Two. Then the others swarm their injured companion and the waters turn frothing and red.
“What’s going on?”
“Cannibals,” I gasp. “Any injury draws them.”
She narrows her eyes. “We can do this. I just need to keep cutting them.”
No, we can’t. There are too many. Even now, most of them are breaking away from the feast to dive again. “Get down.”
“You’ve saved me enough, Maura. I’m going to save you this time.” She adjusts her grip on the dagger. I want to tell her this is impossible, to tell her I love her again. I don’t get a chance before the mermaids attack again.
Again, Jules strikes out, slicing at them again and again. One gets it’s claws into her hair and nearly drags her over the edge before she cuts it. Around us, the water turns red with blood.
“The Kelpie is almost here,” she pants.
I twist to follow her gaze. She’s right. The ship is close enough that I can see my crew on the deck, their arms moving rhythmically as they use the ocean wind to skim over the waves in our direction.
Almost here…but still not close enough.
We’ll have to swim. I take a deep breath and scan myself internally. I don’t have much magic left. I’ve only expended this much once before, when a hurricane came out of nowhere and nearly killed everyone on my ship. It took every single one of us to get through that, and at the end of it, me and most of my crew were so exhausted that we could’ve slept for days. I don’t know what happens if I use the last of my magic reserves. I don’t know if I’ll pass out…or if I’ll die.
