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The fucker doesn’t care that he’s drowning alongside me. Or maybe he’s not. I always suspected that in his berserker form, he can hold his breath for significantly longer than a normal human. It’s the only reason I can think of that Nox hasn’t killed him yet.
None of that is helping me right now, though.
Even with the thin shield of my power protecting him from crushing my throat, he’s doing a damn good job strangling me. Black spots dance across my vision. A handy trick, that, considering we’re surrounded by blackness at this depth.
Desperation is a live thing inside my chest. I can’t afford to lose control. We’re too close to the ship. I may not have killed the crew last time, but there’s no guarantee I can avoid it if it happens again. Even with my weakness, I could slaughter the lot of them on accident. I could slaughter Evie.
I have to … I need to …
The cold pressure of the depths presses against me as hard as Hedd’s hands. And we just keep sinking. His body is denser than a human’s. He’s acting the part of an anchor, pulling me down. He can survive this pressure. I don’t think I can. Not for much longer.
There’s no help for it. I have to strike now.
I press my hands to his chest and give a soundless roar of my own. I channeled my power into his ribs and sternum and heart, wave after wave after wave. It’s like fighting a mountain. But even mountains crumble eventually. On my fifth blast of power, Hedd’s grip weakens on my throat. I hit him again twice more for good measure. The final blast since his body is spinning away from me into the depths. I don’t have time to make sure I finished the job.
My lungs shriek for oxygen and my limbs feel leaden and slow as I start to fight my way to the surface. In desperation, I use my magic to propel me, but I’m once again dancing too close to my limits. It sputters in fits and starts. Or maybe that’s my brain slowly losing control.
Fuck. I always knew there was a possibility I would die by drowning. It’s a reality for anyone who lives their life at sea. But I don’t want to go out like this, not so soon after finding Evelyn. For all that she holds half my heart, there’s so much about her I don’t know. A lifetime of little details, each a treasure to unveil and discover. I’ll never get a chance now.
The water shifts around me. I tense, sure that Hedd has somehow come back from the dead to finish the job. But there’s no one around me. Only the water moving under my body and pushing me upward. Faster and faster until my upper body breeches the surface. I choke and gasp and frantically fight to ensure I don’t go back under, but the water is solid beneath my feet.
“Bowen!”
I look up to find Evelyn leaning over the railing, her gorgeous face a mask of fear. At her side, Nox stands with their hands outstretched, their eyes narrowed in concentration. They snarl when they see me. “I can’t hold you forever, you fool. Get up here.”
They saved me.
It takes twice as long to climb up the side of the ship as it did the last time. My lungs are on fire and every muscle in my body shakes. I can’t help looking over my shoulder again and again, half certain that Hedd somehow survived after all that. But he never surfaces. No matter how extended his ability to hold his breath is, he doesn’t have gills. He can’t do it indefinitely. He’s dead. He has to be.
Evelyn practically tackles me as I haul myself over the railing. Her hands are everywhere, checking me for injuries. She makes a pained sound when she reaches my throat and brushes her fingers over the tender skin there. “Oh, Bowen.”
I look over her head to find the deck filled with absolute carnage. There are easily twenty dead bodies. At first glance I’m not entirely certain how they died, only that there’s a lot of blood.
And there, leaning against the mast as if she has nowhere better to be, is the vampire. This is her work. I don’t know that I’ll ever be comfortable in her presence, but I can’t deny that she is a useful ally to have on our side.
Nox crouches in front of me, their expression serious. “I think it’s time we talked.”
“Yes,” I rasp.
“Give me two minutes.” They stand and turn to face the few crew members left living. Nox projects their voice. “We have to move fast. These poor souls were victims of the mermaid attack gone wrong. We eliminated the pests, but lost them in the process. Give them a sea burial and get this deck cleaned up. We sail at first light. I’ll file the report as soon as we put some distance between ourselves and Three Sisters.”
The surviving crew leaps into motion. There are no questions and no challenges to Nox’s order. We were right. The people here who follow them, follow them, not the Cwn Annwn.
Evelyn helps me to my feet and slips under my arm. As we stagger after Nox in the direction of the captain’s cabin, I catch sight of Dia. She seems unharmed, and even gives me a saucy wink as I pass. Thank the gods she’s okay. I didn’t realize how worried I was about her until I see her alive and well.
Lizzie joins us in the cabin, still looking bored. Evelyn urges me into a chair, and I can’t help staring at the vampire and wondering at her complete lack of concern over murdering nearly two dozen people. If it affected her at all, there’s no evidence of it on her face. There’s still a coiled tension to her body that I suspect means she can burst into violence at any time. I don’t know why that surprises me. Evelyn has told me time and time again how dangerous Lizzie is.
But she pulled her punches in her fight with Evelyn. It gave me a false sense of security. I can’t afford to underestimate her, for all that she appears to be on our side. For now. There’s no telling how long that will last. It’s become clear she doesn’t actually want to kill Evelyn, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe for anyone else to be around. At least there’s some assurance that she will cooperate until we find the Crimson Hag and she gets her family heirlooms back.
What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
Nox looks around the room in disgust. It’s not particularly filthy, but there is evidence of Hedd everywhere. His clothes strewn about on the floor. Several racks of weapons leaned haphazardly against the wall. His desk piled high with bottles of liquor, to the point where it’s almost impossible to see the surface. A quick glance at the small open space reveals several notifications of tardy reports.
Nox sighs and crosses their arms over their chest. “I don’t know whether to thank you or cut your throats and be done with it.”
“I highly suggest you go with the former option considering we just secured you the captaincy.” Lizzie speaks mildly as she examines her nails, which only makes her threat more pronounced. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
Nox is completely unfazed. They turn to the vampire. “I don’t know you.”
