Page 119 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
Fifteen dragons soared in elliptical circles above, each a brilliant hue of scarlet, amethyst, and jade. They drifted apart almost instinctively, circling Zahara’s ship in the distance as if pulled by something unseen. It hovered offshore, anchored just far enough out that its hull never scraped the seabed, while everything that mattered was happening aboard it, high above the water and out of reach of the chaos on land.
I altered my path, instead running the opposite direction from the marching armies. I only managed a few steps before something huge closed around me—massive claws gripping me without warning—and I was yanked clean off the ground and hurled into the air. There was no pain, only a strange, almost gentle pressure, like being lifted instead of seized, as if whatever held me didn’t want to hurt me at all.
My breath caught as the world dropped away beneath me, and my mind stuttered instead of screaming, trying to make sense of the sky suddenly swallowing everything I knew.With a quick toss, I flew upward and crashed into a set of strong, bare arms, the trident at my back shoving into my spine.
Lucine.
“Thought you might need a little help,” she yelled over the rushing wind. Lucine gripped reins guiding her wine-red dragon, her legs barely able to straddle around the beast's massive back. “We saw her take off in this direction.”
“Don’t hurt them,” I begged. “Please don’t hurt anyone other than the Ocean Mother. Let everyone know.”
I worked to carefully throw my leg over the dragon, holding fiercely to Lucine. I was going to die. My heart would surely give out.
The woman chuckled. “We are here merely to deliver you where you need to be, when you need to be there, merfolk.”
“Will you all watch over Noctis?”
Lucine nodded as she looked over her shoulder at me. “You’ve done well. He will be safe. We will ensure it.”
If the wind wasn’t drying my eyes fiercely, I would have cried. I would have shaken with sobs, my heart in my stomach. No amount of comfort or words could have brought me back. Instead, I faced forward, trusting the Aetherkin Bound to protect him, and prepared for what awaited me.
Because battles may be won with might, but wars are survived with trust and sacrifice,Finnegan told me after the Maerjko trials. I was inclined to believe the Bound who traveled amongst realms to fight at our side, knowing it would cause further disconnect between the kingdoms.
Suddenly, chaos halted below. The soldiers froze their synchronous marching, instead aimlessly searching around in confusion. Armor clanked to the ground as they removed the bulky metal from their bodies, taking off in every direction, cries and screams reaching my ears.
“She released her hold, but it won’t be for long,” Lucine yelled over the wind. “They’ll march again soon if we do not hurry.”
Why? Why would she release them?
The dragon dove downward, and I nearly flew off the saddle. We swooped across the coast where the tides rippled through the land.
“Time to jump,” the woman demanded.
“Jump?!”
“Or get pushed. Whichever you prefer.”
I steadied myself against the dragon, leaning out to gauge the drop, but Lucine’s hand struck my back before I could decide. The world tipped. Air tore past as I pitched into open sky, the distance collapsing beneath me. I tumbled, weightless for a heartbeat, then dragged downward with brutal speed. A scream clawed its way up my throat as the ground rushed closer, detailssnapping into focus—stone, cracks, unforgiving edges—rising to meet me until there was nothing left but impact waiting.
Dragon claws jerked my body abruptly and lowered me safely to the ground with a speedy landing. I rolled, not able to stop myself when my feet first hit the ground. Lucine and her scaly beast tore through the sky back toward Noctis.
Keep him safe,I begged no one in particular, fingers trailing the Sunder Coin in my pocket.
The shores remained empty, aside from the waves that ferociously crashed into them, depositing tiny crustaceans into the sand.
Why would Lucine deliver me here?I thought, looking around and finding nothing to help.
A laugh floated across the wind, landing harshly in my ears. It bounced off the air in sharp, malicious pitches, one that was enough to haunt anyone in their nightmares.
I threw myself around, only to find the Ocean Mother in a lifeless heap along the tree line.
No pulse. No breath. No life. And yet, no wounds. No blood. Nothing that could truly prove she was dead. Her hair fell around her head, caked in mud. Her cerulean armor dug into her flesh as she laid out across it.
I waited, blade in hand, for the body to move—for it all to be a mad joke—but the goddess laid still and lifeless. The breeze fluttered her silken hair, strands flowing across the wind like a kite caught in the sky. Ironic how such beauty could express so much hate and hideous intent.
Raven cawed above me, spiraling toward me like a beacon of dark feathers.
“What is it? Did Noctis escape?” I asked, hoping that with Thal’Maruun dead, he would be back to himself—that it was the reason the soldiers halted.
