by Sam Ryder
“Is it…?” Vrill said, question trailing off when we all spotted a glowing area of red moving beneath the water’s surface.
It was coming toward us.
“Get ready,” I growled, reasserting my two-handed grip on my hammer.
Eve drew her bow, string pulled back tautly.
Lace, like a nervous habit, flicked out her claws and then retracted them, repeating the motion with a shick-shick sound.
Vrill hissed.
Beat said, “C’mon motherfucker,” her spear extended in front of her.
I had maybe three seconds to give a few final instructions, so I spoke fast. “The thing can climb walls and jump insanely hi—”
I didn’t get the last word out, because the thing exploded from the water like a dolphin showing off at a sea life park. Its skin was slick now, thousands of water droplets pouring off its form like rain. It soared through the air with such control it might’ve been the world’s largest acrobat, its body curling into a ball and somersaulting even as Eve released her arrow. The arrow bounced off it, landing harmlessly in the water.
The monster came out of the somersault with perfect form, landing closest to Beat, who shoved her spear into it. The spear pierced the meaty flesh at its shoulder, but its momentum carried it into her, the spear bending and then snapping in half.
I swung my hammer just as it snapped at Beat’s throat, connecting solidly with its hip and causing it to rear back in pain and anger. Lace added her claws to the mix, cutting open its back. Tracks of green goo appeared once more. Which is exactly when I noticed that the previous wounds to its throat and chest and other parts of its body that we’d inflicted were gone.
Oh no. It’s healing itself.
Not good.
Which meant we’d need to kill it as quickly as possible and not let it put distance between us again, which would give it time to recover and regenerate. As if I needed more motivation. I slammed my hammer down once more, this time targeting its head but coming in too low and landing a glancing blow on its shoulder.
Simultaneously, Eve got off another arrow, and this one was aimed perfectly. It pierced the monster’s cheek with a thwock! and I could just make out the arrowhead inside the thing mouth because it had gone all the way through.
That’s when the crazy fucker did the damndest thing. It chomped down, biting off the arrowhead and spitting it out. With one paw, it pulled the shaft out and tossed it aside like it was nothing more than a pesky splinter picked up when walking across an old dock barefoot.
Once more, it exploded off its haunches, soaring high in the air and slightly to the left.
Right toward where Eve was fitting another arrow to her bowstring.
Ziiip! She released her bow, but the arrow whizzed past the creature’s ear—a narrow miss. I’d never seen Eve miss, which meant even she was rattled by the monster’s arrow-eating trick. Eve tried to run, but she was too slow, the thing bringing both hands down on her like sledgehammers. She was knocked hard to the side, slipping on the wet rocks and falling awkwardly down the craggy slope.
I wanted to go to her to see if she was injured, but that would only put all of us at risk. Checking ourselves for damage would have to come later. Plus, the thing went airborne once more, springing off the wall like a goddamn ninja before torpedoeing itself back at Beat, who was still pinned to the ground with her broken spear.
She was down, but not helpless. Far from it, in fact. She was more like a spider, lying in wait for her prey to come to her. Just as the monster came down on her with jaws snapping, she shoved both sides of her broken spear upward, sharp metal splinters like swords. One went inside its mouth and exited out the back of its throat. The other pierced its throat, stopping partway. The thing gagged, nose slits flaring. Beat shoved the makeshift metal daggers in further, screaming from the effort.
I raised my hammer to bludgeon it in the head for real this time.
The monster went nuts. Perhaps it was survival instincts or the command of its demon overlords inside its head, but it snapped. It flailed its body every which way, swiping my hammer aside with one hand while the other went to the spear shard in its mouth, ripping it out and then doing the same with the blade in its throat.
Green goo spattered everywhere and Beat cried out as dozens of acidic drops rained down on her face, which she was forced to cover with her arms.
The creature fell back, still writhing, letting gravity pull it down the hill. Right where Eve was, still shaking off the cobwebs from her own fall. Luckily, she saw the beast coming and managed to dive to the side just as it thundered past, once more entering the water with a splash that would win any cannonball contest in the world, hands down.
“Jesus. Jesus. Jesus,” I breathed. “Everyone okay? Eve? Beat?”
“Other than my acid facial, I’m good,” Beat said.
“Fine,” Eve said. “Just bruises.”
Lace said, “Dammit,” wicking out her Wolverine claws to reveal that one of them had broken off, leaving a blunt half-nail. “Broken nail.”
Vrill said, “I’m fine. Where did it go?”
Once more, the water was lapping at the sides of the pond, but this time there was no tell-tale glow of Minertha’s red heart beneath the surface. “I dunno. There must be a way for the water to get in. An underground river feeding it.” I gestured to my locket, which was still extended out, but was now moving right to left, tracking the beast’s progress as it retreated.
“It’s going to heal itself,” Vrill said.
“You caught that too, huh?” I said.
“Like a real-life Wolverine,” Beat said. “How do you kill something that can heal itself?”
“It’s Minertha’s heart,” Eve said. “It’s giving the creature power.”
“So we cut it the fuck out,” Beat said.
“Easier said than done,” I said. “But yeah. That’s the goal. Instead of doing the obvious, like going for its head or throat, we go all in for its chest. Ideally we can pin it down somehow so it can’t move.” Speaking the words out loud gave me an idea. “I think I can take care of that part if we can catch up to it again.”
“And how are we going to do that?” Lace said.
At least she was asking for opinions now, her role as ‘leader’ washed away by the reality that we were all the leaders of this mission. She was also a cat, which meant… “You’re not going to like it.”
“Oh hell no,” she said.
Beat grinned, reading my mind. “Time to go for a little swim?”
I nodded. “Trying to locate it through this maze of tunnels could take days. Swimming is the fastest way.”
“Except for a little thing called breathing,” Eve pointed out. “We don’t know anything about the underwater river. For all we know it could be miles and miles before it reaches another pond like this one.”
Which was a good point, except, “Did you see any gills on that thing? You know, like Millania has?”
“No,” Vrill said immediately. “There was nothing but those nose slits. It was using them to breathe oxygen.”
“Exactly. I don’t think it can breathe underwater any more than we can.”
“Which means it’ll need to come up for air eventually,” Beat said.
“Yeah. So the next pond is unlikely to be miles and miles away.”
“It’s still a risk,” Lace said. “The thing has webbed feet so it can swim faster. It might be able to make it to the next pond while we cannot.”
“I’ll pull you, Lace. We won’t leave anyone behind. Look, we came down here to get Min’s heart because it’s our best chance at winning the war. Without it, Min dies and we’re short one supernaturally powerful goddess. We’ve all seen what Airiel can do when fully rested. Imagine if we could multiply that by two.”
The women considered that. Finally, Eve nodded. “I’m in. I’ve been fighting this war for so long. I’ve taken risks. What’s one more?”
Vrill said, “Yes. I’ll do it.”
/> I looked at Beat. She said, “Are you serious right now? You think I’d puss out?”
I laughed. “Good. Lace?”
She didn’t look happy about it, but in the end her pride got the better of her. “Fine. But you better not let go of me, Ryder.”
“I won’t. I swear it.”
“Awesome. Time to go for a dip.” We made our way down to the water’s edge. Once more, the surface was glassy and undisturbed, which further confirmed that the monster had fled.
I dipped a toe in the water.
It was warm.
“I think someone peed in here.”
“Better keep our mouths closed then,” Beat said.
“You two are strange,” Eve said.
“Yes,” Beat said. “Yes, we are. Proudly strange.”
It was just the few seconds of levity we needed before we took what might be the biggest risk yet. “Hyperventilate yourselves,” I said. I wasn’t sure the word would mean anything to non-humans, so I added, “Breathe in and out quickly through your mouth for a few minutes. This will over-oxygenate your blood and allow you to last longer before you need your next breath.”
Everyone started to breathe quickly, the sounds of our inhalations and exhalations a cacophony in the silence of the caves. When we were finished, we looked at each other. Lace grabbed my hand; thankfully her claws were retracted.
And then, together, we dove beneath the water.
THIRTEEN
THE CHASE IS ON
Lace began to panic almost immediately. She gripped my hand too hard and flailed in the water. Based on her lack of technique, she had clearly had very little experience in the water. Vrill and Eve swam like mermaids, as fluid and graceful below the surface as they were above it. Beat held her own as well, powerful arms cutting through the water as her feet kicked like a mini-propeller.
Thus, Lace and I quickly fell behind as I dragged her through the water, which was surprisingly warm. Although the water was clear, it was dark under the surface, and even darker when we entered the watery tunnel, the scant light from the demon torches we’d left behind fading away. It was complete darkness, not unlike that of the Black. I could only see my own hand in front of me because of my supercharged Demigod eyes.
Calm. That was the emotion and energy I tried to convey. Pull the water and kick, dragging Lace behind me. Repeat. Pull, kick, drag. Again and again. For a while my lungs were perfectly happy in the absence of additional O2, still basking in the extra oxygen I’d provided when I’d hyperventilated myself.
Until they weren’t.
It started as just a nagging ache, nipping at my chest and the back of my throat. Soon, however, that ache grew into a burning pain as my oxygen-starved lungs encouraged me to open my mouth and take a breath. Unfortunately that breath would be all H2O and, Demigod or not, I would swiftly drown, likely taking Lace with me. I could only hope she was able to hold her breath as long or longer than me or I’d end up dragging dead weight, no pun intended.
Ahead of me, I could just make out Beat’s feet as she kicked through the water, bubbles sprouting toward the top. I glanced up, hoping to find a gap between the river’s surface as the rocky ceiling. Nope. There wasn’t even enough space to stick my lips up to suck in some air. I kicked harder, pulling with one hand while pulling Lace behind with the other.
Beat’s feet vanished as the distance between us grew.
Although I had Lace with me, I felt like I was alone on an island, everything still and silent save for the beat of my own heart. I was now solely responsible for two lives.
My lungs were on fire. How long had it been since I breathed? Two minutes? Three? Five? I had no concept of time under here, the only clock the beat of my own heart. For maybe two seconds I considered going back, which was the known distance in this equation. I quickly discarded the notion, however—there was no way I would make it. For all I knew, just ahead was the end to this infernal river, another underground pool waiting for me to emerge from its inky surface.
I swam on, searching the dark waters for some sign that the end was near.
Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. Another minute.
Lungs screaming. Behind me, Lace was no longer churning her arms and legs in the awkward way. I didn’t know if that was because she was tired or she’d given up or she was simply conserving her energy for a final push at the end. Or she could be…
I bit away that last thought because I couldn’t dwell on anything other than that single-minded goal of reaching the end.
The end where a pissed off monster very well might be waiting for us.
My throat constricted, urging me to Breathe goddammit!
My mind fought off the desire to suck in whatever I could get, even if that meant flooding my system. Kicking. Pulling the water. Counting beats of my heart.
Fighting. Always fighting.
Fighting. Always fighting.
Did I already think that? My mind was muddled, my brain starved for oxygen. I was feeling dizzy and disoriented now, but still I soldiered on, pushing forward—ever forward.
Was that a light up ahead? Well, ‘light’ might be the wrong word for it. A subtle gray patch amidst the obsidian darkness. Something different.
I needed to breathe. I had no choice in the matter now. My lips began to crack open. Water streamed inside my mouth, but I held on, held on, held on, refusing to swallow, refusing to drink that which would be my last drink.
I held on until my locket glowed and a familiar voice spoke to me in a soothing tone so smooth and beautiful it could only be marred by the edge of weariness that seemed to crack through it:
Sam Ryder…Come to me. Come to me, Sam Ryder.
There was no doubt who it was: Persepheus, goddess of all things water. The oceans. The streams and ponds. And, yes, this underground river that was hell-bent on keeping me and Lace as a prize.
I saw her, a vision of beauty and surreality, her long, powerful tail fin a miasma of ever-changing scales—blue-green-purple-pink-yellow-orange and everything in between. She swam to me, bare-chested and seaweed-like hair flowing around her pristine face. Despite the gaunt shadows etched beneath her eyes, she was unveiled beauty. She was a goddess.
A bit of water leaked down my throat and I gagged, my body rebelling, trying to throw up the little that was currently in my stomach.
Hang on, hang on, hang on…
With one final kick, Persepheus reached me, cupping my jaw with her hands, pulling me to her lips. Rather than kissing me, she breathed into me. Whatever water was there disappeared under that life-giving breath, which filled my lungs instantly. Lace! I thought fiercely, gesturing back toward the cat-woman, whose lifeless hand I continued to grip. Her eyes were closed and her body limp.
Persepheus looked sad as she shook her head, her body already fading into the abyss. I couldn’t fathom the energy it took for her to make this appearance and save my life, especially given the state of her life meter. It wasn’t enough to save us both, and she’d chosen me.
I couldn’t waste her sacrifice.
The smart thing to do was to release Lace—she was probably already gone anyway—and use both arms and my full energy to swim to safety.
But what if there was still a chance to save her? I’d given her my promise to not let go. I’d promised to get her through this.
I wouldn’t break that promise, even if it meant wasting Persepheus’s sacrifice. Two went in, two would emerge or die trying.
So I kicked on, lungs still burning but not so fiercely. The borrowed breath had the impact of more than just a single breath, cooling my body and filling me with the vitality I needed. I fought for every inch, pushing toward that spot of gray, which was getting closer and closer, until I realized it was above me, on the surface.
I kicked for it, not caring that several times my feet caught Lace’s boneless body. It didn’t matter now, a few bruises a small consequence for saving our lives.
Someone was coming.
No, three som
eones.
Vrill. Eve. And, of course, Beat. They had dived back into the water. They were coming for me. For us. They were coming to help.
Eve arrived first and she grabbed Lace from me, prying my fingers away from her and taking on the burden of towing the cat-woman. Vrill was second and she grabbed one of my arms and immediately started kicking. Beat was last but snatched my other arm. We reached the surface seconds later and the moment my lips breached the divide between water and air I gasped, sucking at the air, lapping at it, tasting its sweetness.
The first word out of my mouth was: “Lace.”
“Eve has her,” Beat said.
“I’ll help,” Vrill said.
“No,” Beat said, shaking her head. “Stay with Ryder. I’ve got this.”
Beat left us and kicked toward the water’s edge. She didn’t have the ability to see in this inky darkness, but one of them had lit one of the remaining demon torches that we’d stowed in our mostly watertight packs. The demon’s blood was so flammable that even a little bit wet it would typically burn, only able to be doused by complete saturation. Once her feet were able to touch again, she clambered onto the shore, where Eve was bent over a form—Lace.
The cat-woman wasn’t moving.
“C’mon,” I said to Vrill.
“Take your time. Breathe.”
“I’m fine,” I said. I really was. Though my chest still ached somewhat, the worst was past. It seemed Persepheus’s breath did more for me than just provide air.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “How? Can Demigod’s breathe underwater?”
“I’ll explain later. I need to get to Lace. She is my responsibility.”
Even though we were in the deeper portion of the pond, I realized I could already stand because of my height, though Vrill continued to need to tread water and swim until we were closer to land. I clambered up the rocky incline to where Beat had maneuvered Eve out of her way and was checking Lace’s vitals.
“She’s not breathing,” she said, which was no surprise.
“Pulse?” I asked.
“Faint, but there.”
It was perhaps better than expected, but still dire at best. In high school health class we all had to learn to perform CPR on a dummy but that was years ago and I couldn’t remember exactly how it worked.