The Rising

by Terra Harmony

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Behind the barrel, Serena can see the man's knuckles go tight as he squeezes the trigger. Suddenly, the tunnel disappears as it is pushed down by a trident; Kai has caught up with Serena. The crack still comes. Only now, it is aimed at her toes.

  The hit is a lucky one. It is the exact spot where wolfsbane once touched, no longer protected by her hardened scales. Her foot explodes in pain, quickly surpassing the ache in her belly. She falls to her knees, next to Ervin's body.

  Over her head, she hears the whoosh of Kai's trident. It finishes the job for her, and the third man is dead.

  Serena glances down, ignoring the pain in her foot. Running her palm over Ervin's outstretched hand, she shivers. His body is already growing cold.

  I'm on the wrong side, she thinks. I always swim on his left.

  She moves closer to him to kneel in the sand, facing out to the water.

  Serena squeezes her eyes shut and opens her mouth, but a scream does not form. Instead, a song does. It is a low, guttural moan—a note for Ervin. She mourns the loss of her best friend, the loss of Cordelia's mate, and the loss of a father to his unborn calfling who will never know him.

  Heads turn in Serena's direction.

  She raises her pitch and adds a slow beat to her tempo. This note is for Sasha Sunbeam and her orange-scaled family. A maiden daughter lies dead, torn to pieces on the beach. The next note is for the rest of the carnage that greets Serena's eyes. Two more of the King's Guard also lie dead, one overwhelmed by a flurry of fang and claw, and one a victim of another Ungainly weapon. The colorful bodies of several more maidens pepper the beach. Bright yellow, coral pink, and deep rose sparkle in the sunlight. Serena sings for them, slowly standing, balancing most of her weight on her good foot.

  She turns to the ocean, opening her mouth further. She sucks air in through her gills and pushes it out of her mouth. Her lips round, adding a soft whistle to her harmony. This note promises retribution. She calls to the Undine still in the ocean and heads emerge from the deep blue water, answering her call.

  The wolves on the beach stop, surveying their enemy. More Undine appear—even those that weren't enlisted for the battle.

  Serena turns to the king, singing louder, encouraging the water to carry her voice all the way over to him. She works her throat, introducing new chords. The multiple shades that emerge pay homage to the rainbow of colors the king emits. All of the hues of the Undine Painted Maidens. He is the one true representative of their community, and Serena calls to him to stop this bloodshed.

  He raises his massive trident in the air, acknowledging her call. Serena allows the last notes to leave her lips, then closes her mouth.

  She can see the king work to manipulate the water once again.

  This is it, she thinks. He can save us all.

  Another tidal wave does not form. Instead, the water is pulled from the beach, and stays away.

  The king continues to work. Serena squints, but can't understand what he is doing.

  There is a growl down the beach—Alaric. Still in wolf form, he pushes three other wolves toward the water and they break into a run.

  "Look at that," says Kai. He moves to stand next to Serena, breathing hard. "They think they can walk on water now?"

  Serena's eyes go wide. "Oh, no."

  "What?" asks Kai.

  Serena's heart skips a beat in horror. Water splits, clearing a path straight to the whale rock, and the king.

  "To the King!" Serena shouts, picking up Ervin's remaining arrows and jamming them into her own quiver.

  The rest of Society catches on. Heads dip back below water as Undine swim to protect their monarch. Maidens closest to him jump out of the water at the wolves, running down the path of the parting ocean. There are several misses, but they manage to bring one down. The first wolf makes it to the whale rock. The king grips his trident; he will not make it easy for them.

  He waits for the wolf to scramble up the steep, wet boulder. King Merrick lunges, trident aimed out. The wolf dodges, but slips. One quick flick of his trident and the king tosses the wolf into the water. The maidens below are no longer fearful. They take the wolf by each limb, and swim in opposite directions, tearing him to pieces.

  Alaric and another wolf, the largest of the pack, have reached the boulder. They leap toward the king in unison. He can't defend against them both.

  Ahead, Murphy is already running. Those in the pack that still remain on the beach turn to intercept the charging Undine.

  First Kai, then Serena, run to lend backup to Murphy and the other guards. In V-formation, like birds flocking to nesting grounds, the group plow their way through the werewolf obstacles. Slower with their injuries, Kai and Serena bring up the rear. Serena tucks her trident under her arm and draws an arrow.

  She takes aim at the wolves who fight on the rock with the king and shoots. Her arrows hits water, a hundred feet too short. Kai tries. His lands closer, but still hits nothing but water.

  They continue to run, each step sending a searing pain up Serena's leg. She leans more on her good foot, refusing to look down at the injury.

  The king's movements slow, his long tail a hindrance on dry land. He can't turn and twist to fend off the attacks like he needs to.

  It is like watching the king and Alaric through the shrubs all over again. Only this time, they are exchanging deadly blows instead of mere threats. She remembers something Alaric said.

  Only one other sacrifice will satisfy the debt.

  "No…" says Serena, lips rounded.

  The king is sacrificing himself. He knows they won't win the battle, so he is taking the initiative before Serena does.

  Serena runs harder, pushing Kai in front of her. He pushes those in front of him, and soon the entire formation speeds up.

  It won't help, Serena tries to channel reason into the king. He won't offer peace upon your death—he still needs a maiden.

  Serena tries her hand at another arrow. This one hits the base of the rock.

  Just a little closer, she thinks, looking up at the king.

  He has one wolf pinned to the rock in between the prongs of his trident. Behind him, Alaric circles.

  All of Society can see it coming. There is a collective gasp. It should be enough to warn the king, but he doesn't turn. Instead, he looks up directly at Serena. He holds one hand in the air toward her—his final farewell.

  Behind him, Alaric jumps, opening his mouth wide. He clamps down over the king’s shoulder. His front most fangs puncture the soft spot just above the king's sternum. Serena clutches her own chest, pain ringing through her body.

  She skids to a stop, pulling Ervin's last arrow from her quiver. She nocks it and takes aim. Exhaling, Serena releases her arrow between mouthfuls of air. She keeps her bow in position, watching her arrow head directly for the mark—the space between Alaric's eyes. She knows her shot is right on target even before the arrow crosses the short span of ocean to the whale rock.

  Just before the arrow hits, it is caught. The king lowers his hand, squeezing. The arrow snaps in two. It clatters against the rock, sliding harmlessly into the ocean. The half-smile on Serena's face freezes.

  As if given a blessing, Alaric clenches his jaw. His fangs pierce the rest of the way, just below the king's neck. King Merrick slumps, the life going from his eyes before his head hits hard rock.

  Alaric shakes his head back and forth, tearing at the king. Then he stands, one paw up on his victim's dead body, and howls.

  Wolves answer the howl with their own, whether they are in wolf or Ungainly form. The magic suspended, even after death, Alaric races back to shore. A small, rainbow colored piece flops outside of his mouth like a lolling tongue.

  The Undine maidens watch helpless, and in shock. Their king has died, in front of all of Society. Beside Serena, one of the guardsmen bends, throwing up. Serena has no more arrows, no more energy. She watches because there isn't much more she can do.

&nbs
p; With a sacrifice made, the wolves retreat into the woods. Serena raises her hand, returning her farewell to her father, the king.