“Incredible, right, Kitten?”
I jumped at the sound of his voice whispering in my ear. When I looked up, our faces were mere inches apart. A wave of fresh rain-tinted air brushed over me, and I inhaled it in. His lips curved into a smile, and my body filled with warmth. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Royce was gone.
“Do you feel that?” he asked. His lips were so close he could kiss me without any effort.
My heart skipped. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “Yes,” I said with a shaky voice.
“That’s the ocean calling you.”
I deflated like a popped balloon. “W-what?”
“The ocean is living, raw power. It recognizes itself in us and calls to us much like a siren.” He turned to face the water and pointed down below. “If you ask the ocean, it’ll tell you. All you have to do is listen, and not necessarily in a literal sense. Right now, I can feel the hippocampus’s presence close by, and you can too.”
“Its name is Cota?” Henley asked.
Tennessee and I spun around and found our five friends had gathered around us.
“Why can’t we kill or hurt it?” Cooper leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms. “Is this Cota his pet?”
“He didn’t say why, just that the ramifications were too severe to explain.” Tennessee put his hands on his hips and stared at our group.
“And we have no idea what Cota is?” Royce asked. His normally sharp, sparkling sapphire eyes were dark and hazy. Something had gone down with the sirens; he just hadn’t admitted it yet.
“He’s a hippocampus,” Tennessee said.
“I’m sorry,” Emersyn said and stepped forward next to me. She raised her hand like we were in class. “What’s a hippocampus?”
“It’s half horse and half fish.” I pulled my hair back and tied it on top of my head. “They’re known to be peaceful creatures in mythology, though easily spooked.”
Tennessee glanced over his shoulder and gave me a strange look. “Impressive. Nicely done. Also, they can breathe both underwater and above.”
Royce raised his hand like Em had. “And our weapon is an angel feather?”
Tennessee nodded. “Yes. To cut a scale off only. There will be no harming it.”
“Fantastic. And after him, we swim through the Strait of the Dead?” Cooper sighed and plopped down onto the white leather bench next to Libby.
“Then into a deep cavern.”
“This keeps getting better,” Royce grumbled.
“Let’s not waste any more time.” Tennessee walked into the center of the circle we’d formed. “I have no idea what we’re going to find down here, so I want everyone to go. Pay attention to everything.”
“What’s our plan for luring it out?” I asked.
“Me,” Libby croaked from the bench nearby. She wasn’t quite lying down, yet wasn’t exactly sitting up either. Her normally tan skin was pale and a little chalky. Her hazel eyes looked gray and bloodshot. “I’ll do just like the sirens.”
“Libby.” Tennessee stepped toward her with his eyebrows scrunched together. “Are you all right?”
She nodded but it seemed to require work. “Just tired. I’m fine.”
No one seemed convinced. They all glanced at each other.
Cooper stood and scratched the back of his head. “Libs, are you sure? You can sit this one out.”
“Yeah, maybe you can dream walk him out of hiding.” Libby held her arm out, and it looked like it took all of her energy to do so. “Just help me up. We’re not fighting this thing. I can handle it.”
Cooper and Tennessee exchanged nervous glances. Cooper shook his head.
Tennessee sighed and shrugged. “She’s right. We can’t do this without her. If she says she can handle it, then we have to trust her.”
“Fine. But Libby?” Cooper helped her to her feet. “Stay next to me.”
Libby nodded and leaned into him. “Got it.”
“Okay. Libby lures it out, then we move in. Your job is to distract it long enough for me to get the scales.” Tennessee turned to look at Emersyn and me. His mismatched eyes radiated raw power. It was no wonder everyone wanted him to lead. “You two, do what you can, but no one is expecting you to know how to use your magic yet.”
So, teach me! I didn’t want to be on the sidelines. I wanted to be in the action, helping my Coven on their quest. Plus, water was my element. I needed to be helpful, not a risk. I looked down at my left arm, to where my High Priestess Mark stood out against my fair skin. There was power in my Card. I would not be a liability.
Tennessee walked to the opening of the rail and glanced over his shoulder. “Follow me.”
He stepped off the boat and dropped out of sight. Water splashed onto the deck. Libby followed after him without hesitation. Cooper scurried to jump after her, clearly sticking to his plan to stay close to her. Henley walked to the edge and peered over, like she wasn’t so sure about this. Three seconds later, she shrugged and leapt off the edge.
“Seriously?” Emersyn tiptoed forward and looked over the side. “We just drop? Into the open ocean? Where we know there’s a monster down there? Why does no one think this is nuts?”
“It’s not a monster, Em.” I joined her at the rail. “That’s why we can’t kill it.”
Royce chuckled from the opening. “That boy ain’t human…but he protects us every way he can. The second your head goes under, he’ll produce an air bubble around your face so you can breathe. Well, Tegan might not need one.”
Might. I might not need an air bubble. Yes, water was my element, but there was no guarantee how my magic would manifest until I got down there. I wasn’t actually worried about it. Either I could breathe or I couldn’t. Tennessee was here, and he’d give me air if I needed it. The only reason I hadn’t jumped was because I knew if Emersyn was last, she might not go at all. I stayed back, pretending to be nervous so no one would judge her. Emersyn had courage, but any normal person would be freaked out by our new lives. I glanced over her at Royce and nodded my head in Em’s direction.
He winked. “C’mon, Buttercup. We can jump together. I promise Tennessee is ready and waiting for us.”
She bounced over and took his outstretched arm. She peeked over at me. “You’re coming, right?”
“Right after you.”
She nodded, then looked to Royce. He counted to three, then they jumped. I looked over the rail and watched them drop in vivid clarity. Like before, I saw straight down to the bottom. Five of them stood in a semicircle around Tennessee. He nodded at them, then looked up and met my stare. There was no fear or doubt in his mismatched eyes. He was confident in me.
Here goes nothing. I moved to the opening and stepped off the boat.
Warm, salty air rushed by my face as I fell. In seconds, refreshingly cool water touched my feet and traveled up my body to my face. When my feet hit the sand, I took a deep breath. Air filled my lungs the same way it did on land.
I grinned and looked around. The view from the ocean floor was better than anything I’d seen before. Sunlight shined through the waves. I’d thought the ocean was turquoise before, but damn was I wrong. The colors down here were so vivid and bright, I wanted to bottle them up and sell it to paint shops.
“TEGAN.”
I flinched and snapped toward the sound of my name. Emersyn rolled her eyes, but she smiled. Cooper, Royce, Henley, and Libby stared at me like I was a puppy they couldn’t control. I couldn’t tell if they were actually snarling at me or if that was an effect from the air bubbles.
“My bad.” I held my palms up. “My bad.”
“Your bad?” Cooper shook his head. He narrowed his green eyes at me. “Your bad? We could get killed by a variety of things while we’re picking our noses waiting for you.”
“That wasn’t the idea? Shit.” I cocked my head to the side and tapped my chin. I feel like I’ve had this conversation before. “My plan was flawless.”
Emersyn threw her hand over her mouth and l
aughed. At least I wasn’t the only one who felt that déjà vu.
I winked at her. “I think they’re mad, dude.”
“You think?” Emersyn said between laughs.
“Jeez, it’s spreading,” Libby grumbled.
“Oh, feisty. I like it,” I said with a grin, trying not to laugh. I knew we needed to focus, but our lives had been nothing but stress since The Gathering. Emersyn and I were bound to snap a bit.
Royce cracked a smile and shook his head. “What just happened?”
Emersyn sighed. “Inside joke.”
“Can we focus now, ladies?” Cooper snapped.
“Coop, ease up,” Tennessee said. When I looked over, I found him smiling at me. “Try to remember when you first experienced your magic. Tegan was just caught up in hers. The ocean is overwhelming at first.”
I returned his smile and hoped I wasn’t blushing. “Sorry, guys. I’m ready now. Let’s do this.”
Tennessee pointed behind him. “The hippocampus, Cota, lives just back there in a cavern. Libby, let’s lure him out here so we have open ground to work with.”
“You got it, boss.” Libby took a deep breath. When she opened her mouth again, her voice came out in song. On the surface, it was soft and relaxing, but I sensed the hypnotic undertones.
We all turned toward the area Tennessee had pointed to. On either side of us, bright pink coral reefs thrived with life. About ten feet ahead was open ocean, nothing but sandy seafloor. Off in the distance, the water swirled and glowed like a nightlight. It stretched from left to right as far as I could see. The Strait of the Dead. I didn’t know how I knew; I just knew.
But before that, the sand raised like little mountains. Libby’s voice sang steady through the water. Cooper mumbled it wasn’t working, but he was wrong.
“Yeah, it is,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” Tennessee said at the same time.
We looked at each other and smiled. It made my confidence soar to know I was seeing what he saw. I know I can do this.
Ten seconds later, sand rustled and mixed with the water, fogging up our view. A shadow emerged from within the haze.
I narrowed my eyes. It was huge and approaching fast. “Brace yourselves. It’s coming.”
“Remember, do not hurt it.” Tennessee stepped in front of us. “You stay together and distract it. I’ll slip in from behind.”
The water shifted its current. It rolled into us, one wave after another. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my friends wobble under the force. Only Tennessee and I stood straight. I jumped forward so I was level with Tennessee and held my palms out straight. I’d only had minimal training, so I acted mostly on instinct. I took a deep breath and pushed with my mind, with the energy sizzling through my veins. Water slammed into my hands like a brick, but the current shot upward and curved over our heads.
“Nice,” Tennessee yelled over to me. “Guys, stay close behind us.”
I grinned and my energy soared with new strength. Sand flew by like little bits of hail. Warmth tingled down my spine and into my fingers. A second later, a dark purple creature swam in circles over our heads. Libby’s singing grew louder and more intense. The animal neighed and shook its head, before stopping in front of us.
My jaw dropped. This creature was magnificent. No wonder Leyka didn’t want it harmed. The front half of him looked exactly like a Clydesdale horse, except its fur was a vibrant plum. It towered over me by at least three feet. So, you’re Cota. The white stripe running down the front of his long face almost looked neon it glowed so bright. He even had the matching white fur from its knees down, just like a Clydesdale. His eyes were the color of the ocean, a bright aqua, and his mane deep burgundy. I’d known what a hippocampus was supposed to look like, but seeing a horse with a fish tail blew my mind. The back half of him had iridescent violet scales and red fins. He neighed and whipped his tail around.
I frowned. “Easy, Cota.” Only after I spoke did I realize Libby’s singing had stopped.
Tennessee took a step to the left, and Cota flailed like he’d been hurt. He neighed and whimpered. His tail sliced through the water. I realized a second too late what was about to happen. Cota spun around and snapped his tail at us. I dove into the sand, but his tail hit my ponytail and knocked it to the side. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw each of my friends get slammed to the ground. Tennessee dropped and rolled away. His movements were so smooth and quick I understood why Royce teased him about being human.
Before any of us had the chance to get up, Cota charged straight for Libby. He raised his front hooves and went to stomp on her, but Cooper dove in front. Cota kicked Cooper right in the head. Blood poured into the water as he dropped to the sand beside Libby. Bright white light flashed. Cota flinched and flailed. His massive purple body rolled backwards, plowing over Henley. She shouted in pain. Royce and Emersyn rushed toward her, but they moved in too soon. Cota swung his tail in an upward arc and sent them crashing to their backs.
I looked to Tennessee and realized belatedly the light was him. His entire body glowed like the sun. His eyebrows smashed together and his lips snarled. I knew he was chastising himself for them getting hurt. I opened my mouth to shout out to him when he thrust his arms forward. A wave of power like a jet engine rushed out of him and slammed into the others. Our friends flew backward. The hippocampus only rolled a couple times before regaining composure.
This is getting out of control. I knew Tennessee intended to get our friends out of danger, but it only freaked out the hippocampus more. What do I do? What can I do? Think, Tegan! I bit my lip and tried to recount any information I’d ever read on this creature, but nothing useful came to mind. We were in its home court.
Wait, that’s it. We need land! Tennessee had just pushed the water. Maybe I could do the same. I gritted my teeth and summoned the power coiling in my gut. If I hadn’t just seen Tennessee do it, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. I inhaled through my nose then pushed out with everything I had.
The ocean floor shook under my feet. It’s working! I gave it more of me until black spots danced in my vision. The water groaned and flew away from me. Sunlight struck the fresh sand. With my hands held out, I spun in a circle, forcing the water to wrap around us like a tornado. My chest burned from exertion, oxygen stinging my throat as I breathed. I held my stance though.
The hippocampus neighed and jumped around, swinging its tail at everything. It may have been able to breathe the air, but it didn’t like being beached.
Black smoke poured out of the ground. Emersyn ran forward until she was level with me. She had her arms out to the side and her fingers curled. Her face was contorted like a Roman soldier in the thick of battle. There’s the Emersyn I know!
She looked over to me and yelled, “I don’t know what I’m doing here!”
But I know someone who does. I turned to Tennessee. “NOW!”
Tennessee didn’t hesitate. He sprinted forward and jumped. His feet bounced off the churning wall of water, and he flew into the air.
“Emersyn, more!”
Somehow, she knew what I meant. Her black smoke shot up to the sky, robbing the hippocampus of sight. On the other side of our cylinder, Royce and Henley scrambled over and picked up Cooper, who bled from a gash in his forehead and seemed to be unable to stand. They carried him back toward the water, as far from the wild animal as possible. Libby trailed after them, crawling on all fours.
I glanced back, searching for Tennessee. I found him hanging from Cota’s tail, Leyka’s white feather gripped in his right hand. This isn’t working. This animal was in panic mode. If it didn’t calm down, someone was going to get hurt.
Think, Tegan. You’ve seen what Tennessee can do. The ocean is your gift. An idea popped into my head. I prayed it was crazy enough to work and not get anyone killed. I summoned a lone wave out of my ocean tornado. The ocean answered immediately, water rushing under my feet and lifting me high. To the hippocampus! I knelt on my wave and made it carry me up until
I was eye level with him.
“Hey, Cota!” I said in what I hoped was a calm voice.
Vibrant aqua eyes snapped to attention.
He knows his name. In that moment, I wished I could speak to animals. Instead, I prayed he’d understand. “Hey, there, buddy. It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.”
I raised my hand and ran some water over his body. He stopped thrashing around and cocked his head to the side. He neighed and leaned into the water, so I gave him more.
Behind his head, Tennessee brought Leyka’s feather down to Cota’s scales. To my surprise, the feather sliced a scale off like cutting through butter. Cota didn’t even seem to notice as he dipped his head into my wave. Tennessee dropped down to the sand, a feather in one hand and a purple scale in the other.
I smiled and kept my voice nice and calm. “Get everyone back to the boat. I’ll meet you there.”
Tennessee’s return smile beamed up at me. He shook his head and ran off behind me. It was amazing what I could sense through the water, like it was an extension of myself. Just like Tennessee said. I knew the exact moment all of my friends re-entered the water. I sensed each of their six auras. Two seconds later, their presence vanished. Tennessee had them on the boat. I smiled at the beautiful animal in front of me who’d calmed down at my friendliness. He even let me pet him.
“Okay, Cota, let’s get you back home.” I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck.
One…two…three… I released my hold on the water. The ocean surged toward us. I expected the water to be gentle with me, to wrap around me and handle me with care. Instead, it slammed into me like a runaway freight train. I threw my palm out and pushed against the force to try and protect Cota. But the raging water powered through me, flipping us head over feet so many times I lost track of which way was up. My head smacked against Cota’s neck with each roll. He whimpered along with my shouts of pain. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut until my back crashed into something hard and warm.
The Lost Witch Page 15