But I don't have any power left... I need Fomorian magic to cast a void portal.
I nodded. I didn't have any left either. And the Kraken had almost drawn all of it out of Fomoria's firmament when the electric energy swelled in it.
"Thor," I said. "Go, now! We have to draw it away from the city. I need what's left of the firmament, and if the Kraken descends on the city, it'll claim lives, not just this electric power."
Thor nodded and took off through what was left of the firmament. For a man without a tail, he moved fast. That's because he was more than a man. The lightning in his body seemed to carry him through the ocean like a torpedo.
I inhaled and drew in the last of the magic in the firmament and, amplifying it, gave it to Nammu.
"Now go!" I shouted.
Aren't you coming with me, La Sirene?
I shook my head. "I have to try and keep the Kraken off Thor. Until you get out of there."
I kicked my tail and took off as the Kraken turned and pursued Thor.
"Nagga!" I shouted.
The giant wyrm was just outside where Fomoria's firmament used to be. I could hear the merfolk screaming, in a panic, as chaos ensued around them. They were vulnerable. I needed to give them confidence.
As Nagga swam up beside me, I grabbed his scales and threw my tail over his oversized back.
"For Fomoria!" I shouted as Nagga carried me through the city and back toward the ghost fleet.
"Thor's going into Nephtalie's firmament, drawing the Kraken to it. We need to keep the Kraken off of him until Nammu gets her son out of there."
Kraken for dinner?
"We still need it. We have to let it take Nephtalie's power. And I have to go in there."
But why? Nagga asked. If the Kraken consumes all the magic and sucks out her soul with it...
He didn't know what I'd promised the Baron. I still hadn't fulfilled my end of the bargain.
When Thor collided with Nephtalie's firmament, he unleashed his lightning, Shelly's lightning, into it. The bolts flashed throughout the globe. Now, it looked less like a snow globe and more like one of those electric globes they sell at novelty shops that you touch and draw the power to your fingers.
Where was Thor? I didn't know. But we had to hold off the Kraken. It wouldn't be easy. Apparently, the monster had a craving for electric energy—and didn't care nearly as much as I'd expected for Fomorian power.
"We just need to hold it off! Can you hold it back?"
Yes, Nagga said, charging after the Kraken as it pursued Thor and his lightning. The Kraken was giant but not as big as Nagga. It wasn't particularly fast, either. Not as fast as a wyrm. I tucked my hands under Nagga's scales and held on tight as the wyrm wrapped himself around the Kraken. The octopus-like beast was full of magic, but I couldn't take it. I couldn't siphon it. I didn't expect I could, but I wanted to be sure. If I couldn't do it, Nephtalie couldn't either.
"Nammu," I said as Nagga squeezed the Kraken as if he was a boa constrictor. "Can you hear me?"
I can, La Sirene, Nammu said. I exhaled a breath. She hadn't been taken yet, thank God.
"Let me know when you're going into the void. There's too much lightning. I can't see a thing in there.
I've got them, La Sirene. I'm casting the void portal now. Give it about ten seconds, and then we'll be gone. You can bring us back through the crossroads, can you not?
I nodded. "I can."
I knew, now, that there was only one way I could fulfill my bargain with the Baron. It wasn't how I wanted this to end, but I couldn't think of any other way.
"Nagga," I said. "I know you and Agwe, Njord, have a past... but if you could, tell him I tried. No matter what happens. Okay?"
Tried what, La Sirene?
I shrugged. "Tell him none of it was his fault. Tell him I love him."
I can tell him that, but...
"I have to go into the fleet. And when I do, you need to let the Kraken go."
But La Sirene, if the Kraken comes after you if it takes your soul...
"I know what it means. But I have to do this."
I honor you, La Sirene.
"I honor you as well, Nagga."
I let go of Nagga and kicked my tail, swimming as fast as I could through Nephtalie's firmament and into the ghost fleet. There was so much power, so much electricity. I didn't see Thor. Hopefully, he'd left after he let the electricity loose inside.
As I swam into the fleet, the whole world inside came to life as it had before. The dull, ghastly greens turned into a vibrant pallet of colors even as the blue firmament lit it up and the lightning strikes flashed around.
I spotted the original ghost ship. It was the same one where I'd seen Nephtalie cast her magic before. And it was the one she'd boarded the last time I saw her in the flesh. With a hard kick of my tail, I shot out of the water, grabbed the rails on the side of the ship, and pulled myself aboard.
I needed legs. And I needed to fulfill my bargain with the Baron. I could have drawn in some of Nephtalie's magic. I didn't. A large shadow fell over us—a darkness that seemed to pierce through all the light in a way that darkness and light don't usually interact. The Kraken was around Nephtalie's firmament, its tentacles sucking onto it, and some of the sharp claws that I'd already seen on the Kraken when it was in stone form pierced through, drawing energy into the monster's body.
"Well, look who we have here," Nephtalie said. "Long time, no see, La Sirene."
I shrugged. "We're family, you know. You could just call me Joni."
Nephtalie snorted. "Odette was my family. We are blood and nothing more."
I released my mermaid form. Didn't need magic to become a human or vampire, again. It was a part of me.
"Speaking of blood," I said as the craving welled up within me.
Nephtalie threw some of her green magic at me, the sort she'd used to capture humans, ships, even Enki and Cleo. It struck me on the chest, but nothing happened.
"What... but... how did you?"
I shrugged. "What does that magic do anyway?"
"I borrowed it from the pirates aboard this ship. It steals souls."
I laughed. "Well, I'm a vampire. Guess who doesn't have a soul. At least not one, in this form, that you can access."
"You've got to be kidding me," Nephtalie said.
I wanted to bite her and drain her then and there. It took everything I had in me to resist. But I wasn't ready. Not yet.
"Think of it, with our abilities. If you siphoned my magic and amplified it. As we did before, I could do the same. We'd be like gods."
I smiled, flashing my fangs. "I'm already a god."
"A demigod," Nephtalie said. "But together, we could rule the gods!"
"Not interested," I said. "I'm already a queen. And trust me, gods can be bitches. Ruling then would be a pain in the ass."
"Then give me Naaga. Return him to me, and we'll remake the world together. Surely you can see, this is what is destined to be. You and I, strong apart but unstoppable together."
The light around us continued to dim. The Kraken was taking it all—the Fomorian magic, the electricity, everything. "Do you really think that destroying the world will make you feel better?"
"You don't know what it's like to go through what I've been through. What my mother, Odette, has been through. The injustices of this world that we've suffered."
"Vengeance will not give you the peace you seek. What you want is not justice, Nephtalie. And you cannot overcome one injustice with another. Many good people in this world don't deserve the fate you'd force them to suffer."
Nephtalie gasped as the magic within her started to flow out of her body into the air and to the Kraken's tentacles. "Please, help me!"
I shook my head. "It will take your magic first. Then, the rest of your abilities. Finally, it will claim your soul."
"You'd let that thing kill me?" Nephtalie asked. "You are the one who saved me from my father when I was in the womb!"
"I'm not here to k
ill you," I said. "I'm here to save you."
"From the monster you sent after me?" Nephtalie asked.
"From yourself," I said as the last bit of magic was pulled out of Nephtalie's body.
I grabbed the medallion around my neck. It still had a little magic left in it. I handed it to Nephtalie. "Can you siphon this?"
Nephtalie looked at it. She inhaled. Nothing happened. "I can't. Why can't I..."
I smiled. My plan worked. "The Kraken has taken your abilities."
"But why doesn't it take yours?"
I ran behind Nephtalie, grabbed her around her chest, and pulled her head back. "Because, as I said before, I don't have a soul. My abilities are now protected, confined to my other nature. But right now, like this, I'm exactly what you need."
I bit Nephtalie, and her blood filled my mouth. I drank it in. I couldn't stop.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
NEPHTALIE FELL AT my feet, completely drained of blood. The Kraken still hadn't taken the last bit of magic in my medallion. But I could feel it trying to draw it out. There wasn't much left in here, and the Kraken still wasn't satisfied. I put the medallion back around my neck. The Kraken didn't have much of a taste for Fomorian magic. Apparently, of all the sources of power at its disposal, it preferred the electricity first, the power contained in souls second. It only consumed Fomorian magic as a last resort. The only reason it took Nephtalies' Fomorian magic was to get to her soul. And now, the Kraken was drawing the last of the magic from Nephtalie's firmament. It already took most of the electricity through its claws that pierced the firmament first. Everyone inside was dead—myself included. At least, I was undead. Soulless in this form. My other nature, my Fomorian nature, guarded my soul. The damned monster couldn't get anything out of me. After it finished off the firmament, well, it would surely take what was left in my medallion. I still needed it the magic I had left. Nephtalie wasn't dead yet, but I didn't have much time.
"You," I said to one of the ghost pirates aboard the ship. "You're the captain of this vessel, are you not?"
"I am Anne Bonny, Captain of the Gallows of Hell."
I cocked my head. What an awful name for a ship. "You are no longer bound to the caplata's will. Sail us out of here."
"Why should I?" Anne Bonny said.
"Because the wyrms are going to send the rest of this fleet to the void. Since you fled the void before, I suspect that's not a place you'd like to go."
"You would allow the Gallows of Hell to continue to haunt the seas? We still desire your magic, the magic of Fomoria."
"Be that as it may, I need your help now. Get us out of here, and I'll let you go that we might fight another day."
"And you won't send us into the void the second we leave the fleet?"
"Not today," I said. "You have my word."
Anne Bonny looked at me, narrowed her eyes, and nodded. Then she started marching around the deck of the ship with purpose, barking out shrill orders. "Ahoy, ye lackies! Hoist sail! Raise the pennant."
Several pirates, formerly in a daze, seemed to come to life at their captain's command. They didn't hesitate. They were like ants on an ant farm, each one knowing his role. The mainsail was hoisted. A skull-and-crossbones flag flew atop the mast.
"Beware, all ye in the land of the living," Anne Bonny cackled. "The Gallows of Hell sails again!"
I sighed. I had a feeling that Anne Bonny was going to be a nuisance in the future. But at least, for now, she wasn't threatening the end of the world.
"Naaga," I said under my breath. "Can you hear me?"
I can, La Sirene...
"It's time to eat. Dinner is served."
I glanced back at the Kraken just in time to see Naaga wrap himself around it. Naaga reared his head back and took a bite out of the mythic octopus.
"When you're done, regroup with Agwe. You need to send the rest of these vessels into the void. All but this one."
Nagga didn't respond. Not with words. Several growls and grunts. Not polite to talk with a mouth full of Kraken, I suppose.
The Kraken was seemingly oblivious to what was happening. Did the creature even feel pain at all? Even as Nagga ripped chunks of flesh out of its body, the Kraken's tentacles were still seeking out any energy it could draw. Like a magnet, the Kraken's pull tugged at my medallion. It was all that was left. I clung to it, enveloped it in my hands. It seemed to help—my Fomorian nature, my siphon abilities, were dormant inside my vampire flesh. It seemed that my body, my vampire blood perhaps, acted to the Kraken like lead to an x-ray machine.
"Faster!" I said. As the last of the firmament fell, the weight of the ocean crashed around us.
Anne Bonny nodded and, pointing forward with her hand, the Gallows of Hell charged forward and, blasting through the water, returned to the ocean's surface.
I siphoned the last of the Fomorian magic from my medallion and cast it into Nephtalie's failing body.
She gasped. Her eyes turned red. "Welcome back."
"What did you do?" Nephtalie asked.
"You're a vampire now. When you leave this ship, you'll crave blood. There's a vampire you should seek out. Her name is Mercy. Perhaps, if she lives up to her name, she'll help you adjust."
"What about you?" Nephtalie asked.
"I have a kingdom to rule," I said, releasing my vampire form and becoming a mermaid again. I was about to throw myself overboard when another figure appeared in front of me.
He looked at me with rage in his eyes as a cigarette smoldering in his hand. "She is no use to me like this."
"Baron Samedi," I said, smirking. "Master of bargains. It seems I've outmaneuvered you this time."
"My deal with you was for a siphon!"
I shook my head. "I had you repeat the terms of the bargain before I drank. We discussed a siphon, but the bargain itself that we agreed upon said nothing of the sort. By delivering Nephtalie to you as a vampire, I've satisfied my side of our agreement."
Baron Samedi narrowed his eyes. And then he laughed. "I underestimated you, La Sirene."
"Yup," I said. "A lot of people tend to do that. Shame on you."
"Did you say, Baron Samedi?" Nephtalie asked.
"I'm sorry. How rude of me. Nephtalie, Baron. Baron, Nephtalie."
Baron Samedi looked at the young vampire, technically my progeny. Then he turned back to me. "I suppose this wasn't a total loss. This new vampire has potential as a caplata, even if she is no longer a siphon."
"Yeah," I said. "Watch out for those caplatas. As a Loa, they can be a real pain in the ass if you aren't careful."
Baron Samedi laughed. "She is a vampire. Even as a caplata, she cannot bind me. It is you and your husband who must be on your guard if you ever find yourself back in the void. Don't think for a moment I won't use my new vampire to try and bind you. I still want my siphon."
I smiled wide, "I'll keep that in mind. But I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
Baron Samedi cocked his head. "Where exactly do you think we are?"
"On a boat."
"But why do you suppose the spirits here appear as though they are alive even though they are dead?"
I bit my lip. "I don't know. Some kind of enchantment, I supposed."
"This is my domain," Baron Samedi said. "Though these spirits still haunt the seas, we are in the land of the dead."
"I don't see any land here."
"You know what I mean," Baron Samedi said. "Nephtalie, my child, bind La Sirene to your will."
"Gladly," Nephtalie said.
"Oh shit!" I exclaimed, throwing myself overboard. I had to get out of here. I couldn't fly out—no magic. I used the last of it to heal Nephtalie, to turn her into a vampire. I had to swim my way out of this place.
The last time Nephtalie bound me, she used my power to command the zombie sharks. Who knows what she'd do to me now.
I kicked my tail hard. I didn't know how long it would take Nephtalie to bind me, but I sure wasn't going to give her any more time than was necessary.
Then I felt someone grab me around the waist. Thor! It had to be Thor! I never saw him leave the fleet. He'd stayed to save me and followed us out of the firmament.
But his arms weren't as large as I expected. I turned my head around.
"Agwe?" I asked.
"I've got you, Joni," my husband said.
Then, commanding the waters that surrounded us, he formed a powerful current around us. We went flying through the water. When I looked back, I still saw the Gallows of Hell floating in the waters behind us. But it was devoid of color, a dull and translucent green. It appeared as a ghost ship again.
CHAPTER THIRTY
"I HAVE TO get Nammu, Enki, and Cleo!"
"The void portal is still open," Agwe said. "I will recover them."
I grabbed him by the arm. "You can't. Nephtalie is still aboard that ship, and the Baron intends to use her to bind us. She may not have magic anymore, but she's still a caplata."
"And Baron Samedi still wants a siphon," Agwe said, shaking his head.
I nodded. "I have to return to the crossroads."
Agwe hugged me. "I'm sorry, Joni. About before."
"I'm sorry, too. I know, putting our marriage on the line with the Baron was a little reckless."
"Clearly, it wasn't," Agwe said. "I was foolish to underestimate you. We needed the Kraken. I was so burdened by my history with the beast that I couldn't consider it."
"Yeah," I said. "About your history..."
Agwe shook his head. "I have a lot of stories to tell. Perhaps, once things settle down, we can enjoy some time together. Get to know each other better."
I smiled. "I'd like that. You know, Agwe, this wasn't all me. If it wasn't for you, I think Nephtalie might have bound me before I got out of there. We are stronger together."
"Go bring our friends home."
I nodded. "Legba, yo!"
"Yo?" Agwe asked. "You summon Papa Legba with 'yo'?"
I shrugged. "We're tight."
I kissed Agwe on the cheek as I felt the world around me fade. I was back on the crossroads, and Legba stood there, his cheek two inches from my lips.
I jerked back.
"What the heck!"
Wyrmrider Justice: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 3) Page 15