“Now!” Finn roared. Black-festering blood smeared his chest as he struck Teachie down with a brutal twist of his watery blade.
I raced to the tunnel entrance with Finn, Pháos, and Pisceon on my heels.
Edward!He didn’t have fins or webs, and he’d fallen behind. A snarl tore through the water as three Drowned lunged from the shadows, silver-streaked limbs glinting as they reached for him.
Edward twisted to look at us, and his eyes... his eyes were filled with a fear that broke my heart. It was as if I were watching the scene unfold in slow motion. One Drowned clamped a clawed hand around Edward’s ankle, and another slammed into his shoulder, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground, and a puff of sand burst up around him. A scream tore from my lips, and I paused on the steps between Finn and Pisceon.
Finn turned to his cousin. “If I don’t make it back, close the gate.”
Pisceon nodded.
With a flick of his tail, Finn shot away from us, back out of the shaft toward where the Drowned were pawing at Edward.
“Come on.” Pisceon grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the stairs to the watery darkness of the tunnel, where the others were waiting. The three Mer started chanting, “per archaos hudos klos,” and the rocks began to knit themselves back together, closing the entrance to the shelter.
Shaking off Pisceon, I scrambled up the stairs again to peer through the closing rocks. Edward was lashing out at the Drowned surrounding him with his crossbow, catching one in the gut, but they kept coming. Bubbles escaped his mouth as he screamed. Finn was swimming through the water, his emerald tail beating against the current as he raced toward Edward.
My stomach hollowed out as the tunnel door edged shut, the Mer continuing to chant their haunting melody. The gate was almost closed now.
I let out a strangled sob. “I’m going out there.”
“No!” Glacies jetted forward, grabbing my wrist.
Just then, lightning erupted from Finn as he reached Edward, scattering the Drowned with a clawed fist. He seized Edward by the collar of his uniform and pulled him close. I exhaled in relief, but then an icy laugh sliced through the darkening waters—a rattling, desolate sound.
The Fisherman. He coiled his grotesque tentacle inward, winding tight in preparation to strike.
The tunnel was almost sealed off; only a small rectangle remained, and I watched in horror through it. They’d never make it.
My heart pounded, and my chest felt like it might burst with the severity of its rhythm. I had to go, had to help—
A sob tore from my throat as I shook Glacies off, kicking toward the opening, but Finn emerged first, muscles straining as he held the final rocks apart with one arm. He slipped through, dragging Edward behind him.Just as they cleared the gap, the stones slammed shut, seconds before the Fisherman’s tentacle cracked against the tumbled limestone rocks above.
Silence fell, dust curling at the seams of the doorway. Only our shared, ragged breaths echoed through the space.
I threw my arms around Edward, then pulled back to see he was unharmed. “You’re okay.” I exhaled in relief.
“Yes.” He flushed, untangling himself from me and straightening as if he didn’t want the powerful Mer to see me making a fuss.
I held back a smile as I asked, “Have you got the box?”
He nodded, tapping the bag still slung across his back.
The corner of my mouth turned up. “You’ve gotten good with that bow.”
“After what happened with Donahue, I felt the need to train.” Edward shook his head, then turned to Finn. “And thank you.”
Finn was still breathless, but a grin tugged at his lips. “No problem, Drowned boy. Maybe now you’ll start trusting me.”
Edward folded his arms, chin angled high. “That is yet to be seen.”
With a whisper in the old tongue of the sea from Pisceon, oil lamps lit up along the “tunnel”—if you could call it that. It was vast and cathedral-like, its walls carved with intricate hieroglyphs brought to life by the lamplight. The entrances were flanked by gigantic carvings, a pharaoh on one side and a mermaid on the other.
“Wicked.” Edward blew out a bubbly breath at my side.
An agonizing grunt cut through the darkness. Finn was doubled over, clutching his wrist.
A wrinkle deepened between Pisceon’s brows. “Did you get hurt, cousin?”
