I took heart in the few cheers among the heckling, and surged forward. Three more tentacle dodges later, I’d safely rounded the beast, and was waiting to make my move at the water’s edge.
The queen kraken was even more spectacular and grotesque up close. Opalescent dots found only on underwater creatures marred what had appeared to be pure indigo skin from farther away. Blood splattered the sand and water all around us, filling the air with the scent of iron to complement the salt of the sea.
I had to admit that the injuries the cat had inflicted were more vicious-looking and numerous than they had appeared from up the beach.
Numerous, but still not enough. We have to hit her heart to have a chance.
“Cat! Sever her ligaments!”
Miraculously, the cat heard me over the roar of the monster. Or maybe it was the fact that we were aether-bound.
If I survived this, I would have to ask him to clarify what that meant.
Either way, he materialized down around the creature’s arms, and with the aether-infused dagger, slashed horrifically deep lines across her hide.
The sea monster bellowed and attempted to attack my champion. But the cat disappeared and popped back into existence closer to me where he hovered, waiting for the kraken to find him and change direction.
The kraken responded as we’d hoped, trying to turn from her core because she could no longer effectively use the force of her tentacles to twist. Her bulbous torso lifted up and struggled to pivot the bulk of her body around.
Come on . . . Just a little more.
We only needed her to budge enough so the cat could slide beneath the sea monster.
I dashed further into the water and waved my arms frantically, desperate to ensure that the creature didn’t change course when the cat resumed his attacks. “Hey! Over here!”
The monster followed the sound, and the front of her body lifted up an inch or so.
“Get ready, cat!” I screamed. “Any second now!”
My focus was intense, solely fixated on the kraken’s weak spot.
Because of that, I didn’t see the arm crashing down upon me until it was too late.
A sucker slammed into my head, and I fell into the water. A deluge of bubbles left my lips as I screamed and squirmed beneath the weight of the monster. My blood skittered through my veins as her arm pressed down, intent on smothering me between sand and wave. I screamed again, releasing precious air.
Finally, I realized what an idiot I was being for letting my fear take over. If I wanted to survive, I needed to control myself, to conserve oxygen.
I forced myself to keep my stinging eyes open, taking in everything around me, even as the kraken’s tentacle tried to press me into a sandy grave. It was about to pummel me again, when I noticed another one of the creature’s arms making deep divots in the ground.
Divots that I could wiggle through.
Using earth magic, I hollowed out the seafloor and created a tunnel for escape. However, when I tried to burrow into it and claw away, the sucker of the tentacle bound me and held on tight.
I was glued to the damnable creature.
I switched tack, calling on water next to create a current that ran through the tunnel. It was as strong as a riptide, practically ripped the clothes off my body, and yet, it wasn’t strong enough to separate me from the kraken’s sucker as she pressed me hard into the sand.
Abrasive grains scratched at my face, and stars formed in my vision. My lungs groaned, and second by second, my fighting spirit lessened.
No . . . this will not be the end.
Even as I thought the words, tried to make myself believe they were true, I couldn’t deny the encroaching darkness. Couldn’t fight it off. Actually, stillness felt so much better right now . . . easier.
I stopped fighting and closed my eyes, letting my body settle, feeling the strange and terrible bliss that had surrounded me. The sand rubbed harder against my skin as the kraken bore down, and I almost laughed.
How did I ever think I could fight this beast? Something so large and powerful. It was an impossible task—a fool’s errand.
I opened my mouth, inviting the water to flow in and take me away from all this, escort me to my ultimate freedom.
