I’ve been told the legend of how you came to control the serpent,I thought. Now your soul is bound to her body. If I kill the leviathan, you’ll be free, right?
Yes. I will ascend to the stars and will protect our island as the Gaela intended. It pains me to know the suffering my children have endured in my absence.
But how do I kill it?
Fae could kill other fae, Lysi had said. What about a creature who had no equal?
For a moment, no further thoughts came to me. I scanned the sparkling waves, feeling like the world met my senses with new clarity.
Then Eriana said,Nothing can destroy the leviathan.With the presence of two heads, there is also nothing the leviathan cannot destroy.
I considered her words.The leviathan can destroy anything in the world?
Yes, daughter.
My gaze drifted to the burning ship. It disappeared beneath the surface, leaving behind a smouldering chemical slick and scattered debris. The helicopter rose and came towards us. They must have rescued the last of the crew—or had given them up for dead—and were now free to drop explosives on the serpent without worrying about endangering human lives.
We had to get away from here.
In my most private thoughts I’d wondered how it would feel to command the serpent, and whether I would know what to do when she came to me.
Now I understood. She was a part of me. There was no command to give.
Let’s fix this, I thought.
The serpent submerged. A wave crashed over her, and she became no more than a black shape in the water.
Reluctantly, I took a last look at Adaro. I didn’t care to ever see him again—even if he was dead—but I wanted to be sure.
He lay in the hull where I’d shot him, blood pooling under his twisted limbs. It had splattered over the rocks and was still oozing from his ribs. One side of his face was crushed against the ground. His eyes were open but I could see, even from here, that they had grown glassy and vacant.
Only the black crown remained unspoiled. It had not moved, rooted in its nest of black hair.
I left my crossbow on the beach.
I dragged myself to the water, following Eriana. We passed beneath the helicopter on its way to the island. It was looking for her.
Though I knew I was safe, I fought the instinct to flee from the serpent. Every encounter with her since the moment she’d woken had involved her trying to eat me. To swim as equals—as her master, even—was hard to comprehend.
When we drew near enough to the sinking ship that the chemicals burned my nose and skin, I let Eriana continue on. My stomach flipped at the feel of the massive structure sinking to the vast depths.
The wall of smoke blocked our view of the helicopter. I heard it circling back. They knew the serpent was here—but they didn’t know exactly where.
The serpent moved gracefully around the ship, spiralling through the inky water. She opened both mouths and began to swallow the chemicals and flames. The waste disappeared inside her massive body until only the ship itself remained, rapidly disappearing into the void.
The sky was dark with smoke, but the flames had gone. A few pockets of oil remained. Eriana had swallowed most of it, but there was no time to get the rest. We needed to leave before we were seen.
I commanded Eriana to dive to the bottom.
You wish to find humans,she said.
Yes. We have something to discuss.
Eriana fell silent for a moment. She swam at my pace, far below.
Follow me,she said.I will take you to a ship.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - Lysi
