Her eyes widened at his silence. “Zev?”
He inhaled a deep breath and dove off the boat. The icy water slammed his senses, making him almost release the breath he held. It was so damn cold even his wolf shuddered. Once he stopped flailing, the dark depths cleared. His wolf eyes focused on the cloud of blood among the fluorescent light at the bottom of the fjord. It was coming from the swarm of grindylows. Their fins and the patterns on their backs glowed vivid blue in the dark. Zev swam towards them as fast as he could, his powerful arms and legs giving him speed.
Rawn was there, desperately fighting off the creatures with his knives. Zev tore off the one chewing on Rawn’s arm and stabbed another in the gills with his claws. They were too fast and too many. Their teeth tore into his flesh. Blood clouded the water, shrouding his sight. Zev slashed blindly, his claws tearing into soft tissue as they tore into him.
An abrupt eruption in the water startled the creatures into scattering away. It cleared enough of the blood to reveal Cassiel swimming towards them. Rawn went limp as his eyes rolled closed, having lost all his air. Zev caught him and motioned to Cassiel. The prince grabbed the elf and swam for the surface. Zev watched them go towards the light, relieved they would survive.
But he didn’t follow.
Within the deep dark depths of the fjord the nest. It was filled bones of all creatures and humans alike. Skulls of children laid with them. Entire families devoured. They had killed so many. And among the white bones, thousands of blue scales glowed. The waters became brighter as the grindylows returned.
Zev faced them with resolve.
Perhaps it was the season, the end of his perseverance, or the guilt of leading his friends to their death—but he was tired. There was no way out. For years, he fought the Madness—fought for control, for emotional independence, the need for separation, for silence, and peace. He was so damn tired. He was tired of carrying the weight of his father’s death. Tired of living.
What purpose was there to it?
He had to see his father again, even if it meant following him through the Seven Gates.
The grindylows surrounded him, cutting off all escape. Their sharp teeth flashed in the light of their glowing fins. His throat burned for oxygen. A momentary sense of panic filled him when his lungs constricted in agony, but it soon passed. He chose this. He chose the end of his road.
Coward,the Madness roared.If you will not fight, then give in!
He was done fighting himself and his mad thoughts. If he could, he would have laughed at the irony. He had torn his father apart. It was only fitting that he perished in the same way.
Zev extended his claws and bared his teeth. He wouldn’t go down until he killed as many of those wretched beasts as possible.
Chapter 21
Dynalya
Dyna was out of magic. Nothing but pure adrenaline drove her now. The grindylows had figured out how to climb the island. Their talons dug into the stone as they slithered for them. She slashed and gutted with her knife, as Cassiel had taught her. Behind her, Lucenna threw spell after spell, protecting the rear.
Dyna dodged the rake of claws and her knife went through flesh. Where were they? They had been gone too long.What if—what if—
Cassiel burst out of the water, and she gasped a sob of relief. But it died when she saw he only carried Rawn.
“Where’s Zev?” she asked when he landed
“He’s right behind me,” Cassiel said as he lay Rawn on the island. He was unconscious and covered in so much blood. Red leaked from countless lacerations.
Dyna rushed to him and checked his pulse. “He’s not breathing.”
“He was down there too long.”
“Move,” Lucenna said.
She threw a blast of electricity behind her for good measure, then kneeled by Rawn. Her hand hovered over his chest and she closed her eyes. Lucenna flexed her fingers as if grabbing something, then swept her hand toward his neck. A globe of water left Rawn’s mouth, and he coughed violently. Dyna rolled him over as he spewed, beating his back.
“Thank the God of Urn,” she said. “You’ll be all right now, Lord Norrlen.”
More grindylows clawed over the ledge. Lucenna cast out fire, and Cassiel’s sword blazed as it severed heads.
Dyna stared at the water, her heart clenching. “Zev isn’t coming out.”
Cassiel searched with her, and his expression grew worried. “But he was right behind me. He had time to escape. Why didn’t he come?”
A horrible sinking feeling twisted through her. No. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. But as much as she hated to think of it, deep in her heart, she knew Zev had always been waiting for a way out—and he had found it.
