Thoughuneasemight have been putting it mildly.
“Does that mean –?”
“Whatever you think it means, that’s what it means,” Celeste said. “It means that there’s nothing keeping the kraken at bay now. Except maybe it being a little… groggy after its nap.”
“Well, let’s hope it’s not a morning kraken,” Hardwicke said, though he realized the situation was hardly one to joke about.
We have to get out there and defeat that kraken… or put it back to sleep. But how? I didn’t even know krakensexisteduntil a few minutes ago!
We will find a way,his pegasus said, its usual haughty tone replaced by something firm and reassuring.We will always find a way where our mate’s safety is concerned.
You’re right,he said… and for once, his pegasus didn’t respond with a sniffed,Of course I’m right.It meant business.
Hardwicke didn’t know exactly what he was going to do in order to protect Celeste… but he knew that he would work it out, or die trying.
Chapter 10
Celeste’s feet skidded on the wet stones as she stumbled out of the lighthouse, her heart pounding incessantly against her ribs.
It was suddenly horribly, terrifying clear to her that she had no idea what to do if the kraken actuallywoke up. Her magic was all about maintaining the wards and making sure the kraken stayed fast asleep; it was highly specialized, with one specific goal in mind.
She had no offensive magic to speak of – she had neither been trained in it, nor had she inherited any aptitude for it. Being the chosen one of your generation tended to mean being able to do one thing really well, to the exclusion of most other things. It had been so long since the kraken had been bound that her extended family had apparently assumed its permanent confinement was a fait accompli, so long as the wards were satisfactorily maintained. They’d never made any plans, never sent over any other magic users who were good in a fight.
How did we get so complacent?
She took in a deep breath, feeling the damp, dank air entering her lungs, and realized that everything just felt…wrong.
The wind, so omnipresent here that she usually barely even noticed it anymore, had dropped down to a foreboding stillness. Even more terrifyingly, the sea was almost completely motionless – it lay flat and glimmering like deep green glass, with just the slightest hint of undulation shifting the surface. Massive clouds had piled up in the night sky, glowing with a faint yellow tinge from deep within, and the air was heavy with moisture and the stink of old seaweed.
She was completely, utterly out of her depth.
Where on earth is Uncle Gordon?!she thought desperately.Just when I need him to stick his nose into things, and he’s nowhere to be found!
She couldn’t even call him – there was hardly any cellphone reception here, her landline was back upstairs, and Gordon didn’t have a phone, anyway. She wasn’t even sure he knew what a phonewas.
It’s all down to me.
And Pierce.
That last thought made her feel at least somewhat better, a slight ray of light cutting through the gloom. She glanced over to where he stood tall beside her, a slight tension in his fists and jaw the only sign of the danger they were facing. He was strong, calm, dependable, and his presence calmed the horrible churning in the pit of her stomach.
As long as Pierce is here with me, maybe we can do it.
“What should we do?” she whispered. She didn’t want the kraken to show up – of course she didn’t! – but the waiting was horrible.
Pierce turned his gaze toward her, his eyes shining in the eerie light. “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I didn’t even know krakens existed until just now.”
That’s no help at all!
Still, just knowing he was here was a comfort. If absolutely all else failed, she supposed that he could fly them away from here until backup arrived, and move to protect the townsfolk.
“Just how bigisthis kraken supposed to be, anyway?” he asked, staring back out across the ominous sea.
Celeste swallowed hard. “The stories never specified, but the implication was…big. Enormous, even, you could say.” She forced a laugh. “Though maybe it’s actually just as tiny as, I don’t know, a hermit crab or something, and its legend has just gotten blown out of proportion over the centuries.”
“Maybe so,” Pierce said, his eyes still scanning the ocean. “We probably shouldn’t bank on that, though.”
“No, probably not,” Celeste sighed.
