The comment catches me by surprise. ‘You are? Why?’
He tightens his grip on the oar and nods towards something over my shoulder.
‘Because if it is, then maybe you’ll be able to work out how the hell we get past that.’
Chapter 60
My gaze snaps to the front of the boat, and the air rushes from my lungs. Six gargantuan tentacles protrude from the water, twisting and rising as the mammoth body writhes upwards. How big is that thing? A hundred feet? Two hundred? I have a horrible feeling I’m still underestimating its size. As a twenty-foot wave barrels in our direction the creature’s head breaks the surface and a single yellow eye locks on mine. A tremble holds my voice hostage before I finally choke the words out.
‘Is that … is that a kraken?’ I gape. ‘Since when are there krakens in these waters?’
‘You’re the one who said it felt like it was in the wrong place,’ Kyor reminds me.
Shit. He’s right. We have to get past a fucking furious kraken – a creature that’s been dragged out of its homeland and dropped here in the channel. Why in all the Gods’ names would Etta set a trial like this?
‘I can use lightning. If I can get enough power, I can drive it back underwater,’ Kyor says, thinking aloud.
‘For how long?’ I say cynically. ‘It’s hurt. That’s why it’s acting like this. I felt its pain. Striking it with lightning will only exacerbate the situation.’
‘So what would you suggest?’
It’s a genuine question.
I frown as I muse aloud, ‘Okay, if it doesn’t want to be here, why isn’t it leaving?’
‘Something must be holding it in place,’ he theorises.
‘Right. Presumably magic of some kind.’
‘Yes.’ The hitch of excitement in his voice is undeniable, and I feel exactly the same. Not just because we’re closing in on a plan, but because of how easily we are falling into step with each other. It shouldn’t feel this effortless, but it does.
‘Okay.’ I rub my lip as I think. ‘If we can break down whatever magic is holding it in place, then it’ll move on, right? It’ll go and we’ll be able to cross.’
I look around me. How the hell could anything have enough power to hold something that size in place?
‘You need to paddle away,’ I tell him. ‘Stay parallel to the shore and don’t get any closer while we think this through.’
Kyor doesn’t question me, immediately pulling his oar through the water and switching up our direction to make sure we don’t get any closer to the kraken. Meanwhile, I study the shore. Benny and Jonas are in their boat heading towards us, while Zara and Grenda have another. There are a few bodies scattered on the shingle, but I don’t look closely enough to see which of the remaining Rettlings are dead. That won’t help anyone now.
‘How have they trapped you?’ I mutter as my gaze falls on Mila, still standing at the top of the cliff, watching us. She’s barely as high as a matchstick from this distance, but I can tell it’s her. Just like I can tell there are other priestesses spread along the cliff. As I continue to stare at them, my eyes catch on the thin wisps of magic radiating from their hands.
‘It’s them. The priestesses,’ I say. ‘We need to stop the priestesses from using magic on the kraken.’
‘You want us to attack priestesses of Etta during Etta’s trials?’ Kyor’s doubt is clear, but I shake my head.
‘No, I’m not saying we attack them, but we do need to interrupt their concentration and break the channels between them. They’re using their collective powers to hold the kraken in place, so we have to stop the magic in order to set it free. Can you do something? It doesn’t have to be lightning. Snow, wind, rain … whatever you’ve got will work. Just do something.’
He exhales sharply as he looks up at the sky. ‘Okay. Just so you know, Etta, you’re the one who set this trial, so this is on you.’
He releases his oar and dark storm clouds instantly swell above us.
With Kyor’s hands occupied, I’m the one tasked with keeping the boat in place. It’s not an easy task. Too far away from shore and we risk facing the kraken’s raging tentacles; too close and one of the Rettlings without a boat could come after ours.
The thunder rumbles.
Benny rows up beside us, then grabs hold of the side of our boat. ‘Do you want to tell us exactly what’s going on? We’ll stay more stable if we brace like this,’ he explains. ‘So, Rosey, what’s the plan?’
The nickname makes me think of Llinos, and I miss her so fucking much. She could have probably just blown the priestesses over for us. That would have sorted this issue fast. I push the bite of grief aside as best I can. Kyor can command the wind. He can do it.
