‘The kraken is being held in place by magic,’ I explain. ‘It’s hurt, and it’s angry, and it’s scared. And any attempt to row across it is going to end with us getting knocked out of our boats. For sure.’
‘So your idea is…?’
‘Kyor is going to distract the priestesses channelling the magic, the ones holding it in place. If he can do that and sever their connections, then the kraken should be able to swim out of the channel pretty fast. We’ll have an easy crossing from there.’
‘Attacking Etta’s priestesses at Etta’s trial?’ The scepticism in Jonas’s voice is scarily reminiscent of Kyor’s.
I choose to ignore it.
‘I have already mentioned that,’ Kyor interjects. ‘If you’ve got a better idea, then by all means, let’s hear it.’
‘Didn’t say I had a good idea.’ A rare smirk tips Jonas’s lips. ‘But I’m glad you’re the one attacking Etta’s representatives rather than me.’
‘It’s the trials,’ Benny cuts across. ‘We’re still together until the Ofur, so we do whatever we need to, to get there, okay? What do you need from us, Kyor?’
Kyor’s eyes widen in surprise. Up until now he’s faced every trial by himself … unless you count Elska and me getting the Solarium root for him, which I’m pretty sure you can’t.
‘Jonas, keep the boats steady,’ he responds. ‘Benny, keep an eye on the kraken. See if you can figure out any patterns in its movements. Maybe the edge of its boundary, too. If this doesn’t work, we’ll need another plan to get past it. Oh, and Lorathin?’
‘Yes.’
‘Don’t get any smart ideas about blinding it. The last thing we need is an even more pissed-off kraken.’
Working together isn’t going to be a hundred percent smooth, but we’re definitely stronger as a team.
‘Okay,’ I say, looking each of them in the eye. ‘Let’s do this. Ready?’
‘Yep.’
Dark clouds continue to swell above us as Kyor calls them in. I’ve seen him draw on his powers before, not just in the small ways that excite my body but also with the larger lightning strikes during Holden’s game in the battle yard, but I’ve never watched him the way I’m watching him now. Now I can see it’s … phenomenal.
The entire sky is blanketed in thick, black clouds of his own creation while the air buzzes with static energy. I can feel it radiating from him. Pure power. And I should be terrified, but I’m not. I’m in awe.
‘Over to you, my love. How hard do you want me to go?’ The innuendo is less than subtle and there’s a twist in his lips as he speaks. It’s a ridiculous time for flirting, but he looks so damn good with all that power at his fingertips that I can’t bring myself to chasten him.
‘You know what you’re doing. How hard do you want to go?’
‘Oh, you have no idea.’
‘For fuck’s sake, you two!’ Benny snaps. ‘Read the room!’
A smirk flickers on Kyor’s lips, but Benny’s right. We need to focus. Even though we’re out of the kraken’s reach, the more time it’s trapped, the more pissed it’s getting. And if this doesn’t work, then we’re going to have to find another way past it.
‘You don’t want to risk hurting them,’ I say, my tone back to business. ‘Just stop them from channelling. Wind?’
He shakes his head. ‘It’s difficult to control at this distance. I might end up blowing them off the cliff face.’
‘What about hail?’
He offers the slightest dip of his chin. ‘Hail could work.’
A low, thunderous roar cracks from the clouds as they split open and pelt the cliffs with shards of hail. The air between us and the priestesses turns opaque as the icy pellets slam down from the sky directly over them, highlighted only by the thin forks of lightning that streak the air. It’s the expanse of what he’s capable of that has my jaw hanging loose. The distance between us and the furthest priestess must be approaching a mile, and yet he’s hitting them all simultaneously with the hail, withenough control for not a single fragment to hit us or the water. That amount of power and skill … it’s unfathomable.
‘Is it working?’ Jonas asks.
I don’t reply. I can’t tell just by looking, so I lean over the edge of the boat and reach for the water.
‘Rose!’ Jonas leaps up from his seat and the movement sends his boat lurching in the waves and knocking into ours.
