And I don’t know whether he’s talking to me or to Maeve and her plan to kill the Devil of the Wastes.
“Can we kill him now?” asks Jude’s brother, eyes riveted on his struggling sibling. “I’ve been dreaming about it since we were children.” He’s the one pulling on the rope. “He’s always been a snotty brat.”
I can’t look away from Jude’s angry face, even as it turns purple. I want to pull the rope away and burn his captors to a crisp.
Maeve looks at her commander and nods. “Yes. Let’s do a demonstration of what awaits you if you refuse to join my side,” she says to me. “A little demonstration of all the power that I wield.” She gestures to the bells.
A woman steps forward and rings them. Maeve was right; they’re loud. Unease slithers into my body as their song echoes over the river and into the canyon. Our captors turn their attention to the lake, and the feeling of unease turns into outright dread.
There’s no way—
Great spikes emerge from the lake and carve the water as the giant creature swims toward us. At this hour, the water is too dark to distinguish what lurks underneath, but a long tail breaks the surface. My brain struggles to remember all the old gods that dwell in North America. Helios used to be fascinated by them. I was happy to just let them be a part of the background of our lives.
“You know what’s funny?” says Maeve. “Thanks to climate change, the wastelands are growing larger every day. The desert is gaining ground in the Broken States. So, one would think that the river would soon run dry. But it’s actually the opposite.” She points toward the side of the canyon. “Since mankind stopped draining the river, the water level has actually risen. Especially with the recent rain up north. It now flows over the spillways they invented to prevent dangerous floods. And, thanks to the dam holding, Lake Mead is greater than ever. This place was perfect for Altamaha-ha to make his home. Of course, I had to lead him over two states, but we don’t regret the journey. The destination was worth it.” She smiles widely.
The old god—Altamaha-ha—reaches the dam, and his reptilian head surfaces. He looks like one of those underwater dinosaurs in old books, but scarier. He’s the kind of old god that makes you stop swimming in lakes forever.
“You tamed him?” I can’t help but ask.
Maeve laughs. “Tamed? Oh, no. He’s a wild creature, just like me. But I’ve found that he’s also lazy, and he enjoys when food is brought to him.” She nods, and the men holding Jude drag him to the catwalk. “I feed him three to ten people a day, depending on the harvest. It keeps him satisfied. Your friend will be his first meal of the day. It’s also a great way to get rid of unwanted visitors.” She winks at me. “Of course, you’re always welcome, brother mine.”
Her efforts at seducing me into submission are lost on me. I can’t take my eyes off Jude as they drag him to his death. If I act now, I could kill the men holding him, but then the others would put a bullet through both our brains.
His brother holds him over the void by the collar. “Think of me as you die, little brother,” he says before pushing Jude over.
Jude’s eyes find me one last time before he disappears below the catwalk and out of sight. I could read anger and fear in them. But also, regret.
Maeve and her men let me run to the edge. I scan the dark water below. The only trace of him are the ripples where he fell in the lake. The old god rears back with his powerful fins, looking for his breakfast.
“Ah,” says Maeve. “Altamaha-ha missed him on the way down. That’s rare. He likes to catch them.”
But I can’t register her words as I watch the water. This is my worst nightmare: a plunge into deep waters. A childhood trauma that has been built over for years. For a heartbeat, I can almost see the jellyfish floating just under the surface—colorful and deadly.
And yet, I throw myself headfirst into the emptiness beyond the catwalk, taking Jude’s brother along with me. The others shout behind us, but it’s too late. We’re already falling.
I must be going insane, I think as I dive for the water below and to the old god who awaits his next meal. I must be insane to plunge to my death for a man who hates me.
Maeve’s commander screams all the way down.
The water is a cold and brutal embrace as I dive. My gills immediately start working, and I open my eyes. The lake is dark, but I can see a massive body in front of me. Altamaha-ha. His two large fins thread water. But I can’t get distracted by our impending doom.
Jude is still alive, swimming underwater a few meters away from me. His brother is above us. He must have landed badly from the height. He might even be unconscious.
I kick my shoes off and dive. Even without training, I’m a powerful swimmer. It’s in my DNA.
I reach Jude just as Altamaha-ha’s head reaches us, mouth full of teeth. I pull him under to avoid our instantaneous deaths. Jude’s brother isn’t as lucky. A cloud of blood spreads in the water as the old god devours him. He might have been a royal douchebag in life, but in death, he finds his use as a distraction.
I pull Jude under. He tries to resist and swim to the surface, but I’m stronger. I drag him around the west tower. He’s struggling against my grip, thinking that I must be trying to drown him. Once we are safe, behind the concrete wall, I grab his face and put my mouth over his. He struggles for a moment longer before understanding that I’m breathing air into his lungs. One, two, three breaths. The bubbles escape his nose and float to the surface of the lake.
Above us, his brother is being shredded apart by Altamaha-ha. Jude will be mad that, once again, he wasn’t the one to kill his asshole sibling. But I think even he never imagined such a nice way to end him.
But to be mad about it, we have to survive first.
Once I’m sure that he has enough oxygen, I let go and pull him toward the west side of the river. There are no shores in the canyon, and the spillways are our only chance to make it. I look behind us and realize with horror that Altamaha-ha has turned his attention to us. We’re to be the main course of his breakfast.
I could use my electricity in a face-off with the old god. After all, that’s what I was created for. But Jude is in the water too, and he would be dead instantly.
I kick my legs faster and free my arms. Jude keeps a hold of my Hawaiian shirt. The current is helping us. I reach for the surface. The water is overflowing into the spillway. I don’t know what awaits us, but we’ll take our chances. The unknown sounds better than being eaten alive by an old god.
