“Fae magic,” he laughed, though secretly he hadn’t been entirely sure it would work—he’d done such things on small trinkets before, things he’d been able to see, but nothing like this. Now, though, it was as if he had an unlimited supply of spears that he could throw at the creatures swarming Rune.
“You hit one,” Rune exclaimed. “Keep hitting them!”
More creatures leapt up to try to bite or strike them, but Koji dodged them expertly, rolling and darting aside to remain untouched. Florian held on tightly with his left hand; with his right, he aimed, threw, and called back the spear over and over until the muscles in his shoulders were screaming with exertion. It had been easy at first, but now the spear became heavier and heavier in his hand, and each throw was a little weaker than the last.
“They just keep coming,” Florian panted, panic starting to overtake him again. “How are there this many?!”
“We can’t kill all of them,”Rune agreed, her voice ragged, even though it was spoken directly into Florian’s mind. “This isn’t going to work. I’ll lead them deeper underwater—I can out-swim most of them, I think—you and Koji just focus on finding the Arrow, then come back for me. Alright?”
“Come back for you?!” Florian cried, hesitating as he pulled back the spear once more. “I don’t—We don’t know how long it will take!”
“Better find it fast then,” Rune replied. “I’m going. Hurry!”
The churning in the water reached a fever pitch, then it started to move away from Florian and Koji. Koji chased it, snarling, but within seconds, it was gone. The ocean had gone completely still.
