“Naria!” Arenn warned. “Get away from there!”
My chest heaved. The parent was charging towards me now, but the spear tip was so close to coming out, if I could just…
Without thinking, I dove towards the child’s injured arm, but the baby jerked back. My palm smacked against the empty sand.
“No, please, let me help you!” I pleaded, just as a huge tentacle swung down upon me.
CHAPTER 30
Raising my arms over my face, I screamed. This was it. This was how I died. My eyes screwed shut as the nightmarish blood orange suckers swung towards me. I hoped Adriana would be able to save the baby, at least. Maybe then the beast would let my friends out alive and with enough of the cure to save Prince Raphael.
Everything would be alright.
But my heart still ached. I’d never get to see Lukas again. That certainly wouldn’t be alright. At least I’d never have to face him about sneaking off to the merfolk. I could almost hear his loud, chiding voice in my head:
‘Naria, where in the underrealm have you been?’and‘Get up, damn you, right now and run! I don’t know what this is, but I can’t hold it for much longer.’
My brows drew together.What? Why would he say that? Then I sucked in a gasp. A very real gasp. I was still thinking, feeling. Alive. I was still alive!
‘Yes, you are, now damn it, get up and get out of here. Now!’
“What in the—” My eyes shot open before squinting at the golden light that surrounded me. A wall of bubbles domed over my body. It shimmered with gold from the light that poured out from the skin of the very last person I expected to see here.
“Please tell me this is a dream,” Lukas’s voice shook. His arm held mine up against the protective wall of bubbles while, outside, the beast continued its relentless attack. As Lukas held me, the shield seemed to radiate from the fizzling blue crystals on my wrist. Everytime I moved my arm, the shield moved with it.
“It’s not a dream,” I muttered.
When another tentacle slammed against the bubbles, Lukas winced as his glowing body buckled. “I wasn’t lying when I said I couldn’t hold whatever this is for much longer. You need to save yourself, forest princess. Get out of there!”
“But I have to save the baby first,” I blurted.
“Baby?”
Whipping my head around, a relieved sigh crossed my lips when I spotted the smaller beast within the domed shield. “There you are.” I smiled, edging towards him. My arm stayed up with Lukas’s, carrying the shield along with us.
“What are you doing? And, damn it, where are you?”he hissed. “I can’t see anything except for you and…” His tone turned deadly. “Are you underwater?”
“Not important right now.” Ignoring his protests, I parted the quivering child’s tentacles until I found the spear tip again. “Be strong now, little one,” I whispered. “Please, be strong.” With a wince, I tugged on the embedded tip.
The child writhed, screeching, but finally, after a little wriggling, the tip popped out like a stubborn thorn. Immediately, dozens of tiny glowing creatures flocked to his wound. After a few seconds, the green cloud cleared to reveal perfect, uncut skin.
“We did it!” I squealed. The child shrieked with me, for once more out of joy than fear.
“What did we do?” Lukas asked, but I was too busy letting the child’s tentacles explore my hair to answer him.
Another crash against the bubble wall caught my attention though.
“Naria…” Lukas urged.
“It’s alright,” I said, letting a stray tentacle curl around my wrist. Turning to the baby, my voice turned desperate. “I don’t know if you can understand me. But someone out there is really worried about you, and you need to show them that you’re okay and that we’re not here to hurt either of you. We just want to help our friend.” I held his tentacle as his beady eyes met mine. “A child, just like you.”
The small orange beast blinked slowly, as if actually considering me. Then, without a word, he pushed away from my side and pawed at the bubble wall.
My shoulders sagged, but still, I turned back to Lukas. “You’re going to have to break this shield.”
“Are you safe?” He grasped my arm.
I glanced at the roaring creature still thrashing her tentacles against the side of the dome. “I will be. Hopefully.”
