Page 53 of Claimed By the Depths

Ribs throbbing as I sucked in a breath, I drew my attention from the impending doom to find Kael sprinting toward me.

His honeyed locks were disheveled by the chaos that had unfolded, the chilled air combing through them as he approached. Eyes wide with alarm, he dropped to his knees beside me, settling his hand on my shoulder. “By the gods. Are you okay?”

Admiring the concern in his seafoam-blue irises, I ignored the pulsing throb radiating up my side. “Yeah… I’m alright.”

“We need to get moving. Let me help you up⁠—”

Unable to extend his offer, he was ripped from my side with a harshness that immediately had me forcing myself to a seated position. Palm flattening against the uneven street, I leveled my gaze on what was responsible for his sudden absence.

Hollow eyes greeted me, the faceless creature craning its head to the side as its long, stringy hair slid over its right shoulder. Hunched on all fours, its extended extremities cracked with its prowl, its two-jointed elbows popping with the movement. Easily posted at a towering ten feet, its protruding spine twitched beneath its taut pale skin. With its other bones just as decipherable, its ribs rattled with a gurgled inhale as its decaying hand closed around Kael’s throat.

The former prince thrashed in the creature's hold as it hoisted him into the air. Fingers stretching for the dagger on his waist, Kael tried but failed to secure it, the monstrosity deciphering his shift.

A snarl rumbled from its throat as if in warning before it squeezed even tighter, a rasped cry falling from the man who had been by me just seconds prior. My wrath spiked in response to his anguish, and as if capable of sensing it, the creature’s attention fell on me. Cartilage popping, its body twitched in excitement, seemingly satiated by my ire.

“Hey, ugly!” The shout came without warning, undoubtedly belonging to the captain I’d been arguing with moments ago.

Intelligent enough to understand the implications of his utterance, the corpse-like being comprised of nightmares spun toward Alastair. With its back to me, I acted without question or pause, retrieving my sword from its scabbard.

My actions became timed with the other pirate as he flung a blade with such execution that it became evident how effortlessly he had butchered the men who still lay at our feet. Sharpened steel pierced the humanoid entity, burrowing into the center of its head until only the hilt remained. And as it reared back on its hind legs with a shriek, I charged.

Feet became inches, and with my sword angled perpendicular to my body, I slashed its unforgiving tip through the creature’s Achilles. With its lower leg no longer reliable, its knee folded before crashing into the cobblestone with enough force to crack it. Its hand followed, slapping against the street once more to center its faltering balance. An indescribable growl caused its ribcage to shake as it craned its head down to look at me, and with a smile, I carved through its other ankle.

Unable to prevent its collapse without its other arm, it elected to release Kael, sending him plummeting over twenty feet to the earth below. Watching his fall, my reflexes honed in on getting there in time to prevent his demise, and I dropped my preferred weapon without question. Its sharp chime against the street only registered once, becoming an afterthought as I sprinted to his rescue.

The percussive rhythm of my footsteps gave way to my determination as I closed the gap just in time for Kael’s body to slam into mine. Arms closing around him, the force of the collision sent us tumbling. Using my frame as a shield, I took the brunt of the fall, one hand settling against the back of his head to ensure he remained unharmed.

Adrenaline numbed the areas where skin had been rubbed raw; my focus honed in on the man cradled to my chest. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” Peering up at me, Kael swallowed, a dark ring already forming around his throat from where the creature had grabbed him. “But I… I saw something…”

“What do you mean?” I questioned, peering up at the monstrosity as its focus shifted to Alastair.

His brows furrowed, as if trying to piece together whatever he was referencing. “N-Not here. In… In my mind’s eye.”

Unable to stop myself, I brushed a few strands of hair from his forehead. “What did you see, Kael?”

“A-A… man…” Throat bobbing again, he winced with the motion, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to pull my attention from him to search for Parran. “He… He had rainbow eyes and white… white hair… but felt… familiar?”

As if sensing my concern, the Fae healer jogged over to us, quickly dropping to kneel beside me. Hand settling on my shoulder, a swelling warmth pulsed through my frame before they removed it. Turning to Kael, they repeated the action, relief quick to replenish his features.

“By the grace of the gods, could the two of you, for once, stop trying to get each other killed? While I am quite fond of you, I do rather prefer you intact than nestled in the infirmary cot. It⁠—”

“Parran!” Alastair snapped, the sharpness in his tone indicative of demand. “We need to move, now.”

“Right,” Parran huffed, pushing themselves to stand. They extended their hands to us, and we took them without question.

Turning my arm, I scanned over the area of flesh that should’ve undoubtedly been missing as a result of taking on the majority of the impact to cushion Kael’s fall. Instead, my skin remained untouched, with no signs or hints of its layers being stripped by the harshness of the stoned streets. Not even a scar lingered, which left me questioning just how much of their abilities Parran had used to bring us back to health.

If the nuances of the prophecy bound them, how much was too much when it came to channeling their power? Would they experience side effects like Kael had when he tapped into the reserves he didn’t even know he had? What of⁠—?

“Kao!”

I blinked twice, not having realized we had crossed the distance to meet Alastair, Leilani, Sapphira, and Ignis. Slipping from my thoughts and back into reality, I found the familiar pulse of gold, Alastair’s irises rippling with otherworldly intensity.

“Your reserved nature has shattered. Should I be concerned?”

Annoyance followed his question, my glower narrowing as I made my lack of amusement clear. “Really? That’s your concern?”