Page 58 of Claimed By the Depths

Overlapping scales protected the sides of their neck, only disappearing as they slipped beneath their hairline. Drawn in by their mysticism, I mapped their expansiveness until I landed on their ears. Still pointed, their elongated shape had grown by a couple of inches. And nestled just below the first, original pair was a second.

My utterance came before I could stop it. “You’re… breathtaking.”

Cheeks aflame with embarrassment, I swallowed once before averting my gaze entirely. Guilt surged like a violent wave, threatening to devour me for complimenting another as I had Percy. Quick to follow, the phantom brush of his caress ghosted up my arms and along my jaw. A reminder of his attentiveness and all he’d sacrificed to ensure I remained safe. Alive.

It was my fault that he was dead.

My fault that he had fallen to Caspian’s blade.

My fault…

Fingers curled around my chin, gently drawing me back as a blanket of comfort settled over me. Drawn in by that sudden sense of alleviation, I found that cornflower stare once more.

Parran’s snow-capped lashes fluttered as they studied me. Light freckles backlit by a blush, they offered a soft smile as they nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, Kael.”

My throat bobbed, and I forced the influx of emotion to the confines of my mind. Holding their gaze, I tried my best to replicate their expression. “No need to thank me. I’m simply stating truths.”

Their lilac tongue traced their matching lips, but before they could speak, Alastair intervened with urgency. “As much as I would love for the two of you to continue sharing this special moment, we have far graver things to worry about.”

Using the pirate’s demand to my advantage, I pulled away from Parran. At the suddenness of their absence, I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from immediately turning back. The spike of affliction served as my grounding cord, and without pause, I spun toward Alastair.

“Like what⁠—?”

Before I could prepare myself, something—no, someone crashed into me. An arm circled my waist, and another wrapped around my back as a hand worked to cradle my head. My surroundings flipped before I could decipher who it was, and just as fast, we met the ground.

Every drop of air evaporated from my lungs as a gasped groan fled me. Grateful for the added cushion, but battling to breathe, I fought the urge to curl in on myself while I sought the sustenance of life. Blinking once, I caught the shift of a silhouette in my periphery before the one responsible for my tumble perched themself over me.

“Are you okay?” Syoran asked, brushing my hair back as if in search of injury.

I nodded once. “Y-Yeah… But what… W-What the fuck was that for?”

“Another—”

“Syoran!” a female cried—Sapphira.

Not an ounce of hesitation laced the Bloodmarked captain’s features as he snatched his fallen blade from the cobblestone. As he adjusted, his chest brushed against mine. Bending his knee, he settled his foot by my hip and shifted.

Poised with elegance, Syoran stretched taut like a drawn bow. His sword followed, the sharpened steel tracing an imaginary line along his chest. He rotated his hips, and his body naturally twisted with the momentum. As if practiced, his arm shot skyward, and with the pose, he unfurled entirely, his frame serving as my shield as he struck the approaching creature.

Viscous sludge erupted from the severed limb, coating the two of us in its polluted black. As the monstrosity withdrew, a shriek followed. It was potent enough to seep into the abysmal crevice carved in the earth, and, as if in answer, a tremor rocked the streets.

Wiping the blood of the Other Realm from my eyes, I blinked twice as my attention settled on an outstretched hand. Syoran grabbed hold first, rising to stand before pale fingers closed around mine. With one tug, Ignis pulled me upright, and the grin he offered was one indicative of our states.

“You two certainly will need to visit a bathhouse, or something of the sort. Though I hate to be the bearer of bad news, as we have⁠—”

A familiar crack tore through the air, one I’d heard during our altercation in Serevalen. My head swiveled in its direction, and the sight that welcomed me was one I would remember for the rest of my life.

With a single finger raised, Parran stood before the towering insectoid. Its breadth and height swallowed their frame, but they seemed wholly unbothered by their size difference. It quickly became apparent as to why when the creature split in two, both halves of its exoskeleton separating before toppling to meet its demise.

The thud of its cessation became an afterthought as Alastair’s timbre ripped through the ensuing chaos. “To the docks! Now!”

“What?” Sapphira intervened, trepidation clinging to the single syllable. “What about Caspian?”

“And Rohen?” I added. “I’m not leaving without her.”

Golden irises found me, a harshness etched into Alastair’s expression. “We are running out of time. There is only so much we can sacrifice, and I am unwilling to accept any of your deaths when there is a way to prevent it.”

My reply came without hesitation. “Okay, then set sail without me.”