41. Allarick
Chapter 41
Allarick
W e encountered no trouble on our journey to the Leviathan’s prison. In fact, we hardly encountered anything. Only a few sea creatures crossed our path, but I felt the eyes of many upon us. The creatures were hiding. It’s like the entire ocean is locked down and hiding in the sand and shadows.
The mood between us is somber. We stop once to rest, but rest doesn’t come easy out here. All of my men have loved ones at home. It’s not lost on any of us that we may never see them again. Thoughts of Erin fill my mind on our journey. Her beautiful music. The way her nose scrunches up when she laughs. Her body draped over mine when we wake up in the morning.
The thought of her occupies most of my time. I only come back to reality when Nori comes to a dead stop. He reaches up to his ear, taking out the noise canceler. After a moment, he gestures to me to do the same.
“We’re here,” he says as soon as I can hear again .
“Here?” I ask, assessing what lies in front of us.
This isn’t a part of the ocean I’ve seen before, and I take pride in having explored many parts of our home. This place is in ruins compared to Tetria. Gray, lackluster sand coats the bottom of the seafloor. No corals and only the occasional seaweed grow here. Other than that, nothing living resides here. Sitting like an ominous beacon in front of us is a large cave made of limestone and sandstone. Sculpted at the opening of the cave are three archways with translucent gates barring the entrance.
Magic. Ancient magic.
In the hands of evil.
“My king, do you see that?” the guard next to me asks. He points at something close to the cavern gates, and my gaze follows.
At first glance, it looks like a random pile of rubble and rocks. But a low moaning sounds from that direction. I swim forward, trying to get a better look. That’s when I see the “rubble” isn’t rubble at all. It’s skeletal remains, withered away until only a shell of their former self remains.
We’ve found where the lost family members have gone. Their souls were snatched by monsters of the deep. A moment of silence settles over us as the others piece together what happened. My stomach drops, knowing I wasn’t able to protect my subjects. The time to mourn will have to wait until later though; we have a job to do.
Trying to ignore the withered remains, I look back at the gate to see it slightly open by a few inches—enough to unlock the power of their voices. It will only be a matter of time before they steal enough souls and power to break down the prison door for good.
“Atina says you need to close the gate,” Nori says.
It shouldn’t be too hard.
“But the Leviathan will sense you and do everything they can to stop you.”
Never mind.
“What attacks should I expect?” I wish I had the forethought to ask Atina all of this the last time I saw her. Not that she was in any condition to tell me, though. She was on the verge of a drunken spell after losing three crew members.
Nori opens his mouth to answer, but a high-pitched hum erupts all around us. One voice turns into ten, turns into one hundred. My body tries to betray me, moving me closer to the sound. It’s like a pull I can’t resist. Before it wraps the noose tighter around me, I push the noise cancelers deep into my ears and shout out to everyone to do the same.
They know we’re here.
It’s too late for one of my men though. A guard glides forward effortlessly. Someone shouts as another guard grabs for him, but it’s too late. The transfixed guard breaks free of the man’s grasp and swims to the gates.
I don’t realize I’m moving closer until Nori clamps his hand around my shoulder and doesn’t let go. I’m helpless as black, shadowy hands, almost clawlike, reach for the man. He doesn’t even try to fight them off; instead, he stands there and lets himself be wrapped in shadows.
When the shadows finally disperse, only the withered, skeletal shell of the man remains.
Gone. In a blink of an eye.
My resolve hardens. The gate needs to be closed once and for all.
“Noise cancelers! Now!” I shout.
Knowing the rest of the guards will follow, I take the lead and close the gap. The singing gets louder, stronger even, the closer we get. It’s getting painful to ignore. The Leviathan know we are here, and they aren’t holding back. More claw-shaped shadows slip through the small crack in the gate, attempting to reach out and grab us. I reach for the sword at my hip and bring it down upon as many claws as I can. There’s something akin to a hiss before the shadows slither back inside the prison.
But two more claws escape and lunge for us.
Next to me, Nori takes up his sword and cuts down more of the claws. No matter how many get cut down, more take their place.
The gate needs to be shut, and it needs to be shut now.
I sheath my sword and throw my weight at the shimmering gate. I half expect to go through it like a veil to the other side, but it turns solid when my tentacles wrap around the bars. I pull, testing the strength of the gate. It doesn’t budge, not even a little.
I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.
I pull harder, all the while trying to dodge the claws coming for me. The guards hit many away, but it’s still too much. The song is too loud. My head hurts, and it makes thinking, let alone doing anything, extremely difficult.
More of my strength depletes at a rapid rate, drained by the Leviathan inside. They are strong. Stronger than I anticipated. The guards' movements around me start to slow until I no longer see the gleam of the blade swinging down. I risk turning my head, only to see glazed-over looks in the eyes of the men I brought. Some look like they are actually trying to fight the hold, but it’s an uphill battle.
I scream, knowing they can’t hear me, but hoping by some miracle they do. Next to me, Nori drops his sword and moves closer to the shadowy claws. “Nori! Fight it! Don’t let them control you!” I scream. I scream until my throat goes raw.
Scream until my voice is scratchy and I can’t scream anymore.
It’s never been clearer that I’m alone in this.
We never stood a chance. In a matter of minutes, the Leviathan entranced and incapacitated every person I brought. If they die, their deaths will be on my hands. As well as every death that comes after.
If I’m to die, it won’t be by sitting and doing nothing. It will be by defending my kingdom. There’s honor in dying for those you rule over, knowing I did everything in my power to defend Tetria.
So, with what might be my last minutes with the living, I pull on the gates harder, fighting against creatures more powerful than me.