Chapter 60
Esmyra
The sea itself seemed to hold its breath as Esmyra’s fingers curled tight around Levaia’s slick, ridged horns.
The salt spray clung to her hair and lashes as her serpent rose higher from the depths.
Beneath her, the massive coils of the dragon rippled through the waves, scales shimmering like molten silver in some places, obsidian-black in others from the light of the Blood Moon.
Its body was an endless span of muscle and power, the very embodiment of the ocean’s beauty and wrath.
She could feel it within her veins, its presence merging with her own magic, connecting them and amplifying it until she felt she might burst apart from the sheer force.
Her eyes swept downward, and the battle across the waves had become pure, utter madness.
Ships were shattered, masts snapped like twigs as flames devoured sails.
The sea itself churned red, a mix of firelight, blood, and the rising moon.
Sirens shrieked as they dove and surfaced, pulling men screaming into the depths.
It was unrelenting carnage, and now Esmyra would put an end to it all.
Levaia’s heartbeat thrummed beneath her like a drum, in sync with her own. The connection was visceral and ancient, as though this creature had always been a part of her. Her magic pulsed, stretching outward, and every drop of water, every wave, every current answered to her will.
She inhaled deeply, the salt air sharp in her lungs, and for the briefest of moments, Esmyra forgot the blood and screams below. She felt only power. Belonging. Purpose.
Her gaze returned to the wreckage, to her crew fighting desperately on the deck of several ships, until it found him. Draevyn stood amidst the fire and smoke, his chest heaving as he stared up at her. His eyes burned with pride, a smile beaming across his face as wings of fire held at his back.
The Phoenix.
Then, with a battle cry that cut through the booming waves, he lifted his sword high as fire raced up the blade like molten fury.
Esmyra grinned back at him and gave a short nod.
Tightening her grip on the horns, her spine straightened. “NOW!” she boomed as lightning shot across the sky.
Levaia responded instantly, and with a guttural bellow that shook the world, her massive body surged forward.
The water rose with it, walls of sea crashing against the decks of enemy ships as they splintered from the impact.
Her jaws snapped shut around an entire mast, wrenching it free with terrifying ease.
The sea obeyed her command, currents swirling to pull the Maerinys soldiers screaming beneath the surface as Draevyn’s flames arced through the sky, igniting the wreckage.
Within seconds, the battle shifted, and for the first time since it began, she felt hope.
Spray stung Esmyra’s face as Levaia dove beneath the surface, the world above vanishing in a rush of violent wind.
Oh, tits.
Her stomach lurched as she held on for dear life, her body whipping with the serpent’s every motion.
Her gills extended as they plunged, and all was shadow and silence surrounded by sinking pieces of debris and bodies.
And then, without warning, the beast exploded from the depths, shattering through the surface.
Enemy ships capsized as Levaia rose beneath them, splintering them like brittle bones. Screams pierced the air, carrying over the roar of water as the Maerinyseans she liberated from the depths tumbled back down into the sea.
Each plunge was more brutal than the last. Down into the dark, her hair streaming back, ears ringing with pressure as her heart hammered impossibly fast. Then, up again, breaking through decks and masts, hurling shattered planks into the air as men were flung through the air.
Levaia’s roar split the skies, the sound vibrating through Esmyra’s bones as her beast became the ocean itself given fangs.
Her knuckles whitened as her gaze swept the battlefield below, noticing the chaos breaking apart into retreat.
Sirens shrieked in panic, their haunting songs dissolving into raw cries as they thrashed and darted southward, desperate to flee.
Maerinys soldiers stumbled over one another to try and reach their few remaining ships on the farthest outskirts of the battle, some diving into the water, others abandoning their spears in their scramble for survival.
A wild, triumphant rush surged through Esmyra. Until her eyes caught on a single figure.
Azarian. The fucker was still alive.
His soaked form climbed up the side of Valor and moved like a shadow through the wreckage. Her eyes followed his gaze, finding it was locked on Draevyn, who was still engaged in the frenzy of battle.
Her stomach dropped, voice ripping from her throat. “Draevyn!”
His head jerked slightly at the sound and he whirled on Azarian, but she wasn’t willing to risk it.
Her rage and terror surged together, and she bellowed her command, “DIVE, LEVAIA!”
The serpent roared in answer, her muscles quivering before she lunged. Water rushed in a tidal wave as the beast crashed forward, jaws gaping wide, every scale gleaming red beneath the cursed sky.
They crashed down into Valor with the force of a falling mountain, her body tearing through the ship. Wood exploded upward, splinters and flames and smoke twisting into the air as the world ruptured around her.
For a heartbeat, time fractured, and everything slowed to a crawl.
Esmyra’s eyes swept across everything in suspended silence—Levaia’s body splitting the ship, embers arcing in the air like stars, water swallowing screams of the near drowned. Her gaze darted, searching, until she found both Draevyn and Azarian.
They were each suspended midair. Draevyn’s hand was extended toward Azarian, flames bursting from his fingertips, but the witch’s spear was aimed right at her lover’s chest, far too close for comfort.
A sharp breath seized her lungs.
Esmyra released her hold on Levaia’s horns.
She heaved herself up and raced forward, sprinting along the curve of its great neck.
The slick scales beneath her feet vibrated with power, but she didn’t falter.
Lightning erupted across the sky, illuminating her in a blaze of silver and scarlet as she leapt from the beast’s back.
The air swallowed her as the sea rushed up from below.
Her arm stretched toward Draevyn, and at her command, the water swelled like a living hand at his back.
It formed a shimmering cushion, halting his fall just as her body collided with his.
She pulled him into her chest, wrapping him tightly in her arms as the storm screamed around them.
And together, they plummeted. She lost sight of Azarian as the sea curled protectively around them, muffling the impact of their landing as it cocooned them in its embrace.
The world dissolved into bubbles and silence as whiskey eyes met hers beneath the waves. A rush of fierce relief flooded her as muscular arms tightened around her waist before they began swimming upward.
They broke the surface in a violent rush, gasping as air filled their lungs. What remained of enemy ships were now far off in the distance, following the sirens south as they fled back toward Maerinys.
There was no sign of Azarian.
And Valor was destroyed.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Esmyra’s stomach sank, her chest clenching tight as her eyes frantically scanned the floating debris, searching, begging for a familiar face.
“Draevyn…” Her voice was raw and trembling as waves rocked them roughly against drifting beams of wood. “Where are they?”
“We’ll find them, don’t worry.” He held her close, jaw tight as his own eyes scoured the carnage.
Then—
“Drae!”
The shout carried over the water, and they both whirled toward the east.
“Draevyn, over here!”
In the distance, through the haze, only a few of Atlas’s ships remained afloat. Figures crowded the rails, appearing as shadows against the flames. Atlas stood at the bow, cupping his hands around his mouth as he bellowed his name.
And then a sharp, piercing screech tore through the sky as an owl swooped down near Esmyra’s head, its talons brushing against the sea before soaring back up and toward the remaining sails.
Jak.
Relief hit her so hard it nearly stole her breath.
Draevyn’s grip on her tightened. “If Atlas so much as looks at you with a hint of unease, I’ll fucking kill him.”
Without another word, he grabbed her hand to guide her, and together they swam toward the ship. Toward the one flicker of hope amid ruin.
The ship loomed over them, its body battered but still intact.
Ropes were thrown down beside them, but Esmyra stopped Draevyn as he reached for it and lifted her hand.
The waves answered her call, swirling beneath them and rising like living pillars as they buoyed them both upward.
The saltwater wrapped around their bodies, carrying them smoothly toward the deck until the tide placed them both onto the planks.
Blankets descended over their shoulders from Atlas’s crew before they could even speak, the wool scratching against their drenched skin.
Someone pressed a second blanket around Esmyra before helping her up to her feet. Her brows furrowed until she realized it was Jak, and she let out a whimper of relief.
Her hand lifted to his cheek. “Thank the gods you’re okay.”
His lips pressed together in a thin line before he gave her a nod, as if he wasn’t telling her something. “The only god I’m thanking is you. You saved what’s left of us.”
What’s left of us.
Draevyn’s shoulders were immediately gripped by men who helped him to his feet. Esmyra’s chest heaved as she glanced around the deck, taking a head count of her crew as Atlas’s men searched the floating bodies in the water.
Jenli sat between Ren and Riven, all sharing one blanket as they huddled below the railing near a few crates. Alec stood beside them, blood dripping from his lip as he stared blankly down at the floor, looking traumatized.