20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Viola
I t's a cacophony of shouts and splashes as the ship continues to lurch wildly to one side. I brace myself against the banister, feet planted as firmly as possible to help me remain upright. "What's the fuck is going on?" Morrow shouts, looking around to find one of the crew members. Kira, the first mate, comes sprinting by, red hair a disheveled mess and face stricken with fear.
"There's a creature in the water!" she shouts before rushing off.
All around us, the crew is in shambles, tightening ropes and turning masts to pick up wind in hopes of moving us faster away from the danger of what lurks within the depths of the sea.
I lurch to the side, almost hitting the deck as the wood around us shakes. "It's attacking the ship!" comes a cry from the crow's nest. A spray of water across the deck punctuates the words.
"There's no hope!" comes an answering cry. I exchange looks with Mace and Morrow, all of us frozen with indecision.
Another wave of water splashes across the deck, and I hear Kira shout, "We have to try! Harpoons at the ready!"
With a quick glance at Mace, I read his expression and nod. " I'll get Plume."
Releasing my hold on the railing, I take off down the stairs to the underbelly, throwing open the door of the triangle room. Plume is green, the uncontrollable thrashing of the ship threatening to destroy what little constitution her stomach had left. "Plume, upstairs, now!"
She shakes her head, bending over to groan into a bucket. "I can't. This is torture."
I wrench the bucket from her hands and grab her by the shoulders. "Plume. Some sort of beast is attacking the boat. We need you." Those words at least get through to her, and she pushes up on unsteady feet. I wrap her arm around my shoulder and heave her out of the room.
"I'm not sure how good I'll be. The larger the beast, the harder it's been to control lately," she whimpers.
"You're going to have to try, Plume. Otherwise, we'll all probably die."
Mace meets us at the top of the stairs, shirt untucked and hair drenched as he gestures to the starboard side of the ship. "You've gotta come, quick. It's already started a whirlpool." Confusion must be apparent on my face because Mace just shakes his head. "You'll see, just follow me."
As soon as I turn the corner, I see the ship is in chaos. The crew is throwing spears while Jaz attempts to steer the ship away from whatever lurks within the waters. Plume unsteadily makes her way to the edge of the ship despite the protests of the crew for her to stay back. I follow closely, slipping on the wet deck and having to utilize the railing surrounding it as leverage.
In the water, a whirlpool has formed fifty yards from us. Plume groans. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is."
Morrow, who holds a soaking-wet Tulip against his side, grimaces. "Looks like it."
Before I can ask again what we're looking at, a massive creature rises from the water. Its blue-green body is covered in rough scales that look as sharp as daggers. But my eyes cannot be pulled from its unsettling mouth. The wide, gaping, circular maw has hundreds of sharp teeth all around it, dripping a viscous liquid so foul that it could only be poison. It has eyes all around its mouth and long tentacles that thrash out from it at all angles in wild fury.
It's the thing of nightmares, but even the depths of my subconscious could never dredge up something so unholy. I try to think back to my beast book, but this creature would've made an impression if I had read about it. It's entirely foreign to me, and I feel the anxiety of not knowing how to defeat it clawing at my chest.
Tulip's teeth are chattering, whether chill from the water or fear, no one could be quite sure. "What is that thing?"
Plume gags a little bit on the sick that threatens to exit her body. "Charybdis. If we can't stop it, we're definitely all dead." After a quick bend over the railing, where she retches again, she steadies her feet with a wide stance and grips the banister in front of her. I watch as her eyes roll back and the light buzzing of magic flits off of her as she wills control over the beast with her magic.
I see the moment the magic hits it, wrapping the monstrosity in a cocoon of mottled grey mist, and all of its eyes turn to us. It stops making its whirlpool, but I'm not sure this undivided attention is better.
Charybdis lurks slowly through the water towards us, tentacles reaching out to test the hardiness of the ship. One of them is the size of a small tree trunk, and it wraps around a section of the banister and pulls a chunk of it down into the water, where the splash resonates in my teeth. I vaguely hear Kira yelling at her crew to get away from the sides as the water spray from the splashing tentacles further drenches me.
"Plume! Why are you drawing him here?" I shout over the crew's noise as they continue the fight to get the ship away from the monster.
She huffs at me, "It's not responding to the magic." Plume stumbles and vomits bile on her shoes. "It's like it thinks it's a game," she groans. Despite her sickness, magic continues to pour off of her, and not knowing what to do but hoping to be useful, I gather some up as I've seen the fae do in the past.
I've never combined magic the way the others do. Outside of the ritual, when I swirled it all together before it fell in my blood, I've never touched another's magic. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I am nothing if not desperate right now.
I am wholly unprepared for a magical battle. My first instinct is not to use my magic but my body, and I think it will take me a long time to break that habit.
I don't think my daggers are going to be much help right now.
The Beast magic weighs in my hands, and I tilt my head back to consume it. The earthy taste of it falls down my throat, heavy and hot. It lights up my body, all of my nerve endings firing at once.
I feel invincible.
The magic in my veins sings, welcoming home an old friend. Even Shadow tightens his grip on my arm in approval.
As the magic swirls within me, I try to decide which to blend it with. Shadow does not seem safe – what if I just hide Charybdis from our view? Though it could be fun to try throwing it into the shadow vision and see if it gets to Himureal.
Frost feels like a safe bet. If I could freeze the beast in the water, it may give us enough time to escape.
As soon as I make my decision, I feel my power burst from me, a gray and blue mist coating the ocean before us. Ice forms on the surface of the water as Charybdis looks around in confusion. I don't feel like I have control over the creature, but it seems like the blend of magic has confused it enough to stay still for a moment.
But that moment is over too soon, and it's thrashing again, albeit slower, now that the water around it is partially frozen.
I call forth more Frost and push it into the ocean, but it is not enough. A tentacle rips out and grabs a man from the crew, one with a long white beard and thick shoulders.
The creature tosses him into its mouth, his screams echoing as he falls down its long throat.
The death sobers us all to the very real dangers we're under. Morrow is worried about using Fire and melting the ice my Frost has formed, so he's shielding the boat the best he can. It's not without holes, though, as the man who was just eaten proves, and we're all very aware of how precarious our situation is now.
Though we battled together to avoid Himureal, it was nothing like this. We are not cohesive, a mismatched team that is trying to figure out how to fight together without a clear leader in the mix.
Fuck. That leader is supposed to be me.
Mace's Decay magic does nothing to the creature that is mostly decay itself. Geomancy isn't useful either in the middle of the water.
Jaz's voice shoots through the noise. "What's the point in having all these fae with us if you don't use your fucking magic?"
Their words spur me into action, and I try my best to control the situation. "Think about your magic, people!" I scream as I dodge a wave caused by a tentacle's flailing. "It's not just what it can do but what we can create together!"
The rocking of the boat knocks Tulip, Plume, and I to the deck. As we wrench ourselves back to standing, Tulip groans, "We've got to figure this the fuck out now!"
"Tulip, get to safety! Go below deck!" Morrow shouts.
"Fuck you! "
We all kick up our magical efforts, trying any combination we can think of. I consume some of Mace's Decay, and it tastes sickly sweet, like fruit that has turned, but it feels like warm tea when it joins my magic. Another part of me wakes up, coiling inside me like a cat looking for attention. Shadow crawls up to my neck and wraps himself around it like a collar. I push it out with my Shadow magic, and the combination of both results in a dark swirling cloud that is noxious and withers the creature's outer layer of flesh and scales. I make a mental note of that combination, assuming it will be more useful in a battle against a less formidable foe.
Mace grins wildly at me, full of pride when he sees the effect, but I snap at him, "Eyes on the beast, Nightroot!" and the tender moment is gone.
When Morrow's Shield magic floats through the air around me, I eagerly swallow it. My entire being shakes, the bitter, gritty magic soaking into my very being as I am completely overwhelmed with the onslaught of all these other Seasonale's magics. Summer feels like I've fulfilled every hunger I've ever had, my entire body purring at the sensation.
I haven't purposefully cursed anything before, but now is as good of a time as any, so I wrap that Shield magic with that of Blood, quickly slicing my palm with a blade as an offering and willing a barrier around the monster that will kill it if it breaks through.
Unsurprisingly, that does not work.
At this point, all I've succeeded in doing is pissing the creature off more while poor Plume puts all her efforts into keeping it at least slightly away from the ship while gagging and puking from the nausea that overwhelms her.
Most of the crew has deserted us, assumingly hiding and praying to their Gods that they go easily into the next life. Jaz, however, stands tall, braced against a door frame. They are stoic and resigned to going down with their ship.
Squinting their eyes at me, I wither a bit under their glare. "We're going to talk about all that magic when you get us out of this, Viola."
I should've seen it coming, but shit, that's going to be a tough conversation.
I roll my eyes and wave them away, recognizing the tone used towards me and Max whenever we'd get too rowdy as children. It's always felt like being scolded by a parent.
Since I am abandoning the combining of magic with my own, I heave a forceful and constant intention of Frost, putting all my energy into the impossible task of freezing the ocean. It seems to finally be having an effect as more and more layers of the sea freeze around Charybdis. It's still thrashing and tossing its tentacles around but no longer advancing on us.
I give myself a moment to catch my breath.
That was a mistake.
A crashing sound shakes the ship right near me. My eyes momentarily black out, the scent of blood in the air.
It takes some blinking and shaking my head, the ringing of my ears overwhelming my senses, for me to force myself out of the bloodlust to realize what happened.
Tulip lies crumpled and bloody at the top of the stairs where she landed.
Morrow roars, pushing Fire through to the creature. The only effect it has is melting the ice that was holding it still.
"Morrow, stop it! It's gotta stay frozen!" Plume yells.
"Someone fucking check on her!" I scream, unable to calm the fury that has boiled within me at the sight of my friend broken and bloodied on the deck of the ship.
It's happening again.
I try my best to focus on the task at hand, forcing my fear and anger out in shadows that solidify and wrap around the tentacles, attempting to pin them down.
How can I be a God if I can't even stop a monster?
If I can't keep my companions safe?
I was supposed to keep her safe.
Shadow hisses and crawls down one of the tendrils of shadows towards the creature. "Shadow, what are you doing? Get back here! I can't lose you too!" Of course, the fucking snake ignores me.
I risk a glance over my shoulder and see Jaz kneeling over Tulip. It doesn't look good, but I can't think about that now.
I have to split myself into two, the Viola who can fight and the Viola who loves Tulip, and I have to forget the Viola who loves Tulip.
I have to leave her behind, just for now, so I can do my best to get us out of this.
I have to push away the fear, the gaping, screaming wound inside me, or we're all gone with no hope of saving her.
I'm unsteady on my feet, pushing through the onslaught of emotions that roar inside me at the sight of Tulip's body. My watery eyes look to Mace, and I find his face stricken with fear. "I… I have nothing, Viola. It won't decay."
The compartmentalization of what is going on around me has given me a strange amount of mental clarity. "Lighting magic, Mace! Autumn controls the storms! It's in you somewhere. We've seen it."
He grimaces but turns towards the creature. "Lightning isn't one of my strengths!" he yells over the roar of the creature. "My aim is shit."
"That's not good enough, Mace!" I shout back, my attention on holding the shadows restraining the beast. "You've got to fucking try."
My brain is whirling, trying to figure out a solution. "Morrow!" I call. "Can you put a shield tight around the Charybdis so Mace's lightning hits true?"
He grunts and redirects his efforts to erect the shield I asked for. "Got it, Shadowweaver. Hurry up, Nightroot!" Morrow strains as Charbydis thrashes against my Shadow and his Shield magic. "I'm not sure how long I can hold this!"
Despite my intentions to hold the shadows, I push out my Frost intentions to further trap the Charybdis and am surprised to see I can hold both magics.
I can see Mace's fear that he won't succeed, swirling with worry for Tulip. He looks at me, and that self-assured man I'm used to seeing is pale. "Mace!" His head snaps to me with attention. "I'm right here. I know you've got this."
His jaw ticks, and a muscle in his neck vibrates as he holds his face so rigid it looks like it may shatter. Despite the horrors of this and the fear for Tulip, I love seeing Mace like this. Every inch of fear is gone from his expression, replaced with sheer determination to destroy this beast.
He'll say all day that Autumns are not warriors, but he is every bit one as he flings that golden magic out into the world around him.
A loud crack in the sky heralds a bolt of lightning, hitting the water beside Charybdis and flying up in a hot spray. The creature roars, tentacles fighting against my shadow restraints. "Again, Mace!"
I am the conductor of a brutal symphony.
Mace doesn't speak; he just sneers at the creature. The tick of his upper lip reveals his sharp white teeth, and he looks more animal than man. With a swift downward movement of his arm, he throws another lightning bolt directly into Charybdis's mouth.
An otherworldly screech fills the air as the creature thrashes. Lightning falls swiftly now, multiple smaller bolts attacking from all angles like electrified knives. Mace is enveloped in it, the electricity crackling around him and making his hair stand on end. Scorch marks appear on his sleeves from where the magic has detonated too close to him.
He looks like a God, merciless perfection wrapped in power and rage.
The lightning rips through the creature, and the water morphs into a murky red.
The creature's shrieks are slowly replaced with the sound of our exhaustion.
Mace is panting, his face wild and body slumping against what remains of the banister on this side of the ship.
I pull my shadows back tenderly, and Shadow slithers out of nowhere and takes up residence around my shoulders.
The boat stills right before Plume hurls what's left of the contents of her stomach over the railing.
We're moving in slow motion, the adrenaline of the battle dripping out of us, and finally, our heads are clearing, allowing me to remember that my worst nightmare came true.
I turn and look at Jaz, who cradles Tulip in their arms.
Taking off at a run, with Morrow and Mace not far behind me, I slide on my knees to Jaz's side. "Please tell me she's okay," I cry, reaching for my friend.
Jaz looks up at me, sadness etched in all of their features. They turn their arms to show me Tulip, bloodied and bruised, lying very still.