Chapter 31
Hylos couldn’t even look me in the eye as we all mounted our horses and left. Now he was a whisper on the sea, glowing ahead of me. A reminder that he was still out there. He always would be. Waiting in the ocean. Readying his attack.
I needed to return home. I needed to warn my father.
War was coming.
Then, a horrendous screech shattered all my thoughts. My steed thrashed madly. Was it more sirens? It didn’t sound like them. The sound screamed through the water like a hawk’s cry.
I looked around for siren lights, but only saw Hylos’s, which waned in the distance and headed toward the surface.
Something was wrong. Without a second thought, I dug my heels into the plated sides of my mount and sped after Hylos.
That strange, vile sound blared again, devastating my senses. I was closer now to whatever was looming above.
My stomach sank when I saw Hylos ensnared just below the water’s surface in a large net.
He was limp and his mount was nowhere to be found as the ropes pulled him toward the surface.
I pushed my mount closer and began tugging at the thick netting, all while striving to maintain my position atop the beast that continued to buck under me.
My fingers seared with pain as I desperately attempted to unravel the knots.
The thick, braided rope was as wide as my wrist. I begged the Guardians to grant me the strength to free Hylos.
But my pleas went unanswered and the net dragged upward toward the surface.
Where were the other Circle leaders? Were they stunned too?
If I could see what had him, maybe I could stop whatever created the terrible sound that was beating down on us.
I raced toward the surface, breaking through the crashing waves.
“Oy, there’s anotha one!” a man’s voice boomed in a thick Oakhaven accent.
No. It couldn’t be.
The ship was large and unmistakably royal. Its sails heaved against the night’s winds, buckled in black and red. The colors of my father’s kingdom. Tensing my core and kicking my steed, I maneuvered back below the water. Back to Hylos.
I had to get him out of here. I needed to save him.
They would hurt him. Or worse.
Hylos’s position was more shallow now, as the ship’s men hauled him in. I grappled with the stubborn netting, trying again, but I was too weak. But Hylos was strong. If he was awake, he could easily break free.
That small song the monoliths showed me warbled through my mind. My song. It was how the sirens communicated. How they carried their voices. I reached for it. Tried wielding it. I tried to sing-speak as he did.
Hylos, you must wake up, you are in danger.
Nothing.
Focus. I had to focus.
I chased the words over the ridges of mountain peaks that framed my world and jutted through my mind. My song, hasty, happy, and beautiful like a woman playing the virginal too well for the comfort of others.
And from my very soul that song swelled.
Hylos, wake up!
His eyes flew open. He heard me. Thank the Holy Mother herself, he heard me! Together, we tugged at the netting, but it was useless.
He met my gaze. “Back up!”
Hylos pushed his finned palms towards the netting that separated us. Quickly I turned my mount to follow Hylos’s demand, but I wasn’t fast enough.
A deep, rumbling note ripped through the water. Hylos’s glow intensified until it blazed like a beacon. Then everything erupted.
The force hurled me far from Hylos. I clung desperately to my mount, barely keeping my seat.
Another hideous shriek tore through the depths. How were they doing it? I scanned the water, searching for Hylos’s light. At last, I spotted him. That faint, familiar blue flickering in an ocean of black.
Gripping the reins, I kicked my mount hard, slicing through the currents with desperate speed. Hylos’s glow dimmed with every heartbeat, and I knew if it vanished, he’d be lost forever.
At last, I reached him and pulled his limp body into my arms. His light was faint, his form motionless. He was completely unconscious.
With another swift kick, my steed surged forward.
Away from the ship. Away from that dreadful noise. And away from my father’s grip.