Chapter 33
DRAYA
Ididn’t sleep a wink for the rest of the night.
I held Hazel in my arms, stroking my fingers through her hair and kissing her forehead every time I felt her starting to tremble.
When her breathing became erratic, I’d whisper that I was real, and so was she.
It was no longer a dream, she was unequivocally here in the flesh, and no one at the asylum could hurt her again.
In truth, she’d terrified me during her nightmare. Woken by strangled cries and half-shifted hands clawing at my skin, I knew immediately that something was wrong.
I threw off the quilt and leapt out of bed, unsure if I should send for Cordelia or try to help her myself, but as she kept shifting, I made the decision to move her to the pool. Thank goodness I did, because the water seemed to be what pulled her from that wretched dream.
My heart broke when she finally came to, and I could see the hopelessness in her frightened eyes.
She believed she was a woman gone mad, and I couldn’t blame her.
In her short time on this earth, she’d endured far more hardships than anyone should have to, and it only made sense that she would start to wonder about the truth of her reality.
In the end, none of it mattered to me. At some point in the midst of the time we’d spent together, I’d decided she was mine, and when I claimed her, I took on every part of her.
She needed someone to nurture and care for her, to support her in the ways she had been neglected her entire life.
And I wanted nothing more than to provide that.
I wanted to be her stronghold, to show her she could wake that monster inside and fight for herself whenever she felt it was warranted.
When it was time to leave the following day, I strapped her into her Talassi harness, fastening the leather to mine.
“Am I to swim with you?” She asked, and I noticed a small grin.
“Only with me from now on.”
She thought about the statement for a moment, then made a satisfied hum, and I thought I noticed a glimmer of light returning to her eyes.
Over the last few weeks, I’d become a changed man.
That instinct inside of me that yearned to antagonize Hazel and play with her like a pet had grown tenfold.
I wanted to be consumed by her. The thought of being separated for any amount of time caused me physical pain, and the idea of Maki putting his hands on her made me want to rip him apart from head to tail.
Hazel Emerson was mine. And I hoped she thought of me as hers, but we’d have to figure that out after we completed our mission. For now, I would settle for being her only method of transport.
“Are you well?” I asked, smoothing her pale hair away from her face and pressing my lips to hers. “It’s not too late to change your mind. You can stay here if you’d like.”
“I’m fine,” she said, leaning into me and nipping at my bottom lip. “I just don’t want to hinder you.”
“You won’t.”
And with that, we were off.
The journey to Akala was quick, about half the time it took for us to reach Emerson’s ship. We’d once again enlisted the help of The Nayte Brigand, who were intended to meet us at the island and stave off any potential threats as we investigated.
Hazel was quiet throughout the journey, and I couldn’t help but wish she’d relented and stayed at the Capital.
The Queen wouldn’t have been happy about it, but I wouldn’t have cared.
We didn’t know what we were about to find on this wretched island, and I could only imagine the turmoil going through her mind as we approached.
We arrived at low tide, moonlight glinting off the surface of the water, shadows dancing over the peaks of the rocks.
The spires of the asylum stood tall against the black cliffs, imposing in nature and indicative of their prison-like role.
I hoped that one day it would crumble to ashes, setting free all the souls trapped inside who’d never had a chance.
Hazel pointed out the cave as soon as we were in range, open and beckoning to us thanks to the tide.
Upon further examination, using this point of entry was a long shot.
We had no idea if it was simply a small cave that held nothing but tide pools and crustaceans, or a passage that would lead us to the inner depths of the island.
Something about it called to me, though, in the same way Hazel explained it called to her. The ocean has a way of speaking to her people, of beckoning to us, and I’d learned over the course of my many years that it was not a summons meant to be ignored.
We congregated in the mouth of the cave, shifting into our human forms as we climbed over the wet, jagged rocks. Everything on this island seemed to exist in a state of decay. Even the walls of the cave seemed brittle, as if they’d crumble if I slammed my fist against them.
Thankfully, the cave was not a dead end.
The mouth opened into a long tunnel, just wide enough for us to move deeper in a single-file line.
Commander Adri went first, followed closely by Maki, then by Hazel and me.
We illuminated the way with torches made from the glowing blue rock found in our volcano, but it was still fairly difficult to see, even for a Talassi.
After she tripped three times, I urged Hazel to climb on my back and let me carry her the rest of the way.
“This is embarrassing,” she whispered in my ear, the thumping of her heartbeat hammering against my back.
“You can’t see, my love,” I shook my head. “It will be more embarrassing when you return beaten and bruised with nothing to blame but your own stubbornness.”
She had no response for that, and we pressed forward in silence.
Eventually, we reached the end of the tunnel, greeted by a padlocked iron gate deep inside the island. What lay beyond the gate was difficult to make out, as the tunnel was filled with rocks and seaweed.
Hazel’s breath hitched as Commander Adri crushed the lock in a fist before wrenching the gate open with his bare hands, the squeal of metal grinding against rock echoing down the abandoned tunnel.
“Your kind would do well to be more afraid of us, I fear,” Adri said with a huffed laugh.
“I forget how strong you truly are,” she responded.
We pressed forward through vines and kelp, eventually finding our way to a large domed cavern. Light flitted through the open space, reflecting off the damp rocks and rotting seaweed, revealing what appeared to be a dock.
Fascinating, I thought, approaching the wooden structure. A curtain of seaweed, kelp, and vines was strung between two large stalagmites at the end. As I neared, I realized it was where the small amount of light was emanating from.
“We’re in the hidden port,” Maki said, confirming what I thought as well.
“This is absurd,” Hazel said, sliding down my back onto the wooden planks beneath my feet. “Do you think this is abandoned? Something no longer used?”
“No,” Commander Adri replied. “There are fresh footprints and new rope here.” He stood at the end, just beneath the curtain of foliage, peeking through.
“It appears the entrance is hidden from view if you’re out on the water.
This cavern is on the opposite side of the island as the asylum.
You wouldn’t have been aware of what’s happening here, as it was behind the cliff. ”
“I don’t like this,” I said.
Hazel stiffened beside me as a low, ominous pitch reverberated through the air, the sound of Adri’s voice haunting the caverns as he called out.
“It’s Commander Adri,” I assured her, whispering. “He’s calling for Captain Jogia, letting him know we’re here.”
“Will I ever fully understand Talassi magic?” She asked, in awe.
“No,” I said, not seeing any reason to lie to her.
Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of shuffling bodies at the far end of the cave, and within moments, seven humans dressed in grey jumpsuits piled out of a hidden doorway.
Gunshots rang out, and my heart skipped in my chest as I shoved Hazel behind me.
Cursing myself for bringing her on this excursion, I released my claws and teeth before pressing forward with Maki and Commander Adri.
There were only three firearms between the seven guards, and they made the mistake of attacking us in a cave full of water.
Commander Adri flicked his hand to summon a powerful wave, and it towered over us before he shot it directly into the cluster of humans, rendering them motionless.
Maki and I stepped up to each one, promptly slitting their throats before disarming them. We took their weapons and strapped them to our own chests, then dumped the bodies into the water beside us.
“Oh my,” Hazel breathed, wide-eyed and mouth agape.
“As I said earlier, your kind would do well to be more afraid of us,” Commander Adri muttered, and she nodded, her jaw still wide.
We headed through the doorway from which the guards had emerged, Maki and I leading the way with our guns drawn. Talassi had never figured out how to make firearms work underwater – we never really needed to – but we did know how to use them.
The hallway smelled of rotting flesh and decaying sea creatures, and a sense of dread crept over me with each step.
Something vile was happening on this island, and although every instinct was telling me to run, I pushed my trepidation aside, pleading with the spirits of the ocean to grant us safe passage.
Maki halted abruptly as we reached the end, and as my eyes adjusted to the sudden onslaught of bright lights, I knew my prayers had been for naught. Even the spirits couldn’t help us now.