Chapter 26 #2
Ophelia pressed her hands together making wings, then pointed frantically in the direction she hoped Gideon was in, air bubbling from her lips, her gaze beseeching the woman to help her.
The merwoman cocked her head, then took Ophelia’s hand, dragging her into the deep.
Long minutes passed with nothing but the murky expanse before them and circling sharks above. A group of shapes flitted by, then something long and sinuous. The merwoman gave it a wide berth, swimming faster as it neared, and heading steadily downward.
Ophelia’s lungs burned, her body crying out for air.
Damn it, this was going to hurt, but she inhaled, seawater searing into her lungs and burning her from the inside, her entire body throbbing.
She blinked her stinging eyes, fighting back her tunneling vision.
Around her, it grew darker, and the pressure changed.
Her ears popped. Shapes began to resolve from the murk, then large pillars of stone. The pointed bow of ship. Tall outcroppings of kelp swayed with the tide, and tiny fish and snails hid amongst the green-black and burgundy leaves.
The ocean floor was sandy, scattered with stones and shells. Crustaceans picked at dead things, white flesh feathering from needle-fine bones. The merwoman stopped, her hair clouding around her and her tail drawing up. She pointed ahead.
Gideon.
He’d landed with arm outstretched, and his wings unfurled. One had embedded in the ocean floor, keeping him upright. Long rays of muted light cut down around him from the surface, scintillating with the water’s flow. His frozen expression was that of pure anguish.
Ophelia swam to him and wrapped herself around his torso, sobbing. No. She wouldn’t let it end like this. There had to be some way to make this right!
The merwoman swam around them, circling. Her shadow fell over Ophelia.
Her shadow.
Ophelia turned, gesturing wildly for her to swim around again. The merwoman pulled back for a long moment, then seemed to understand. She hesitantly began another circuit, and Ophelia tensed, her mind going blank. Shit. Where to bring him?
Jena. Jena would know what to do. She could fix this. Ophelia focused on the third floor of the Witchery, praying to God that this would work like it had before. Please, please, please—
The merwoman’s shadow fell over them, and Ophelia willed herself through it with Gideon, everything going black.
Gideon raged inside of his prison of stone.
As soon as the saltwater had hit him, his form had solidified, his eyes clouding over, and his consciousness trapped.
Distantly, he felt his bond to the dragon tatter and fray.
Thank the Gods the beast still slept. If it hadn’t, it would have already snapped its leash and gone on a rampage.
The town. The node. Ophelia. He’d failed them all.
It didn’t register when he settled into the seabed, already numb to everything around him.
The insidious saltwater slowly saturated his stone form, pushing him deeper within.
Soon, he’d cease to exist. What that looked like, he hadn’t a clue.
No grotesque had ever come back from the ocean’s grasp.
Would his soul find its way back to the node or drift eternally in this dark grave?
Time passed. Hours. Days. A millennia. He had no gauge, only the deepening sense of aloneness. Of the inevitability of his demise.
And the lingering bitterness of regret.
It made the abrupt halt of this consciousness shrinking that much worse. He raged anew. Was this it then? To be held in limbo, neither alive nor dead for the rest of his days—
No. Something…something was happening.
A spark and then a prickle, subtly growing stronger.
The node’s consciousness tickled his, laughing and flitting about.
He growled at it, and it retreated, then returned, its power sweeping through him, pushing the ocean from his being.
His consciousness expanded, filling his chest and spreading through his limbs.
His fingers twitched, lungs expanding as he drew a rattling breath.
His eyes fluttered and opened.
The coven stood around him chanting, and behind them—
Ophelia.
He tried to rise and fell back, his head pounding. His skin softened, wings and horns reabsorbing into his body, a thick crust of salt over his skin. Gideon spat it from his mouth as the coven ended their spell, and Ophelia rushed forward, throwing herself on him and beating his chest.
Her eyes were red and cheeks tear-streaked. “I told you to stay away from the ocean, you asshole!”
“You did. I should have listened,” he grunted, woozy. He blinked, the room lit by the rising sun. “How long?”
“Almost two weeks.” Ophelia burst into tears and collapsed against him.
“Mmm hmm,” Sweets hummed. “You’re lucky she dove in after your dumb ass and that cantrip of mine finally dried you out.
We’ve been at it morning, noon, and night trying different ways to augment that spell.
Saltwater and a damned gargoyle.” She snorted.
“You’re lucky she could hear your heartbeat, otherwise you would’ve been left for dead after day one. ”
Gideon grunted, gratitude stinging his eyes and his heart fuller than it had any right to be. “Indeed,” he managed, his thoughts still fractured and muzzy, but one thing was crystal clear.
The witch had no idea how right she was.
Immersion in saltwater had always meant certain death for a grotesque.
On the rare occasion one of his kind had been retrieved from the sea, reviving them had been impossible.
He stroked Ophelia’s hair, wondering if any of those remained trapped as he had been.
He’d have to speak with the witch later.
That spell would need to be relayed to Renard and the rest of his brethren.
“What about the vampires?” Gideon asked, his lids heavy. “Your father, the node?” Gods, he still felt adrift.
The coven exchanged glances.
“No one’s seen my dad since he left Ophelia on the ship.” Jena frowned. “From what I can piece together, he somehow convinced the node that it would save Havers if it let him take Ophelia. I mean, I guess he wasn’t wrong, but…God, I hate him. I have no idea why he does any of what he does.”
“I may be able to offer some enlightenment, but it’s a discussion for later,” Gideon said. “And the Vampire Court?”
Chase cleared his throat. “It doesn’t exist anymore.
After Ophelia managed to bring you here, Thaddeus claimed his place as the vampire king.
He took what’s left of the Crimson Guard back to the Citadel.
He’s promised that they won’t be back, and I’m pretty sure the feds’ investigation will guarantee it.
Things are not looking good for the vampires or Fayet. ”
“No, but even if it didn’t, what happened on the vampire’s flagship would,” Jena said, glancing at Ophelia. “Enough of them saw the aftermath to steer clear. All I gotta say is don’t piss her off.”
Gideon’s brow quirked at Ophelia, and she shrugged.
“Female rage is a thing. We can talk about it later. Let’s get you cleaned up. Right now, all you really need to know is that Havers and the node are safe.”
“They were never my concern,” he murmured, struggling to sit up.
A smile teased her lips. “Maybe not, but since I’m now Havers’s resident dhampir, I’m pretty sure that it’s one of mine.”