essences that she had stolen. The lost dagger was once again at her side, and I despairingly realized that my dagger, the only thing that can kill an immortal, was being safely stored within my valise in the cottage. So I had that going for me.
“You’re dishonoring your pledge to only challenge an equal?” I threw back at her with a resounding tone as dignified and noble as I could muster.
“You and I will never be equals,” she spit at me. “You will remain a lesser being no matter how much essence you acquire.”
“Though it would be my own, not ripped from the bodies of innocents,” I countered. “Your power is dependent upon your ability to maintain the conflicting energies within you. That will prove to be your distraction. As well as your downfall.” I channeled my mother’s strength and prestige in order to at least sound like I knew what I was talking about. Even though I didn’t. I figured I should go ahead and continue while I was pressing my luck. “The evil acts you’ve engaged in make you weak by association. Deception will never prevail.”
“It already has,” she snickered. “As seen by your paramour, who is currently incapacitated.”
She approached me; her green off-kilter dress dragging behind her in the sand. Her eyes had been reduced to slits as she sized me up and began to circle me. I had to think of a plan, and I had to think fast.
The knowledge that I had three essences to pull from helped, but I hadn’t learned how to consolidate them. Regardless, I decided a good offense would be the best defense.
I shot a massive gust of wind toward Keto, which she was able to catch and throw right back at me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I scrambled up from the indention in the sand that the force of my body had made, and faced Keto once more. I centered myself automatically, sent my energy to the sand and whipped up the biggest sand tornado I could muster. It engulfed Keto, who dispelled it in a matter of seconds; however, those several seconds had given me the time I needed to produce Phoebe’s sand blasters. As I walked forward, I commanded them at Keto; sending one after another at her body. She was able to deflect several, sending them careening across the surface of the ocean and down the beach. One finally made contact, tearing and grinding into her skin. Blood dripped down her neck as she noticed the torn skin on her arm and smiled wickedly. Something gnawed at me, telling me that she was using maybe 10% of her power right now, and that the other 90% would show itself when she got tired of playing with me.
I stopped moving towards her as she began to glow a demonic hue of neon green. It swirled around her until it resembled a long green rope. She flicked her hand toward me and the rope of green energy snapped at me; hitting the back of my leg as I twisted around in an attempt to avert it. I fell to the ground in agony, as a red hot fire erupted along my calf and it was sliced wide open.
I ignored the scorching pain that roared up from my leg and the cheers from our onlookers, to face Keto just in time for her to retract the rope and whip it towards me again. I instinctively blew my own energy outward, knocking it away. She retracted it and threw it at me once more. This time it licked my arm before I could block it, spilling even more blood and sending waves of fire up my shoulder. The pain that racked through my body only succeeded in pissing me off more. I realized that not having access to the ocean and the creatures within put me at a huge disadvantage. Which I’m sure is why she had decided to do this on a beach.
As she walked toward me slowly with a smirk on her face, I stood with renewed vengeance and sent a wall of sand in her direction. Unfortunately, it only helped in slowing her down. She held out her hands and two streams of green wrapped around me before I even knew what was happening. I was lifted off of my feet and rendered immobile by the energy as it entangled my body.
I was lifted at least ten feet in the air, when the green energy disappeared and I was sent hurdling back down to the earth. I hit with a dull thump in the sand, which supported my fall but not enough to ease the pain of the force that ricocheted up my spine.
“Stop toying with her!” Selene shouted at Keto with annoyance. “We don’t have time for this.”
Instead of answering, Keto nodded toward Selene and then toward the Sirens. My defenses hastily shot up as all ten Sirens started to sing. I felt the pressure of the ten songs as they pushed against my mind and demanded entrance. It was excruciating and almost unbearable, and it took every ounce of energy I possessed to keep them at bay. I felt my body crumble to the ground as my vision blurred from the pressure.
I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and shifted my attention to Selene and the army of Auras standing behind her, who currently had their eyes closed. I heard Selene say something, prompting their eyes to open. Out of each pair of eyes came a blinding light like no other I’d ever seen. White hot pain locked onto my own eyes, and the world exploded into a continuous stream of white. My eyes felt like they were burning from the inside out, and I squeezed them shut in an attempt to drown out the brightness. It didn’t work. The scorching white light continued to radiate into my skull until I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. The pressure of the Sirens’ songs didn’t let up, and the combination of the two wore down any resistance I had.
“Stop!” shouted a deep voice. It sounded a universe away in the midst of the Sirens’ songs.
As I perceived a presence nearby, the pain suddenly stopped. The Sirens had stopped singing and the Auras switched off their blinding eyes. My muscles gave out and my body collapsed onto the sand beneath me. My vision was still blurry, but I could see once again. “Release her!”
I rolled onto my side and was able to prop up my body enough to sit up. He had run down the beach and was now standing between Keto and me. He was breathing hard and swaying ever so slightly from the exertion of exercise on his already-aged and tired body. He leaned his head back to see me; panic raging in his eyes. My father.
Chapter 40
“Dad…” I croaked, the sound of my own voice echoing throughout my brain, sending shockwaves of pain to my temples and eyes.
“This does not concern you, Traitor,” Selene responded coldly. Dad glanced from Keto to Selene.
“She is my daughter,” he announced. “She doesn’t deserve to pay for my mistakes!”
“She is paying for her own mistakes, Daddy Dearest. The mistake of being born. The mistake of breathing. The mistake of returning to this world. And the mistake of thinking that she deserves to be the Leader of the Tydes over me!” Keto fumed. She flicked a finger and he was knocked sideways onto the sand. The sand beneath her feet quivered with fury.
“You will not take her!” Dad yelled and threw his body in front of me, just as Keto held up her arms. I watched her smile and then lower them slowly.
“Fool,” she laughed at him and looked at Selene.
Selene pointed at Dad and a single, silver line of energy raced across the beach at him. In slow motion I watched as it pierced his heart, dissolving into a shimmering abyss as it was absorbed into his body. It flashed from within, and his tired body convulsed with electricity. I knew then that her energy may not kill an immortal Finn, but I knew an all-too-mortal human stood no chance against it.
“No!” I screeched; pulling myself up and falling on top of his still frame. I rolled him over and drug myself up to his pale face. “Dad!”
His gray eyes opened slowly and settled onto mine. “I’m proud…of you…” he whispered.
“Dad, no!” I yelled at him, tears welling up in my eyes and desperation slicing my heart.
“You can’t leave me!” I searched his loving gray eyes, as the excruciating pain of losing him twice in one lifetime crippled my already breaking heart. Suddenly the world around me faded, and I was immersed in image after image that flashed before my eyes. Several were fuzzy at first, but they began to clear: An image of a laughing Selene with tender silver eyes that danced with happiness.
The inside of what looked to be a stately library with mahogany shelves that overflowed with books.
An image of Mom smiling in a white wedding gown; her long blonde hair swept up with blue and white flowers. An image of a blue-eyed baby wrapped in a thick blanket and grinning. And finally, an image of a blonde- haired teenager with aquamarine eyes wide with shock, standing on a beach of white sand. As she disappeared, so did the images, and I was thrown back into the present. With tears streaming down my face I leaned over my father and kissed his cheek.
“I love you,” I whispered. He tried to speak, but then his gray eyes faded lifeless and still, as his soul left his
