A thick exoskeleton covers most of its body, which means the Leviathan’s weaknesses are heavily protected. Rain begins to fall from the sky as the boat heaves and lurches upon the water. Willem drops down beside me.
“We can’t kill it,” he shouts above the screaming winds.
Drops of water batter the side of my face as I raise my arms toward the creature. “I know, but we can hurt it long enough to sail towards the island.”
Willem shakes his head dramatically, swaying his hands back and forth. “It’s too dangerous! We can get Briar and fly back, return to Frothvein-”
“Just be ready!” I bark, cutting off the rest of his protest. “When I give the signal, get behind the ship and use all of your strength to propel it forward. Don’t stop until I say. We’re not turning back now that we’re so close.”
Willem snaps his mouth shut and flies over the back of the boat. Cold fills me up inside as if the frigid waters of the Northern Tundra suddenly found its way into my body. Over the roaring waves, I hear the sound of Briar sniveling in the cabin. I block it out. The Leviathan screeches up towards the raging storm. My shadows surge forward. They swarm the massive creature, disorienting it for a moment as I jump from the deck of the ship and fly straight through the cloud of darkness. With all of the force of my power and that of my bodily strength, I shove the shadow blade through the Leviathan’s belly.
“Now!” I shout to Willem.
The boat shoots across the water like a stone skipping upon the surface of a placid lake. I turn to retreat, but the Leviathan’s hand comes down on my back with a force that knocks the air from my lungs. That enormous hand forces me into the water. My eyes bulge as hundreds of tentacles slither through the current. I claw towards the surface, but the waves hurl me about like a ragdoll.
A vicious current sweeps me lower. I fight. Not for myself, but for Briar and those under my protection. The underworld isn’t ready for a new leader. Especially one that might be more monstrous than even Drogaem and I. Somehow, by the way of a miracle or my own determination, I break through the surface. I’m further away from the ship and the Leviathan than I thought. My limbs ache as I pull myself out of the water.
The wings on my back flap in an uneven way. One is dislocated. I lean more towards the right, but I don’t give up. I keep flying toward the direction the ship went in, using my bond with Briar to sense her presence even if I can’t hear her thoughts or read her emotions. When the storm scatters, and the sun begins to rise once more, I see the ship in the distance.
Briar runs out of the cabin the moment I hit the deck. My chest burns from exertion. Willem stands over us as her hands scramble along my body in search of injuries. “Your spine is bruised, but not badly. And your wing…”
She grows quiet once more. I feel her warm hands slide over the dislocated wing. Her face pinches in concentration and a brilliant light surrounds her. I don’t think she’s aware of what she’s doing, but the pain in my body lessens.
When I say nothing to give away what happened, she frowns in disappointment. Willem says nothing. He reaches behind me and wrenches the wing back into place. I roar loudly even as the shadows begin to recede to where they belong. Except one. I send it to Briar as she leans over the railing to expel the contents of her stomach. I move beside her as my shadow seeks to give her comfort.
Fog floats above the water and a faint mist clings to the air. I squint as something appears on the horizon. And, as if by magic, the Archech materializes out of the mist just like the legends say.
“We’re here,” I whisper.
Briar gasps and clutches my arm.
Chapter 13
Briar
“We did it,” I say quietly as I turn to face Kane. “We made it here, but…”
“But what?” Concern simmers in Kane, and something deeper lies just out of reach.
I feel it radiating off of him as much as I feel the wind on my face. My hand gives his arm another squeeze to assure myself that I’m standing here with him. This isn’t a dream. We’re nearly there.
“I can’t feel happy about it,” I confess. “There’s so much inside of me. I feel like I’m going to burst at any minute. I feel you. I feel the island. I feel something at the core of my being, but I don’t understand why. I keep asking questions and you never give me an answer.”
“You’ll get your answers soon enough.” He is mysterious in his answer, and it makes me uneasy.
“Why am I here, Kane?” I ask for what feels like the hundredth time since yesterday. “I’m not strong like you. Willem’s a Reaper, a warrior. I’m nothing.”
“You’re mine.” He runs his finger down my cheek before turning his attention back to the encroaching island.
My eyes return there as well. Even from this far away I can sense the evil that surrounds it. We’ll reach the shore soon and I won’t be able to turn back. I need to know the truth. “Will that be enough? Will being your bride keep me
