Page 95 of Shadows of Light
CHAPTERSEVENTY-TWO
Sahira took a lurchingstep toward the lake that had gone from pure, crystalline beauty to a revolting mass of the most grotesque things she’d ever seen. The water was almost entirely black and red as blood and the creatures churned within it.
There were so many different monsters and shredded parts, she could barely tell one from the other. Silver fish flashed to the surface, and as they did, their hundreds of misshapen, dagger-like teeth clacked loudly.
Tentacles rose and fell out of the water. Blood dripped from those appendages with their hundreds of suction cups filled with teeth.
Nausea churned in her stomach as her hand went to her mouth. They couldn’t lose Cole.
“What do we do?” she breathed.
“There is nothing for us to do,” King Firth said.
“Use your fucking trident!” Del commanded. “Push those things away, electrocute them, create a wave, or dowhateverelse you can with it.”
King Firth lifted his trident from the ground and gripped it in both hands while his sea green eyes narrowed on Del. His pale blond hair waved around his broad shoulders as he looked about to use the trident on Del.
“Merfolk donottake orders from vampires,” Firth stated, “or anyone else.”
“We understand,” Varo said in that calming way he had.
Sahira wondered if the merman realized Varo was using some of his light fae ability on him or if he didn’t know Varo was part light fae. Either way, some tension eased from the king’s shoulders as Varo continued speaking.
“But there must be something you can do to help. The king of the Gloaming and the queen of the Shadow Realmswillrepay your kindness.”
“They’re both about as good as dead,” one of the mermaids muttered.
Mira shot the mermaid a dark look before turning back to the lake. “He still lives.”
“How do you know?” Skog inquired.
“Because the creatures haven’t returned to their caves. If he were dead, they would have fed and moved on by now.”
Sahira twisted her hands in her shirt as she looked pleadingly at the king. “You must be able to do something.”
Firth sighed before turning to the lake and resting the prongs of his trident on top of the water. A ripple ran across the lake, but it didn’t do anything to stop those ugly little fish from flapping across the surface or the kraken as it spread further through the water.
“This lake is in Atlantia, but I have no control over the Malignant Waters.” King Firth lifted his trident from the water and set the bottom on the ground. “Our home is the Indigo Sea. While I have some effect and control over other oceans and bodies of water in other realms, this lake of monsters is beyond my capabilities. I have no idea why, but it has been this way for every king of the merfolk.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Maverick demanded.
The smile King Firth gave him was more a baring of his teeth as the air around him wavered and a blur started around his legs. After the man shifted, he lay on the ground with his trident at the ready, and his beautiful, golden tail spread out behind him.
The sun glistened off his tail as Firth lifted it to reveal the fins at the end. No, not fins… it was more like a fin and a half, as part of the left fin was gone. Only a jagged line remained.
“I was already king of the merfolk when I entered these waters to gather the crudue vine necessary to save my wife from a warlock’s poison. As you can see, I didn’t escape the waters unscathed. If I could control this lake, do you think I would have allowedthisto happen?” Firth demanded with a shake of his tail.
Before any of them could respond, Firth shifted again and once more stood naked before them. It was then that Sahira noticed that half his left foot was missing.
While coming here, she hadn’t noticed it as the man didn’t walk with a limp and she wasn’t looking at his feet. She had much more to focus on than feet… like being surrounded by enemies and a lake of death.
Now, she marveled over how well he maneuvered with an injury like that. It must have taken him years to adjust to walking so easily on half his foot.
“Okay, so you can’t help,” Maverick muttered.
“What is that thing doing?” Skog inquired.
Sahira’s attention shifted to the black blob hovering twenty feet beneath the water’s surface. It was so large it blocked out half the lake; it resembled a giant octopus or squid, and its large, pink beak occasionally broke the surface as its black eyes rolled.
