Page 18 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
“A merfolk would say that. Get over it.”
I slowly turned to face him, my nose turned in disgust and rage.
“Thismerfolk,” I spat, “will leave you in this forest and not lose any sleep over it.”
A dark sinister smile covered his face, right at the same time a deep man’s yell in the distance split the air.
Myname.
“You aren’t Noctis.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The god’s face contorted, dripping like chocolate meeting the sun, until only a waist-high creature crouched before us. Pale as moonlight-skin flushed with reddened, uneven nodules covered the frail horror, stretching thin over bone. Wisps of frazzled hair clung desperately to its scalp like forgotten threads. It smiled up at me, flashing rows of sharp, jagged teeth.
Nope.I didn't like that.
Calvin vaulted before me, blocking the animalistic beast with a sword in hand. It sprang from the ground and latched onto his abdomen, its spindly limbs clinging with desperate strength as he thrashed and roared, trying to tear free.
“Run, Caelyn! Get out of here!” he screamed, but there was no way in hell I would leave him.
I lunged with my extended blade for the creature's head, but the ghastly thing recoiled off Calvin and crawled toward me on all fours. Its bony arms and legs bent and skewed like broken limbs defying anatomy, attempting to close in on its prey. I clumsily backed away toward the exit, but Calvin stood still, his mouth agape as he watched the monstrosity approach me.
Shit. Shit…
It moved in fast and landed before my feet, warping again. Its joints cracked as they shifted, an eerie white glow growing around it. The macabre grin plastered to its face only shifted upwards, and when the light dissipated, a cocky, grinningmale floated before us. His white hair flowed around his head like a mane, his green eyes piercing my soul. He suspended unnaturally above the ground, a scaled merfolk tail in place of legs.
“Caelyn, dear daughter.” He glided forward on the breeze. “I held you the day you were born… so small, so loud. Do you remember? You screamed just like your soul did when I tasted it.”
I knew him, but couldn’t remember exactly who he was, only the terror that accompanied looking upon his face. The bare memory itched my brain—on the tip of my tongue—yet I couldn’t muster his name.
Father.The title ran across my lips and spread foul, rotten taste along my tongue. Tears welled along my lower lids, threatening to fall.
The male twisted to look at Calvin, each movement crackling like bone out of socket. “An abomination,” he spat. “He willneverlove you.”
Calvin’s face blanched, the rosy color draining entirely from his cheeks.
The ground met me quickly as I flipped along the forest’s foliage while the ghastly creature was distracted, flicking my dagger for its heart. Thethingwhipped its hand out and caught the spiraling dagger, pinching it by the blade’s tip with astounding precision and grace. It turned slowly, a confident grin splitting its formidable face. It bent to the ground, walking on all four broken-like appendages toward me. It stalked slowly, relishing in our fear.
I needed to throw it off guard, but I was weaponless and trapped.
“Calvin!” I screamed, and his frantic gaze met mine. “Give me your sword.”
He reared back, but obliged, unsheathing hidden daggers from his thighs for himself and chunking his sword. It spiraledthrough the air, landing at my feet, and I swooped down to grab it.
The creature crawled around us, small, gravely chuckles escaping its eerie mouth.
“You cannot kill me.” Its words slithered across my skin.
“Want to wager?” I snapped, lifting the sword above my head and hurling it into the air, grunting at the exertion of strength. It barreled into the wall of tree trunks, sparks illuminating the foreboding forest. They flitted through the space, lighting the grass to flame. The creature blinked, quickly casting a backward glance over its shoulder.
It was enough of a distraction that I needed. I shot forward and closed the distance, rolling along the ground to retrieve the dagger at the beast's feet, and tackled it. We hit the ground with a deafening thud.
Warmth flooded my hands, seeping into the cloth along my body. Stillness filled me with hope.
When I cracked my clenched eyes, they met the furious face of a lifeless monster, its features frozen in time forever. It dropped the facade of the silver-haired male, and all that remained beneath me was the pale bony creature with my blade pierced through its heart.
The bloody dagger shook as I yanked it from the flesh and took off, Calvin following closely behind. We rushed through the break in the trees and hit a blockade of woodsy, solid walls. The left or right offered an expanse to travel, so we flew to the left—the direction Noctis called my name.
