Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Anatole scoffs. “You just want all the glory,” he says and doesn’t even bother to look back at his brother as he slides on a mask meant for breathing underwater and urges his kelpie to dive right in.
Sylvan nods at me and turns away, but I notice him wiping away tears. Of fear or shame? I don’t have time to work it out. Someone this afraid of the monster would only be a hindrance in a fight with Heartbreak.
I focus on Luke and cup his cheeks. I hate that I can already hear some of the screeches coming from the open mouths on Heartbreak’s monumental body, because it means the beast is too close, and I don’t have much more time.
"I'm sending you to my shadowild, so you can be with me and stay safe. You remember how to get out if you need to? You will have to reach the shore. You won’t be able to cross the veil while out at sea."
He nods but the twist of his lips breaks my heart. He’s so brave. And he doesn’t try to convince me that we should flee, though I have no doubt he’s terrified for both our safety.
“I love you. Please stay as safe as you can,” he says, rubbing one eye.
My whole being aches with the need to protect him, even at the cost of many lives, but this is the day I was born for, and by tying his life to mine, Luke agreed to share this burden with me.
This is our destiny.
“I love you too, Dark Companion.” And with that, I let my shadow cover him whole, until he’s merely a dark shape. His material form is safe in the shadowild. I won’t let him be harmed, and now that he too has the gift of shadowcraft, he should be able to free himself if I am no longer there to help him. Just thinking about this being our last goodbye hurts like getting stabbed, but if I am to be the Lord of the Nocturne Court, I need to be worthy of it.
Crab’s salivating and nervously stomping at our side, and I pet his neck as the mountain of mangled flesh comes ever closer. Like the embodiment of death, it obscures even the moon. I mount my kelpie, turn it around, and storm toward the gate of the arena, with Luke’s weightless presence behind me.
While I sense his arms around my waist, a shadow cannot speak, so the touch will have to suffice for reassurance.
I pull on the mask made of the same squid leather as my outfit. It has artificial gills at the cheeks to help me breathe underwater if Crab needs to dive. The glass lenses obscure some of my vision, but it’s better than salt stinging my eyes.
There’s no time to lose. When we reach the edge of the arena, I slap my mount on the side, and the kelpie dives straight into the sea, unafraid of the beast ready to devour our hearts. Or maybe he just doesn’t yet comprehend the threat.
Anatole is ahead of me, and while no one has spoken about it, it seems obvious that if either of us manages to stop Heartbreak, the title of Lord will be theirs. I have no doubt that is what propels my ratbag of a cousin toward the terror in front of us against all reason.
Crab twitches under me as his hindquarters shift into their true form, but while he attempts to dash to the side at first, almost as if he’s trying to flee from the monster, I pull on the reins and click my tongue to direct him back toward the mass of twitching flesh. The moonlight reveals only so much from afar, but my stomach sinks, and my thighs stiffen as it rolls my way. Every instinct in my body tells me to run as far as I can and leave others to be devoured, but I am better than that, and it doesn’t matter that what I can observe of the creature is as big as a third of my castle. We’re in deep waters, and for all I know, I am only seeing a fraction of its corpulent form on the surface.
We don’t know how many hearts we need to find and stab to make the beast retreat, as a number has never been determined. It will be my job to eviscerate as many as needed, and if I’m lucky, Anatole will help, not hinder my efforts. At this point, I’d even be willing to do the leviathan challenge with him again, if we both survive. It seems like child’s play in comparison to the task ahead.
Luke presses my cheek, making me look to the side in time to notice a massive wave. I urge Crab to duck under it, and my steed couldn’t be happier, as it's in the water that he is most in his element.