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The demon watched them with hollow eyes straight out of a nightmare. Triangular nostrils flared, breaths puffing in the air.

She swallowed bile. “Any other ideas, Shadows?”

Suddenly, the creature slithered into the water and disappeared under the dark surface.

Roman’s whisper was a rasp. “Oh my god.”

Shay squeezed Roman’s hand. Together, they eased forward a step. Another. They peered into the rippling water, searching for air bubbles or movement. Shay couldn’t see a damn thing—

“Why can’t I see it?” he gritted out, his eyes dark with the Sight. “It has no aura—”

The dock erupted under their feet.

They were launched into the air in a spray of water and foam. Wood and metal flew as the dock was smashed into smithereens.

The harbor rose up to devour them, and Shay barely had a chance to draw a breath before they were sucked into the dark and icy depths.

68

The Harbor

YVESWICH, STATE OF KER

Shay’s body cut through the water like a spear. Gravity sucked her under, ripping her hand out of Roman’s grip.

Something sharp lanced her thigh. A scream ripped out of her, an explosion of bubbles rushing out of her mouth. The weight of the water was crushing her. She tried to move. To swim, but—

Where was the surface? Particles, seaweed, and driftwood floated around her, but it was too dark to see much else. She could taste the iron of her blood. Which meant the monster would be able to taste it too.

She glimpsed a skull-like head—a stone pulsing above pit-like eyes. Shay fought the urge to scream again as the monster tore through the water with the speed and force of a great white shark. Its mouth opened to devour her, double rows of sharp teeth glinting like shards of black glass—

Shay kicked with her good leg and swept her arms back, trying like hell to get away.

The demon bore down on her—faster now.

No, no, no, no—

The thing abruptly stopped, as if it hit an invisible wall. It thrashed and roared, just like the serpent had.

Shay wasted no time in moving.

She twirled around. Used her Sight to locate the shore.

There it was—there were the colorful spells shimmering on the buildings; there were the threads of the anima mundi flowing up into the telephone poles and street lights.

Quickly, she swam for the shore. It was right there, but it felt so far away. The auras of rainbow fish flitted about like spirits as she swam. She was so used to swimming in her aquatic form, able to breathe underwater, that at first she didn’t recognize why her lungs were burning.

She broke the surface as soon as she was able, gasping down mouthfuls of frigid air.

Roman was there, clothes and hair dripping. He grabbed onto her arm and pulled her out of the water. “Hurry,” he panted. “We have to run—now.” The fog was still swallowing everything in sight; they couldn’t see more than three feet in front of them, but Shay spotted the smoky glow of distant street lights.

She tried to keep up with him, but her bad leg collapsed under her, her knee bending fully to the ground. “I can’t—my leg!” The bleeding still hadn’t stopped.

Roman swore.

The demon burst out of the water behind them with an ear-splitting roar.

Roman grabbed her and threw her onto his back like he had in the desert. He pushed off the pavement and ran—