Page 31

Chapter thirty-one

Evinee

“C ome here, little one. Don’t be afraid,” said Lord Baldern.

I stood by the door, praying to Azeer my father would come back for me. No amount of training was going to be enough to prepare me for this. I was sixteen. My powers were barely out of the toddler stage, and I didn’t know how to control myself. This was a bad idea, but my father wouldn’t listen. He needed Baldern to fund the hunt to find other creatures for the IES to experiment on. Baldern would agree to the sum my father had asked for, if he gifted my virginity to him. Little did the lord know what I was capable of.

Baldern patted the bed. “I don’t bite … much,” he said.

Sick fuck, I thought to myself. I moved towards him hesitantly, wishing someone would come for me—would save me. I had to control my powers. If I lost it and killed him, my father would beat me senseless. If I tried using them and failed, Baldern would figure out what I was and turn me in. This had to go perfectly. I had no choice.

“Yes, my lord,” I said in a meek voice. “How can I be of service?”

A grin spread across his face. “Undress,” he demanded.

My breath caught, but I did what I was asked. I slid the straps of my dress off my shoulders, letting the fabric pool at my feet, leaving me completely bare. I was trembling with fear, fighting to hold my tears back. Without another thought, he grabbed me, slamming me into the mattress.

“No!” I screamed, jerking upright. I was drenched in sweat as I pushed the covers off my legs. “Dammit,” I yelled, feeling sick and nauseous. I wiped my brow just as a deep cry filled the air. It sounded like—

“Levos!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet, pushing the flaps of the tent open.

I exited just in time to see some humanoid creatures pull Levos into the lake. Levos went under. Zerrial came flying out of his tent, dark blades ready. Eren and Gen followed, looking around.

“What happened?” asked Gen frantically.

“Levos,” Zerrial said. “Those things came into our tent. I managed to kill one, but the other two took Levos.

“Where did they take him?” asked Gen, panic stretched across her face.

“The water,” I said, knowing what I was going to have to do. “Wake the nymphs. They’re here,” I ordered, heading towards the lake. I began to take my clothes off, preparing for the dive.

“Evinee, wait,” Eren demanded, but I didn’t listen.

I could hear him screaming after me, but I didn’t care. I picked up my pace, stripping the last article of clothing from my body. My feet hit the warm water before I dove straight in headfirst. The inviting water filled every pore. I allowed my body to adjust, bracing myself for the most painful part of the transformation. I inhaled a deep gulp of water, feeling the burning erupt in my lungs.

My body began to thrash back and forward, fighting the metamorphosis. By the second breath, a wave of relief flowed through me as my body pulled oxygen from the water. My legs melded together, forming a solid fin and tail. Spikes sprouted down my back, stretching along the length of my tail. Webs of skin formed in between each finger. My teeth elongated as small slits of gills opened along my neck. My eyes adjusted to the lack of light and were now able to see as clearly as I did on land. My long claws were the last part to change: the weapons I would need to save Levos.

I calmed myself, searching the surrounding water for any sign of the creatures. I spotted legs kicking frantically at the mouth of a cave. I took off towards the movement, whipping my tail ferociously, cutting through the water like an arrow. My eyes adjusted to the darkness the deeper I dove. I had to get to Levos fast, before he ran out of air.

I got to the entrance of the cave and two spears came flying at me. I dodged the first and caught the second, twirled, and threw it back towards the monster, nailing it in the chest. I saw Levos, weighed down with a net and rocks in the center of the cave. I rushed towards him but was pulled back by another creature. Without a second though I turned, slicing, biting, and shredding through him, sending bloody bits of flesh and body parts floating throughout the cave.

I removed the weights; Levos lay unresponsive. I pressed my mouth to his, using my lungs to filter the oxygen out of the water. I forced the air into his lungs and he breathed in deeply, choking. He opened his eyes, looking at me for a moment in fear. He scurried away, reaching for his throat, needing more oxygen. I put my hands up in a surrendering motion, pointing to my mouth and then his. His eyes widened, realizing who I was. I approached him slowly, placing my lips to his once more. He breathed in shallowly at first and then deeper, realizing it was safe.

Once he was able to stay conscious, he held onto me while we exited the cave. Hundreds of the creatures were emerging from a small rift I could see open at the bottom of the lake. As we swam to the surface, they attacked. I gave Levos another breath of air before the fight began. I ran through them, sending bone spurs into their fragile bodies. The ones that dared to get too close ended up dismembered. Levos called on his power, blasting the creatures back and restraining them with vines that erupted from the bed of the lake.

Once we had a clear path to land, I took it, grabbing ahold of Levos and swimming towards the surface. As we broke through the skin of the water, Levos took a deep breath, gasping for air, expelling the water from his lungs. I held onto him, pushing us towards the shore.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He nodded, still choking. He examined my face and my form.

“Stop staring or I’m going to let go,” I said.

“Sorry, I can’t help it. You’re magnificent.”

“Most males would say terrifying, but thank you.” On the shore, the battle had reached the surface. Leenia and the others flew in from the sky, landing just in time as their ragamors tore into the creatures. Powers of nature, darkness, and fire consumed the surface of the lake.

I got Levos to the beach, turning back towards the hordes that continued to pour from the rift.

He looked at me, shaking his head. “You can’t take them all on your own.”

“No, but I can stop a lot of them from reaching the surface.”

“Evinee, no,” he said, reaching his hand out towards me. “Fight with us, on land. We’ll watch out for each other.”

“Go, Levos,” I said, and dived back underneath the water.

Dozens of them flooded into our world. The rift shimmered with magic. I called on my gifts, manipulating the water around me into a force of power towards the swarms, sending them tumbling back across the lake. I slashed my tail at those near me, using my claws to sever their necks from their shoulders. I swam faster than I ever had, sinking my teeth into them while my claws ripped their flesh open. Bone spears flew through the water, landing in their chests and heads. Body after body floated to the surface, dead.

I heard it coming before I could see or shield from it … then … I felt it. A long metal spear protruded from my abdomen. My blood floated in the water around me. I pulled it free, turning just in time to spike the creature who attempted to attack. The monster was hairless. Its skin was covered in a mucus-like texture. It had large, insect-like black eyes, no nose, and a small set of little teeth scattered in its mouth. Long, lean, muscular limbs and webbed feet and hands allowed the creature to move seamlessly throughout the water.

I pulled the spear from it, and the lifeless corpse floated to the top with its comrades. I continued to fight, even though I could feel myself weakening from the loss of blood. The wound wasn’t healing. Something was wrong. I shredded the creatures apart until nothing living remained in the lake but me.

My body heated as I reached the surface. My heart slowed. Even though I had a fever, my body felt cold. My fin couldn’t take me any further. I saw the others on land, fighting off the last of them. I managed to pull myself up on the shore. Zerrial turned towards me, locking his eyes with mine. I reached for him, pain of my transformation beginning to take hold. I yelled out in agony.

Zerrial rushed me, his dark sword high, aiming to attack. I couldn’t say or do anything to prevent it. As his footsteps quickened, I closed my eyes, readying myself for the end.

Suddenly, Zerrial collapsed into the ground, holding his head in pain. My vision began to flicker. I saw a pair of black boots. Eren appeared, turning me over gently. My breathing was rapid. I could move my hand to the wound on my abdomen, but I couldn’t say anything. Another yell of pain escaped my lips while my fin split into two, allowing my legs to form. My bones snapped back into place. My teeth retracted, along with my claws. I gasped for breath, but no relief came. I siphoned just enough of my power to make sure my physical facade did not falter. The last thing I remembered was feeling the warm sand under my naked body.