Page 85 of Death’s Kiss (The Order of the Tide Raiders #1)

Finally, we make it to the center, where the pulsing is so loud that I think it just might be my own heartbeat currently lodged inside my ears. There’s only one thing I can think to do to withstand my welling terror as the maelstrom pulls us firmly into its clutches.

I whisper the gifted words again and again beneath my breath. “ Oderint dum metuant. Oderint dum metuant. Oderint dum metuant.”

My breathless prayers are echoed by the sounds of my crew’s screaming. I feel a tipping sensation beginning towards the bow and volatile saltwater sprays the side of my face.

The world disappears beneath our hull entirely as the monster swallows us whole.

The sensation of our speeder hitting water sends everyone bouncing nearly a foot off the deck. I slam back down against the helm, re-splitting my bottom lip against the wheel.

“Fucking depths! ” I curse before wiping the blood from my mouth.

The shouts and swears from my crew members are thrown about like debris leftover from a particularly nasty storm. Which, I suppose, is exactly what we are. Blinking hard, I open my eyes, not daring yet to actually believe that we’ve made it through alive.

My eyes find Kleio’s first, then Herse and Greer, Nephthys, Prisca, Nimra, and finally Davina.

All of my seven making up our sacred eight are alive. If not a bit frazzled and more than slightly pissed off from the impact of the drop but alive nonetheless.

I quickly scour our new surroundings. We appear to be floating along a dimly lit, green, lazy lagoon.

The passageway is much wider here, making it easier to navigate. It looks promising enough for a slow grin to begin inching across my face. That was the last gate. The heart will be just beyond for us to moor at and then go on foot to the tunnels leading to the holy doors of The Vault from there.

I look at Kleio and read my thoughts, clear as day, reflected in her eyes.

We made it.

That grin is promptly stolen after returning my attention to the helm in order to get us up and moving. I quickly come to realize that something is very, very wrong .

“This has got to be some sort of a godsdamned joke,” I mutter angrily as I try the throttle again and again to absolutely no avail. The fall from the last gate must have knocked something loose.

“What’s going on?” Kleio asks in alarm from my outward frustration.

“The helm—I can’t—something’s been jammed,” I grumble, trying again to get it to move with no success. I finally slam my fist on the wheel in outright anger.

Breathing to a count of four, I stifle my growing temper before turning towards the stern in order to find idiot number two . “Prisca—looks like it’s your time to shine. Throttle isn’t working,” I state flatly to the imp, currently lying lazily across her sister's lap.

She stands with ramrod straight attention and gives me an exaggerated salute. “Aye-aye, Captain!” Prisca quips, her white strands of loyalty shimmering through dual braided buns atop her head.

I roll my eyes in exasperation before slipping off the helm and allowing our resident engineer to take a look at the controls. Prisca’s affinity for fixing anything technical or building it from scratch is what some raiders—like the assholes that run the North Order—call Vek .

Our speeder continues floating down the lazily winding lagoon as idiot number two narrows in on her gift and gets to work.

It’s actually quite interesting to watch her take something seriously for once.

I stand there in observation while she works in this entrancingly different state until the sound of rushing water and echoing screams tears me from my study while drifting around the next bend.

My head swivels immediately to find the source of the screams but I end up falling short on explanation.

I am impressed, however, to find Kleio’s shield already locked into place and it somehow appears way stronger than before.

I look at my second in question regarding her newfound strength and she grins in return.

“I forgot to tell you,” Kleio says and my brows raise. “We found out something about Greer’s affinity while you were too busy making-out with Captain Agni to join us. ”

My face becomes a crimson scowl of annoyance as my crew members break out into fits of snickering amusement at my second’s well-aimed jibe. Kleio’s brown eyes dance with goading mischief and I shake my head at her while tamping down on my own grin.

I give her a silent look in clear indication to continue explaining, as I don’t currently trust myself to speak. My second laughs again at my deeply reddened face before continuing.

“So you know how our dear Greer’s affinity is some sort of energy transfer? One that Bealu and Ersatz couldn’t make out any sort of use for with their stunted little brains so they deemed her Vek and then tossed her aside?”

I nod tightly with something like violence and a need for revenge simmering behind that restricted wall inside.

Looking over to Greer sitting near the stern, I find her face appears a bit flushed and I swear there’s a glint of triumph shining in her olive eyes.

I whip back around to Kleio with clear interest in what exactly it is they've figured out in my absence.

“Well, if only they had thought to actually attempt doing their godsdamned jobs,” Kleio says with that rare spark of anger in her eyes that I always enjoy seeing.

"They'd have realized that she's basically a fucking jump starter for your affinities. She’s got a well of raw energy just waiting to be transferred. Literally one handshake and I’m back to full power—it’s insane. ”

My eyes and mouth are both wide as I face Greer. “Oh shit! ”

My fourth’s face turns as red as her hair as she rolls her eyes while holding back a smile. As if this wasn’t a godsdamned game changer for us. Not just for The Vault, but anything that lay in our futures far beyond.

With a continued moronic look of shock, I turn to Kleio. Her grin becomes wholly deviant as we lock eyes and begin wordlessly running through the endless possibilities this new advantage has just unlocked. I glance at Greer in renewed amazement, shaking my head in complete wonder.

“Now that is fucking Brek,” I state with absolutely no room for challenge in my voice .

My fourth rolls her eyes once more but this time she doesn’t hold back on her grin as I beam at her.

Unfortunately, this sweet little moment is quite quickly broken up by the concerning sounds of downward rushing water and another round of bone-chilling screams.

I move instinctively towards the bow and Kleio slides easily out of my way. At last, I step up into my rightful place as captain while we round the next bend and promptly choke on my findings.

Sweet depths.

Down the opening lagoon passage before us, another moonlighter can be spotted.

It lies in complete and total smithereens.