Page 13 of Pets in Space 10

She had seen this imprisoned one before.

The powerful mage with a dark soul that should never have escaped.

Its voice slithered across her mind, menacing and determined.

Her magic flared as the serpent’s gaze met hers — and she knew. Not just from the twisted aura that bled from it like poison, but from the whisper that crawled over her skin.

“We meet again… Harmonia.”

Ice flooded her veins.

Ceto. The traitor. Who had tried to shatter the Mage Council. Who had imprisoned Wynter. Who had once hunted her father's rings.

She hadn't just escaped the dark realm… she had become a true monster.

***

The moment the serpent hissed Harmonia’s name — We meet again… Harmonia — Landry’s blood turned to ice.

It wasn’t just some alien predator.

It knew her.

And worse — it wanted her.

The serpent’s eyes glowed with twisted intelligence, its massive coils gliding just beneath the black water as if savoring the moment. Landry could feel it — something feral, possessive, evil — coiling not just through the swamp, but inside him, wrapping cold fingers of dread around his gut.

No.

Not her.

“Cap, Tyson — get down!” he barked. He swung his rifle up, sighted the beast’s shifting shadow — and fired.

The crack of the gunshot ripped through the humid air.

The serpent jerked back with a hiss of fury. Its massive body surged into the air and then slammed into the water with a splash so powerful, it rocked all three boats like toy rafts caught in a hurricane.

“Jesus!” Tyson cried, grabbing the side of Hog’s boat.

Landry braced himself, feet spread wide as water sprayed over the bow. Harmonia stood just behind him, glowing with power — but even in the dim light, he could see her sway.

“Harmonia — !” he shouted, turning halfway toward her.

Blue lightning exploded from her fingertips in streaks that tore through the night, slamming into the water where the serpent had vanished. The lagoon lit up like a battlefield from another world. Electricity crackled. Steam rose in curling tendrils. But it wasn’t enough.

Ceto circled them, the water churning and swirling with each pass, tightening its grip.

Landry watched the waves ripple outward in a slow spiral. The creature was hunting them. Taunting them.

He growled under his breath. “This isn’t working. We’re sitting ducks.” He snapped his head toward Cap. “You still keep those firecrackers in your boat?”

Cap’s grin was grim. “Never leave home without ‘em.”

“Tyson!” Cap barked. “Ammo box. Center bench.”

Tyson dropped to his knees and yanked open the heavy, dented lid. Inside were bundles of wax-wrapped sticks, wire fuses poking out like spines.

Then came a crack like thunder.

The serpent struck — slamming full-force into Cap and Tyson’s boat.

“Hold on!” Cap roared as the wooden skiff groaned and began to flood.

“Move! Into Hog’s boat — now!” Landry shouted as he and Hog opened fire at the writhing tail as it rose from the water like a whip.

Harmonia sent another burst of blue fire screaming across the surface. The glow from her magic was flickering now, dimming like a dying flame. She was weakening. Landry’s eyes darted between her and the chaos around them. He could feel her faltering.

Too much — she’s doing too much. Attacking. Protecting. She can’t hold all of it.

Cap grabbed the ammo box and leapt — half diving, half tumbling — into Hog’s skiff. Tyson followed, cursing and soaked, just as the boat was dragged out from under them.

“Cap! Tyson!” Landry yelled in a hoarse voice as the serpent’s tail smashed the boat again, pulling it away from his and Hog’s. The old hull was beginning to crack under the pressure.

“Light ‘em!” Cap growled, jamming two sticks of dynamite together.

“Are you insane?! You’ll blow us all up with that much dynamite, Pop,” Tyson hissed, even as his hands moved to light the twisted fuses.

Ceto rose again, mouth gaping, scales glistening with an oily sheen. Her roar shook the air.

Landry lifted his rifle again, heart pounding, but before he could fire, Cap hurled the flaming bundle toward the half-submerged wreckage of his boat.

“Protect her,” Cap growled, looking straight at Landry. “My boat had a full tank of gas in her.”

Landry barely had time to drop his weapon, wrap his arms around Harmonia, and drag her down to the bottom of his skiff. He covered her body with his, wrapping his hands over her head. Time seemed to slow to milliseconds before —

KABOOM!

The world around them shook.

A column of flames shot skyward, illuminating the trees in a fiery burst. The shockwave slammed into them, rocking the two remaining boats.

Water surged outward in a tsunami of heat and debris.

Ceto screamed — a high-pitched, keening wail — as it flailed against the flames and wooden debris that had become spears — retreating.

The echo of her crashing through the cypress was like a living battering ram.

Harmonia remained crumpled in his arms.

He swallowed, rising just enough to gently turn and cradle her in his arms. Her skin was too pale. Her breath coming in shallow, ragged pulls.

“Harmonia — hey… sweetheart — You’ve got to stay with me, love. I need you. We need you. Hell, those two stupid, match-making dragons need you,” he murmured. His voice shook. His hands trembled. “I’ve got you, darlin’. You’re safe.”

Her eyes fluttered open, glistening with tears. “Pug… and Lilypad…” she whispered, her voice cracked and barely audible. “They were out there…”

He brushed damp hair from her cheek. “We’ll find them. They’ll come back. They’re tougher than they look. Hell, they were probably the smart ones and listened to you when you said to move.”

As if summoned, a small splash drew his attention.

Two tiny figures climbed onto the bow of the boat, slipping and flopping like soaked kittens.

Lilypad and Pug.

They shook themselves violently, spraying water in all directions, before collapsing in a tangled, tired heap.

Harmonia let out a sob, struggling forward with relief.

Landry reached behind him and grabbed the faded blue beach towel from beneath the seat. He wrapped it around her shoulders as she leaned into him, her body trembling from more than just exhaustion.

Landry looked over at Hog’s boat. Cap was coughing up smoke, Tyson was rubbing at a bruised shoulder, and Hog looked like he’d aged ten years.

“We’ll take Jack’s body back,” Hog said solemnly, nodding at the encased figure wrapped in the sheet Harmonia had conjured on the deck of his boat.

“We’ll tell the folks to stay away from the water ‘til this thing’s dead.

I’ll let Robert know that I’m monitoring the situation.

The last thing we need is a bunch of the local Po-po getting eaten.

That’s sure to bring in a different department of the government that we don’t want. ”

Landry nodded, his grip tightening around Harmonia. “Thanks. Let Robert know I’m working with you on this. We’ll head back to the cabin since it’s closer,” he replied.

He was glad Hog had thought about the local authorities.

They would only cause more trouble. Robert Sage, the newly elected police chief, was a genuinely nice guy, but his New Jersey upbringing left him less familiar with the tranquil backwaters and more comfortable with the hustle and bustle of the city.

The man knew little about the swamp's murky depths and the strange sounds that echoed from within.

His deputies would try, but their efforts were more likely to end in their own deaths than success.

More deaths would certainly trigger widespread panic and public outrage, leading to investigations by State or Federal officials far more interested in Harmonia and the water dragons than a deadly serpent.

Landry sighed and looked back at Hog and gave the other man a grateful nod. His gaze skidded over Jack’s shrouded body before Tyson pushed against the side of his boat as they pulled away.

“We’ll be by in the morning,” Hog added. “Just… keep her safe. Something tells me if we want to kill that thing, we’re going to need her and those two dragons of hers.”

Cap lifted his hand in a silent farewell, his eyes dark but respectful.

Landry watched as Hog turned his boat back toward the narrow cut.

Minutes later, the soft hum of the boat motor confirmed the trio had made it back to the main channel.

He followed behind them, turning to the right and heading back toward his cabin.

The swamp had fallen quiet again — but this time, an uneasy peace had settled over the mist.

It feels like the eye in the center of a hurricane, he thought before another analogy, one that sent a shiver down his spine, swept through his mind.

Or a breath before the scream.

He looked down at Harmonia, sitting on the bench seat in front of the console. Her back was ramrod straight, her eyes watchful, and he realized that in the course of a single day she had shown him someone more brave, more beautiful, and more magical than he could have ever imagined.

As he pushed the throttle forward, she gripped the towel and pulled it closer around her shoulders. The two dragons on the front bow were curled around each other, sound asleep. He breathed in the night air, letting it settle over him.

They had survived the night.

But he knew deep down, the war had only begun.

And he needed to figure out a better way to protect not only the people he had grown up with, but the woman who had enchanted him.