Page 18 of Salt & Blood (Ivy & Bone #4)

INSTINCTS

PANDORA

Having grown up in the Underworld, Pandora had seen all manner of demons. She’d encountered ones with horns, tails, fangs, claws, scales, and skin of varying shades of color.

But the hydra was something else entirely.

It was the biggest creature she had ever seen. And while the demons of the Underworld were intelligent, sentient creatures, this monster was all animal. No awareness in those all-black eyes; only bloodlust.

The ground shook as the creature tried to rise. Beside Pandora, Mona was frantically working to knit the ceiling back together with her earth magic. Hand still clutched in hers, Pandora returned to the task at hand, summoning as much of her own magic as she could. As soon as they closed up the hole in the ceiling with their magic, they would be able to trap the creature here. It would not be able to escape.

Then they could kill it.

But with the presence of this dark being, her memories rose up, threatening to drown her. From inside her, the soul of the goddess thrashed and raged, desperate to be unleashed, to join in the powerful fury of the monster. She could sense its energy, its kinship to the Titan magic used to create the box and all the creatures inside.

No, Pandora thought, gritting her teeth. You will stay put. You are not in control.

A deep, resonant part of her laughed in response, and a chill swept over her body. Cold awareness seeped into her, clouding her mind and weakening her resolve.

She was a slave to the memories, to the past life harbored inside her. And she would never be free.

Pandora’s magic flickered, and her arms went slack. Her stomach sank, and she had the urge to drop to her knees and cry out in despair.

I can’t win this battle. She will always control me. I will never be rid of her.

The darkness continued to rage inside her, slamming against the walls of her mind, desperate to be free.

Pandora wanted to give in. She was just so damn tired of fighting…

A shout rang out nearby, and Pandora’s ears prickled with recognition. Her head snapped up, and she locked eyes with Sol across the room.

The hydra had cornered him, drawn in by the brilliant sun magic flowing from his fingertips. He provided a diversion while Mona finished repairing the ceiling, but the distraction was too effective. The hydra was fixated on him. Saliva dripped from its fangs, and its maws opened wide, prepared to devour the sun god.

Something snapped within Pandora. All darkness, all uncertainty and confusion fled her body, and she lunged without thinking. A bolt of clarity speared through her, silencing the fury mounting inside her.

Save Sol. I have to save him.

The goddess’s presence within her vanished. The memories faded. Pandora could see nothing but Sol before her, fear creeping into his features. He glanced behind him, suddenly realizing he’d been backed into a corner as the monster closed in on him. Blinding white light burned from his fingertips, luring the beast closer. When Sol realized he had nowhere to turn, he dropped his hands, dousing the light.

But the hydra had already decided on its target, and it would not be deterred.

Sol darted left, but one of the hydra’s five heads intercepted, gnashing its teeth. Sol ducked to avoid the full strike, but the creature’s fang caught on his elbow, drawing blood.

Pandora roared in anger, sprinting at full speed toward the hydra. Its back was to her, so it didn’t notice when she summoned her roots right next to its tail. Thick oak trees sprang forth, and Pandora caught a branch in her hands before thrusting it into the monster’s side.

The hydra screamed, the sound shrill and deafening, making Pandora’s ears throb. But she didn’t stop there. She shoved and twisted until the sharp branch had fully impaled the monster. Her roots kept moving, surrounding the creature, climbing over its legs and claws. One of the hydra’s heads turned to leer at her, eyes blazing and fangs bared, but Pandora glared right back at it, undeterred. Half its focus was still on Sol—the benefit of having multiple heads.

But it also meant its attention was divided. And Pandora could take advantage of that.

The underbelly is its blind spot, she reminded herself. She didn’t know where Midas was or what he was waiting for—the beast was plenty distracted, and this was the perfect opportunity. So, if he wouldn’t take it, she certainly would.

If it meant saving Sol’s life, she would do this.

More branches snapped as she gathered one in each hand, wielding their sharpened points at the hydra. Another head turned in her direction, and the creature tried stepping backward to draw closer to her.

Her roots tightened over the beast’s feet, restricting its movements. It stumbled, falling over as it struggled to right itself.

Taking advantage of its disorientation, Pandora dived forward, sliding underneath its torso and thrusting the branches into its scaly flesh.

The creature shifted, managing to free one foot and slide out of the way. One branch missed, but the other sank into its chest, drawing black blood that spattered on Pandora’s face. She choked and coughed, spitting it out of her mouth and struggling not to retch.

The hydra fell, and Pandora wasn’t quick enough. Before she could roll out of the way, its torso pinned her legs, trapping her underneath its massive weight.

Shit. This was bad. So very bad.

The monster sensed her writhing underneath it. It stretched its long, scaly necks, craning to inspect her with part curiosity, part hunger. Keen red eyes fixed on her, narrowing with intense fury.

Someone cried out, and the hydra’s head turned. Hovering in air, suspended by his strange, ghostly wings, Evander drove his sword into the monster’s eye. The beast reared back with a shriek, its body shifting just enough for Pandora to wriggle free. Gasping for air, her left thigh screaming in pain, Pandora hobbled away from the creature as quickly as she could manage, slamming into something hard.

Arms wrapped around her, stilling her. Pandora froze and looked up into Sol’s face. He seemed as startled as she was. She hadn’t realized she’d run straight into his arms. He looked over her with alarm and concern, taking in the inky blood staining her face and clothes.

“Are you—Are you hurt?” he asked. The desperation in his voice tugged at something within her.

Pandora shook her head, even though her leg throbbed in pain. She gazed up at Sol, running her hand along a deep gash above his eyebrow. He winced but did not flinch away from her touch. Warmth radiated from his chest as it lined up with hers. They hadn’t stood this close to one another since that night on the balcony. The night he had fully ravished her.

“Evander, no !” Mona screamed.

Panic burst in Pandora’s chest, jolting her from the hazy stupor of being so close to Sol. She whirled in time to see Evander’s sword slice through the neck of the hydra.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered.

The severed head fell with a resounding thud on the earthy floor. Brief silence filled the space as black blood gushed from the open wound. Pandora gaped in horror as the flesh stretched and flexed, slowing the flow of blood. The skin split and elongated, forming two long necks. In an instant, two more heads appeared, red eyes gleaming with triumph.

Pandora hadn’t seen the blow, but now she wondered if the creature had intentionally placed itself in the path of Evander’s sword. He had blinded it; perhaps the hydra had decided it was worth the pain to grow back two fresh heads.

This creature was smart. Too smart.

Evander’s face was ashen and stricken with horror. His translucent wings flapped harder as he withdrew, putting more space between himself and the hydra.

Mona was there, arms outstretched as vines and thorns sprang from the earth. A quick glance upward told Pandora the ceiling had been repaired. The monster was trapped.

But so were they.

The monster reared back as Mona’s vines encircled it, tying down its feet just like Pandora’s roots had. Screeches filled the air as the beast pulled at the vines, snapping them easily. It stomped backward, away from Mona—and toward Pandora and Sol.

Sol shoved Pandora behind him, her hands meeting the rocky wall as he shielded her from the beast. A serpentine head lunged for him, and his anguished shout made Pandora’s heart seize in her chest. Silver blood spurted—Sol’s blood.

A scream tore at her throat. She spread her hands, summoning every drop of power she possessed. The ground quaked and split, and this time, more than roots emerged. Vines and bushes, flowers and shrubs—all manner of foliage burst forth from the ground, seeping across the floor like oozing blood. Alarmed, the hydra drew back from Sol, who crumpled, cradling his right arm. It was so covered in blood that Pandora couldn’t even see the wound. Massive shrubs grew in size, trapping the creature in like a hedge maze.

“Midas!” Mona screamed. “Midas, now !”

Another jolt of energy filled the room, and Mona’s vines latched onto each of the creature’s necks, tying it down. It wouldn’t hold for long. But then Midas was there, sliding under the beast’s belly, eyes hard with determination and fire. He thrust his hands upward, fingers grasping the hydra’s chest. Gold light flowed from his fingertips, encasing the creature’s scales. The light shimmered and spread, bleeding across the hydra one scale at a time. The beast shrieked, heads thrashing, but part of its torso was already frozen, and it couldn’t move. Mona’s vines snapped, but she conjured more. Pandora added more of her magic to keep the beast at bay. Its chest might be turning to gold, but its long necks could still lash out at the others.

Pandora didn’t let herself glance down at Sol, though she felt him near her feet. He wasn’t moving.

He’s alive, she told herself. He has to be. He’s alive.

She pushed and pushed until she had nothing left, pouring all her magic into the earthy cage she had crafted. Midas’s hands moved to the beast’s legs, spreading more gold as the hydra slowly transformed into a gold statue. Each spot where the king touched brought more brilliant gold light that glistened and shimmered. Slowly, the hydra’s movements halted. Now, its torso and legs were transformed into gold. The light moved upward, creeping forward until the monster’s necks were contained.

One last desperate screech echoed in the air as the hydra struggled in vain to avoid its fate. And then, it fell completely silent as the gold encased it completely.

Gasping for breath and struggling to see through the dizzying fog of her mind, Pandora stared up at the frozen hydra, waiting for it to break free and attack once more.

But it didn’t. It was now nothing more than a gold statue, forever preserved in that one moment of fear and desperation.

When Pandora was certain the beast was dead, she dropped to her knees, her hands on Sol as she tried to rouse him.

“Sol!” she cried. “Gods above, Sol, please… Please. ”

His eyes were closed and his face was ghostly pale. She gingerly touched his arm and choked back a sob.

Three of his fingers were missing. That damned monster had chewed off half his hand. Silver blood gushed from the stumps where his fingers had been. He was bleeding too much. Even a god could bleed out.

“Mona!” Pandora screamed. “Mona, I need you!” She wasn’t strong enough to heal him, but Mona was. Her sister could fix this.

He just had to hold on another minute. He had to make it.

But Mona didn’t come. Pandora glanced up, anger and terror warring within her as she searched for her sister. She couldn’t see a damned thing past the massive gold statue filling the room.

“ Mona !”

A figure appeared, and Pandora almost exhaled in relief before she realized it wasn’t her sister. This woman had long black hair and vibrant green eyes. In a flash, her eyes had shifted to a brilliant amber—identical to the eyes of the fire witches.

Pandora stilled, her pulse racing as the woman drew nearer. Every ounce of her resonated with power and authority. She stood in an emerald dress that fell over one shoulder, looking regal and commanding as she glanced over Pandora and Sol.

Then, she knelt before them, placing her hands on Sol’s injured arm.

“What are you—” Pandora demanded, but the woman shushed her, eyes closing.

Orange light burned from her hands, and for one horrifying moment, Pandora feared she was like Midas and was turning Sol into gold. But heat filled the air, and Pandora realized it was fire emanating from her hands.

“You’re burning him!” Pandora shouted, prepared to shove the woman away.

“Be silent,” the woman hissed, and when she glared at Pandora, her pupils had turned into long slits, like a snake’s.

Only then did Pandora realize who this was. She was a Gorgon sister. She had to be.

The glow of the woman’s magic intensified, burning against Pandora’s eyes. She squinted, eyes watering, but she was determined to keep them open to see what would happen to Sol.

At long last, the light faded, and the woman withdrew her hands before fixing a solemn look on Pandora. “He is healed.”

Pandora lunged for Sol, dragging him half onto her lap as she cradled his face. “Are—Are you sure? There’s so much blood.”

“I am certain. The fingers will not grow back, I’m afraid. But the wound is closed. He will live.”

Tears burned in Pandora’s eyes as she stroked the bloodied hair out of Sol’s face. He was still unconscious, but the color in his cheeks had returned, and his breathing was steady.

Pandora turned to the woman in gratitude and amazement. Tears flowed freely down her face as she said in a strained voice, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The woman nodded, half her mouth tugging upward in a smile. “I saw what you did. Your power is incredible. What is your name?”

Pandora faltered. Her true name didn’t really feel like it belonged to her. It had always belonged to someone else, to a life that wasn’t hers. So instead, she said, “Trivia. My name is Trivia.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Trivia. My name is Marina.”