Page 44 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

Relief flooded her veins as she spotted Tristan standing at the edge of the cliff. “Tristan!”

He faltered, mortified at the bloodstains marring her arms and dress. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she lied, ignoring the pain.

“Dammit—hold on! You hear me? Just hold on. I’m coming, I’m coming!” Tristan called. He searched around frantically, looking for something he could use.

“Tristan, there’s something in the water!”

He muttered a stream of curse words under his breath, untangling the thick rope he carried.

He tied it around his waist at top speed, anchoring himself to a nearby boulder.

“I’m climbing down. I’ll get you out, I promise!

” Without an ounce of fear, he jumped off the cliff, rappelling along the rocky cliffside at top speed.

The water was nothing but calm waves. She searched for any sign of the creature, but all she could see was an infinity of blue.

Without warning, the iron rod lowered again, sending her closer to the ocean.

She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

“Rose!” Tristan called out.

Her fear became harder to suppress as she dared to peer into the water again. “Hurry, please hurry,” she begged in a whisper, hating how fragile she sounded.

So scared.

“I’m coming! Don’t worry. I’m coming!” Tristan yelled as if he had heard her soft plea.

The water rippled again, revealing its secret—a massive sea beast swam beneath her, sheer-violet scales glimmering as large, translucent fins glided effortlessly through the water.

Its scaly, snake-like body was speckled with sapphire blue markings, propelled by four powerful webbed feet, tearing through the water with force.

Its fierce sea-green eyes lifted up at her from the depths below.

She stilled, petrified. Please , she begged in her mind. Please don’t hurt us .

The beast broke eye contact but continued to circle beneath her like a predator circling its prey.

Tristan had reached the base of the iron contraption in record time. He didn’t waste a moment before mounting it, putting his arms out and balancing himself as he tiptoed across the narrow contraption.

The massive hook lowered once more, inching her closer to the crashing waves, this time so low that the sea monster could easily snatch her away with a single swipe of its razor-sharp talons.

The force knocked Tristan to his knees as he gripped the iron truss. She gasped, fearing that he’d be tossed off, but Tristan held on, rising to his hands and knees, determined to reach her.

But he wouldn’t.

Straight out of the blue, the beast’s glorious form sprang out of the water, leaving a trail of sparkling droplets in its wake. Its bloodthirsty eyes fixated on her as its wide jaws opened, exposing a row of razor-sharp teeth.

It happened so quickly she didn’t even have time to react.

In one swift movement, the beast’s teeth severed her chains, and just like that, she plunged into the depths alongside the monster.

“ Rose! ” Tristan roared.

She sucked in a large breath just before she plunged into the sea.

Her body slammed against the cold water, and immediately, shock hit her. She did her best to swim, but even with her freed wrists, she flailed, the bubbles from her fall obscuring her vision.

If she hadn’t been so panic-stricken, she’d be able to appreciate the beautiful sea floor. How the gentle streams of sunlight shone down from the world above, casting their rays through the water onto the glittering sand that had settled among the sunken ships littering the ocean floor.

As the bubbles cleared, she found the beast was already back in the sea with her. Its bright, sea-green eyes locked on her, frozen so still that it was as if she was staring at a floating statue.

This was it. This was how she’d die.

She waited for it to lunge or strike. Instead, the sea monster’s terrifying gaze remained fixed, like a cat watching a trapped mouse.

Meanwhile, she was floundering like a fish out of water, struggling to keep herself from sinking.

She dug into her memories, trying to recall if any of the books she’d read had ever mentioned a creature like it, but this was a beast she’d never come across in any history books.

She tried to make out if the creature had any vulnerabilities.

That’s when her gaze fell upon something shiny strung around its neck.

Her eyes widened. It was the golden sun relic, the very thing she was meant to retrieve, and that wasn’t the only thing—a large iron clasp was also locked around its neck, chaining it to the bottom of the sea.

It was trapped, just like she was.

As if sensing her gaze on its collar, it glanced at it with her, its magical sea-green eyes dimming.

Before she could react, Tristan was at her side. His powerful arms quickly encircled her waist, propelling them upward, clawing for life. She tried to help, kicking her feet as hard as she could.

They broke through to the surface, coughing as they gasped for air.

“Hold on to me,” Tristan said breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’ll swim us back to shore.”

“No, wait?—”

The sea monster’s tail whipped between them, forcing them apart, sending them back into the sea.

She somersaulted round and round, swirling in a disorienting cycle, her arms and legs flailing to regain control over her body. The sea beast bolted straight for Tristan, ready to strike. Tristan swam with all his might, but his speed was no match for the sea beast.

It swiped its claws at him, parting its jaw to swallow him whole.

No! she screamed—an internal cry.

To her utter shock, the creature listened, stopping as its head whipped to her.

Her lungs burned, screaming for air. There was no way she’d make it to the surface in time. No way to swim upward, even if she tried. She had no choice but to take in a big gulp of seawater.

She braced for the painful ordeal, but to her utter shock, her lungs didn’t miss a beat.

Somehow, in some miracle, her body filtered the water, drawing air from it. She put her hand on her throat.

She could breathe underwater.

The beast was still staring at her, waiting.

I’ll free you , she said in her mind. If you promise not to hurt us, I’ll free you.

The sea creature stared at her for so long that she was sure it hadn’t understood her at all.

But then it changed course, coming for her instead.

Tristan swam like a madman again, trying to stop the beast in its wake, but it was a waste of energy.

The beast was already upon her—so close, she could reach out and touch it with a single stroke.

Up close, she could see the shimmering details of each individual scale, ranging in a perfect blend of purple, blue, and green. Its entire body was lined with a sheer, shiny protective layer while its thin, nearly see-through fins had brilliant sapphire marks.

Doing her best to steady her shaky hands, she reached for the giant iron lock secured around its neck.

The sea beast growled in warning.

She quickly retracted her arms.

It merely blinked, waiting—daring her to be brave enough.

She summoned the courage to reach back up to the iron clasp. Her fingers struggled to unlock it, slipping over the slick metal. After a few feeble attempts, she managed to pull the clasp away, and with a muffled click, the large collar fell from its neck, sinking to the ocean floor.

The sea creature lifted its snout. Thank you, a beautiful female voice spoke into her mind, emitting a deep purr from its chest that sent vibrations throughout the water.

Tristan had finally made his way behind the beast, pulling his dagger out, ready to strike, but the sea beast was prepared, no longer soft and gentle as it curled its mouth, snarling at him.

With one whip of its tail, it knocked the blade out of his hands, sending it to the sea floor along with the clasp.

The beast’s attention returned to her, looking at her expectantly. It swiveled its large head, gesturing to its scaly back—it wanted her to climb on.

She hesitated before grasping one of the large, bone-like spikes along its spine and swung her leg over the base of the creature’s long neck.

Rose motioned for Tristan to do the same.

He shook his head, looking at her like she’d lost her mind—she could have sworn the sea beast rolled its eyes as it swam closer to him.

Rose reached out her hand, praying he’d be brave enough to take it. Tristan found the courage to reach back, gliding onto the beast behind her.

At breakneck speed, the sea creature surged upwards. Within seconds, it sprang out of the water. Its wings flung open wide, and with a few powerful flaps, it climbed into the sky, droplets slipping off its scales into the open air below.

Tristan’s arm slipped around her waist, securing her tightly to him.

She, however, was strangely at ease on the beast. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, giving her the confidence to loosen her hold on the spike, trusting the sea beast as it carried them higher and higher into the sky, far above the cliffs.

Any sane person would have been terrified, but she couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto her lips as water dripped from her chin.

She gazed at the broad horizon spread out before her.

From here, she could see all the way from the western sea to the northern mountains.

It was the first time she’d ever seen the vast mountain range in person.

Though distant and faint, it was unmistakable.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She could get used to flying.

The sea beast’s mouth curled upward, showing off its frightening teeth. It took her a moment to realize the beast wasn’t baring its teeth but showcasing a toothy grin, puffing its chest with pride as if pleased by her awe.

After their brief flight, the sea creature glided back to the cliffs. Rose peered down, spotting a small group of people waiting for them. The sea creature quickly descended, landing gracefully away from the crowd.