Siren Song (The Fated #1)

10 | Overboard

Kain was going to die; that was, if he couldn't come up with a way to avoid getting eaten within the next few seconds.

Reacting out of instinct alone, he unsheathed his sword and twisted to the side. The action sent him skidding into the gaping hole in the deck the nightmare had created. At that exact moment he gripped his sword with both hands and swung forward. It sliced through a tentacle and into the side of the ship, drawing a high-pitched scream from the creature.

The nightmare suddenly tore free. Blood and slime streamed down from the wounded appendage. Kain grimaced, but held tight to his blade as the liquid coated his arms and cap. His mind was racing, attempting to connect the creature's appearance, and cries, to a name. Then, it clicked.

It's an iku.

There were only a handful of iku in the world, and most people never encountered them. Thankfully, Artemios had ensured that Kain read up on all the nightmares of the sea. Their weakness...

The bow jerked up, straightening out the ship.

"Rhode, you alright?" he heard Melitta shout.

"Give me a moment, I'll be fine," the siren replied. "Just need to pull myself back up."

Despite the confidence in her tone, worry flitted through him. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to him that Rhode would've been in the most danger out of all of them. When the ship tipped, she'd been in the crow's nest. From the sound of it he could only assume that she'd managed to keep herself from being thrown into the ocean.

"Kain?" Melitta asked.

"I'm hanging in," he called back. "The nightmare?"

"Gone," she confirmed. "For now, at least."

Relieved, he turned his eyes to the storeroom beneath him. The crates weren't too far from his feet, and after a moment's consideration he swung so he could brace his feet against the wall. Then, he drew in a deep breath. This is going to hurt.

He jerked backwards. It took a minute, but he managed to pull his blade free, sending both him and the sword flying backwards. Pain laced his back as the impact stole the breath from his lungs. Still, he had his sword, the nightmare was gone, and he hadn't died... so it seemed to be a pretty optimal outcome in his opinion. He sheathed his weapon and sat up, debating simply jumping off of the crates.

A loud crack resounded through the air as an impact sent the ship rolling to the side. It nearly capsized, before straightening out once again. Kain was sent to the storeroom floor with a oomph then scrambled to his feet. All of this made something very clear--the iku hadn't disappeared, just changed strategies. How do you fight something hiding in the ocean?

Deciding that he was useless below deck, Kain darted for the hallway. The second he had his hands around the rungs of the closest ladder, another impact had him flying into the wall. His shoulder ached, but he forced himself to continue his trek topside. If this continued, they could forget keeping up with the kidnappers. The Airlea would be in pieces.

He managed to make it up the ladder before the iku threw itself into the ship again. His eyes searched for the others and relief flooded him as he spotted Rhode and Melitta clinging to the main mast. Dalphie was holding onto the doorway of Artemios' office. She must've found a way up when Kain was facing off with the iku.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a chance and made his way to the side of the ship the iku kept ramming into. He grabbed the railing with a death grip, shifting his head to peer over the side. Weakness... weakness... Fire!