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The evidence of the witch’s magic confirmed my earlier suspicions; the sea witch had healed him with her power. That was how Faraall had survived the attack at the lagoon cave. But would she save him again? That was not going to happen if I had a say in it.
Leaving that creep behind, I lunged at her, scratching at her face like a ferocious lion.Poseidon. I didn’t know where the rage in me sprang from. Perhaps from being kidnapped and traded to pirates, being attacked in the lagoon cave, and almost burned to death. But I unleashed my anger with a torrent of fury like a vicious storm sent by the sea god himself.
Green blood spurted from several scratches I’d made upon the witch’s face. Her mouth twisted into a snarl. She hadn’t expected that of me, I’d bet. I could tell she was normally the one in control. Green magic shimmered on her fingertips. Her rage steamed the water around me, scalding me. Any moment now, she was going to turn me into dust to powder her filthy cavern floor.
I refused to go out so easily. I called upon my merpowers and whirled up a wind that tossed her away. She struck the wall and slid down it. The violence within me terrified me. Where had I kept this inner demon buried before all this?
I glanced at my mermen.
Two mersoldiers wrestled to control Gill. His muscles trembled as he struggled to get free of their grasp.
Nemo grabbed a soldier in a headlock and slammed his skull into the nearby wall. The mersoldier slumped to the sandy seafloor.
Fin was fighting attacks from two soldiers. He took a blow to the gut from the butt of a trident, but it didn’t slow him down. He wrenched the weapon free and drove it into the soldier’s stomach.
My chest ignited with the hope that maybe, just maybe, we might be able to win this battle.
Movement flashed in the corner of my eye. I swirled around to find the sea witch missing.
Damn it!
I scanned the murky waters, looking for her. Eyes blinked in the depths of her caverns. A shadow passed above me, and my head snapped upward.
The sea witch’s tentacle slid around my throat and squeezed.
I clawed at her limb.
“No,” Nemo screamed. He ran toward us, his dagger raised. A moment later, he slammed into her, burying his knife in her back.
The witch lifted her face toward the water’s surface and howled, the sickening noise scraping down my every nerve. The grip on my throat released, freeing me. Eyes narrowed, she twirled to face Nemo and aimed her finger at him. She threw out a bomb of magic that slammed him against the wall and held him there.
My evil, inner mermaid took control, and I raced to his defense. I yanked her hair back. My other hand found the wound in her back, and I jammed a finger in it. She screamed and spun to face me. One of her tentacles seized my neck and squeezed. Desperate for breath, I slashed her with my nails.
From behind her, Fin punched the witch, but her tentacles smashed him against the wall beside Nemo.
“No!” I shrieked, hating seeing my mermen injured.
Fire whisked through my blood like a tornado. I summoned my merpowers and unleashed another current that flung her across the cavern.
This time, she clapped to taunt me. Her eyes flashed green as she stalked toward me.
We couldn’t keep playing this game. I had to destroy her once and for all. Palm pressed against the seafloor, I poured out my sonic vibration, willing it deep into the bedrock. Soon, the cavern was shaking. Items tipped off the sea witch’s shelves. Her throne toppled over. Encouraged, I put even more power into it, my whole body shaking from the force I exerted. All this required too much energy, and fatigue clawed at me. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it up. Releasing my last blast, I loosened a torrent of rocks that cascaded upon the sea witch’s head. One large one crushed her tentacles, pinning her to the spot. Her scream boomed in my mind. More stones struck her and piled around her. She shielded her face an instant before one smashed her head. The wails in my mind fell silent.
Was she dead? I hoped so. For too many years, she had haunted my people. Luring them into deals and then stealing their souls to fuel her own dark powers.
I shuddered at my violent but necessary actions. Gill’s ruthless influence had rubbed off on me. But I’d done what I’d needed to do to save my father and my kingdom.
Now that the witch was taken care of, I had to redirect my efforts to my mermen. I powered forward into the fray. Someone’s trident lay on the sandy floor. I snatched it up and charged at a mersoldier. Using all my strength, I drove the weapon at him, piercing his tail to the floor. His shriek clattered in my head.
I snatched his weapon and threatened him with it. “Yield,” I roared.
His brow pressed down in a hard line. Surrendering was not in a soldier’s nature. To them, giving up was a fate worse than death. But I was handing him the choice—life or death.
“Yield or die,” I screamed, the rage in my voice startling me.
Fear flickered behind his gaze. He raised his palms in capitulation.
I gave him a nod and moved on to the soldier fighting Nemo. As I raised the end of the trident to hit the mersoldier in the shoulder blade, something wrapped around my neck and tightened. Pain radiated down my throat as I was crushed.
