Fire Heart (The Titans: Book One) (46 page)

“'Tis an excellent idea,” Feothon said, and Clare had the niggling suspicion that she had been baited into such a course of action. “But you must go quickly—we've little time.”

“I wish I could see where the brigands be,” Borbos growled. “I know Serah's frustration now. This be maddening.”

“My most sincere apologies, brother,” Feothon said. “But I think we can win this regardless. We just need a little more luck than normal.” He smiled and patted Borbos gently on the shoulder. “We shall strike out with all of our forces and make it seem as though we are making one last, desperate gambit to escape. Hopefully they will assume that we have hidden Will, so they will expect not to see him. Once we have drawn their attention, you will strike out for the Sea Spirit.”

“And, Void willing, you will be back in time to save our hides,” Leyra growled, but her grim words were accompanied by a wicked smile. “I have been craving a fight like this for years. Let us get on with
it.”

“Excuse me,” Will said then, and he held up his hand like an inquisitive child. “I don't mean to sound dense, but how exactly are Clare and myself supposed to get down to the bottom of the ocean?” He gestured to Borbos. “I mean, I assume you can breathe underwater, being the god of the seas and all. But what about us?”

“A valid question,” Borbos answered, inclining his head. “Allow me to show you.” He walked over to the edge of the Leviathan's shell and knelt down, submerging his arm up to the elbow in the gently shifting sea. There was a deep, heavy thud that Clare felt more than heard, and a shockwave rippled out from around Borbos' arm. Then the water began to bubble and churn, swirling and creating a miniature maelstrom that dissipated a moment later. Borbos stood back up and withdrew his arm—which was completely dry—from the sea.

“And now,” said the Titan, “we wait.”

It did not take long. Soon the Leviathan uttered another deep groan, and the water around it began to boil and writhe as something rose from the depths. Those soldiers closest to the edge of the Leviathan's shell began to move slowly backward, and some—the former Ravens—reached none-too-subtly for their weapons. Clare, however, moved forward, interested.

The first one to break through the water's surface was a woman. She was voluptuously thin and enchantingly beautiful, and completely naked. Her long, silvery hair was all that stood between her ample bosom and the rest of the world, and she seemed to know it; she smiled at the soldiers around her, and when she caught one staring she winked, a second pair of eyelids sliding closed beneath the first, horizontally rather than vertically.

And on the side of her neck, just beneath her jawline, were four slits in her pale skin.
Gills,
Clare realized, and with that thought came another.

Mermaid.

She almost laughed out loud at the sight of a childhood faerie story in the flesh. And then, when the mermaid's scaly, fish-like tail rose from the water and slapped back down with a splash, she
did
laugh from sheer delight. The mermaid looked at her and winked again, her watery, sea-green eyes flashing in the sunlight.

More began to rise up from beneath the waves, all very much the same as the first. But there were men among them, too—muscular brutes with long, flowing beards, piggy noses, and little beady eyes.
No wonder the stories always tell of the mermaids luring human men to the depths to be their lovers,
Clare thought.
Their own men are hideous.

“The gift of the merfolk,” Borbos said, gesturing expansively at the creatures, and Clare followed his indication. She saw nothing. “Will, you'll be going first, please.”

Will looked around in confusion and took a step forward. “Er...what do I—?”

Borbos put his hand on Will's shoulder and led him to the edge of the Leviathan's shell. The merfolk watched patiently. “Sit,” Borbos said, indicating the edge, and Will did so, his legs dangling over the side and into the water. A mermaid swam toward him, her body tracing a tiny wake in the gently churning sea. She smiled up at him coquettishly, and Clare felt a bolt of jealousy shoot through her. She mentally slapped it down, though, reasoning that at this point she had no right to be jealous.

That thought left her in the next instant.

“Are you going to take me down or something?” Will asked. “Because honestly, I've got to tell you, I'm not a very good swi—”

With a powerful flick of her tail the mermaid shot gracefully out of the water and landed in Will's lap, her scaled end resting like a pair of legs across his thighs. “Hey!” Will spluttered. The mermaid traced her hands up his arms and clasped them behind his neck, and though she remained mute her smile spoke volumes about her intentions.

Clare felt a white-hot river of rage surge through her and she took a step forward before catching herself. The mermaid, however, had seen her reaction, and gave Clare a wicked grin as she leaned in and
touched her lips to Will's. The effect was instantaneous—Will's body went as limp as a dead fish, every muscle slackening as the mermaid brought her hands up behind his head and twined her webbed fingers in his hair. Her mouth opened against his and she leaned in for a deeper kiss, all the while holding Clare's gaze.

Clare, for her part, was rendered speechless; she could only stare dumbly as the mermaid's tongue slid into Will's mouth, could only watch with mute rage as the sea woman drew herself closer to him, her breasts pressing tightly against his armored chest and her fingers caressing him like a long-lost lover.

“That be enough,” Borbos said quietly, breaking the spell, and the mermaid slid immediately from Will's lap and back beneath the waves. Before she disappeared she winked at Clare with her strange, alien eyes, and then she was gone. Clare continued to gape.

“Right...my most humble apologies for that, Will,” Borbos chuckled nervously, and he darted a look in Clare's direction. “I'd no idea she'd be so...ah...keen to do that.”

But Will continued to sit mutely on the edge of the Leviathan, his body limp and his legs dangling in the water. His mouth hung open slightly, and he gazed out into the distance, oblivious to everything around him. Borbos peered closely at him and then, with another nervous laugh, swatted Will on the back of the head.

“What?” he mumbled drunkenly, as though waking from a deep sleep. “What'd I miss?” He looked around sluggishly, his eyes distant, and then blinked slowly to clear his vision.

“Right, anyway,” Borbos said, “my apologies. And about this as well. But I promise, it'll help clear your head.” And then he planted the sole of his boot in the small of Will's back and pushed him unceremoniously over the edge with a splash. A collective gasp emanated from the Dragon Guard, who moved forward as one before halting as the Lord of the Sea held up his hand.

“Void take you!” Clare cried. “What did you do that for?” She darted forward to catch Will—but too late. He sank beneath the waves, leaving behind a stream of bubbles that popped and burbled cheerfully on the water's surface. Clare fell to her knees and plunged her good hand into the water, reaching down and soaking her arm up to the shoulder, but to no avail. Will was gone.

And then, to her complete surprise, the water exploded in front of her and a second mermaid seized
her
in a lover's embrace. She had a fleeting
few ticks
to be grateful that it was not one of the hideous mermen, and then she felt soft, cold, wet lips crush against her own. Her eyes widened in shock and she tried impulsively to pull away, but the mermaid's arms hung tightly around her neck.

And then she felt...

Different.

Her mind filled with a strange blue haze, as though she were swimming through fog, and the only constant thing in her world was the strange creature clinging to her like a drowning woman.

“Breathe,”
said a voice in her mind, and she did. She felt something pass across her lips and into her mouth, and then slither down her throat and into her lungs. Her first impulse was to cough and choke—but she didn't. Somehow, the strange liquid felt...natural.

“Breathe.”

She did once more. It was the oddest sensation she had ever experienced—something akin to continually swallowing a steady stream of bubbles that found their way into her lungs. It tickled.

She noticed distantly that the mermaid was still kissing her, but strangely, she had lost the will to care. She thought about Will and his mermaid, and realized that he must have gone through the same experience.

And then the mermaid was gone, her pale body sliding back beneath the waves and disappearing from sight, and the other merfolk followed. Clare simply remained in her kneeling position, dazed and still feeling the heady after-effects of the kiss. It was as though she had drunk far more than her fair share of wine; the world swam before her, and she felt each of the Leviathan's minuscule movements beneath her as though she were a part of the gargantuan creature.

“Lord Borbos,” she heard somebody behind her growl, “after much internal debate I have decided
that Clare and the Dragon King will require extra protection. I volunteer myself for this dangerous task.”

“Very good,” Borbos answered. “But all the mermaids be gone, lad. You'll have to kiss one of the mermen.”

A roar of laughter erupted behind her, and then she felt someone lean very close to her ear. “Off you go, lass,” Borbos whispered. “I'll be catching up with you in a moment.” And then she felt gentle hands push her over the edge, and the dark water rose up to meet her.

~

“Was that absolutely necessary?” Feothon asked. He arched an eyebrow and Borbos grinned sheepishly.

“The mermaids, Brother, they do what they want.” Borbos took his tricorn hat off and handed it to Caleeta. “Honestly, I'd no idea the one would be so...erm...flirtatious.”

Feothon glared at him and did not respond.

“Did you not remember what happened with Davin?” Serah asked, walking up and folding her arms across her chest. “Did you not remember what Talyn did to
that
mermaid?”

“An unjust punishment,” Borbos declared, looking disdainfully down his nose at her. “It be in their nature to love handsome men. They cannot change themselves, no more than you or I can.”

“You need to go,
handsome man
,” Leyra said, her tone dripping with venom. “Your charges are waiting, and I would not put it past your merfolk to simply let them sink for awhile. They are such
playful
little creatures.” Her grip tightened on the ornate haft of her axe, and the wood creaked in protest beneath her skin.

“You're all a bunch of peacock dandies,” Borbos groused. “No sense of fun. Void take you all.” And then he caught Caleeta in an embrace and kissed her, long and deep. “Hold onto that hat for me, love,” he said after breaking away. “I'll be coming back for it.”

And he turned on his heel and dove into the sea with a splash. A moment later the water returned to its gentle, undisturbed state. He did not resurface.

“I swear,” Feothon growled, “that he will be the death of me.”

“No, he will not,” Leyra said softly, and when Feothon shot her a look she only smiled and walked away.

“We had best be on our way,” Serah said. “Shall we make for the shore?”

“Yes,” Feothon murmured, taking stock of their situation. “If you would be so kind, I would be most appreciative if you could make sure that the City has been evacuated completely.”

She nodded once and then leaped into the air. A blast of wind carried her impossibly far across the waves before setting her gently down on the sun-bleached tower of coral a league away. Feothon looked around for Jhai and Zizo but, naturally, they were nowhere to be seen.
Someday before I die,
he thought,
I will see them leave. Or arrive. Whichever comes first.
He looked back at the City and could not help but grin; during the short span of his glance, two tiny black dots had materialized to either side of Serah.
Someday.
The trio disappeared a moment later, and Feothon turned back to the soldiers crowding around him.

He found the sailor who had spoken to Borbos earlier and took the man aside. “How many strong is your fleet?” he asked quietly.

“Two hundred and ninety-seven,” the man replied. “And each is fully crewed and ready for war, milord.”

Feothon nodded. “Good, good. I need you to give the signal for a retreat to the coast. Hopefully we can lure the traitors away long enough for Borbos to free the Sea Spirit.”

“Aye, milord,” the man answered, and then he ran off and climbed back aboard his vessel. Feothon heard him shout a command, and a moment later a great green flag rose to the tip of the topmast. Soon each ship had a similar flag flapping in the wind, and like a school of fish the fleet turned as one and
began to make for shore. Feothon knelt and placed his hands gently on the Leviathan's back and closed his eyes. A moment later the beast groaned and turned in the water, swimming in the same direction as the fleet.

Feothon felt the wind pick up and he opened his eyes just in time to see Serah land with a soft thud before him. Jhai and Zizo walked into his field of vision from behind, and he smiled and shook his head with a chuckle.
Someday.