Page 47 of Of Magic and Rum
“What?” Jack asks, rage coating the word.
“It won’t be able to penetrate its skin. We’ll waste ammunition.”
A wave crashes over the ship, drenching Jack, Duke, and me. My nymph form slowly appears, reacting to the wetness, but Jack isn’t enthralled by it this time.
“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?” Duke barks, circling his mouth with a hand to remove water.
Jack stomps his boot three times, an unspoken order to the men downstairs to stand down on the cannons.
I’m already freeing the belt and cutlass from my hips and heading for the ship’s side when I reply, “Let me fend it off. Catch the wind andgetout of here.” Standing on the railing in only my linen shirt, I hold onto the rigging and stare at the water.
It’s the least I can do, considering I’ve led this thing straight to them.
“Like hell you’re doing this by yourself.” Jack removes his belt and sash, yanking a rope with a grappling hook on one end and winding it around his shoulder.
A tightness seizes my chest, and the fear of losing him soon consumes me—devastatesme. “Jack, are you insane?”
Jack kisses the tip of my nose and smiles. “Why do you think I’m so good at my job?”
Before I can protest further, he dives into the water with perfect form. My knuckles turn white from gripping the railing. I watch, waiting for him to surface before I jump into the depths. The Charybdis’ mouth protrudes from the water, hundreds of overlapping spiky teeth in a circle surrounded by thick, scaly skin and its throat sucking in water and anything else unfortunate enough to be in its path. And latched onto one of its dozen broad tentacles—is Jack. He sputters water once breaching the surface, tossing his hair behind him in a mist of sea spray. His feet press against the monster’s body, the hook lodged in its flesh keeping him secured.
Ragnar runs to the railing right as I’m readying to jump in, his pistol raised. I grab his forearm and shake my head. “Don’t bother. It’ll only feel like a tickle to that thing, and you might hit Jack.”
Ragnar clenches his jaw, winces, and lowers the weapon. “Pokker. Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Keep the ship moving and the crew from panicking. We need our wits about us.” After squeezing Ragnar’s arm, I launch into the water, morphing my legs into my tail before hitting it.
Underwater is a flurry of bubbles, and my heart races, being this close to the monster who’s haunted my life and dreams for as long as I can remember. The Charybdis is so massive its bottom half disappears into the darkness below. Three giant tentacles with barbs on the ends shoot from its mouth, aimed at Jack, still riding its back. I throw my hands forward, sending an immense pulse through the water and catapulting it into the creature’s side. It dives, taking Jack along with it. Jack crouches, still keeping his arm wrapped with the rope.
Flicking my tail, I’m a harpoon with my sights set on one of the Charybdis’ barbed tentacles. Materializing my Atlanteansword, I hold the hilt in one hand, using my other arm to plunge through the water like liquid lightning. The monster makes a sharp turn, hurling Jack off its back. The grappling hook tears into the creature’s flesh, carving out a chunk that floats away. The Charybdis’ focus now lies on Jack, and it bares its teeth, sucking the water through its lungs and creating a whirlpool that pulls Jack towards it.
No.
Gritting my teeth, I push my fins faster, straining through the effort. Lifting the blade, I swing it down on one tentacle, cutting it in half, sending crimson tendrils through the surrounding waters. The monster screeches and halts, spinning to face me, the remaining barbed tentacles in its mouth splaying and vibrating. Its black tail rises from the depths and plunges into my side before I can maneuver away. My back slams against the ship’s side, the wind knocking from my lungs. The Charybdis darts a barb at my midsection, and I push off the boat to twirl away, but it still manages to flick my stomach, cutting it. I wince and hiss but push through the pain. It’s only temporary and will heal before night’s end.
Jack is yelling and on top of the creature again, beating his fists against it, luring its attention away from me. His lungs must be burning for air by now, and if the brave idiot doesn’t surface for air soon, he’ll pass out. Swimming to the creature’s opposite side, I dodge the slashes of its tentacles and dart from the snapping pointy teeth. When I reach Jack, his cheeks are puffed, and he stares at me wide-eyed. I grab his shirt and pull him toward me, clamping my mouth over his to give him enough air to get back on deck. After pulling away, I push his chest and send a blast of energy through the water that’ll forcibly move him to the ladder. And I can only pray he’ll be smart enough touseit—to get to safety.
Turning to face the Charybdis, I know there’s no way I can defeat it, especially not alone. Only one being in the cosmos stands a chance against it—my father. But he isn’t here, and it’s only me. I can’t kill it, but I sure as the Seven Seas can send a message that I won’t be easy to destroy.
With my hands poised at my sides, I dig into ancient power I’ve rarely summoned. It’s like recalling muscle memory, and the power isn’t full force, but maybe it’s just enough to scare the terrorizing monster. As the magic courses through my veins, my scales glow brighter, shimmering until my eyes blast open, and I hurl the power from my chest, using my arms as weapons, throttling the energy at the Charybdis. It sends the creature flipping, toppling, and spinning into the abyss below. The monster roars as it plunges into darkness, and soon, silence blesses the sea.
I float motionless for what seems an eternity, my chest heaving, waiting and praying the monster doesn’t return. Not so soon. I can only hope the blast is enough to make the creature take time to regroup before it attempts to attack us again. And when there are no signs of it returning, for tonight at least, I lazily swim to the ladder, dreading what will undoubtedly wait for me on board.
I’ve returned to the ship with human legs, while the rest of me remains in nymph from being soaked to the bone. The linen shirt clings to my skin, and my finned ears flick water from them when I scan the shocked faces of the crew.
“It’s not supposed to surface,” I whisper as if they can hear me.
Jack, his hair and clothes still wet, storms to me, glaring daggers into my gut. “You knew about this damn thing, didn’t you?” His words are loud and cut me to the core. The moment we shared last night was a striking contrast to the venom seething in his gaze now.
Opening my mouth to answer him produces nothing but a gurgle in the back of my throat. Water beads on my eyelashes blur my vision. Or is it tears?
Jack scrapes a hand over his beard, his nostrils flaring, and he paces before pointing at his cabin. “My quarters.Now.”
I flick the ridges and grooves over my knuckles as I fold my hands in front of me and make the walk of shame to the captain’s quarters. My ears droop at the sight of Red frowning at me. From the back of the ship, Mary frowns, too, but her expression is far more sympathetic.
Keeping my head held low, I step into Jack’s cabin, wincing when Truffles’ claws scratch against the wooden floor and he retreats to his hiding spot in a darkened corner. Sucking in a quick breath, mustering my courage, I turn on my heel. “Jack, let me?—”
My words are cut short by the door slamming with such force it rattles the frame. Jack holds up a finger between us and invades my space, towering over me like a Titan. “I’m going to speak my theories, and I need you to tell me ifanyare wrong. Understand?”
