Waterfire Saga, Book One: Deep Blue (A Waterfire Saga Novel) (26 page)

“I
WAS
SO
WRONG,”
Ling said.

She swam into the room. “All this time, I thought Abbadon was talking to itself,” she said. “Monster speaks, like, two hundred languages. And a lot of them are very old forms. That’s why it took me so long to see the pattern. I mean, ever try to make sense of ancient Abahatta?”

“What pattern, Ling? What are you saying?” Serafina asked, alarmed.

“I’m saying that Abbadon talks. But not to itself. It talks about
us
. Constantly. I didn’t understand at first. It kept changing languages so I couldn’t follow what it was saying, but now I can. Here, look…I wrote down a lot of its words.” She showed them a piece of parchment. It was covered with lines.

“Six children the witch sends to defeat Abbadon…Scared little children…stupid and weak…They will not find the talismans…They will die…Their realms will fall…and Abbadon will rise again….”
she read aloud. Then she looked at the others. “It hears
everything
spoken in these caves. It says our
names
. Where we’re from. Who our mage ancestors were. What our powers are. It talks about everything we’ve talked about for the past few days. About landmarks—the ones Vrăja gave us to lead us here. It talks about the Malacostraca. Because we talked about them and it heard us,” she said.

“Oh, no,” Becca whispered.

“Look, do you see this word here?
Kýrios
. And these?
Zhŭ
…
stăpân
…
dominus
. They all mean the same thing:
master
. It’s talking to Traho, or Kolfinn, or whoever wants to free it. It’s telling him
everything
,” Ling said.

“Which means he knows where we are,” Serafina said, fear squeezing her stomach.

“And how to get here,” Becca said.

“If the death riders find the entrance to these caves…” Neela said.

“You mean
when
they find it. If Abbadon told Traho about the landmarks—the Maiden’s Leap, the bones, the waters of the Malacostraca—then it’s only a matter of time.”

“You have to get out of here,” Magdelena said. “There’s a tunnel beneath our caves. It will take you several leagues south of here. Well away from Traho and his soldiers. Get your things and meet me in Vrăja’s study.” She left then, swimming rapidly after Tatiana.

Fury rose from deep in Serafina’s heart, like waterfire from the depths of the earth. It pushed out the fear. Traho was forcing them to flee again. He’d torn her away from her home, from the safety of the duca’s palazzo, and from Blu. Now he was tearing her apart from the other mermaids when they’d only just come together.

“She’s right,” Ling said. “We better not be here when Traho knocks on the door.”

“No. Forget it. I’m not leaving. Not like this,” Serafina said defiantly.

“But we can’t stay,” Becca said.

“We’ll go, but not yet. First, let’s really give Abbadon something to talk about.”

“Such as?”

“A bloodbind.”

“Whoa,” Ling said.
“Really?”

“Really.”

“It’s darksong, Sera,” Ava said. “It’s canta malus.”

“These are dark times,” Serafina replied.

Canta malus was said to have been a poisonous gift to the mer from Morsa, in mockery of Neria’s gifts. The invocation of some malus spells could get the caster imprisoned: the clepio spells, used for stealing; a habeo, which took control of another’s mind or body; the nocérus, used to cause harm; and the nex songspell, which was used to kill.

“Outlaws use bloodbinds,” Becca said. “So they can never turn against each other.”

“Traho has made outlaws of us,” Sera countered.

“A bloodbind is forever. You break it, you die,” Ava said.

“I know that,” Sera said. “I want to show Traho that we mean it. That we’re all in. Abbadon called us a lot of things. It’s right about one—we’re scared. But we’re not stupid, we’re not weak, we’re not children, and we won’t quit. I still don’t know how we’re going to do this. I don’t know how to use all my powers. I don’t even know how to stop Neela’s nosebleed. But I do know this: I will fight to the death with you, and for you. It’s time Abbadon and Traho and every single lowtide death rider knew that too.”

“I’m
so
in,” Ling said.

“Me too,” Becca and Neela said.

“And me,” Ava said. “When do we do it?”

“Now,” Serafina said.

“Where?” Becca asked.

“In the Incantarium. By the waterfire. To make sure Abbadon hears us. Loud and clear.”

“H
EY,
can I borrow that? Thanks!”

Ling got the halberd away from the guard with a magnitis spell before he even knew what had happened. As he was blinking at his empty hands, she swam into the Incantarium, ducked under the arms of a circling incanta, and stuck the weapon’s axlike blade through the waterfire. Serafina and the others followed her into the room. Baby swam behind them.

“Hey! Hey, blabbermouth! Wake up!” Ling yelled, poking the rippling image of the Carceron.

“Great Neria, what are you doing?” an incanta shouted. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

“It’s a strong possibility,” Ling said. She peered at the Carceron’s gates. There was only darkness behind them. “Hey! Are you listening, you sorry sack of silt?” she shouted. “Then listen to
this
! We’re doing a bind. A bloodbind. You hear that? I said, a BLOODBIND, monster man! Tell
that
to your boss!”

She backed away from the waterfire and waited. Serafina felt her heart slamming in her chest. At first there was only silence, but then they could hear a low growl. A few seconds later, something moved in the darkness. An arm shot out from between the bars, and then two more. They pushed through the ochi, through the water, and into the Incantarium. Hands opened like dark, sinister sea flowers; the eyes in the center of their palms stared.

“You watching, son? Keep watching. We’ll see who’s weak.”

Ling swam away from the waterfire and threw the halberd down. The others were waiting for her.

“There you are!” It was Magdalena, breathless. “I’m to lead you out of here and into the tunnel. Baba Vrăja’s orders. All of us are to go except the incanti. If we hurry, we can make the D
u
n
ă
rea
by nightfall.”

The mermaids ignored her. Serafina pulled her dagger from a pocket.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Magdalena said. “We’ve got to
go
!”

Serafina held the dagger in her right hand and turned her left palm up. Without flinching, she drew the blade across her flesh. Her blood spiraled through the water. As it did, she sang. Clearly. Loudly. With everything inside her.

Abbadon, your end has come.

This we vow, as chosen ones:

Drop by drop, our blood is binding,

Forever lives and fates entwining.

Abbadon growled menacingly. More hands appeared. Sera knew they could have struck at her easily. But they didn’t. Abbadon wanted to see what the merls were doing. So it could tell its master.
Good,
Serafina thought.

Neela took the dagger next, and sliced her own palm. Her blood rose in the water. As she covered Serafina’s hand with her own, she sang.

Our spell is strong, and soon our blood

Will turn the tide and stem the flood

Of Orfeo’s evil, dark and dread,

That wakes now from its icy bed.

Becca followed Neela. Abbadon shrieked. It shook the bars of the Carceron.

Together, we’ll find the magic pieces

Belonging to the six who ruled,

Hidden under treacherous waters

After light and darkness dueled.

Ava was next.

These talismans won’t be united

In anger, greed, or deadly rage,

But with boldness, trust, and courage

As we unlock destruction’s cage.

Ling was last. She winced as she gripped the dagger with her bad hand, then cut the palm of her good one. As her blood rose in the water, and she covered Ava’s hand, she sang the end of the bloodbind.

We’ve gathered here from sea and river,

With a purpose brave and true,

We vow to drive an ancient evil

From our home, the vast deep blue.

As the last notes of the songspell rose, the blood of all five mermaids spiraled together into a crimson helix and wrapped itself around their hands. Like the sea pulling the tide back to itself, their flesh summoned the blood’s return. It came, flowing back through the water, back through the wounds. The slashed edges of their palms closed and healed. A scar was left on each hand, a livid reminder that each carried the blood of the others now.

Sera felt that blood inside her. She heard it singing in her veins and thundering through her heart, making her stronger and braver than ever before. Neela, Ling, Becca, Ava—they were more than her friends now, they were her sisters, bloodbound forever.

It wasn’t over, this quest that Vrăja had given them; it had only just begun. Sera had no idea if any of them would survive the darkness and danger that lay ahead, but she knew they’d give everything they were, and everything they had—even their lives—to defeat the evil in the Southern Sea.

She could see their determination in Ling’s challenging gaze, in the defiant tilt of Ava’s head, in the way Becca held herself so straight and true, and in brilliance of Neela’s glow.

Ling left the group now and swam to the waterfire. Abbadon moved closer to the bars. “Did you get a good look, monster man? Did you see the blood bind?” she asked it. “Go. Call for your master. You have lots to tell him now.”

But Abbadon didn’t move.

Becca joined Ling. She sang a powerful f
l
ă
c
ări. The waterfire flared high and hot, surging through the bars of the Carceron. Abbadon roared. It flailed madly at the flames, then ran back into the prison’s depths. They heard its voice grow fainter and fainter, until they couldn’t hear it at all.

“You finished?” Magdalena asked. “Because you’ve
got
to get out of here. We’re running out of time.”

“They cannot. The tunnels are sealed now. The caves are empty. Everyone is gone except those of us in this room.” It was Vrăja. She had a satchel slung over her back and was bolting the doors to the Incantarium. “In the gods’ names, why are you still here? You were told to leave.”

“We cast a bloodbind. In front of Abbadon. We vowed we would find the talismans, unlock the Carceron, and kill it. The bind can only be broken by death,” Serafina said.

“Which may happen sooner than you think if you don’t go
now
,” Vrăja said.

“How? You just locked the doors!” Becca said.

Vrăja swam to the far end of the room. A tall object rested against one wall, draped in black cloth. Serafina hadn’t noticed it before. Vrăja yanked the cloth. It fell away to reveal a looking glass.

“I cast a
barica
dă
, a strong blocking spell. It’ll hold them off until you escape through the mirror.”

The obârşie had just finished speaking when a massive explosion came from above. Shock waves tore through the water.

“They’re here,” Vrăja said.

For the first time, Serafina saw fear in her eyes.

“But they were at the mouth of the Olt only minutes ago,” Becca said, casting a frightened glance at the door. “It takes longer than a few minutes to get to these caves.”

“I daresay this Traho knows how to cast a velo. Most military mermen know how to speed their troops. Into the mirror with you. Hurry.”

“Let’s go in together,” Neela said. “There’s strength in numbers.”

“No, you mustn’t travel together. We cannot afford for all five of you to be taken,” Vrăja said.

There was a pounding, sudden and loud. Traho was on the other side of the door.

Serafina knew it was iron, and impervious to magic. He was trying to batter it down.

“Take these,” Vrăja said. She dug in her satchel, pulled out vials of liquid, and handed them around. “It’s Moses potion, from the Moses sole in the Red Sea. Sharks hate it. Maybe death riders do, too. Here are some quartz pebbles charmed with transparensea spells. And some ink bombs. They are crude, but effective. They’ve gotten me out of more scrapes than I care to remember.”

Vrăja dug once more, pulled out a handful of dead beetles, and gave some to each mermaid. “I had hoped to teach you the secrets of mirror travel, but there’s no time. As soon as you’re in the silver, rattle these beetles. There are silverfish in the mirror—large, fast creatures who love to eat them. One will come to you. Tell it where you need to go and it will take you. Hopefully you’ll be out of Rorrim’s realm before he knows you were in. Neela, you first.”

“But Baba Vrăja, I’m not ready for this!” she said, pocketing her beetles.

The battering grew louder.

“Go, child!” Vrăja said.

“How will we contact each other?” Neela asked.

“A convoca. The mirror. A pelican, if you must.”

Sera threw her arms around Neela and hugged her good-bye. “Don’t be scared, Neels,” she said. “Nothing, and no one, is more invincible than you.”

Becca was next, then Ava with Baby, then Ling. Sera felt as if each was taking a piece of her heart with them. The iron door groaned under the pounding of Traho’s troops. She could hear their voices coming from the other side. A hinge came loose with a wrenching screech.

“It’s your turn, Sera. Go now,” Vrăja said. She held her close and kissed her. “I may not see you again. Not in this life.”

“No, Baba Vrăja, don’t say that,
please
.”

“Godspeed, child. The hopes of all the waters of the world lie with you now. Find the talismans. Kill the monster. Before the dream dies and the nightmare rises.”

Another hinge gave way. The door crashed into the room.

“Go!” Vrăja cried.

Serafina leapt into the mirror and the liquid silver closed around her. She looked back, with tears in her eyes, in time to see death riders flood into the Incantarium. In time to see Traho break the circle.

In time to see Vrăja pick up a rock and smash the mirror.