Tides of Torment (Immortal Realms Book 2)

Low grinding hisses filled the air as the crabs converged beneath the castle’s cliffside in hopes of finding purchase or a way to the land. It wouldn’t take long for them to figure it out—the other crustaceans already had.

“Can you hold the castle?” Travion called out to Ruan.

“We have, and we will continue to. If they need you on the shore, go!”

Travion ran down the hill, toward the beach beneath the cliff. He barreled forward, sword in hand, as he lunged beneath a rearing crustacean and jabbed the length of the blade into the exposed underbelly. Before it crashed onto the sand, he rolled out of the way.

Dozens upon dozens of slain crabs littered the sand with their legs cut off, underbellies torn out. They were the same creations he and Sereia had battled in Saventi, each roughly the size of a cow, but their numbers were harder to determine. Four dozen? More? He didn’t want to take the time to count. Two rushed forward, and Travion called upon the earth. It shook in response.

As three more crabs raced toward him, the ground gave way in front of them, emptying into a deep, watery grave. Before they could hope to dig out or climb, a soldier ran up beside him, lifted his hand, summoned the sand, and covered the hole once again.

“Good work,” he yelled before running toward a small horde overtaking a group of soldiers. Lightning crackled across this sky, and this time, it had nothing to do with Ruan and everything to do with Travion, who sent the bolts directly into the crustaceans.

Booms rang out, echoing off the water, rolling onto the land. The ground shook with the shock of it, and Travion turned his gaze toward the cliff. More lightning sizzled, caging the beast between electrical currents. Movement from the water caught Travion’s attention, and he saw the harpoon connect with the kraken, sending it tumbling into the water below.

His heart hammered in his chest. Was Sereia all right? The beast was gone. But was she alive? Travion shook his head. Sereia was more than capable, that much he’d learned on this journey.

Travion searched for Kian amid the melee. Swords clashed with hard shells, and as he walked down the sandbank, a soldier crashed to her knees, preparing for a lethal blow from a crab.

He hurried forward, sword lashing out, deflecting the lowering claw. At the same time, another sword cut through one of its joints. Travion craned his neck only to see a grim-faced Kian.

“You’re safe now,” Kian murmured to the soldier, aiding the female to her feet. “Head up the bank. They seem to have slowed, but you can be of help with the wounded.”

“Where is your brother?” Travion slid the blade’s edge along his trousers, wiping off the collection of fluids and meat.

Kian wiped the sweat from his brow and jerked his head toward the sky. “There.”

Before the griffin could land, another shockwave shook the ground, and Travion fought to keep his balance. “By the sea! What is it now?” He searched the waters, hoping that it wasn’t the ships splintering into the sea. However, his worst fears came to fruition. Part of the fleet erupted with rounds of cannon blasts as what he could only assume were enormous sharks surfaced. Again.

Travion muttered a curse as the head of one breached, but it was small compared to the monstrous sharks they had battled.

He opened his mouth to speak but was promptly cut off.

Smoke billowed high from the island close to the shoreline, and large chunks of debris rained down, striking friend and foe alike. Travion sucked in a breath. “By the sea,” he whispered. He felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. “The book is near,” he ground out. “Whoever is holding it is orchestrating this madness. This is too much for someone to play out from afar.”

Ruan growled in frustration. “Send Kian’s metal griffins in as a distraction, then we can assault from all sides. The sea, air, and ground.”

“Sounds solid enough to me. But someone needs to get to that blasted island now! So send the griffins to the sky, and meet me there.” Travion turned away, jogging toward the dock.

“Uncle!” Kian sputtered.

“He’s been out at sea for too long,” Ruan dryly offered.

Is that what they thought of him? After all these years, that he’d lose his cognitive abilities after less than a month at sea? He shot a glare at them over his shoulder. “My mind is sound, you fools! We can’t let this continue until dark! If we lose that book, this will seem like child’s play!” Because he’d seen what it could do to a living being: it could twist and contort them until they were an abomination. It could stop a beating heart with one word. Travion swallowed roughly. “To rush in would be certain death. If the pages can create those monsters, what else do you think it’s capable of?”

His nephews hadn’t the slightest clue, because they’d never held the book in their hands or uttered spells from it. They didn’t know the horror that book could create. This was only a fraction of it.

Travion’s feet touched the wooden planks of the dock, and he bolted down the row to the very end. The island was far enough that swimming wasn’t a possibility, but did he really want to call on Velox amid this madness?

Sea water bubbled like a stew in a cauldron, swirling and rising, and from the foam, nightmares, far worse than any creature he’d seen in Andhera, flowed. Twisted versions of crabs spilled from the water, floated on the waves, and drew dangerously close to the beach. Instead of claws at the end of their arms, they boasted long, gnarled tusks.

Still, the naval fleet waged war on more damn sharks, and Sereia, by the sea, from what he could discern was alive and well.

Travion turned around, his eyes widening as his nephews halted before him. “Get your griffins! Ready them for another att—” He plunged into the water as the dock gave out, and before he was shoved beneath the surface, he heard his nephews shout something.

The cold current tore at his body, tossing him downward, then back up. His eyes adjusted to the murky blue water, and he spotted a mass racing toward him. Not wanting to waste more time, he kicked hard. The creature was meant for the sea, and he couldn’t cut through the water or crawl on the seafloor as it could.

Travion surfaced, gasping for breath.

“Grab ahold!” It was Ruan who called to him, swooping down along the surface. His griffin lowered until its claws skimmed the waves, and when it drew closer, it wasn’t Travion who held on, it was the winged beast.

Talons gripped onto Travion’s shoulders, lifting him out of harm’s way, and quickly deposited him onto the sandy beach. He coughed a mouthful of water up, gathering his wits quickly, for a moment later, the same abomination launched from the sea and at him.

A roar erupted from Travion as one of the crab’s tusks grazed his bicep, tearing it open. He rolled out of the way, searching for a weapon he no longer had. A winged shadow moved across the sand, and Travion pushed himself up, running.

“By the sea, when will they stop!” Travion growled, his anger mounting as the sound of legs scuttling across the sand intensified. He was going to be impaled, but he wouldn’t do it with his back to his foe.

Travion turned around and dropped to his knees, half hoping his attacker would rush past him, but as he reached deep within himself, calling on the electric currents in the sky, a metallic screech filled the air. He chanced a glance just in time to see one of the metal griffins collide with the creature. Claws scraped along the hardened hide of Kian’s creation but didn’t harm it. The crab protested angrily as it uselessly clawed at the metal griffin, but it died off as the beak tore into the hard shell and yanked the meat out.

When it was dead, Travion approached the metal griffin, smoothing his hand down its back. Kian’s craft never ceased to amaze him, what he could bring to life with fire and iron. For a moment, he thought the creature would deny him as a rider, but when he drew nearer, the gilded creation let loose a soft clicking purr.

“Easy,” he murmured softly. “I hope to the depths you have enough sense to know I’m not a foe . . .”

The griffin’s ears swiveled, but it kept an eye on Travion, watching and waiting. When Travion was certain the beast wouldn’t tear into him, he hopped onto its back, and it leaped into the sky. “By the sea!” His hands slid up the griffin’s neck, hoping to find a piece of jutting metal somewhere. Travion’s heart hammered so loudly in his ears that he wasn’t certain if he was hearing Ruan or not.

“Not how I would’ve done it, but well done,” Ruan’s gravelly voice rose over the sound of crashing waves and the battle below. “Do you want us to scout or stay behind?”

“Follow closely, but first I need to speak with Sereia.” Selfishly, he needed to see if she was truly well.

Ruan nodded. “Of course.”

Once Travion gained balance on his mount, he urged it downward, and it swooped toward The Saorsa.

Sereia lifted her blood-soaked sword toward the sails, then pointed it down at the fallen beast on the deck.

The griffin lighted on the ship’s deck, then took off toward another abomination, plowing through its skeletal structure.

She was halfway to him when Travion realized something was wrong. Tears streaked her sun-kissed face, but hatred hardened her expression. “It killed him,” she ground out. “It killed Adrik, and there was nothing I could do but watch.”

His shoulders sagged, and he closed the distance between them, embracing her for a moment too short, in his opinion. “You will have your revenge tenfold. I swear it to you.” He cupped her face, kissing her forehead before withdrawing. Guilt gnawed at him. Travion didn’t want to ask her for anything else, but they needed to get to the island . . .

“Don’t start handling me with kid gloves now, Travion,” she spat, the words less aimed at him and more at the circumstance. “I will kill as many as I need to. Including that female!”

A female? His brow furrowed, but he nodded and turned to assess the threat before them. From here, he couldn’t make out many details, only that a sleek figure held the book. “Hold as many beasts back as you can . . . I’m taking Velox to the island’s shore.” Sereia opened her mouth to argue, but he continued. “I need you here because I trust your abilities. You’ll know when to join us.”

Sereia pulled away, scowling at the island. “Come back to me,” was all she said before walking away.

He’d do his damnedest to do just that.

Travion motioned for Ruan to come down, and when he did, he called to him. “How do you feel about using your lightning for a diversion? Kian’s griffins can assault the book wielder, as we decided before.”

“Sounds like another day of play to me.” Ruan grinned darkly. His pearly whites flashed against his tan skin.

“Stick to the skies!” Travion closed his eyes, allowing the hum of the sea to fill him. He reached out, searching for the tie between him and Velox. The warmth of the bond wound around him, and a moment later, the whistling call of the hippocampus echoed off the ship.

Travion leaped from the side of the ship into the turbulent water, and his faithful sea steed was there to greet him. He twined his fingers in the seaweed-like mane, and off they went.

Velox dipped below the surface, streamlining himself as much as he could. When Travion’s lungs burned, he surfaced again, but by that time, they’d already made it far enough around the backside of the island that the female couldn’t see him. Just as he caught his breath, Velox dipped beneath the water again, taking Travion by surprise.

He pulled on the hippocampus’ frills to no response. Travion glanced over his shoulder, and all he saw were white jagged teeth and the throat of the shark.

Bubbles of air left him as he pressed himself closer to Velox’s neck, who swam through the water at breakneck speed.

As close to the shore as you can get.

But the shark bobbed in the water, cutting Velox off. It moved fast, too fast for a beast that size, and Velox couldn’t surface without losing momentum.

The hippocampus dove deep, then dodged to the side, nearly tossing Travion off in the process. As Travion’s eyes focused, another shark swam toward them—they were being hunted.

By the sea!

He leaned against his mount’s neck, searching for the strands of the nearby orcas. When he found them, he mentally plucked them. If he were fortunate enough, they’d find him in time. But as it was, Travion’s chest burned with the need for air.

A familiar click-squeal echoed in the water, then a flash of black and white as the orcas rammed into the sharks.

Travion urged Velox forward as the whales distracted the beasts, and the hippocampus gladly obeyed. He surfaced, gasping greedily for breath. His mount swam so close to the shore that his fins brushed the sand, but the massive sharks couldn’t draw closer without beaching themselves. Still, their jaws snapped in fury.

Travion slid from his mount and rubbed the creature’s slippery cheek. Be safe, Velox. Travion dipped his head forward, pressing his forehead against Velox’s. Swim fast and far from here. Then, the hippocampus dipped below the turbulent water, and all Travion could do was hope he’d survive.

He trudged his way through the water and onto the wet beach, collapsing. He had to keep going, had to push himself on. The book wielder—a female—was on the island. He drew in another breath.

Ruan and Kian flew above, waiting for the signal.

Travion crept along the beach and swallowed the tickling at the back of his throat. Volcanic ash fell from the sky, blanketing the ground and covering his form. The air was stifling, but he pushed through, ignoring the ache in his lungs.

He wove through the scrub pines and trees. The branches sliced across his skin. Blood welled to the surface, coating his arms in the crimson liquid. He angrily swiped it away, flinging his blood to the ground.

A deer rushed out, and he stumbled, righting himself at the last minute. ‘By the sea!’ he bit out. Sweat coated his skin, mixing in with the soot. His heart hammered in his chest, and every muscle threatened to give out, but anger helped him push on.

Travion ventured farther through the woods and eventually came upon the female. She stood with her back to him, facing Midniva’s shoreline. She held the book in her grasp and moved her hand about, as if conducting an orchestra. He stopped in his tracks, assessing the female’s figure. Long, light brown hair tumbled freely down her back, and she wore a navy dress befitting that of a Lucemite. Gauzy fabric cascaded down her curves, and he realized this was no Midnivian citizen.

He crept down into the open, still shielded from the wielder of the book by the line of trees, but in view of the sky, so his nephews could spot him. He waved his hands, and Ruan and Kian caught the signal.

They rode forward as the sky blackened, and an electric current filled the surrounding area.

Once they began, Travion darted into the trees again, moving in closer behind the female. A squadron of griffins flew down, disappearing beneath the tree line. With the chaos ensuing, all he had to do was wait for her to loosen her grip on the book . . .

Lightning struck in a purple flash, hitting not far from where she stood. The female spun around, seemingly losing her confidence as she closed the book and headed directly toward him.

Her face, which had been concealed before, was now visible, and Travion’s galloping heart deafened him.

His eyes widened in shock.

He wanted to scream.

Phaedora? The book wielder was Phaedora?

Long ago, Zryan had been betrothed to her. An arrangement their father had forced on him, so he’d heard, but Travion had seen her snake her way into the palace. Attempting to stake her claim on his brother even though he’d called it off the moment Ludari was dead. By then, Zryan had set his eyes on Alessia, and there was no chance for Phaedora.

Travion stepped out from behind the cover of trees and growled. “Phaedora!”

Phaedora smirked, seemingly unsurprised that he’d arrived, and she pinned him with her hazel eyes. “It’s been a long time, Travion.”

Before she could dart away, he launched forward and grabbed the book. However, he’d underestimated her strength, and she pulled back. Despite the magic that wove the book together, the binding was still ancient, and as Travion yanked it harder, the book tore in half.

A shockwave threw him back, and he groaned as he landed on the rocky soil. The island itself seemed to groan, and a wall of water rose up, then fell, coating the shore in its salty liquid.

She scowled at him from the ground, clutching the book like a lifeline. “This was a meeting that was never meant to happen. Naya, Taimon . . . They were rather easy to convince that this was the best way for everyone. When I heard you were alive, their failure disappointed me.”

She was mad. Truly mad. The centuries hadn’t been kind to her.

“I’m not so easy to kill, Phaedora.”

“So it seems, but we’ll change that.” She glanced down at the torn half of the book and frowned, prompting him to do the same.

On the faded painted pages, scripted in gold, the title winked at him in the fading light.

Interitus.

Destruction.

Travion possessed the destructive portion of the book, and he knew exactly how he wanted to use it.

He grinned wickedly at her.