Ikelos (The Ephemeral: Book 2)

Chapter 12

I was weightless, helpless, and out of oxygen. 

Trapped in a swirling pocket of river water, I could hardly make out my peers in the blurry glow of the tunnel. I thrashed against the spirit's hold on me, but the creature had engulfed my entire body, attempting to drown me inside its own liquid flesh.

Something solid grabbed hold of me then, and before I knew what was happening, I was flying out of the watery cage, stumbling into Harmon's sturdy arms. Spitting and choking and trembling from the cold.

He stared at me—emoting more fear and rage than I'd ever seen on his face—and shoved me backward into Mason. "Go on, clear a path for us!" he ordered, turning to face the corrupted spirit now reshaping itself into a six-foot human figure. "I'll hold it off."

I gasped, too stupefied to respond, too dizzy to think. But Mason was already dragging me down the tunnel and away from the duo.

"Wait!" I cried, coughing up more water and slapping Mason's arm until he released me with an exasperated curse.

I raced back to Harmon, tripping over my feet, and the man's livid gaze snapped to mine, halting me in my tracks. "What did I just say?"

"I'm not—" I gulped in air. "I'm not leaving you to fight alone."

"You're not leaving anyone. I'm buying you time." His eyes grew stern. "Stop wasting it and get to the bridge. I'll meet you there."

His words promised a reunion, but his tone said otherwise.

The spirit absorbed the water around us, draining the bath beneath our boots to meager puddles and using it to mend its wounds. Then it marched forward in giant, harrowing steps—a monster birthed from the river.

I reached for Harmon, but he shoved me away again. "Go on!" he yelled, vanadium blade in one hand and torch in the other. "This mission is pointless if you die."

I stared at him, denying his sacrifice. "Same goes for you! Will needs you. You're his family."

"I've sworn an oath to protect that boy, and this is how I do it."  He looked at me, pained but determined.  "You're his family now.  His life is in your hands, Kingsley."

"Harmon, please," I begged, but he'd already charged the horrifying behemoth.

Devastated, I tore my gaze from the bullheaded guard and ran for the exit, blocking out the sound of Harmon's frustrated grunts and the plash of moving water. It was my father's final moments all over again. My mother's last goodbye. Tom's last rescue.

A plague of blood and sacrifice. Over and over again.

I found Mason at the end of the corridor, cursing at the solid door. My eyes darted to the panel on the wall, and I smashed my palm over the rusted yellow button, but nothing happened.

"You don't think I tried that?" Mason snapped. "It's broken."

I glanced over my shoulder for signs of the river demon, but the torch still glowed a vicious red around the bend in the tunnel. It seemed Harmon was still alive, giving his all to a fight he could never win.

Mason slammed his fist against the door.  "There's no give. We're trapped!"

No...

No, I wasn't going to die here like this, in a pipe beneath the earth.  In the gutters of my nightmare. I couldn't.

Maybe we could turn back. Maybe we could escape this water spirit and retreat back up the cliff unseen, unheard. But we'd come so far, covered too much ground. The only way out was forward.