Dawnbreaker (11 page)

“This isn’t about my ego, you ass,” I snapped. “It’s about her getting killed in the first five minutes of being here. It is a war zone, and she’s not equipped to handle something like this. I don’t want to worry about watching over her when I’ve got bigger problems to worry about.”

“What’s happened?” Danaus demanded, ready to put aside our argument and jump back into the business of surviving.

“Tristan and some others were attacked late last night by some naturi and lycanthropes. Two were killed and Amanda was taken hostage. She’s still alive and being held on an island out in the marshes,” I explained, then paused, looking away from him. I couldn’t look at him when I continued. “I have to go get her.”

“Mira,” Danaus murmured, but when he spoke again, his voice was hard and firm. “You can’t do this. It’s a trap.”

“I know it’s a trap!” I exploded, more frustrated with the situation than I was with the hunter. “Do you honestly think that I don’t? Of course it’s a trap, but I can’t leave Amanda to them. She belongs to me. She is a member of my family and I have sworn to protect her. I have to go after her.”

“And if you die, we’re all damned. We won’t be able to reseal the doorway between the two worlds. The naturi will escape and they will kill us all.”

“I have no choice,” I whispered.

Danaus gripped my shoulders with both hands and gave me a little shake, forcing my eyes back up to his face. “You have a choice. You can choose to walk away from this. You have to choose between saving one nightwalker and saving all nightwalkers.”

“This is more than saving just one nightwalker,” I said, stepping backward out of his grasp. “This is about eliminating all the naturi within my domain. A number of lycanthropes have been killed during the past couple of months because of the naturi. Nightwalkers have died. It has to stop. I have no doubt they’ve pulled back to the island, where they’re waiting for me. We can kill them all tonight, cleansing the area before we leave for Machu Picchu.”

“Machu Picchu?”

I nodded, a frown pulling at the corners of my mouth as I sat on the edge of the sofa while Danaus returned to his seat opposite me. “Jabari appeared last night with Nicolai. The Ancient said that the next sacrifice is to take place on the night of the equinox, and that it is to be at Machu Picchu. Naturally, we are being dispatched.”

“Naturally,” he grumbled, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Come with me, Danaus. Help me rid my home of the damned naturi. Barrett and his pack have lost enough because of them. So have my people,” I said. I knew it wasn’t my best argument. Danaus would be happy to see all of my kind wiped out, but right now we were the best defense against the naturi, who were infinitely worse than nightwalkers. The problem was that I couldn’t do this without him, and we both knew it.

Danaus gave what sounded like an unhappy but affirmative grunt. He would be happy to leave me to this suicide mission to save one nightwalker when we both knew I should just walk away. But I couldn’t. Jabari, Tabor, and Sadira saved me years ago from the naturi’s clutches. Sure, it was because they all wanted to control me and use me as their own personal weapon, but I didn’t know that at the time. All I knew was that someone came to save me. Amanda deserved that now, and I wasn’t about to abandon her. And neither would Danaus.

“I’ll help you,” came a soft voice from where Shelly stood in the doorway.

“No! Absolutely not!” I exclaimed, quickly pushing to my feet.

“She might be of some help,” Danaus suggested.

“I can be of help,” Shelly interjected before I could argue. “You’re not the only one who knows how to manipulate fire.” With a snap of her fingers a small ball of fire hovered above her hand. No magic words, no special wave of her hand or pause so she could summon up the power from the earth. She simply snapped her fingers and it was there. Maybe I
had
underestimated her abilities.

“There are going to be numerous naturi there with the single goal of trying to kill you,” I said. “Have you fought the naturi before?”

“No, but I have been in magical fights before with other witches who were aiming to kill me. I survived those. I can survive this one,” she commented, straightening her shoulders and standing up a little taller than before.

Frowning, I looked down at Danaus, still seated in the chair behind me. He was frowning as well, but he wasn’t denying her request to go along. This felt like a mistake, but so did rescuing Amanda, and I was determined to do that. At least with Shelly accompanying us, we had one more fighter against the numerous naturi that were waiting for us. And I was looking for anything that would even the odds.

“Go put on some jeans. We’re going to be slogging through the marshlands,” I said with a shake of my head. Shelly flashed me a brilliant smile before she jogged up the stairs. I just prayed that I didn’t live to regret this decision.

Ten

A
single lamp lit the landing where Knox and Tristan were waiting for us. A motorboat on the black waters floated silently as its would-be passengers impatiently milled around the concrete landing. Tristan was far too eager to be headed out into the night in search of Amanda, while Knox leaned against a post, his face expressionless as he stared out at the waters lapping at the shore.

The car ride to the landing with Danaus and Shelly was oppressively quiet, each of us lost to our own thoughts as we prepared for the battle that loomed ahead. The introductions to Shelly were brisk and solemn as we loaded up in the boat.

Knox claimed the helm, steering us out into the dark waters while I took the point, since my night vision was the strongest of the group. Danaus hovered close at my side, his powers washing through me and out into the marshlands.

“How many?” I asked, my voice barely drifting above the sound of the motor.

“At least a dozen. Some are approaching the boat,” he replied. I looked at my companion to find him removing one of his knives from its sheath on his waist.

“Harpies?” I asked, recalling the wind clan naturi that attacked us in Venice and Crete.

“No, they’re in the water.”

I swallowed a curse and instantly returned my attention back to the seemingly calm waters before us. I had yet to face a member of the water naturi—I’d hoped to go my entire existence without encountering them, but that wasn’t going to happen.

My thoughts stumbled into one another as I struggled to come up with an appropriate warning for the threat that was approaching. But there was no time. An unexpected wave swelled off to the starboard, and Knox jerked the wheel in time to keep us from capsizing. Shelly was tossed to the floor and Danaus stood to help her back into her seat. It was what they were waiting for.

A spout of water shot across the boat, hitting Danaus square in the chest and knocking him off balance. I made a grab for him but came up with only empty air. The hunter tumbled over the side of the boat and into the dark water, which instantly swallowed him up.

“Kill the engine!” I shouted a second before I dove over the side of the boat. Despite the warm night air, the cold water bit deep, momentarily stealing away my concentration. But a second later I sensed Danaus just a few yards away from me. The water wasn’t deep, but it was enough for the hunter to drown in if the naturi were able to hold him under for an extended period of time.

I couldn’t see Danaus, but I could sense him. The only problem was that I couldn’t see or sense the naturi that were in the water as well.

Danaus?
I called out mentally, hoping to reach him in on our unique telepathic link as I swam toward his location.

Hurry!
was his brief angry reply. He was going to run out of air soon.

How many?

Two with me. One with you.

I barely resisted the urge to stop and look over my shoulder for the naturi. I kept swimming, confident that I wouldn’t be able to see the naturi until it was already on top of me.

A thrashing in the water before me indicated I was close to it, yet as I reached out, a pair of claws raked across my back. I swam to my left with a jerk, twisting around so I could spot my attacker, but the water was too murky to see much of anything. Grabbing my blade from my waist and slipping it between my teeth, I swam, desperate to reach the hunter before his air supply ran out.

As I turned back, the claws ran over me a second time, raking across my shoulder blades. But I was ready this time. Pulling the knife out of my mouth, I reached my right arm behind me, catching the naturi as it swam by me. A garbled cry filled the water, indicating that I’d scored a hit. Kicking, I turned to find the naturi clutching its side. The creature looked human in the faint light except for what appeared to be webbed hands and feet—not exactly the mermaid I was expecting to find lurking in these waters. Gills on his neck opened and closed with each labored breath. With the naturi just in reach, I had a chance to use my unique ability. I didn’t stand a chance in an underwater fight. I was too slow. The only reason I had scored a hit already was due to surprise, and that element was now gone.

The water naturi came at me again, claw-tipped webbed hands reaching for my face in an effort to scratch my eyes out. I dodged its grasp, resulting in it getting just a handful of hair. Its fist tightened in my hair, jerking my head back. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth that would have made a piranha proud. Gripping my knife, I plunged it deep into its stomach. I immediately pulled the knife free and plunged my hand into the open wound before the naturi could release its hold on my hair. With my fingers wrapped around its insides, I put all my concentration into starting a fire, burning anything that I touched. The naturi jerked and kicked, desperate to be free of my fiery grip without ripping its burning organs from its body. It swiped one final time at my face while landing a kick to my stomach, loosening my hold on it. Then it kicked a couple few away before finally going completely still. It slowly floated to the surface.

Mira! Out of air!
came Danaus’s panicked cry in my head.

Boil their blood!
I commanded, swimming back toward him again.

Can’t.

Do it. I can’t see you.
I had little chance of being able to fight off both naturi before Danaus finally passed out from a lack of oxygen. We were running out of time, and the longer he waited, the less strength he was going to have.

As I once again neared his position, there was a great commotion in the water. I was reluctant to strike—I couldn’t be sure which of them Danaus was but I could feel his power swelling in the water. He was killing the two remaining naturi by boiling their blood. I swam close, only to have someone kick me in the ribs. And then the water went completely still.

Danaus?
I inquired. I could still sense him, but the feeling was becoming faint and thready, as if he was drifting away from me.
Danaus!
I repeated when he didn’t immediately reply. I kicked both feet, crossing the remaining distance toward where I could sense him. The water was too dark to make out anything beyond his large form.

Here
came a whisper across my brain. He was exhausted and out of air. Grabbing his wrist, I swam to the surface, dragging him along. As he surfaced, he sucked in a lungful of air before coughing up the water he had swallowed.

“Are you all right?” I asked as I waved to Knox to bring the boat over to pick us up.

Danaus nodded, still struggling to catch his breath.

“Why didn’t you immediately boil their blood once you hit the water?” I demanded angrily. He had nearly been killed, and there was little I could have done about it.

“Wasn’t sure you’d jump in after me…” he said breathlessly, still struggling to draw enough air into his lungs. “Knew I wouldn’t have the strength to swim back to the surface if I used my ability.”

A part of me wanted to kick him. How could I not jump into the water after him? We needed him. I hadn’t even thought about not going into the water after him.

Knox halted the boat beside us while Tristan helped us climb out of the water. A breeze cut through the air, chilling the clothes that now stuck to my frame. I paused at the side of the boat to wring out my hair before resuming my seat at the point.

“Your back!” Shelly gasped when I walked past.

“It’s healing,” I said with a shrug. “Let’s get going.”

Taking my spot at the front of the boat, we continued the rest of the way to the island unmolested. Knox beached the boat on the sandy shore between two other boats that had been used by the naturi and killed the engine. I glanced over my shoulder at Danaus to find that his breathing had finally evened out. I wished I could give him more time to recover, but I knew the naturi would never allow it.

“Let’s go,” I announced, pushing to my feet.

“They’re waiting for us,” Danaus said, halting me. “Close by.”

“I have no doubt,” I muttered under my breath as I jumped over the side of the boat. My feet sank into the wet sand, leaving me feeling momentarily trapped. I had walked only a couple feet from the boat when I noticed several alligators creeping closer.

“Shelly, take care of the gators,” I ordered as I continued toward the interior of the island.

“Wh-What do you mean?” she asked, landing in the sand behind me.

“They’re going to attack from behind. Kill them before they have a chance to kill us. Knox and Tristan will cover you,” I said, my eyes locked on the figures I could see stepping out from the tree line.

“But—”

“Just do it! Knox!”

“I’m on it,” he called, jumping down from the boat. As we all stepped onto the island, a great splash came from behind us. I turned to find a woman standing within a geyser of water. Her skin was a pale bluish-green while her long hair was the shade of green algae. To my surprise, she stepped out of the water and onto dry land. Around her was a thick wall of mist so she could continue to breathe outside of the water.

“I just came to get what belongs to me,” I said, fighting the urge to pull the knife back from its sheath.