40. Chapter 40

The atmosphere inside the elevator was tense. One of the dragoons who had been stationed outside my quarters to guard me, was speaking orders rapidly into his palmtop.

“They’ll expect us to go to the spaceships, we need to get to the boats,” I emphasized.

The dragoon nodded his acknowledgement and relayed them to whoever he was talking to. Impatiently I moved from foot to foot as the elevator made its way down even slower than usual.

“Get boats manned with as many dragoons as possible,” I continued making my plan as I thought out loud, “we’re going to Fall Mountain Island and free our vissigroth!”

The coolness the dragoon had exhibited so far, cracked some. His eyes met mine full of questions I didn’t have time to answer right now. I was too busy praying I was right and that’s where the sirens held Myles, otherwise… no, I wasn’t going to go there.

Myles had been last seen by Fall Mountain Island, there hadn’t been enough time to take him somewhere else, all the while Sarissa was on her way here .

Finally the doors opened to the first floor, where an entire legion of dragoons waited for us, ushering me into their midst and quickly we made our way to the docks.

In the distance I saw the outlines of Horn, my brother’s city was still close by. Thinking quickly, I demanded, “Send a legion to Horn, Queen Sarissa might decide to attack my brother.”

“Zyn, Vissy Niara,” the dragoon bowed and walked off to follow my latest orders.

Movement in the water caught my attention, hundreds of sirens were watching me. If they followed our boats, I would lead them directly to Myles. I slapped my head, they already knew where Myles was, I would just bring reinforcements to Fall Island Mountain. But also an army of dragoons , I assured myself. I could only hope that the men had trained enough to fight the sirens underwater, because I doubted they would come aboard.

“Can they follow us if we go full speed underwater?” I asked a dragoon with the insignias of a captain.

“Ney, but they will know where we are going and eventually catch up with us,” he retorted.

“Well, that at least will give us some time.” My eyes rose to the platform that held the space transporters. “We’ll need at least one of those,” I ordered, pointing.

“I will have some waiting for us, Vissy.” He confirmed.

All the while we were walking quickly down the pier. Sirens were hissing, a few even tried to swipe their tails over the platform to get to me .

“By the gods vissy, what’s happening?” The captain asked, sword drawn, ready to sink it into the next tail.

“Queen Sarissa is holding our Vissigroth hostage. She wants to gain control of Oceanus.” I explained a little out of breath from the quick pace the dragoons were setting.

We stopped by the largest boat, since Myles had taken the Nautica , and the captain helped me to get onboard. Just then a siren popped up in between the space of the boat and pier. I squealed when the tip of her cold tail touched my ankles. It wound around my foot and pulled. A dragoon barely managed to catch me before I hit the pier and would have been dragged into the ocean.

The captain used his sword and cut off the tail, to loud screeching from the siren. Black blood sprayed my leg, which I shook in disgust to get the still wrapped around tail end off.

Without much ceremony the dragoon who had caught me, lifted me fully into his arms and threw me aboard the ship, where another dragoon caught me as if I weighted nothing.

“Get the Vissy inside,” the one who had thrown me yelled.

I only got a quick glimpse at several sirens pulling themselves aboard and dragoons hacking at them with their swords, before I was taken down the stairs into the ship’s hull.

“Wait!” a familiar voice ordered before the hatch had a chance to close behind me.

Kyle appeared and I barely stopped myself from hugging him the moment the dragoon put me down. “Kyle!”

The hatch closed, a vibration moved through the ship as it took off .

“Where are we going?” Kyle asked.

“Fall Mountain Island,” I informed him.

“The captain has the orders?” Kyle asked the dragoon who had carried me.

“Zyn, commander,” he confirmed.

“What’s the plan?” Kyled took my arm and led me into the main quarters, where a large, oblong window offered a view of the churning water as the ship dove beneath the waves.

Sirens clung to parts of the ship, banged against the window, glaring at me hatefully.

“They won’t be able to get in,” Kyle assured me.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I replied with a hammering heart, hoping he was right.

“I ordered a transporter to meet us at Fall Mountain Island,” I informed Kyle, turning my face from the window, unnerved by the sirens. I needed a strong drink. I wasn’t much of a spirit drinker, but right about now, my hands shook uncontrollably and my stomach churned like the waters around us. I needed a cool head to rescue Myles.

Kyle checked his palmtop, “It’s already on the way with a full legion. Do we need diving equipment?”

“We should be prepared, but I don’t think we’ll need it for this part.” Quickly I filled him in on my plan.