Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The small yacht powered through the frothy waves, rocking from the furious seas and the howling wind. The Boston Harbor was empty of all personal boats except for the group belonging to the Maguire clan. Not even the mundane human members of the clan were staying on shore. Most of those captaining the boats weren't selkies, but they knew how to navigate the waves above just as surely as their lovers could the waters below.

Passengers on the boats were fae from Lady Caith's court, the entirety of the Boston god pack, and Wade, who was seated next to Riordan right inside the cockpit on the Neptune . He wore Riordan's leather jacket like a kilt, and Riordan had to shove down the smugness he felt at the sight of Wade carrying his sealskin around. He'd take it back when he had to go in the water, but for now, Riordan was satisfied.

Harper staggered into the cabin from a stint out by the railing, soaked through to her skin, hair plastered to her skull. She wasn't sporting any of the wounds Wade had described, but she looked thinner than Riordan remembered from their last meeting about territory borders. She'd been through hell but clearly wasn't letting it stop her from tracking down her husband. Ella hadn't left her alpha's side and followed Harper into the cockpit.

"We're approaching one of the islands. Lady Caith seems to think it's where Casey might be," Harper said.

"Which island?" Riordan asked.

"Great Brewster Island."

That put them about nine miles out from Boston proper, closer to the open ocean than the continent. "There's no docks available on that island, and the water is too choppy to risk getting close to the shore with the boats we're on. We can launch your pack and Lady Caith's people in lifeboats, but the passage will be dicey. My clan will be in the water though. If anyone goes overboard, we'll fish them out and get you to shore."

"We'll take the risk. I'm not leaving without Casey."

Riordan didn't doubt that and wouldn't have even thought to try to persuade her. "We'll get him back."

"I'll get on the radio and notify the other boats," Donal said, shoving himself away from the wall he had braced himself against during the trip through the harbor.

It wasn't even a minute later when one of his clan members flung themselves from the water and somersaulted into human form onto the deck. The rocking of the boat meant they went sliding over the decking and tumbling down the stairs into the cockpit before any of the selkies on the benches outside could grab them.

"Riordan!" Maisie said as Saoirse helped right her, dark brown sealskin draped over her shoulders. "She's in the water!"

He lurched up from the seat, not needing to ask what she Maisie was talking about. "Where?"

"Heard her calling in the sea. She sounds angry."

Riordan looked over at where Lady Caith and Harper stood, bracing themselves against the walls. "We need to get you all in the lifeboats."

Easier said than done. Each boat or yacht only had one, maybe two inflatable lifeboats, and the number of passengers far outstripped the number of life vests. Most of the selkies dived overboard, leaving their clothes behind and shifting underwater. Riordan turned to find Wade, locking eyes with him across the deck. "You're going to the island."

Wade set his jaw in a stubborn way that Riordan told himself he couldn't find adorable. "No, I'm not."

"You can't fight underwater, and the yacht can't take your shifted weight."

Wade scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can get up in the air."

"I'd feel better if I knew you were on land." Riordan braced himself against another hard toss of waves, reaching out to keep Wade upright when he stumbled. "Please."

"Fine. But you better not end up in Davey Jones' locker."

"That's a tall tale."

"I know too many of those that turn out to be real." Wade reached for the leather jacket wrapped around his waist. "You're going to need this back."

"Here," Donal said from the cabin, tossing Wade a bright yellow raincoat taken from one of the emergency supply stashes. "Use this to cover up."

Wade swapped Riordan's sealskin for the raincoat that fell to midthigh, offering it back with a freeness that made Riordan swallow hard. Wade patted the leather jacket, a faint smile curving his lips. "Don't let her eat you. Tell the boats to scatter and head to a different island. Have your clan work to get her to the surface, and I'll handle her from there."

"You said she was a god," Riordan said.

"Yeah, I have experience with those fuckers."

Riordan reeled him in for a quick, hard kiss, knowing they didn't have time for lingering goodbyes. "Get on the lifeboat and get to shore."

Wade nodded, sliding over the deck for the railing. Riordan could see the lifeboat bouncing amongst the waves, a selkie attempting to stabilize it from one end by holding the towrope. Wade flung himself over the railing, and Riordan pitched himself to that side of the yacht, looking to make sure Wade made it where he was supposed to go.

He'd ended up in the water, but a selkie was right next to him in the waves, guiding him to the lifeboat. The fae and werecreatures on it helped haul him aboard, and the selkies in charge of getting them to the island grabbed the tow lines and started swimming for shore through the white-capped waves.

"Come on, boyo. We have an Oilliphéist to fight," Donal said.

"We'll need to set up riptides and whirlpools to keep her away from the island. I'll anchor those," Riordan said.

He'd have the entire clan in the water with him this time, blending their water magic together. If they survived this, he'd take them all on a vacation somewhere.

Maybe New York City.

Riordan stripped out of his soaked clothes and dove overboard, Donal close behind him. He cut through the top of frothing waves, going under, cold water closing over him. He rolled into a shift, sealskin spreading over his body, limbs and body changing into the torpedo-like shape of a seal.

Riordan knew where his clan members were in the vastness of the sea. The magic that tied them to the water let him sense their location with brief bursts of power. The mental map laid out before him grew in pinpricks—a few, then a dozen, then most of the clan stretched out along the length of Greater Brewster Island.

Somewhere far away and coming closer was the echoing, sonorous sound he'd heard before in his patrols—deep and hair-raising. He knew what the threat was now, knew what they'd have to fight against while Harper and the others fought to free Casey on the land. Riordan didn't know if Niall would join Caoránach in the sea, but if that fae did, he'd be fair game.

Riordan twisted in the water, letting his magic flow with the motion. Donal joined him, the pair of them blending their magic together to alter the force of the underwater tides into something different—a riptide of magic that could hopefully act like a barrier against the sea serpent charging their way beneath the waves.

Other clan members joined his efforts, bridging their locations with tightly spun water magic that the selkies further out guided around the ends of the island. Riordan could sense them through the tangle of water magic he was tied to. He wasn't sure if they'd be able to surround the island in time, but his clan would try.

Nose closed against the water, Riordan flicked his flippers and dove down into the dark toward the seabed, hunting for the softly glowing marks he knew were down there. As he swam deeper, one of the marks appeared, shining softly in the dark water. Riordan circled the mark, reaching one flipper out to touch it on one pass. He got immediate feedback, a burst of warning from all the rest in the bay waters. In his mind, he could see the passage of Caoránach through the waters like a dangerous missile, but more than that, he could sense other selkies not of his clan swimming toward them, calling out through the territory marks.

It seemed all the selkie clans in Boston had answered his call. Whether or not they'd get to the island in time to join the fight remained to be seen.

Riordan pushed the information out through the net connecting his clan members, letting his knowledge be shared through their magic. When their magic was all tied together like this, they could share the meaning and intent of their thoughts, even if they couldn't share the actual words.

If Caoránach was truly a god, they couldn't fight her and win, but they could direct her wrath to the surface, where hopefully Wade could handle her. Riordan was putting all of his faith in the younger man's hands—and wings and claws and fire—but he knew it wasn't misplaced. Lady Caith could help Harper and the others track down Casey. Wade was his clan's backup, and Riordan knew he would fight with them.

Another sonorous cry echoed through the water—deep and malevolent. Riordan swam faster, building the riptides up into the tight spin of a whirlpool. Through the churning water, distant but coming closer, were streaks of bioluminescence in the deep water.

Fuath.

Riordan sent a warning to the clan even as he kicked his flippers and zoomed toward the surface, sucking in another lungful of air. He crested a wave and dove back under, nostrils closing tight. The roar of the storm quieted a little once he was back under. The pull of the underwater tides and the whirlpools his clan was building required more effort to swim through.

Saoirse swam up beside him, smaller and sleeker than him and Donal in her seal form, the brown coloring of her fur something he'd missed seeing. He skimmed a fin over her back for a moment before parting ways, attention on the rapidly approaching fuath.

Again, that sonorous cry echoed through the depths of the harbor's seawater. It made some part of Riordan want to turn and flee, but he shredded that desire like he would fish caught in his seal teeth. Instead, he held fast in the water, determined to fight for his clan and guard their territory shared with the other kin who called Boston home.

It only took a minute more for the fuath to reach their position guarding the approach to the shoreline of Greater Brewster Island. The fuath numbered more than he liked, but his clan was ready for the attack as the first wave of Caoránach's crashed against their defenses like waves against a cliff.

Riordan charged with open-mouthed fury, ramming the closest fuath and ripping its throat out with his teeth in a tight spin. Its bioluminescence flickered before fading out as it sank to the seabed.

Bubbles streamed from Riordan's mouth due to his swift passage through the water as he targeted another fuath, dragging the dangerous riptide with him. It caught the next fuath in its terrible pull, sucking it up into the vicious whirlpool spinning behind them. It ripped the fuath to shreds, bioluminescence fading with its death.

The selkies became bait for the fuath, drawing as many of them into the whirlpools, knowing they were running out of time before Caoránach arrived. Riordan remembered the terror of an Oilliphéist from his childhood spent past the veil centuries ago, the way the beast seemed to encompass the threat of the ocean itself, and he had no doubt that wouldn't be the same today.

It wasn't long until the movement of the underwater tide shifted, heralding the approach of something large. The fuath cried out a welcome that vibrated through the water, making Riordan's heart beat fast as he swam upward in an arc that put him closer to the range of whirlpools his clan had mustered. Amidst the darkness beyond them, a large shadow swam through the depths, bringing with it a sense of terror that Riordan had to shake off. Power crackled through the water, reminding him of an eel's defensive ability, and the hint of magic that bloomed along the back spines of a sinewy monster of the depths revealed a horror that made Riordan freeze in the water for a heart-stopping moment.

Instinct got him moving—away from Caoránach in her Oilliphéist form and into the twisting pull of his clan's magic behind the whirlpools. The dark water churned viciously around the warring sides as fuath and selkies attacked each other. Riordan opened himself up to the water magic he'd been born with, gripping the tightly spinning whirlpool nearest him at the anchoring point and sending it careening through the water. Caoránach dodged it with an underwater roar that echoed through the sea. Riordan swam faster, maneuvering around a fuath and forcing it into the drag of a whirlpool. He aimed for the surface, sensing the threat of Caoránach behind him through the tangle of whirlpools she cut through. How she knew to target him, Riordan couldn't say, but he'd lay the blame at Niall's feet.

Riordan broke the surface, flinging himself as far forward as he could, barking a warning he wasn't sure anyone could hear. He sucked air into his lungs as gravity drew him back toward the waves, rain lashing his body, the wind a roar in his ears. He went under, sliding through the water and directly into a whirlpool manipulated by a clan member that yanked him out of the way of Caoránach's gaping jaw full of ragged teeth.

He kicked his flippers, tumbling down the length of the whirlpool before pitching himself out of it, orienting himself in the water with long practice. Even with the storm raging above and the water darker than it typically was during the day, he could see Caoránach's sinewy form ripping through the water, heading his way. Riordan reached for the nearest whirlpool and dragged its churning core between them, bubbles frothing in the water.

Riordan swam for the surface again, followed by the terrifying bulk of an Oilliphéist that let out a vibrating roar he felt in the bones of his skull. It wrecked his balance for a handful of seconds, disrupting his ability to figure out which way the surface was in the vastness of the sea. The only thing that saved him from being bitten in half was the quick thinking of his siblings.

Donal and Saoirse barreled into him, their teeth sinking into his fur, breaking skin, but he didn't care as they dragged him out of reach of Caoránach's maw. The rush of water that exploded from her jaw snapping shut propelled them away even faster. Donal and Saoirse angled toward the surface, finally letting go of him when he gave a little wriggle.

The whirlpools ripped fuath away from them as they swam through the tangle of water magic. Caoránach tore through each one in her pursuit, the magic fraying and spinning away into the depths of the sea. Riordan and his siblings couldn't possibly hope to outswim the sea serpent, but they didn't need to. They just needed a chance to get her to the surface.

The three of them swam together in a pattern that saw them crossing paths in the water, diving through whirlpools that did their best to slow Caoránach down. Riordan grabbed the frayed edges of magic, trying to spin them back together into something bigger, something stronger.

Something to get an Oilliphéist out of the water.

As clan chief, Riordan's magic was primed to act as an anchor for all the selkies he led. He opened himself up to the sea and the magic found there, spread thin through riptides and whirlpools but still very much present. He somersaulted out of the way of Caoránach's teeth, desperately clawing for magic that could keep her at bay. Donal and Saoirse joined their strength to his, but for all their power, they couldn't go up against a god whose territory was the vast ocean itself.

Caoránach was a master of the sea the way selkies never could be with their smaller stature. No matter how fast they swam, no matter the number of whirlpools they spun, she would outstrip and outlast them.

And she did.

A pulse of magic ripped through the water, shredding the whirlpools spinning beneath the waves. The backlash slammed through Riordan as if he'd been rammed by a ship in the harbor. He faltered, agony lashing through his body as the water undulated all around them, fighting to form a current. When Caoránach wrenched it into a direction he couldn't control, Riordan and the other selkies were drawn with it. He swam against it, trying to flee its clutches. The twisting power of it was something he recognized, and even the strength lent by kin still on their way to fight wasn't enough to free them from the magic tangled around them like a net.

Caoránach roared in triumph, magic erupting in a surge of bubbles and frothy water that spun in an ever-widening circle while rising. The pull of the tide was viciously strong as it punched upward to the surface and the storm raging there. Strong enough to drag Riordan and those selkies nearby within its clutches up with it as someone spun the whirlpool into a waterspout they couldn't escape.

Heart pounding, head aching, magic whittled thin, Riordan fought the current dragging them up toward Caoránach's waiting mouth, the spin giving him vertigo. She roared as sheet lightning illuminated the stormy sky above—a sound that abruptly changed pitch into something agonizing as Wade dived out of the low-hanging clouds and sank his claws into her spiny back, fire exploding from his mouth with a furious roar.