Wyrmrider Vengeance: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 2) Read online

  But saying she takes your oxygenated water you're inhaling away doesn't have the same ring to it.

  And, of course, she used her beauty to her advantage.

  She flirted with everyone.

  Me, Agwe, Titus... hell, she'd probably flirt with an octopus if she had the chance.

  I mean, some people are into tentacles. Google it. I dare you.

  One of a few things I'd have to get used to not being able to do in my new life as a mermaid queen...

  No Twitter. No Facebook. No Internet at all.

  I needed to get out on the town, and Tahlia was the only one I knew who could help.

  Of course, Tahlia inherited the priestess role Cleo had filled before she gave her life to help save us...

  She didn't exactly have the temperament of a priestess...

  But the Fomorian custom was if you died for someone, all that was yours—even your station or office—would become the property of the one for whom you gave your life. I suppose the rationale was if you were giving your life for someone, you gave them your livelihood, too.

  From what I understood, it was something of a mixed bag. Of course, no one had to accept it...

  But suppose someone gave their life for someone. In that case, it only makes sense, since the person saved owes their ongoing existence to the one who died, to assume that person's responsibilities.

  It was the least someone could do to honor someone's ultimate sacrifice.

  And since Tahlia was an outsider already, the king before refusing to grant her refuge or citizenship (an error in judgment I corrected immediately upon ascending to the throne), the last thing she wanted to do was commit some kind of social faux pas. After all, what good would it be to become a citizen if no one accepted her?

  "Why'd you call me Queen B?" I asked. "I somehow doubt the 'B' stands for the little bugs with stingers that make honey."

  "I've heard of those," Tahlia said. "From my human side of the family. Like the land-lovers version of a jellyfish."

  I snorted. "I suppose you could say that. Except bees make honey. I don't think jellyfish actually make jelly."

  "They aren't good for much," Tahlia said, shaking her head. "The 'B' stands for 'bitch' by the way."

  I chuckled. "I figured. You know, everyone else calls me Your Highness, La Sirene, the Queen, and the like... and here you come waltzing in, and you're all like 'hey bitch!'"

  "Would you rather I call you my Liege?" Tahlia asked, rolling her eyes.

  "No!" I protested. "I hate all these honorary labels. You'd think my shit didn't stink or something."

  Tahlia shrugged. "Mine smells like frankincense."

  I smiled. It was one of a few pleasing human scents she'd encountered at Marie Laveau's headshop. Probably the best smelling thing she could think of. "I highly doubt that. But if that's the case, would you mind dropping a deuce on Agwe sometime? When he's been out with Titus training the legionnaires, he can be pretty rank."

  "Not really the kind of thing I'm into," Tahlia chuckled. "But you know, to each his own."

  I glanced over at the map. "Sorry. Titus is on patrol with the new merlegion. I need to make sure..."

  Tahlia rolled her eyes and backhanded me across the shoulder. "They'll be fine. Let's get the hell out of here."

  I sighed. "I know I need to..."

  "Look," Tahlia said. "If you're so worried about it, we'll take the wyrms out and join them on patrol. We'll get a joy ride and, if nothing else, it'll give them a little exercise. I think it's been almost two months since the last time we took them out."

  I huffed. "Two months? There's no way..."

  "Joni," Tahlia said. "It's been two months... you really expect the wyrms to stay here and remain loyal if we just leave them in the fields?"

  I bit my lip. The so-called wyrm fields were a half-mile or so from Fomoria. There wasn't a good place for the wyrms inside the city. I asked Nammu where she'd want to be, what kind of habitat would best suit them, and the area locals refer to as the "fields" was what she chose. They were called fields because they were wide-open stretches of seafloor with a lot of vegetation. And with extensive plant life came smaller fish—basically, wyrm food. So, with Agwe's help, we cast a second firmament—basically a magical force field—over the fields so they'd have a safe place to go.

  Most sea life, anything smaller than a dolphin, could get through a firmament without much trouble. But it kept out anything larger, like sharks or whales, and protected the city from humans. Not like a lot of humans wandered into the ocean this deep. But if there was a submarine or a research vessel of some kind, the firmament could effectively cloak the city from view. And now the second firmament did the same thing for the wyrms.

  They were, of course, free to come and go as they pleased.

  Titus thought we should stable them up.

  But the wyrms existed before the world itself was made.

  They are wild, independent, and potentially destructive.

  Not the sort of creature you can tame.

  Riding a wyrm wasn't like riding a horse. You didn't have to "break" the wyrm or anything like that. You can't steer them with bit and bridle.

  It involved a connection, a trust. It was a reciprocal relationship between equals. If they swam how we wanted them to, it was only because they wanted to help. Not because we'd exhibited any sort of dominance or forced them into submission.

  Chapter Four

  Nammu was curled up on the ocean floor. I could see her from the other side of the firmament.

  Sleeping, I supposed.

  When Tahlia and I passed through the firmament, Nammu quickly uncoiled her body and darted in our direction.

  Then she paused and cocked her head.

  It's just you... My apologies, La Sirene... She didn't speak to me in the usual way, only through something like a psychic connection.

  I cocked my head. "Nammu. Are you okay?"

  Leading with her snout, Nammu gestured back to where she was laying before.

  A half dozen eggs—large eggs—laid in a nest of kelp.

  "You had babies!" I exclaimed.

  Not yet, La Sirene. They must hatch...

  I smiled wide. "Baby wyrms! I can't wait!"

  Nammu huffed. Yes...

  How do you throw a baby shower for a sea dragon? I mean, it wasn't like they made onesies in their size. And I doubted they needed bottles, diapers, or even a crib. But we had to celebrate, somehow. "Tell me, Nammu. What can we get that will help? Toys... do baby wyrms play with toys?"

  Of course, La Sirene. That would be... kind of you. Her voice was somber. She didn't sound like a mother-to-be, beaming in excitement. I mean, she'd already laid her eggs. She didn't have labor ahead of her. Just a lot of nest sitting, I supposed.

  "Can I do anything for you, Nammu?" I asked.

  I am well, Nammu said. Ruach and Tohu V'bohu are taking care of my needs. And Enki is doing what he can to keep me company.

  Ruach was Nammu's mate—I suppose you'd call him a husband since he didn't appear to breed with Nammu's sister, Tohu V'Bohu. And Enki was her older child.

  She'd missed most of his infancy. It hadn't occurred to me since he was kidnapped by King Conand and taken through a portal to an ancient Fomoria that she'd missed most of his earliest years.

  By the time we rescued him, when we'd used the gate that had been forged at the time, he'd been gone and in the ancient city for several years. From Nammu's perspective, though, he'd only been missing a matter of days.

  I couldn't imagine how traumatic that had been. I mean, I had a similar experience in some ways with respect to my son, Merlin. I had to leave him with his father... and from time to time, I encountered my boy's older self. Since he could gate his way through space and time.

  It was surreal.

  But in my case, I always knew I could visit. I had to miss a lot of his childhood, but at least I could be there intermittently.

  For Nammu, Enki's childhood was lost... there were no chance
s to go visit... he'd been taken from her. She was robbed not only of her child but of the experience of his childhood.

  Now, she had several more eggs... more babies... no wonder she was so protective of her eggs. So anxious about their well-being.

  "How long until they hatch?" Tahlia asked.

  I only laid them two days ago, Nammu said. It will be some time.

  "We talking days or weeks?" I asked.

  Nammu paused a moment. Since we were connected, she could read my mind. Since the wyrms came from the void, they didn't have usual days. She was likely trying to translate an approximate hatch time to measurable terms.

  More than a month. Probably closer to two.

  I nodded. "Well, in that case, I suppose you aren't up for going for a ride. We'd come thinking you might want to get out of here."

  Nammu shook her head. After what happened before... I know the firmament is secure, but I won't be leaving my babies until they hatch. Enki may appreciate a chance to get out, though. Enki and Tohu V'Bohu.

  "Keeping your hubby nearby?" I asked.

  I need someone to wait on me hand and foot... err...

  I chuckled. Nammu translated what she wanted to say into an idiom I'd understand. And then she realized it didn't make sense for obvious reasons.

  "Wait on you tail and fin, perhaps?" I asked.

  That fits better...

  I smiled. "We'll be right back."

  Enki wasn't a child anymore. More like a restless teenager wyrm, without a video game system to consume his time.

  He and his aunt, Toho V'Bohu, were on the other side of the wyrm field. The older wyrm, floating around aimlessly, Enki chasing his tail.

  "Do you ever catch it?" I asked.

  Yes... I'm so long it isn't hard... my tail is right there...

  "Bored?" Tahlia asked.

  You could say that...

  "Up for a ride?" I asked.

  Yes! Get me the hell out of here!

  I chuckled. I could only imagine how restless Enki must have been. When I was a teenager... I mean, technically, I was nineteen—almost twenty. But I mean, when I was a typical teenager, going to school without nearly so much responsibility, nothing was worse than sitting around the house with nothing to do. At least we had television.

  "Think your aunt could use a day at open sea, too?" I asked.

  Probably... Hey Auntie T... wanna go for a swim?

  Tohu V'Bohu swam toward us. I figured if Enki could get away with calling her "Auntie T," I could shorten her name to Tohu. Her full name was a bit of a mouthful.

  Tahlia extended her hand, petting Tohu as she swam past.

  I swung my tail over Enki. Tahlia did the same with Tohu.

  Enki wasn't as strong as Nammu, but he was faster.

  Wooo Hooo!

  I chuckled as we blasted through the firmament around the wyrm fields. I don't know what the usual way of expressing pure exhilaration was for a wyrm. But he'd made an intentional effort to translate his excitement for my sake through our psychic connection.

  Tahlia and Tohu lagged behind. I don't know if wyrms ever die of old age—they come from a timeless realm, so it's hard to say how long they could live on earth. If they didn't age, did they slow down like humans do when they get older? It could be that Enki's speed was on account of extra vigor associated with youth. Or, maybe he was naturally fast. We all have our innate talents.

  The plan was to sync up with Titus and the legionnaires.

  I tried to use my best judgment. Based off of where I'd seen them last, on my map, and how much time it took for us to get to the wyrms, not to mention to process the whole OMG-moment when we found out that Nammu had a brood on the way, I figured they were somewhere on the final pass.

  With the wyrms, the time it would take to get to them was negligible. All we had to do was head out and circle the kingdom at a distance close to what their second pass would be. We'd find them eventually.

  That was the theory, anyway...

  Easier said than done.

  It's tough to tell how far you are from something when you don't have a fixed point of reference in view.

  Titus had a system. He'd count the seconds in his head it took for him to swim with the legion to the perimeter he was patrolling.

  But for Titus, it was okay to approximate the appropriate distance.

  And it was unlikely he'd maintain the same precise distance from Fomoria on the whole route. Again, without a fixed point of reference, I'd noticed on the map his patrol circles were generally more egg-shaped.

  With speed on our side, though, we could dart around pretty quickly and cover the whole area in a fraction of the time it took the merlegion.

  In mermaid form, I could see a lot further underwater than I could in human form. Even so, I couldn't see nearly as far as I could on the surface.

  My best chance was to reach out and try to sense their magic. Every Fomorian has a certain amount of magic within them. Mine was unique, being half-human. I didn't have any magic of my own, but I could siphon the magic of others and amplify it. A beneficial side-effect of that ability was I could detect magic if it was nearby. Something I could, potentially, draw from.

  It was hard to tell, for sure, since I was on a wyrm and Tahlia was riding another one behind me. Their magical signatures are pretty significant. Trying to sense the magic of the merlegion, somewhere in the distance, was something akin to trying to hear someone talk to you from across the dance floor in a club.

  There was too much ambient noise.

  But if I really focused... there was a difference. Back in my newly constructed palace spire, the map I had could only tell the difference between magical and electric energies. It wasn't refined enough to be able to discern between different kinds of magic.

  But I had a refined magical palette.

  Even with all the "noise" from the wyrms, I could sense Fomorian magic if I paid close enough attention. It had a different flavor.

  It wouldn't be easy—but I could detect the merlegion's magic before I'd see them.

  I leaned forward, my eyes fixed on the waters ahead.

  They couldn't be far...

  I felt a tickle...

  Goosebumps spread across my arms and legs.

  Magic...

  "Straight ahead, Enki," I said, hoping we hadn't left Tahlia and Tohu too far behind in our metaphorical dust.

  As we got closer, the magic I sensed was more substantial than I anticipated. When someone was using magic... I had more access to it.

  Why were they casting magic?

  They must've encountered something...

  "Faster, Enki!" I shouted.

  With a forceful wag of his tail—which was really his whole body—he shot through the water like a torpedo.

  Dark shadows, swimming around the merlegion.

  What the...

  Sharks? We didn't usually need to use magic to fend off...

  But as I got closer, I could tell these weren't common sharks.

  Their eyes glowed red.

  A sure sign of anything touched by the aspect of Baron Samedi... something undead...

  Based off of their desiccated flesh, they weren't vampire sharks. They were zombie sharks, which meant someone else was manipulating them, controlling them, using their corpses to accomplish something insidious. Like attack my merlegion.

  Enki swiped his tail hard, nearly throwing me from his back.

  I clung to him tightly as I saw his back end strike one of the sharks as it charged us.

  These things were hungry.

  They darted around us like a swarm of angry bees.

  I drew in some magic. I didn't have to use what was in my pendant. The merlegion had so much cast in the water in their vain attempts to fend these monsters off.

  My trident formed in my hand.

  "Enki!" I shouted. "The shark coming after Titus!"

  Enki didn't need any more direction. He dove quickly through the water. I extended my trident, slicing through
the zombie shark's flesh, just as it was about to chomp off Titus' head.

  Titus looked at me and nodded before thrusting his trident into the same zombie shark's gut.

  The shark convulsed, shaking itself free of Titus' weapon.

  "That hardly phased it!" Titus exclaimed.

  "They're zombies," I said. "Their flesh is already rotting. Flesh wounds do nothing."

  "Headshots only!" Titus shouted. "Legionnaires! Go for the head!"

  I nodded. These were zombie Great Whites. As if the sharks weren't scary enough on their own. I mean, have you ever seen Jaws? Or zombies weren't frightening in their own right. The Walking Dead, World War Z, even my own experience taught me that zombie apocalypses were not only possible but likely. It didn't take much for something like this to get out of hand. But zombie sharks? How long would it take before the whole ocean became the domain of the undead? And if one human got bit... or an animal wading on a beach... this wasn't a zombie pandemic necessarily limited to the seas.

  Whoever created these bastards was seriously warped.

  A bokor or a caplata. Probably the same ones who came after us before, who manipulated King Conand to evoke the voidbringer.

  I wasn't sure what was worse.

  A mass of nothingness, seeking to erase all things in existence...

  Or these zombie sharks.

  I'd almost rather not exist than be zombified... non-existence is preferable to mindless carnage.

  "There are too many!" Titus yelled. "Everyone, regroup on the wyrm!"

  It wasn't generally a good idea to allow an enemy to surround you. But in this instance, if I understood the strategy Titus was trying to employ, if we all formed something of a sphere—since underwater battlespaces are three-dimensional—at least we wouldn't have to worry about our backsides.

  The problem?

  Striking one of these monsters in the head and killing it was hard enough.

  The merlegion might survive longer this way, but they were only delaying the inevitable. There were just too many...