Breakwater

“Third time’s the charm,” I said, thinking I was alone.

“Oh, I doubt that.”

Requiem.

How was that possible? I’d seen him die!

I spun, unable to understand what was happening until the wave picked me up and slammed me against the wall. I slid down, the back of my head warm with a rush of blood. I saw his face, the puncture marks in his neck mostly healed, the glittering black of his eyes. His hands were torn up, but intact. He’d yanked them out of the glass boxes I’d put them in, tearing the skin down to bone in places.

“You think you can stop me? You fools; you didn’t even check to make sure I was truly dead. That’s what you get for depending on a familiar to do your job.”

“How could you survive?” I couldn’t stop the question from escaping me as I backed away.

He grinned. “You can draw on your familiars life force, and use it to boost your own. If you have a familiar that is.”

Apparently I hadn’t killed all his sharks.

He beckoned to me with both hands, fingertips lighting up with the blue of his magic, the build up of the ocean behind him visible. “Come to me, pretty Ender. I think Mako was right; I need to start bedding my women when they’re dead.”

I rushed toward him, as he wanted, the only thing in my hand the tiny knife Ash had given me. I caught Requiem by the arm as the massive wave rolled down, sweeping us both into the maelstrom of seawater. Tumbled about, I breathed easy, the hook still deeply embedded in my ear even if I could see nothing but flashes of light and dark.

Requiem grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head backward, his other hand mauling my face. I jerked my head away as his fingers traveled over my skin, searching.

A flash of understanding hit me.

He was looking for the hook, stealing my ability to breathe under water. Kicking and striking out, I knew it was only a matter of time before he went to my ear in his search. We wrestled and spun, our limbs tangling in a twisted mimicry of a gentler act. I finally booted him in the stomach, shoving him away from me.

The water around us stopped moving and the weight of it increased, like I’d been loaded down with sand in my pockets. Blinking rapidly, I stared at Requiem in front of me, already knowing what I’d see. But I was wrong. I could still breathe.

He held the griffin tooth necklace, a grin on his face. Blue must have told him that whoever wore the necklace would kill him. Damn her.

With a flick of his wrist he threw the griffin tooth away from him. Twisting and turning, it fell into the depths.

Requiem swam around me, and I turned with him. I had to believe that not having the necklace didn’t mean I couldn’t beat him.

The anger in me was fading, and I scrambled to grab a hold of it. The earth was not so far below us, and I reached out to it. Rocks shot up at my command, breaking apart, and shattering into shrapnel that sliced through the water and into his body. He jerked and danced, like a marionette, blood tainting the water.

His hands glowed blue. His plan was to drive the water into me. I remembered all too well the feeling of water being shoved into my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears from the mother goddess.

I wouldn’t survive it, that much I knew.

Swimming away from him was a futile effort, but I tried anyway. Already the water pushed on my entire body, searching for a way in, forcing me to stop swimming in order to squeeze my legs together. I clamped my eyes and mouth shut and covered my ears with my hands. The water pressure increased, forcing its way into my nose. I gulped the water that flowed down the back of my throat, knowing it was only a matter of time.

As suddenly as the pressure started, it was gone. I opened my eyes, shocked at what I saw.

Peta swam around Requiem, pulling his attention to her as she swatted at him. The snow leopard did not look comfortable in the water in the least, but she was fighting for me.

Damn it, I did not want to like that cat.

I didn’t waste the time she bought for me. I swam hard, cutting through the water. Reaching Requiem, I booted him in the stomach. He curled toward me, his eyes going to the side of my head, lighting up as he no doubt saw the earring.

He launched toward me and I tried to avoid him, but he snaked out a hand, clipping the side of my head and tearing off the hook in my ear.

With my air source gone, I had no choice but to end the fight now or die. Peta swam for the surface, and Requiem grabbed me, his thoughts flowing into my head as he twisted my hand, forcing me to drop the knife. His eyes widened, and then a slow grin spread over his face, showing every tooth he had.

You can hear me. I see it in you now. You are the one I seek. The child of Spirit.

There was only one thing left to do, the one thing that terrified me.

The part of me that was Spirit hovered just under my skin, beckoning to me. I had no choice; I had no other way to save myself.

I pulled Spirit tightly around me, delving into the power. Working completely on instinct, I pushed the command into my voice.

“Take me to the surface.” The words were barely bubbles of air, but Requiem began to swim upward, the pressure on us gone.

We broke through the water and I gulped in a breath of air. We weren’t that far from the Deep, maybe only a hundred feet from shore. Might as was well have been ten miles for all the difference it made to me.

Requiem yanked me closer to him, his arms going around me as his legs locked onto me. “Child of Spirit, you are one of the last, and I will make you mine to breed a new world of rulers under me. Not even Cassava would be as powerful as you and I together.”