Book 2. Mina - The Drowned Palace 3

Book 2. Mina - The Drowned Palace 3
Mina’s heart leaped into her throat, terrified that the massive serpent would reach her before the kelpie could get away, her arms wrapping tightly around its strong neck as they raced through the water. She wasn’t afraid for herself, but for Jayden, for what would happen to him if she perished in that lake, where no one would ever find her. And it wasn’t only Jayden who needed her, but everyone in Athea suffering at the hands of the Necromancer.
She opened her mouth to scream, only to quickly realize that underwater, her voice didn’t work the way it did on dry land, the sound coming out strange and distorted. Her magic was of no use there.
If she couldn’t defeat the serpent with her magic, she would have to outsmart it and either escape the water—which would be her last resort—or make it inside the palace. Preferably alive, so she could let a couple of mermaids feel her wrath. She was furious with them for not warning her about the serpent, and it almost felt as if they had deliberately sent her into a deadly trap.
That only made her more determined to escape the monstrous creature. She wanted to prove to the mermaids, who were probably watching her downfall from inside the palace, that she wasn’t weak. That she didn’t need a knight in shining armor to save her.
She could be her own knight.
The serpent moved with frightening speed, using its long tail as a propeller as it pursued the kelpie and Mina. But Leith was just as fast, perhaps even faster—not by much, but enough to give Mina time to come up with a plan.
She doubted she could kill the creature, but with something sharp, she could at least injure it badly enough to escape. She cursed herself for leaving her weapon behind—a small knife she had grabbed from the hut before she and Talulah set out for the lake. She had thought she could trust the mermaids. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Her gaze darted around desperately, searching for something she could use as a weapon, but there was nothing in sight. Only aquatic plants and fish that quickly swam away in the face of danger.
The serpent was right behind them, and Mina could feel the vibrations in the water as it tried to clamp its massive jaws around the kelpie’s tail. Each time, Leith managed to avoid the long fangs lining its jaws, but sooner or later, their luck would run out.
And it didn’t take long for that to happen.
As Leith dove beneath the serpent, it reached Mina, its powerful jaws closing around her arm, blinding pain shooting through her. She opened her mouth to scream, but only air bubbles escaped. She gritted her teeth as the serpent pulled her from the kelpie and violently shook her, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. But she refused to give up.
Mina punched its head again and again, but the blows barely seemed to faze it.
Slowly, she began to tire, the pain becoming almost unbearable. Desperation started to creep in.
She was starting to believe she was facing her death, but the thought of leaving Jayden alone, of him never knowing what had happened to her, of never seeing the children or her cousin or Ivy again gave her the strength she needed to keep fighting for her life.
She had just punched the creature in the eye—which seemed to cause it great pain, as its jaws began to loosen around her arm—when the kelpie slammed into the serpent with such force that one of its fangs broke against Mina’s arm. Part of it remained embedded in her flesh as the creature was shoved away from her, finally setting her free. 
Her right arm felt like it was on fire, but she barely noticed the pain anymore as she swam away from the two creatures battling each other. She headed toward the only place she could–the Drowned Palace.
The serpent went after her, forcing Mina to swim faster, while Leith desperately tried to keep the creature from getting to her. But there was no stopping it. 
It reached Mina in no time, biting down so hard on her thigh that she had the distinct impression her leg had been split in two. She expected the water to turn red with her blood, and while it did, there wasn’t nearly as much as she had anticipated. By then, she was beginning to wonder if she was even thinking clearly anymore.
She wondered if the Hag had known what would happen once she reached the Drowned Palace. If Talulah had warned her, she would have known what to expect. But there had been no warning, and now the weight of everything that had happened since she and Jayden returned from Isyleon Island came crashing down on her.
It wasn’t pain that surged through her.
It was fury.
A fury so powerful it blinded her, wrapping around her until it was all she could feel, all she could think about. It was as if the entire world was trying to tear her and Jayden apart by any means necessary, and she was damned if she would let that happen.
Leith came to her rescue once more, but this time, Mina didn’t swim away. She let the fury envelop her completely until it was all she knew, then turned to face the serpent and screamed, releasing all her anger, pain, and heartache.
At first, nothing happened. Her magic barely brushed against the sea serpent, but she kept screaming.
Then came a clink.
Then another.
And another.
Until all the crystals surrounding the palace began to resonate, joining Mina’s magic and amplifying it.
The sea serpent began convulsing in agony as Mina’s scream tore through the water, slowly killing it.
“Stop!” A commanding voice came from the palace, trying to compel Mina to do its bidding.
The spell bounced off Mina, but she still stopped screaming, sparing the creature. The ones she was truly angry with were Andromeda and her brothers, not the sea serpent protecting their home. 
She turned her attention toward the palace.
Five mermaids and four mermen mounted on black kelpies faced her, one more beautiful than the other. At the center was a mermaid wearing a crown of pearls and crystals. It was quite possible that her beauty had no match in the entire world. 
“You have passed the test,” the mermaid in the middle announced.
“Who are you?” Mina demanded as she approached the group. Her voice sounded almost normal underwater.
“I am Princess Riva, daughter of Queen Morgane, who rules all the mermaids.”
Mina narrowed her eyes. “Did you set the serpent on me?”
Princess Riva didn’t hesitate. “I did. I wanted to see—”
She never got to finish.
Mina yanked the broken fang from her arm and lunged at the mermaid princess. The other merfolk tried to stop her, but Mina was faster. She grabbed Riva by her long hair and pressed the jagged tip of the fang beneath her chin.
“I should kill you,” Mina spat.