❝Your secret is a painting?❞ I took a few cautious steps; the hairs on my arms stood on end.
❝Not just any painting.❞ Dorian approached the easel, shadows on his face as he touched the cloth protecting it. ❝It's a dark object, the manifestation of m...
My freshman year of college I took a crash course in mythology. Who could forget the origin of the mighty sea kraken? A symbol of strength and tranquility, the kraken was mostly known for terrorizing sailors off the coast of Norway. Now it was terrorizing us.
As everyone else around me panicked, running past the windows to get inside, yelling about giant squids, all I could do was grip the rail, staring aimlessly down into the jaws of the beast. Its vast, circular mouth yawned wide, revealing endless spirals of sharp, jagged teeth. Countless eyes peered back at me from the water, as dark and empty as as the voids of space. Dark Dorian had summoned a monster as cold and empty as him.
Tentacles slithered up and over the ledge, causing the boat to tilt dangerously to the right. One girl fell out of the doors, sliding down the deck. She would have fallen into the sea if Dorian hadn't reached out and caught her.
"We have to push it back!" he yelled.
"How?" I yelled back, on my knees, gripping the rail with both hands.
"Me!" Opal removed the swords at her back with an expert flourish, her balance impeccable as she charged across the deck, hacking at the kraken's limbs. The beast roared. Its broken parts wriggled like worms, injured limbs spilling ink-like blood as they withdrew into the sea. The waters finally calmed.
Someone poked their head through a porthole shaped window, turning green when they saw the bloody limbs still writhing on the deck. "I-is it safe?"
As if in answer, water leaped in huge sprays, drenching us with the lake as the kraken thrashed in response. Injured and angry, it rocked against the yacht, knocking Opal off-balance. She hit the deck and didn't get back up.
Hope was stripped away as I realized Pearl Lake would never be safe with Dark Dorian's monster roaming the waters. I glanced at Dorian, stunned to see him removing his shirt and shoes. He picked up the sword, testing the blade's edge.
"Dorian... what are you doing?"
"The only thing I can."
Dorian held me steady as the kraken thrashed against the side of the yacht. We only had minutes before the beast sentenced us all to a watery grave.
"No!" I tried to tug the sword from his hand. "Dorian, you can't! You might not come back from this!"
"And if I don't try, I'll be lost forever." He brushed wet strands of hair from my face and kissed me. "I'd jump a thousand times to save you, Amelia Thorne. What good is a life if you have nothing to die for?"
Dorian jumped on the railing, steadying himself with the sword.
"Dorian, don't you dare!"
With a final, longing glance over his shoulder, he dived flawlessly into the water.
I ran to the rail, watching the kraken retreat below the water, chasing its prey. I squeezed the bar until my hands went numb, waiting for Dorian resurface. His last words rooted me to the spot, ringing inside my head.
What good is life if you have nothing to die for?
"What good is a life without you?" I whispered.
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