Astrid looked up. “Great Neria,” she whispered. The others followed her gaze.
Abbadon clung to the glass ceiling with two of its hands; more were thrust out into the water, the eyes in the palms staring. Its sightless head hung down, scenting the water. Its body, the color of a shadow glazed red, was tensed and ready to spring.
“I’m the one who’s supposed to know how to undo this thing?” Astrid said. “Then we’re doomed. Because I don’t have the first clue.”
“We can do this, merls. Don’t lose your nerve,” Neela said bravely, glowing bright blue. “We can bring it to that monster.”
“Ava, anything?” Sera asked.
“I’m trying,” Ava said, “but it’s blocking me.”
“Becs—”
Becca was a stroke ahead of her. “Sera, you get out in front of it with me,” she said. “Astrid, take the back. Ling, you and Neela take the sides. Ava, stay here in the doorway, and keep focusing. We need to see inside it.”
At that very second, Abbadon sprang. It was so fast, the mermaids had no time to react. Its slashing claws caught Ling and sent her spinning. She hit a wall and sank to the floor with a deep gash in her right side. Blood poured out of it and her ribs showed whitely through her torn flesh.
This is how we’re all going out—fast and bloody, Sera thought grimly. Unless Ava can get a glimpse inside it. And Astrid can use what she sees to kill it.
“Hey! Hey, lumpsucker! Over here,” Astrid shouted, trying to draw the monster off Ling.
She swam close to Abbadon and jabbed it with her sword. It wheeled around instantly, and Astrid was nearly slashed herself, but the few seconds of distraction Astrid provided gave Sera time to grab Ling and get her underneath an overhang of ice.
Sera took off her jacket. “Press this against the wound,” she told her, then she swam back to help the others.
They took up the positions Becca had devised and began to harry the creature with songspells.
Neela launched a frag. It hit Abbadon in the back but did little more than enrage it.
Becca tried to encircle it with waterfire, but it deftly eluded the flames and backhanded her into an ice hill. As she struggled to get up, Astrid hurled a stilo.
Her spell hit home, tearing a chunk out of the monster’s shoulder. It roared and came after her. She defended herself with her sword, slicing into one of its hands. It nearly grabbed her with its other hands, but Sera threw up a water wall and blocked it.
The mermaids kept at it, battling Abbadon with everything thing they had, but only managed to inflict small injuries.
Astrid, ducking Abbadon’s hands again, swam close to Sera now.
“We’re getting our tail fins kicked!” she shouted.
“It’s going to wear us down and crush us! And then it’ll get out of here! What if it breaks through the waterfire you cast over Orfeo and takes his pearl? What if Orfeo’s soul jumps into Abbadon?” Sera shouted back.
Before Astrid could respond, the monster charged, forcing them to dart off in opposite directions.
Come on! Figure this out! Astrid yelled at herself, terrified by the idea of Abbadon escaping.
She was Orfeo’s descendant. She was the one who’d spent time with him, who knew how he thought. But as hard as she tried, she still couldn’t figure out a way to kill his monster.
Abbadon charged her again, forcing her close to the doorway and Ava. Astrid took shelter there for a moment, pausing to catch her breath.
“You okay, Ava?” she asked, turning to look at her.
Heavy silver tears were brimming in Ava’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Astrid asked, alarmed. “Are you hurt?”
Ava shook her head. “I can see them,” she said in a choked voice. “I can see the souls. There are so many of them, Astrid, and they’re all in terrible pain. They want to be free. For four thousand years, they’ve wanted to be free.”
As Ava spoke, Abbadon backed Becca into an ice hill.
“No way!” Astrid shouted, streaking off.
She swung her sword with all her might, right into the monster’s leg. The blade bit deeply. Abbadon roared, spun around, and lunged at her. Astrid launched herself up, somersaulted over the monster’s head, and landed near the overhang where Ling was sheltering. Abbadon lunged again. Astrid shot under the overhang. The monster’s hands closed on water.
Astrid leaned against the back of the ice hill, panting. She looked at Ling. Her eyes were closed. She was very pale. Blood from her wound was seeping through the makeshift bandage.
“Ling? Ling, are you all right? Ling!” she shouted.
Ling opened her eyes. “Astrid, if I…if I don’t make it, sing my dirges,” she rasped.
“No,” Astrid said, panicking. “You’ll be okay, Ling.”
“Astrid, please….”