And we did.
I had trusted Ruv to lead us on the path, trusting that he knew where to go.
Ryan didn’t know where to go.
And I trusted him more than anything.
We ran.
The mermaid snarled behind us, and I didn’t have to look back to know it was coming after us. I hoped that the others were being smart and staying where they were supposed to. They weren’t going to—
A shadow passed overhead.
I looked up.
Because of course they weren’t fucking smart.
“Incoming, motherfuckers!” Gary screamed. “Tiggy, fuck that shit up!”
“GWAAAAHHH!” Tiggy bellowed as Kevin flew right above us, Gary clutched in one set of talons, Tiggy in another. I watched as Kevin released Tiggy, the half-giant shouting that ridiculous cry he thought meant the sound of war. He hurtled toward us as Kevin and Gary continued on, heading toward the ruins.
“Oh, fuck me sideways,” I squeaked as a nine-foot half-giant fell toward us.
Ryan jerked my hand, pulling me forward as we ran under Tiggy.
The sand mermaid roared behind us, sounding like it was right there—
I shot a look over my shoulder in time to see Tiggy land on top of the mermaid, squashing it against the hidden stone path. A great plume of sand burst up around them, swallowing them both, but not before I saw the mermaid’s face twist in pain as it screamed.
But even as I thought to cheer Tiggy for kicking ass and taking names, I heard the stone beneath our feet begin to shift and crack.
Which was not a good sound to hear when we were still far from the island.
Ryan didn’t try to pull me away from Tiggy, which was the only reason I held on to his hand still. The sand settled around Tiggy and the mermaid, enough so that I could see the creature’s arm skittering around, trying to find purchase as the crack of stone got louder. Tiggy was trying to hold down the mermaid, but the thing was strong, and it looked like the half-giant was in danger of getting bucked off.
“Tiggy, it’s going to break!” I cried at him. “You need to run!”
Tiggy looked at me, a determined look on his face. “No, Sam. You run. Get to dragon. Tiggy smash.”
My eyes widened. “No! No smash! You’ll fall in the sand.”
The mermaid shrieked and bucked up again, and Tiggy almost went over and into the sand.
“Fuck this,” I snarled. I began to pull my magic toward me, drawing it from the dry desert air, the earth, the sky, the few clouds there were, the rays of the sun, anything so that I could get to kill this bastard of a thing and—
And of course Ryan felt it, of course he knew what I was doing, because he pulled me back against him. “You can’t,” he muttered in my ear. “We don’t know if there are more of these things or what the dragon will do.”
“If you fucking think I’m just going to leave him—”
“Kevin’s coming back,” he said. “We gotta move. Kevin will help him.”
“He can’t. You heard what Ruv said. The vibrations—”
“I’m pretty sure we’re past vibrations now—”
“Then just let me do this!” I jerked out of Ryan’s grasp and was about to fucking bring it when Ryan cried out behind me. I whirled around in time to see another mermaid rising out of the sand, a clawed hand wrapped around his ankle. He’d fallen on his ass and was being pulled toward its mouth, the needle-sharp teeth so close to his boot. He was reaching for his sword, which had gotten knocked out of his hand.
“Ryan!” I ran toward him, scooping up the sword as I went by, tossing it handle first, the blade slicing shallowly into my palm, wetting the metal with my blood. Ryan caught the sword and, with a yell, turned and shoved it into the mermaid’s mouth and down its throat. The mermaid’s eyes bulged as the blade pierced its insides, and I was almost to him, I was almost—