Chapter 31: The Beast’s Requiem
The water was a suffocating blanket of oil and ice.
I held my breath as we plunged into the depths of the ocean. The explosion above us muffled into a dull thud that vibrated through the water column. Debris rained down around us like meteors. Pieces of burning steel hissed as they hit the sea and sank past us into the abyss.
I clutched my son to my chest. I buried his face in the crook of my neck to shield him from the salt and the cold. He was silent. I prayed he was just holding his breath and not dead.
Kaelen had his arms wrapped around us. He was a cage of muscle and heat. He took the brunt of the impact. He took the shockwave on his back so we wouldn't have to.
We sank until my lungs burned for air.
Then Kaelen kicked.
His legs were powerful eng
