The molten ocean boiled, waves of red-gold blood heaving like a living thing. The jaw breaking the surface was the size of a cathedral, lined with teeth the length of spears, each one dripping magma.
The figure at the platform's center didn't move. His molten-shadow cloak rippled without wind, and his gaze stayed fixed on Rhea.
"You will kneel," he said, his voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Kael stepped between them, sword raised. "Not happening."
The stranger's lips curled into something that wasn't a smile. "You think this is a rescue. It isn't. You've simply fallen deeper."
The molten waves crashed higher, spraying scalding droplets across the bone platform. Rhea hissed as they burned through her sleeves, the heat searing her skin. Beneath them, the Leviathan's full head emerged,horned ridges trailing down to a massive neck that vanished into the boiling depths.
It turned toward the platform. And it was hungry.
The shadow-cloaked figure raised one arm lazily, and a jagged spike of bone rose from the ocean, skewering one of the pursuing eyeless creatures in midleap. The thing writhed, shrieking, then dissolved into black vapor.
"That one was mine," Kael growled.
The figure ignored him. "This beast will not spare you, but it may… test you. If you survive, you may earn the right to leave my domain."
The Leviathan lunged.
The bone platform tilted violently as the massive jaws slammed into it, splintering one edge. Rhea was thrown sideways, claws digging into the slick surface just in time to keep from sliding into the molten blood. Kael drove his sword into a crack for balance, his free hand catching her wrist.
The Leviathan reared back, its eyes like molten pits. A roar shook the air,low and deep, but powerful enough to rattle bone. Then it struck again.
This time, the platform shattered in half.
Rhea and Kael plunged into the molten ocean.
The heat was unbearable,far worse than any fire she'd known,but instead of burning her alive instantly, it clung to her like thick, heavy water. She kicked hard, lungs screaming, the red-gold liquid dragging at her like it wanted to pull her deeper.
Something massive moved below her. The water or whatever this was,shifted. A shadow swept past, then the Leviathan's massive tail lashed upward.
Kael's arm hooked around her waist, dragging her sideways just as the tail struck where she'd been. The impact sent a wave surging up, tossing them like driftwood.
"Swim!" he barked, his voice hoarse but urgent.
They struck out toward a jagged protrusion of bone breaking the surface ahead. The molten sea clung to them like chains, each stroke harder than the last. Behind them, the Leviathan surged forward, jaws yawning open, swallowing molten waves as it came.
They reached the bone outcrop just as the Leviathan's maw closed where they had been. The heat from its breath alone was enough to blister skin.
Rhea scrambled up onto the sharp surface, her claws scraping for purchase. Kael followed, dragging himself beside her.
The cloaked figure was suddenly there,standing impossibly on the boiling sea, untouched. "You survive… for now."
Rhea snarled. "What are you?"
His gaze flicked between her and Kael. "Names are for mortals. But you may call me Kharoth,Keeper of the Abyss."
The Leviathan circled them like a predator in shallow water. Kharoth's molten eyes fixed on Rhea. "The Queen's mark grows inside you. If she finds you, you will not resist her… unless you take what I offer."
"And what's that?" Kael's tone was sharp.
Kharoth's answer was a whisper that cut through the roar of the sea.
"Power. The kind that eats kingdoms."
The Leviathan dove suddenly, disappearing into the depths. The ocean went still—too still.
Rhea's stomach dropped. "It's not gone."
Kharoth's molten grin widened. "No… it's hunting."
A tremor ran up through the bone outcrop, and Rhea saw it,a massive shadow rushing upward beneath them.
The Leviathan was coming back. Fast.