The Iron-Jawed Boy and the Hand of the Moon (Book 2, Sky Guardian Chronicles) by Nikolas Lee
Authors: Nikolas Lee
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keeping his distance from her offspring. He reared his hand back, and when the bolt of crackling green lightning appeared in his hand, he launched it into the Witch’s waist, then a second, a third, and a fourth—each bolt shaking the arena with a crack of thunder as it exploded against the monster’s side. She wailed with each explosion, though too slow to turn with Ion running around her.
But a hand coiled around Ion’s ankle, and before he knew it, he was upside-down, staring into the face of the Inventor.
“What’d you know—seems like you really were listening in class,” said Esereez. “So I guess I’ll apologize for this now.” He smiled, nodded, and tossed Ion into the abyss of whirling tentacles. The suckers latched onto every bit of skin and clothing they could find, reeling him in, closer and closer to the Sea Witch like a spider would its prey. He screamed, but a small tentacle swiftly wrapped around his mouth. He could hear the mass of tentacles thumping and slithering about, smell the dying ocean on the Witch, feel the tentacles squeezing him tighter and tighter, the swiveling hooks digging painfully into his flesh.
The arms brought him upward, and suddenly Ion was staring at the eyeless face of the Sea Witch, her long teeth so sharp, her breath smelling of blood and fish.
He screamed once more, but to no avail.
Then the bald-headed, gray-eyed boy appeared on the Witch’s back, his arms around her neck as though she was his mother happily giving him a ride.
“Kill her,” the boy said through his smile. “Kill her like you did Vinya.”
Ion screamed and kicked in the grip of the tentacles, thrashing to escape both the Witch and the kid. But no matter how hard he squirmed, the voice of the boy still filled his ears, this time louder.
“Kill her! Kill her! Kill her like you did Vinya!”
Enough ! When his eyes shot open, a stream of lightning blasted out of them, exploding against the side of the Witch’s face. She wailed and threw Ion across the arena. He landed on his feet, and watched as the Witch’s tentacles thrashed madly about, slamming Vasheer into Esereez, knocking Lillian into the nearest wall, and nearly flinging Thoman out the mouth of the cave.
The Sea Witch stumbled backward toward the waterfall, to the left, then to the right, until finally she’d collapsed onto the arena floor before Ion. The tentacles hanging from her head were squirming like dying worms. But she wasn’t dead. Ion could still see her body rising and falling with each breath she took, however weak the breath might have been.
He swallowed and looked up at the watching Illyrian gods. They were waiting for something, and Ion unfortunately knew what that something was. A battle we intend to make her last , Lady Borea had said. Ion saw Othum, how stricken with shock he was. And then, just behind him, there was Oceanus.
“Do it,” she mouthed.
Ion looked back down at the Witch, realizing how silent the arena was now. And with the audience’s attention now only on him, Ion nervously approached his fallen enemy. He knelt down to her head, and lifted it by the tentacles of her scalp. They wrapped around his wrist, so weak they were hardly noticeable.
Ion knew what he was supposed to do now. What was expected of him.
Watching her lay there so helplessly, though, Ion saw into a hidden part of her—the frail, shielded side, the side everyone had but almost never showed. Staring into her blank face, watching her nostrils flare feebly, a vision flashed through Ion’s mind. One of the chained cyclops who were sentenced to support the roof of the Hall of Thrones. Their punishment had been a horrible one.
Did they deserve it ? he wondered. Did she deserve this ?
He placed one hand on the emerald of his necklace and thought of Vinya. He recalled her smile, her warm, motherly hugs, how she always knew what to say. What would she do? Here? Now? Faced with this decision? And then he knew.
Ion laid the Witch’s
But a hand coiled around Ion’s ankle, and before he knew it, he was upside-down, staring into the face of the Inventor.
“What’d you know—seems like you really were listening in class,” said Esereez. “So I guess I’ll apologize for this now.” He smiled, nodded, and tossed Ion into the abyss of whirling tentacles. The suckers latched onto every bit of skin and clothing they could find, reeling him in, closer and closer to the Sea Witch like a spider would its prey. He screamed, but a small tentacle swiftly wrapped around his mouth. He could hear the mass of tentacles thumping and slithering about, smell the dying ocean on the Witch, feel the tentacles squeezing him tighter and tighter, the swiveling hooks digging painfully into his flesh.
The arms brought him upward, and suddenly Ion was staring at the eyeless face of the Sea Witch, her long teeth so sharp, her breath smelling of blood and fish.
He screamed once more, but to no avail.
Then the bald-headed, gray-eyed boy appeared on the Witch’s back, his arms around her neck as though she was his mother happily giving him a ride.
“Kill her,” the boy said through his smile. “Kill her like you did Vinya.”
Ion screamed and kicked in the grip of the tentacles, thrashing to escape both the Witch and the kid. But no matter how hard he squirmed, the voice of the boy still filled his ears, this time louder.
“Kill her! Kill her! Kill her like you did Vinya!”
Enough ! When his eyes shot open, a stream of lightning blasted out of them, exploding against the side of the Witch’s face. She wailed and threw Ion across the arena. He landed on his feet, and watched as the Witch’s tentacles thrashed madly about, slamming Vasheer into Esereez, knocking Lillian into the nearest wall, and nearly flinging Thoman out the mouth of the cave.
The Sea Witch stumbled backward toward the waterfall, to the left, then to the right, until finally she’d collapsed onto the arena floor before Ion. The tentacles hanging from her head were squirming like dying worms. But she wasn’t dead. Ion could still see her body rising and falling with each breath she took, however weak the breath might have been.
He swallowed and looked up at the watching Illyrian gods. They were waiting for something, and Ion unfortunately knew what that something was. A battle we intend to make her last , Lady Borea had said. Ion saw Othum, how stricken with shock he was. And then, just behind him, there was Oceanus.
“Do it,” she mouthed.
Ion looked back down at the Witch, realizing how silent the arena was now. And with the audience’s attention now only on him, Ion nervously approached his fallen enemy. He knelt down to her head, and lifted it by the tentacles of her scalp. They wrapped around his wrist, so weak they were hardly noticeable.
Ion knew what he was supposed to do now. What was expected of him.
Watching her lay there so helplessly, though, Ion saw into a hidden part of her—the frail, shielded side, the side everyone had but almost never showed. Staring into her blank face, watching her nostrils flare feebly, a vision flashed through Ion’s mind. One of the chained cyclops who were sentenced to support the roof of the Hall of Thrones. Their punishment had been a horrible one.
Did they deserve it ? he wondered. Did she deserve this ?
He placed one hand on the emerald of his necklace and thought of Vinya. He recalled her smile, her warm, motherly hugs, how she always knew what to say. What would she do? Here? Now? Faced with this decision? And then he knew.
Ion laid the Witch’s
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