Beneath the Surface
1082 Words
Leo couldn’t move. His heart raced so loudly he swore Seraphina could hear it.
She knew.
She had always known.
“You saved me,” Leo whispered, his throat tight. “In the forest.”
Seraphina tilted her head, her silver eyes glinting like blades in the dim candlelight. She stepped closer, and Leo instinctively backed up — only to hit the door.
“I did,” she admitted, her voice soft. “And I told my father I wanted a maid because I knew he wouldn’t let you live otherwise.”
Leo’s chest tightened. “You — you told the king to bring me here?”
Seraphina nodded, her golden hair falling over her shoulder like a curtain of light. “I knew you had magic,” she said. “I felt it when I pulled you from the pyre.”
Leo’s stomach churned. “But why?” he rasped. “Why risk everything to protect me?”
Seraphina’s gaze darkened. She glanced toward the window, where rain streaked the glass like tears.
“Because something is killing the kingdom,” she whispered. “And I can’t stop it alone.”
Leo’s fingers twitched. “What do you mean?”
Seraphina turned back to him, her expression grave. “People are dying,” she said. “Their bodies are found near the river, bloated and twisted. Their veins black as tar. It started two weeks ago — and it’s spreading.”
Leo’s heart sank. “A plague?”
Seraphina shook her head. “No. It’s not natural.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “It’s magic.”
Leo swallowed hard. “What does that have to do with me?”
Seraphina’s eyes burned with intensity.
“Because whatever’s in the water... it’s drawn to magic. And you might be the only one powerful enough to kill it.”
Leo’s legs nearly gave out.
The room spun, panic clawing at his chest. He barely understood his own powers — how could he stop something like that?
“I can’t,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to control it.”
Seraphina grabbed his wrist, her fingers cool against his skin.
“Then I’ll teach you,” she said, her voice like steel. “But we don’t have much time. If this thing isn’t stopped soon... the whole kingdom will die.”
Leo stared into her eyes, his pulse racing.
He wanted to run.
But he didn’t.
He nodded.
“Okay,” he breathed. “I’ll try.”
The Investigation Begins
The next night, Leo slipped out of the servants' quarters under the cover of darkness. Seraphina met him by the eastern gate, her hood pulled low over her face.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Leo wasn’t. But he nodded anyway.
They followed the river into the forest, the water gleaming like black glass under the moonlight. The air smelled foul, like rotting flesh.
Leo shivered. “It smells... wrong,” he muttered.
Seraphina knelt by the riverbank, her fingers grazing the surface. Her magic sparked — a silver light that danced across the water like lightning.
The water shrank away from her touch.
Leo’s stomach dropped. “It’s alive?”
Seraphina rose to her feet, wiping her hand on her cloak. “Something is living in the river,” she said. “Something hungry.”
A rustle in the bushes made Leo jump. He spun around, his heart hammering — only to see Talia stumble into view, clutching her apron.
Leo’s eyes went wide. “Talia?”
She gasped when she saw them, her face pale. “I — I was looking for you,” she whispered. “I want to work in the kitchen. Please, Leo. I can’t... I can’t go back to the stables.”
Leo’s chest twisted. He knew what she meant. Bram wasn’t just cruel — he was dangerous.
Before Leo could answer, Seraphina grabbed Talia’s arm, her grip surprisingly strong.
“You can’t be here,” Seraphina hissed. “It isn’t safe.”
But Talia’s eyes were already fixed on the river. On the way the water rippled... like something was moving beneath the surface.
Leo’s skin prickled.
The water shifted.
A massive shape slithered just beneath the surface, its scales scraping against the rocks. The foul smell grew stronger, suffocating.
Leo stepped in front of Talia, his burned hand tingling. “Seraphina?” he whispered.
Seraphina’s eyes glowed brighter. She slowly raised her hand, magic crackling in her palm.
The creature rose.
A hulking, serpent-like monster broke the surface, its skin black as pitch and glistening with slime. Rows of jagged teeth lined its mouth, and its eyes — yellow and slit like a snake’s — locked onto Leo.
The creature lunged.
Seraphina shoved Leo aside, hurling a blast of magic at the beast. The spell struck the creature’s hide and fizzled out.
“It’s immune to magic,” she gasped.
Leo scrambled to his feet, heart racing. His magic buzzed beneath his skin, desperate to break free.
“Talia, run!” he shouted.
But Talia was frozen, her eyes wide with terror.
The creature snapped its jaws, the teeth barely missing her. Seraphina dragged Talia back, her breathing ragged.
“Leo,” she shouted, “you have to use your magic!”
Leo shook his head, panic choking him. “I can’t — I don’t know how!”
“Yes, you do!” Seraphina’s voice cracked. “You did it when Bram hurt you. You did it when you were scared. Use it now — or we die.”
Leo’s chest burned.
The memories flooded back — the pyres, the screaming, the feeling of fire rushing from his body like a living thing.
He clenched his fists.
The fire exploded from him.
It blazed across the river, burning white-hot as it slammed into the creature. The beast thrashed, shrieking, its black flesh bubbling as the magic consumed it.
The river hissed and boiled, steam rising in thick clouds.
Leo collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
The creature sank beneath the surface, its body dissolving into ash.
The forest fell silent.
Leo wiped his face, his whole body shaking. “Did... did we kill it?” he croaked.
Seraphina helped him to his feet, her face pale.
“For now,” she whispered.
But Leo saw the way her hands trembled. The way she kept glancing toward the castle.
And he knew it wasn’t over.
Not even close.
- Writer
