Samheed and Lani charged for the shore—they’d seen eels like this one before. “Get back!” Lani shouted to the others. “Move away from the edge!” As Talon came flying over, Samheed dove in and grabbed Seth. He yanked him, sputtering and coughing, to shore. There was no sign of Carina.

“Mom!” Seth cried as he scrambled up the rocks. “Somebody get her!”

“I’m trying!” said Talon, flying over the area and peering anxiously at the water. He’d seen one of his best friends, Lhasa the snow lion from Karkinos, get snatched up by one of these giant deadly eels. Luckily, Kitten had been able to save her fellow feline with one of her lives, or Lhasa would be dead now. As Simber joined him in flight, Talon rose to get a broader look, searching intently for any sign of movement as the surface went still again.

“What can we do?” Kaylee asked, grabbing at her empty sword hilt, momentarily forgetting that she’d lost her sword in the moat around the castle Grimere. She stood back helplessly.

“Simber, do you see anything?” Fifer called.

“Therrre!” growled Simber, and jaws agape, dove without hesitation into the lake. Talon charged after him, staying just above the violent splashing that ensued. The eel’s tail flipped above the water, swatting at Talon. The bronze giant deftly caught the end, sinking his steely fingertips into the flesh. He wrapped his legs around it and flapped his wings wildly to keep from getting pulled down. He hung on with all his might while the eel batted him around, slamming him over and over against the surface of the water.

“He’s whipping him around like a pool noodle!” Kaylee shouted.

Nobody else knew what a pool noodle was, but this was no time for inquiries. Thisbe, Fifer, and Seth edged closer to the water despite the warnings. Seth went from clutching his drenched shirt to clutching his head in disbelief and anguish. “Mom!” he yelled again, though it did nothing to bring her back.

An agonizing minute passed. Where was Simber? Had he been crushed by the giant serpentlike fish? Had Carina been able to get a breath before she’d been pulled under? Was she even still alive and struggling to untangle herself, or had the eel squeezed the life out of her? How long could Talon hang on to the slimy creature’s tail?