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I noticed the hilt of Vale’s sword. “You didn’t bring Mesharu.” The ancient, enchanted blade had belonged to Vale’s father, the god known as Enmesharra.

“Seems like overkill when my normal sword should do the job.”

“If we find the monster, I think we should follow it before we make a move,” I said.

Vale gave me a sidelong glance. “You think it might lead us to Yume?”

“Maybe her body was used to feed any offspring,” Meemaw said, giving a voice to my own unpleasant thought. “We may never know.”

I couldn’t decide which was worse.

Vale drove the three of us in his SUV. I put Meemaw in the back seat, out of range of the entertainment system.

“I can’t reach the controls from here,” Meemaw complained.

“Exactly,” I said.

“Can we have music? Something to get us in the fighting spirit?”

“I don’t need music for that,” I told her.

“Oh, puh-lease,” Meemaw said. “I can tell by your body language that you don’t want to kill this thing.”

She wasn’t wrong. Death and destruction were my past. Parking tickets and noise violations were my present.

Vale parked on the side of the road. “We should walk from here. Look for any signs of a nest along the way.”

“Wouldn’t its nest be in the water?” Meemaw asked.

“Not necessarily. Some semiaquatic creatures give birth on land.”

Our phones pinged at the same time with a message from Harriet. She’d uploaded a new photo of the map. The white dot had moved again.

“It’s closest to us now,” I said, picking up the pace along a leafy path until we reached the marsh. My wading boots were no match for the waterlogged area. My feet were already soaked.

I kept my voice calm. “I see its horns. Three o’clock.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I peeled off the boots and dove headfirst into the water, which in hindsight, wasn’t smart when I had no idea how shallow the water was. I could’ve broken my neck. Luck was on my side, however. It was too dark to see the depth, but I was still alive and uninjured. Result!

I glimpsed the flick of the monster’s tail as it swam away, disturbing the trail of reeds in its wake. I swam after it, hopeful that my lungs held out.

My pursuit through the marsh was nothing like my experience with the Aspidochelone in the ocean. The marsh was filled with hazards, mainly in the form of herbaceous plants.

As I closed the gap between us, the monster whipped to the right. I rolled ass over teacups, tangling all four limbs in plant life. I watched the monster slip away as I struggled to free myself.

Wily bastard. It would be impossible to catch it now.

I swam back to shore, avoiding the large alligator ten feet to my right. He seemed far less interested in me than I was in him. In the distance, I spotted my companions.

I emerged from the marsh and collapsed at their feet.

“What happened?” Meemaw asked.

I turned my head to rest my other cheek. “Couldn’t catch it.”

The elderly witch began to peel off the plants that were stuck to my skin. “Looks like you made a good effort.”

“It’s fast,” I said, slowly catching my breath. On land and in the air, I would’ve been faster.