Fedlimid's blood surged through his veins as he took the deepest breath he could manage, each inhale filling his lungs until they burned. His body locked tight, muscles constricting to the point of near immobility, as if every fiber of his being was preparing for something far beyond what he had already achieved.
The transformation he had undergone, the melding of his magic and flesh, was no longer enough.
He had to push beyond it, stretch the limits of his power, until there was no choice but to break through.
A piercing, strident shriek tore through the water around him, the seaworm's enraged cries rattling his bones. It was a sound of pure fury, a guttural growl that vibrated through the very water, forcing the water's pressure to swell and throb with the creature's anger. The beast was closing in on him, its instinct to hunt overriding the beast's own pain. It could sense his vulnerability now, the trace of blood and weakness in the water, and it would not wait any longer.
