Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sconces danced past her vision as she hurried down the narrow tunnel.
Which way? Which way?
She darted left, then right, then left again. She hit a dead end, hastily backtracked as her breathing picked up. These catacombs, this Elkron Fortress, was an infuriating labyrinth.
She was growing tired already. Her body was no longer used to any sort of physical activity. That dizzy feeling began to creep into her head again. Her vision was starting to fail her.
Stay alert. Keep going.
She took another right, releasing a haggard sound of relief. There was light, a faint bit of sun in the distance, accompanied by the booming sound of rushing water up ahead. A waterfall.
She picked up her pace, pushing past the spinning in her head, her heaving chest taking in oxygen as she begged her feet to move.
They knew what she was.
She didn’t want to think about what they could do to her, how they could use her.
She reached the opening of the tunnel, allowing her eyes to adjust to the bright sun. An arm’s length away she saw the falls that spilled from the highest cliff above to a rippling body of water below. A steady current pushed the waves down a wide channel.
She whipped her head to look back. None of them was pursuing her.
She could do this, she could escape.
She chose the left path. It was wider than the right, more room to balance.
She hugged the rock wall, taking small steps as the rushing falls roared in her ears and mist peppered her body.
Her side steps were methodical as the spray soaked through her clothes.
Her teeth chattered from the freezing water as a loose rock broke free from under her boot.
She stumbled, finding purchase again as she gripped the slick, icy stone.
A soft whine escaped her as she reassessed the distance between her and the water below.
She took a deep breath through her frigid lips and released it through her nose. She heard Adriel’s voice in her head.
“Focus on your breaths. It’s all in your head, kid. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
She used to think his coaching was so silly, but when she was alone, it was the only thing that quieted her nerves.
She could do this, she could get out of here alive.
As she released a third calming breath, a bloodcurdling growl blared from the opposite cliff, past the tunnel opening. A wet, hungry sound.
She turned to face a colossal beast of cobalt blue. Long ears pointed toward the sky above its wolflike head. Razor-edged teeth and elongated canines gleamed in the sunlight. A spine of spikes lined the middle of the beast’s back, from its head to the tip of its tail.
Bloodred eyes peered at her curiously, as the creature prowled forward.
A syren hound.
A real syren hound was before her.
The vibrating rumble of the falls was nothing compared to the earsplitting beat of her own raging heart. The pictures in her books did not do the size of this thing a shred of justice.
There was no way out. She was going to die here.
Those daggerlike claws could easily rip her scrawny body limb from limb. There would be nothing left of her to find, no body to bury. Not like her family would know where to look for her remains anyway. Did they even know she was missing? That she hadn’t made it to the deserts?
She doubted they cared.
The beast stalked closer, snapping at her with a guttural snarl. She thought for a second that there was no chance this lanky beast could possibly fit on this narrow walkway.
She was wrong: The hound was well-balanced and unbothered by the terrain. It was coming for her—fast. Its jaws snapped again, teeth missing the edge of her sleeve by an inch. She let out a yelp, plastering her chest to the rock, trying to inch away without falling.
Die by hound or by drowning, she had to decide.
This was not the ending she had envisioned for herself. She had wanted it quiet and quick that night in the tent, not like this.
Another clack of snapping teeth. This time, the hound snatched loose strands of her unbound hair. She shrieked at the ripping pain in her scalp as her head bucked back. She fought to reclaim her footing, but it was no use. The rock was too slippery, her fingers too frozen.
The water was a cleaner death anyway.
She scrunched her eyes as tight as she could, and let the wind take her backward into the falls—into certain death.
The hound darted out its paw to seize its prey.
One of its hooked claws connected with her forearm, taking a scrap of flesh before her body fell away.
Her strangled scream was swallowed by the forceful air as she whirled through the sky.
Her arms flailed in frantic circles as her stomach leaped into her chest. She felt nothing but the sprays of cold water and biting wind at her back, saw nothing but wisps of tangled hair around her face.
Then there was a devastating impact, like the side of her body had cracked against solid earth. The collision between her and the freezing water stole the air from her throat.
By some twist of luck, the fall hadn’t killed her. She managed to stay conscious—she was alive. She silently thanked the gods Adriel had taught her to swim as a child, then began kicking toward the surface.
The blunt shock of the fall had worn off, and now she was left with the icy pinpricks of the surrounding cold.
She could feel her lungs caving in as she clawed her way up, begging for even the smallest fraction of air.
The panic grew thick in her chest as her head pounded from the pressure—she needed air and she needed it now.
With one final sweep of her hand, she reached, and kicked, and kicked again.
Her head burst through the ripples of foamy waves. Her gasp for breath came out as a triumphant roar. The lightness in her head depleted with every sweet breath that passed her lips.
Helaina treaded water, allowing the current to slightly take her. The cut on her arm was deep, and ribbons of blood floated and dissipated in her wake.
She jolted her head in every direction. No sign the syren hound had jumped in after her. Still no sign of her captors. The encircling peaks reached up past the clouds. She could see the visible snow along their summits.
Give me a break. Tell me there’s land close. She beseeched any gods in existence to listen.
They must have taken pity on her, because there, in reachable distance, was a beach. She garbled out some version of praise as another wave smacked her face.
Her teeth resumed their uncontrollable clicking.
The cold was getting worse, her pale skin had turned a sickly shade, her pink lips now a powder blue.
Her whole body was going rigid as she attempted minor strokes toward land.
Madge had walked her through the signs of hypothermia once when a group of soldiers had returned from a long winter ride.
She feared her body was exhibiting the same symptoms. Her fingers and toes were already numb, making it difficult to fight the current.
She had to hurry.
Helaina kicked her legs and felt the slightest reverberation. Like someone—or something—had created a wave underneath her.
She tried not to think about it, she stayed focused on that tree line, the lush greenery offering her safety.
Another wave of movement hit her, this one closer, more forceful. The jade water crashed into her face as she floated forward, fighting the current with every ounce of strength she had left.
Something touched her ankle. A slimy, leathery grip that tugged at her, preventing her forward motion.
Helaina scrunched her legs upward, trying to dislodge whatever had a hold of her.
It felt like a worm as thick as her arm was coiling around her.
She dipped below, reaching one arm underwater.
It was slick, leaving a sticky residue on her palms, but she pried it off.
The second it released, she pulled her head back over the water and swam. She didn’t want to know what it was.
Her pace intensified as she desperately fought against the waves. She didn’t dare look behind her as she kicked harder and harder. Breathing became more difficult as every joint, every muscle, started to stiffen, each stroke causing her immense pain.
She pushed past it. She could reach the shore. She was going to reach the shore.
Before she could make another sweep with her trembling hands, something serpentlike crested the surface before her. Its color was a garish eggplant as it crashed against the water, coiling and splashing directly between her and the shore.
An arrow-shaped body revealed itself. It wasn’t a snake at all. Those were tentacles, lashing out in all directions. Then the waves engulfed the creature, allowing it to disappear into the water.
She screamed, thrashing backward, pleading for space between her and the thing that lurked somewhere just below. Her head dipped under in a violent surge as a strong force pulled on her boot. She kicked the boot free and got above water again, sucking in as much air as she could.
Whatever it was, it was playing with its food.
Another cluster of limbs surged in front of her, and another. Too many. There was more than one of them.
She caught a glimpse of glassy yellow eyes as another slimy torso rose upward. Then the water swallowed it back up.
She stopped swimming, stopped fighting the inevitable. Another harsh tug pulled her under. This time painful pressure coursed through her leg, pulsating through her entire body.
Teeth.
Rows and rows of thick needles penetrating below her hip. She screamed, but the sound was suffocated by the surrounding water. The slithering appendages wrapped her torso completely as the creature’s body latched on to her thigh, guiding her down into the dark abyss.
Even as she accepted the end, she desperately held on to every bit of remaining air in her lungs.
The water around her shifted. A vigorous wave crashing down from above.
Through the clear water she saw the definite outline of wings.
That devastating demon form was coming straight at her.
A swarm of underwater monsters charged upward, encircling him.
The captain gave one flap of those massive wings, creating an undertow that sent the creatures flailing backward.
He moved his wings in unison now. Like fins, they propelled him through the water. In mere seconds, he was before her, knife in hand—the same kitchen knife she had tried to plunge through her own chest. She didn’t even feel his attack as he drove it toward her.
Suddenly the piercing teeth on her leg released. She looked down to find the knife lodged through the monster’s oblong head. Red spilled. Slick arms released their constricting vise, allowing her to wriggle free as the creature sank, only to be devoured by a swarm of its own brethren.
Her lungs burning, she struggled to push herself toward the distant surface.
Another ripple far ahead and the teleporter appeared. He shifted through the water, slicing through the monsters’ bodies one by one, swiftly evading their leathery arms.
The captain seized her, halting her frantic struggle and cupping her to his hard body as he thrust their weight up toward the surface with incredible speed. All she could focus on was her need for air, fighting the urge to give into the pressure of her lungs and inhale the water around her.
One of the monsters in pursuit spread like a star, its teeth in full display as its tentacles fanned in all directions. Then there was a second, then four of them, blotting out the clear water with their slithering limbs.
Everywhere, they were absolutely everywhere.
Flashes of yellow eyes, clicking teeth.
Wrapping her arms around the captain’s neck, she buried her face in his chest and squeezed.
Another set of arms wrapped around her, and in an instant, the numbing water was gone. The hunger for air subsided as her lungs filled to the brim with the sweetest breaths she’d ever experienced.
She coughed up bilious water, then inhaled again. Her sobs retched between each respiration. Her eyes opened to billows of smoke. When the smoke faded, that otherworldly ceiling dusted with insects came into view.
She was right back where she started. The demon was holding her close. She could have sworn she felt his thumbs caressing the cold skin of her back.
No, that couldn’t be right.
And yet, the captain had come for her.
They had saved her.