Chapter 12 #3
I kick my legs, pushing my body up. My boots are heavy, the waterlogged leather weighing me down and dragging me towards the bottom.
The glacial water numbs my limbs and I kick with all my might, forcing my muscles to cooperate.
My head just barely breaches the surface. I cough and sputter, forcing the water out of my lungs so I can take a deep breath.
My eyes still sting as I look around for the boat, just out of reach as the current continues pushing it towards land.
Lachlan’s terrified face is visible over the side as he scrambles to get closer to me.
“Grab my hand!” He orders, leaning most of his body over the edge. It pitches onto its side, almost dumping him out, too.
The horse behind him tugs on its ties, trying to break free.
I kick even harder, trying to keep my head above the churning water, and reach out to take his hand. My arm out of the water feels like it’s being stabbed by thousands of needles.
It’s so cold, so painfully freezing I can't think—or move.
A lash of pain down my calf has me screaming.
Something latches on to my lower leg and I kick as hard as I can, but it’s no use. Even through the stabbing iciness, I can feel my skin being ripped open.
Lachlan continues bellowing my name and reaching out towards me. Our fingertips briefly graze each other.
The last thing I see is his face twisted in fear as I’m dragged below the surface again.
Water forces its way down my throat and nose before I can stop it. My eyes burn as I struggle to hold them open to fight off whatever is attacking me.
Spinning around, I see nothing in the shadowy depths, but my time is running out.
My movements are slowing as the arctic temperature numbs my ability to fight.
Whatever it was—it’s gone now.
Burning constricts my chest and I struggle towards the surface for air.
Bursting from the water, the air is now warm against my frozen skin as I get my head above water. I’m being toyed with, and my rage heats my muscles, turning my fear into a sharp weapon.
I manage a hacking cough to clear my lungs and then a lungful of sweet, blessed air before I’m tugged below again.
Motherfucker.
This time, I was prepared and held my breath. Thumbing my dagger out of the sheath on my thigh, I twirl in a circle, looking for the creature. My hair floats up around me, ripped from its braid. And I allow myself to sink further into the depths, looking hopeless. Dying.
A flash of white has me whipping to the right to see it better.
A kelpie.
Its translucent skin appears gray in the dark water.
Talons tip its webbed fingers and toes. But it’s the long black hair swirling around it like a cape that makes it seem human.
I raise the dagger, gripping it between myself and the creature.
The murky light from above grazes the sapphires in my grip, causing them to shimmer.
I’m not going down alone.
Its slitted black eyes narrow on the dagger in my hand before realization strikes, and they widen into orbs of onyx.
I blink, trying to focus on the blurry attacker in front of me. But the kelpie disappears. Swimming swiftly back into the darkness of the depths, not a bubble left in its wake. Strange…
I wait a beat to see if it was a ploy, and if it’s going to circle back, but my lungs burn from holding my breath for so long. I dolphin kick back to the surface much easier this time. My body has adapted to the cold.
“KEY!” Lachlan roars, ripping off his boots as he prepares to jump in.
I take a large, gasping breath. “I’m alright! Pull me up!” I yell, swimming back to the boat that has drifted even further away.
A rope splashes as it lands within my reach and I grab onto it so that Lachlan can pull me through the water and up over the side.
My feet don’t even touch the deck before he’s wrapping me up in his arms.
“I thought I’d lost ye.” His voice cracks as he squeezes me to him.
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I nestle my head against his chest. “I’m alright.”
A shiver wracks my body. He pulls away, still holding me up with one arm as he reaches into the pack and pulls out his silver pelt to drape over my body.
“What happened? Did your boot get stuck on something?”
“No.” My teeth clack together as my body convulses. “It was a kelpie.”
“WHAT?” He reels back. His eyes are bloodshot from screaming and widened with fear.
“It was a kelpie. With translucent skin and long black hair, it had webbed fingers and talons. He grabbed a hold of me and pulled me back under every time I broke the surface.” I shudder. “It was like he was toying with me.”
“Did ye kill him?” He asks, looking down at the dagger still gripped in my white-knuckled fist.
“No—I pulled this from my boot and he…fled.”
Lachlan stares at me, shock and confusion twisting his face, before he squeezes me to him again. “Change of plans. I’ll get ye to shore, get a fire started, and ye into some warm clothes. We can unload the other horse in the morning and move the stone, then.”
I shake my head back and forth. My wet hair tugs against where it’s trapped by his arms. “No, we don’t have time. I’ll be fine. I can start a fire and change my clothes. We need to get this done tonight.” When my teeth chatter even louder, Lachlan scoffs at me.
“Your lips are turning blue,” he mutters.
“O-only because you’re s-squeezing me.”
He rolls his eyes and sets me down on my feet. Pain lashes down my calf and I have to bite down on my cheek to keep from crying out. If I show any sign of injury, he will turn this boat around.
I wrap the silver pelt around me to keep the tear in my pants and the blood trickling from sight. I just hope it doesn’t seep into the light fur too much and become noticeable.
“I’ll pull as close as I can to that landing point,”—Lachlan points at a sandy cove in the fjord near us—“but you’ll have to wade a part of the way with the horse.”
I nod, hiding my leg from his sight as I slip the pelt off and stuff it into the bag before loading the pack onto the horse’s back in hopes it’ll stay dry. Lachlan leads the horse to the opening in the side railing and gives it a slap on its haunch.
The horse leaps into the water and I sigh in relief when the pack doesn’t get submerged.
I take a step toward the opening and grimace.
Lachlan’s eyes narrow, but I jump in before he can ask.
Arctic water comes up to my chest, but it’s much easier to swim than to put weight on my leg and wade through it.
Salt burns my torn skin and I hold my breath to keep from crying.
The horse makes it to the sandy shore first and when I claw my way out of the water, I’m almost numb from the pain and temperature.
I roll onto my back, watching the final dregs of sunlight sink below the water.
My chest heaves alongside my racing heart.
There’s no way I’m this out of breath from that short of a swim.
The injury must be zapping my strength. I try to force myself to stand but crumple from the pain.
Fuck. I crawl to where the horse stands.
Sand sticks to my wet hands and clothes.
I push myself up on one leg, doing my best to keep the weight off the injured one.
I hobble to the forest edge to tie the horse up.
Unstrapping the pack from its back, I pull out the separate bag stashed with extra clothes and boots and begin peeling mine off. The horse flicks its ears, but stands much calmer on the shore than it did on the boat.
“Are you okay, girl?” I murmur, stroking her side before reaching down for my dry clothes.
A crack echoes from within the forest and I freeze.
They’re just silly old stories. It’s not real. Boudicca was teasing. It’s not real.
I’m naked on the shore, in plain sight. And I didn’t even check to see if someone might be out here.
“Hello?” I call, looking over the top of the horse that shields my naked body. The horse stays still, calm even, so it must not be a predator. Or whatever creatures Boudicca warned us about.
When there’s no response, I chalk it up to an animal. By the size of the forest around the mountains, there must be deer or elk or something.
I ease into the dry clothes and quickly scoop up some fallen wood from the forest’s edge. Limping away, I set the wood down and begin striking the flint to light the fire.
But another crack rings out, this time much closer.
It’s a deer, it’s just a deer.
I freeze, but don’t call out this time.
The sky is almost completely dark. I can barely see a few yards past the horse. I’m going to need fire to ward off anything that might be coming out of the woods right now. Fear has me striking the flint with more ferocity.
Sparks fly, landing on the wood.
I blow just enough to get the embers to erupt, engulfing the dry wood.
The heat wafts upwards from the flames and I sigh at its warmth. A shudder wracks my body again, and I wrap my arms tighter around myself.
“As soon as I warm up, I’ll find something to eat,” I mutter.
Great, now I’m talking to myself.
Leaves ruffle in the tree line nearby, and I choke back a scream.
An apple rolls down from the brushy edge of the forest and thuds against my boot. I glance down at the offering and back up to the dark forest.
“Hello?” I whisper.
Two tiny pricks of light shine from underneath a bush. Eyes. Tiny eyes.
Peace settles over me. I tilt my head and gingerly reach for the apple.
“Is this for me?” I ask the tiny eyes.
They blink twice, quickly.
“Does that mean yes?”
Again, two quick blinks.
“Uh, thank you,” I breathe, wiping the dirt and sand off the apple to take a bite.
My necklace isn’t warm or even cold from the water. It’s strangely neutral.
I bite into the apple, juice drips down my chin. My body heats as I chew the apple.
“This is good. Thank you,” I repeat, wiping the dribble of apple juice from my face with the back of my hand. It’s really, really good.
My calf itches and I pull my pant leg up to glance down at the large slash as it stitches itself back together.