Page 20 of Beneath Swan Lake (Deadly Endings #2)
I knew something was going to go wrong when I touched the water, yet I couldn’t help myself. Ray is busy worrying about his friend, as he should. Whether or not Dima followed us I have no idea, just like I didn’t know what was going on with any of the other spirits down here. Standing around the cages made me nervous.
If there’s any place that holds answers about my curse, it’ll be wherever Swanling is.
The lake before me is a glorious sight. The water is unnaturally blue, putting Swan Lake itself to shame. At first when I wandered down the tunnel I couldn’t place why the blue seemed familiar, but then it hit me.
This is the color of Dima’s magic. Maybe he did steal his so-called magic after all.
The water ripples where I touched it, and rises without reason. I scramble back, the hem of my dress and my shoes soaked through in a matter of seconds. It backs me closer to the cave I wandered down, and I press a hand to my chest as I swallow.
What am I supposed to do with this place? The lake is massive, and if I can’t even step into the water, there is no way I’m going to be able to cross it. In the distance there’s a long piece of purple wood leaning against the cave wall, surrounded by water. It looks like a staff, and the purple tint makes it stand out against the brown cavern walls.
Staring at the water, I wait for it to continue to rise. If that happens I’m going to turn into the swan and fly to safety, or at least find Raymundo back in the large cavern so we can hide in the shadows and not drown. But the water doesn’t rise again, and this feels like a built in security measure. The lake itself stretches across the wide space, and there’s no way I’m jumping into water like that. I don’t trust it.
I’m still collecting my thoughts when the shadows rise, and I turn in time to see not one but two Reapers appear. Ray has Ban’s arm slung over his shoulders, and he’s supporting the taller man as they turn solid. Ban looks worse standing up than he did in the cage, which is saying something. That pale skin seems to reflect the scars and cuts on his skin like a magnifying glass.
“You had me worried, Birdie,” Ray grunts, just as Ban pushes off of him. He shakes his head, and snow falls from his white hair as the length shakes around his shoulders and down to the middle of his back. I do a double take to see if I’m seeing things, but there are still little snowflakes cascading to the ground as my Reaper continues to talk. “You shouldn’t wander off alone.”
“Don’t patronize me,” I reply with a groan. “I found the lake, I think.”
“Oh, it’s the lake,” Ban agrees, finally righting himself. It looks like he could still use Raymundo’s support, but I’m not surprised that he’s too proud to admit it. “And the bastard left my staff on the other side. What a shitty move.”
I blink before giving him a slow nod. Ban is more outspoken than Ray is, and it’s a little jarring when I’ve gotten so close to my Reaper in such a short time. Even if Ban wasn’t marked up with numerous wounds, his long white hair and eerie blue eyes make him significantly more foreboding than Ray.
“Odette,” Ray says, nodding to the water. “I need to cut your finger.”
“Pardon?”
“Your finger.” He points again. “If anything Dima said was true, then the blood of a royal turns this into a looking glass.”
I swallow, lifting up my hand. Blood of a royal… that’s why mother was talking about bloodlines. Did she really expect us to find this?
My eyes meet his. “The water, it looks like Dima’s magic.”
“I noticed,” Ray grumbles, eyeing Ban as he flexes his shoulders. I swear, for a man that was locked up not long ago, he has a lot of energy. His height makes him intimidating, but he’s more sinewy muscle than bulk. He’s got long legs too, and I’m guessing that makes him agile.
And there’s frost apparently. I can’t recall enough of the rumors about Ban to piece together anything more about him. This is our first encounter, and I’m relieved that Raymundo is at least somewhat approachable. Ban, on the other hand, is as cold as the magic he wields.
“I need to get my staff before you go and mess with the water,” Ban continues, holding out a hand. I almost think he wants me to grab it, but instead of reaching for me he gestures to the water. There’s a cool breeze, and ice forms at the edge of the lake.
For a moment I think it’s going to work, until the water surges forward forcefully, covering our feet as we scramble to back up. It breaks apart the icy walkway he attempted to build in a matter of seconds.
“Are you trying to make the water mad?” I hiss.
“Water doesn’t have feelings,” Ban grumbles. “There’s no making it mad. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Ray distracts me from responding, digging a book of all things out of his cloak. It makes me think about the spellbook I snagged. He studies the water, thumbing through the pages as though we aren’t standing in a magical cave.
I blink up at him. “You’ve been carrying a book around?”
He shrugs without lifting his gaze. “It’s called Through the Looking Glass. If your blood can unlock the looking glass, this is the book to read.”
Ban huffs on his other side, peering over Ray’s shoulder. “That’s grand, but once it transforms into a looking glass what the hell are we supposed to do with it?”
Ray doesn’t respond, his opposite hand dragging down the pages like he’s looking for something in particular. I glance at Ban who has the audacity to look bored, and I’m starting to understand why he’s the loner who watches over the north. It’s freezing and mostly lifeless up there in the Frostlands, so he probably fits right in with all the attitude.
As Ray looks, Ban’s attention shifts. “Maybe the shadows then.”
Sweat breaks out along his brow when he lifts his arms again, and I have to remind myself he’s injured. I suspect he had Ray’s help slipping through the shadows to get down here, but that detail seems lost on him as he glares across the water.
“Shush wizard,” Ban hisses, and I peer around. There’s no one I can see, and I guess Dima might still be around after all.
I rock on my heels, feeling especially useless right now. Even if I slice my finger and bleed into the lake, is it really going to do us any good?
“Ah,” Ray says but Ban doesn’t lose his concentration during the outburst. There’s a sheen of sweat across the Ice Mage's brow, and I can’t help wondering how injured he is if using the shadows, or ice, tires him out this easily.
“The lake is supposed to surrender its secrets to the successor of the kingdom,” Ray says, and I focus on him. That doesn’t make sense to me.
“Secrets?” I say, trying to keep my sarcasm at bay. We came all the way down here for more secrets?
He shrugs, before reading from the page. “ Swanling is said to be a small pool of the bluest water… ”
I listen to Raymundi’s soothing voice while I watch Ban bring his staff back to his side. It drops into his hand, causing his shoulders to relax and the tension between his brow disappears. But it’s obvious that just that simple spell took a lot out of him.
“What’s a Bugaboo?” Ban’s interruption surprised me; I didn’t realize he was listening to Ray.
“I have no idea,” Ray replies with a shrug. “But if the lake is going to do anything for us, this is the only chance we have to find out.”
Their eyes focus on me, and between the brilliant green and icy blue, I find myself squirming under their scrutiny. Ray holds out a hand as he snaps the book closed, his expression serious. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We can all walk back out of here and not say a word about this. No one would know.”
“Except us,” Ban grumbles.
I don’t look at him, focusing on Ray. He’s been with me since he shot me, and as twisted as that is it wasn’t intentional. Despite being cursed to be a swan, he’s not judgmental of me. I trust him.
I’m not sure I can say the same for Ban.
“Go ahead,” I say, holding out my hand and hoping this only involves a drop or two of my blood.
Ray tucks the book away before pulling out his small dagger. He grabs my hand and leads me closer to the water again, Ban following on his other side without a word.
I don’t even register the blade pricking my finger. The pain is nothing compared to Dima digging in my head or cutting my skin. He squeezes until the blood beads on my fingertip and turns my hand over to let it drop into the lake.
All at once, the water reacts. He rips me backward when the water suddenly rises, lifting straight up towards the ceiling of the cave instead of spreading out like a wave. We all jump back, the water pulling away from us.
As we watch, the water combines itself into a deeper, solid shape. It pulls back far enough that Ban could have walked over to his staff. He huffs when he notices.
The water lifts, forming a much more condensed pool in the center of the cave. The blue glow is more intense when concentrated, almost blinding us as we stare at it. I wait for a moment to see if something else will happen, but when the water does nothing more than stay in its concentrated form, I start across the empty cavern.
Ray is right beside me, and I can see Ban just past the top of his head. I don’t know what one is supposed to do with a magical pool but we are about to find out. I stop just in front of the water, watching as it settles, sitting calm and still in the middle of the space.
Peering down is like looking into a painting. The scene within the water isn’t a reflection of the cave or any of us. It's a large stone castle, one I don’t recognize.
But the two men beside me stiffen.
I don’t really understand what the issue is, but a mix of terror and hate bounces between the two of them. Ray even shoves away from the water, surprise covering his face.
I’m about to ask them what in the world is happening when the scene in the water shifts. There’s no sound, but the woman who appears in the image, peering back at us through the water… there’s no mistaking her.
I’ve never seen the Mad Queen in person, but there’s no denying this must be her. Her blood red eyes are cold and unfeeling, her lips painted the blackest black. Her skin has a blue tint to it, but I think that’s an effect from the magic swirling around. She could be as pale as Ban, but her hair is the opposite of his, a deep, inky black. It’s twisted and woven around what I assume are stems or branches, and little pieces that look like bone. Her lip pulls up into a snarl as she stares at us before her lips begin to move.
She’s speaking, but we can’t hear it. This isn’t a seeing stone like the ones I’ve used previously. It’s a looking glass, and kind of like Dima’s ability to see through my severed eye, it’s only for sight, not sound.
With her lip curled up, I can see jeweled hearts attached to her incisors. They glow in the lights of the pool, the look in her eyes turning sinister.
Ray grips my arm, dragging me back a step. “Can she come through?”
I don’t know who the question is for, but he’s leaned away so I don’t think she can read his lips. I certainly couldn’t read hers from here.
Ban shakes his head. His response is sharper than Ray’s, his shoulders tensing, and I get the sense that, overall, he’s simply a more naturally angry person than Raymundo. “I don’t know.”
The water finally settles, and when I lean in again the tint of blue to the Queen’s skin is gone, her porcelain complexion seeing to catch the light of the sky behind her.
She’s studying us like we’re studying her. If this is only a reflection of sorts, then there is nothing to be afraid of.
The four of us remain locked in a tense, silent standoff until I finally break it. “So… this is the Mad Queen?”
“What was your first hint,” Ban hisses dryly.
The Queen traces her lips with one finger, eyeing us without speaking. After a moment she reaches forward, her hand coming towards us at the top of the pool.
She reaches out and the tips of her fingers pass through the surface of the water, a physical thing that we could touch… could touch us.
Screaming, I leap back. The two men standing with me have other ideas, and Ban starts making it snow at the same time Ray taps the water.
It upsets the pool, something her fingers didn’t do when reaching through. Her face twists with pain, and her hand is jerked to the side within the ripple of water. She tears her hand back and through the water I can see her fingers twisting grotesquely to one side. I think they broke when Ray put his fingers in the pool.
She reached through and what we did with the water on this side affected her .
“If the water isn’t still she can’t pass through,” Ray says, looking between us. Ban doesn’t relax, still making it snow all along the surface of the water.
“So if it goes still again she’s just going to walk through into Swan Lake?” I ask. The thought terrifies me.
Ray shrugs, keeping his gaze on the water. When it starts to settle he taps the surface again, creating a new wave of ripples that makes her sneer at us.
“At least she can’t cross through,” I say, trying to find something good in all of this. If we hadn’t wandered down here and upset the water, the lake would still just be little more than treacherous waves.
He grunts in return while Ban doesn’t speak. They’re both staring at the woman in the pool, her image not fading, even when the water moves. This is the Queen who killed them, condemning them to life as Grim Reapers.
I can see where they would be a touch hostile about seeing her again.
There’s a faint noise somewhere to our left, and the two men are so distracted with what’s going on in the pool they don’t even look up. I do though, needing to escape the intensity of the mad look in the Queen’s eyes.
Lifting my gaze, I freeze when my eyes lock on another’s across the cave. He’s not standing by the entrance we came through, but rather at the far end, where I hadn’t noticed any other exit.
It’s his captivating blue eyes that hold my attention; so blue it takes a moment to realize they have a milky sheen to them. His hair is white, and in his hand is a small pocket watch like the one around my neck, and he’s tapping his foot against the cavern floor.
My hand reaches out to grip Ray’s arm just as he speaks. “You’re late.”