Page 3 of Beneath Swan Lake (Deadly Endings #2)

I see the Reaper right in front of me when I open my eye again, and I know what the voice in my head is going to compel me to do.

Attack him. Take the Reaper’s bow.

As soon as I looked down from the sky, I knew it was a mistake. Dima was already in my mind, compelling and controlling my swan side to listen and obey. He’s on a mission and intends to use me to whatever extent he sees fit. It’s unfortunate that I looked down from the sky and spotted not one but two Reapers standing in the ruins of Tressa. It was only a matter of time before he wanted me to do something for him, and I should’ve known it would be a bloody mess.

I didn’t have to make the first move. The memories blur when I come out of my swan form, but I do recall the slicing pain as an arrow impacted my shoulder and shot me from the sky. I know my swan looks a little demonic, but I don’t recall swooping down to strike the Reapers. Not at first.

Dima has high expectations of me that simply can’t be met, and his use of dark magic means he thinks enough manipulation and pain can convince anyone to do anything. No Reaper is going to willingly hand over their weapons. They are an extension of Death itself, and I’m pretty sure if given the choice I’ll be killed before someone gives their deadly weapon to me. That’s a death I’ll gladly welcome if it’ll free me from this prison.

The Blue Wizard Dima might believe I can do anything if he’s manipulative enough, but these two men owe me nothing. Sad eyes and a bit of guilt won’t work here, and even if one of them did take pity on me, they aren’t going to hand over weapons created from Death.

I refuse to look at anyone but Raymundo. I have his memory embedded in my mind from being shot out of the sky. The moments leading up to now are blurry, but I can’t forget the searing pain of his arrow.

Flying means giving into the monster, but it’s a monster I rarely get to set free. Thanks to the Blue Wizard’s cruelty, I’m stuck this way because of a bite. My shifted form is too risky for my parents to allow me to shift in the courtyard, so the only time I can take to the skies is when I leave Swan Lake. They don’t try and hide my curse, but they aren’t exactly open about what happened to me either. I’m trustworthy, but being flighty isn’t very becoming of a princess.

Of course, being cursed to turn into a monster isn’t the best thing either. It’s bad enough I’m missing an eye, and since things went south, there’s nothing to shield the truth from the world either. My parents still recall the night I came home disfigured and cursed, and through a cruel ruse Dima inserted himself further into my life.

I would tell the truth, if the only thing keeping me from fully giving into the monster wasn’t the Blue Wizard himself. The wizard’s voice compels me, and I follow it blindly until I have control of myself again and he backs out of my mind.

Being the swan isn’t my favorite thing, but sometimes it’s my only escape from the eyes of everyone. I just wanted some alone time and Dima shoved his way into my mind and interrupted. I kept flying, distracted and compelled by his voice, and now I’m far from home and have to take the long flight back. If I land to rest, Dima might come searching for me, and I don’t want him to have the opportunity to catch me alone.

My gaze twists to the side, staring at the bird next to me. I joined the flock with ease as they flew above Sherwood, and usually animals are welcoming to me in my swan form. It was easy to join in so I didn’t stick out so much in the sky, but now my energy is failing me. They must have been flying from somewhere, because nearly all the swans in Mystica prefer the waters of Swan Lake. Many swans don’t even leave the boundaries of the kingdom because the water is so perfect.

My teeth poke out, the sharp edges cutting into my beak. This happens when I stay in my shifted form too long, turning me into more beast than girl. Flying for an extended period of time made me ravenous. I could eat anything right now.

Below, I’m surprised when two figures pop into existence. I would almost miss them if they were not so dark against the greens of the forest and the rubble of what looks like a large structure, and one carries a scythe while the other carries a bow. I thought we were still in Sherwood, but I cannot recall if there are buildings there large enough to leave behind such debris.

When Dima is in my mind, the magic that bleeds into my brain and changes the color of my eye is only good for one thing: I can see much farther with the magical enhancement. If only I had two of them, and Dima wasn’t holding one of my eyes hostage.

“Those are Reapers,” the voice in my head says, and I keep my gaze focused below for a moment. If I close my eye he won’t see, but I could risk losing the flock and blending in. “I need one of the weapons they wield to add to my collection. Grab it for me.”

I’m drawn to the figures below and there’s an incessant need in my mind to drop down and invade their space. But my stomach cries out in pain, desperate for anything to fuel me after following Dima’s command once he got into my head. I need to get home. My parents will be so worried. I’ve been gone far too long.

If I don’t eat, I won’t reach Swan Lake without rest. And if I eat, I might have the energy to take on a Reaper and maybe even win. It’ll make everyone happy.

Switching my gaze, I stare at the sleek neck of the swan beside me. It’s so gentle and kind, a sweet mindless bird that’s flying with me because I joined the group.

Hating myself, my neck straightens out as my teeth engage with the neck of the bird. I have to find something to eat, and the voice in my head won’t quiet long enough for me to go searching for anything I want.

Being half shifted and half-delirious is kind of like an out of body experience. I’m only half aware of what’s going on and the poor decisions I subconsciously make, so when I slam myself into a tall body it jars me from my scattered thoughts and throws me back into the present.

It takes seconds for the person to flip me, so I find myself trapped beneath. The hard muscles holding me down are definitely from a man, and when I spot flashes of brown-red hair I realize it’s the hunter, Raymundo. This is the man who occasionally visits Swan Lake to claim the dead.

Raymundo. I don’t know him all that well, but this could quickly turn into a bigger problem for me. This is the only Reaper in Mystica who’s mildly familiar with me.

“Rapunzel!” he says, and I’m only aware it’s him because his voice is incredibly loud in my ear. I hiss and struggle against him, but he’s got both sets of my wings pinned despite his arms holding my shoulders in place.

Shadows. He’s using shadow magic.

I growl, throwing my head back and forth senselessly to make this as difficult as possible. The voice in my head is quiet now, probably watching, and I can still feel the suffocating presence lingering in the back of my mind. Only when he isn’t present does the feeling go away. It takes longer for my eye to return to normal .

I shouldn’t give Dima the pleasure of a show. He doesn’t deserve it after he invaded my mind and urged me to cause this chaos. But I’m too frantic, and a little too mad, to think reasonably about this. I just want the Reaper off of me. He already shot me.

“Hold her still,” another voice says, and if I had to guess that’s probably Zarev. His voice is deeper than Raymundo’s, his tone more gruff and words a little more clipped. He’s the only other Reaper I know of who hangs out anywhere near Sherwood. “Come on, Golden Girl, you’ve got this.”

Snarling, I keep trying to make this difficult, whipping my head around and flashing the unnaturally sharp teeth. Then a hand, made of flesh and blood, pins my skull in place. I glare upwards, and the two Reapers peer down at me.

The voice in my head practically purrs, and it’s distracting enough that I almost forget that my arm is on fire from the arrow.

“Rapunzel!” Raymundo cries again, and when I realize I can see his lips I slam my eye shut. As much as I want to spit fire up at them and fight them, I don’t want the voice in my head seeing either.

“Open your eye, Odette!”

“The arm,” Raymundo continues, his voice a little more calming to listen to than Zarev’s. It’s not Raymundo’s hand that’s holding my hand in place, and I’m almost offended that Zarev is. He’s a little bit gruffer than the archer. “Get her arm!”

“I’m looking through the feathers,” a woman responds, her voice musical and soft. This must be Rapunzel, a princess I’ve never had the pleasure to meet until now. “They are all stained but where’s the wound?”

Raymundo grunts, and I try and fail to throw my head against the hand holding my face down. I’m going to get the two of them when they let me up. Either Reaper will do, and I only need one weapon. I’ll take what was requested and strike the two of them for putting their hands on me.

Then there’s heat attacking the wound in my arm, and I gasp in pain as my eye opens up again. I drag my gaze sideways and can barely see the other princess in my peripheral vision.

“Thank you Odette.” I almost snap my eye closed again at Dima’s pleased purr, his voice echoing in my head.

“The arrow,” Rapunzel hisses. “It’s got to come out.”

For a moment I think that’s my opening, and I’ll be able to break free. But either Rapunzel manages by herself or these Reapers are ungodly strong, because I can’t shake off Raymundo even slightly. I lose sight of Zarev with the hand still on my head, and I want to scream in frustration.

Then there’s the feel of the arrow being torn from my skin, and I lose focus around the new rush of pain. The heat returns to my arm, but it’s not as painful this time compared to what’s already happening. It’s almost soothing.

Without that burn from the stone-tipped arrow, my body slowly stops fighting them. I sink into the ground, the hand pushing on my head easing up when I’m no longer trying to break free .

The voice in my head goes silent, and finally the crushing pressure in my mind eases up. Dima is either too busy to continue watching, or he’s bored by my pain.

Rapunzel gasps. “The wings…”

“She’s a shifter,” Zarev says above me. “A powerful one at that.”

I almost smile now that the pain is dimmed, but there isn’t much of a point. They aren’t going to like me if we do end up talking. I can feel my wings, both sets, shifting and pulling back beneath my skin until I twitch my fingers and know I’m fully back to my human form. The weight on top of me never shifts, and I wonder what these Reapers think of me now.

“Oh,” Rapunzel replies, her voice trailing off. “That’s wonderful, but… what is the Swan Princess doing way out here?”

With my eye closed, I don’t have to look back at the weight of their stares. Of course there will be questions about what I’m doing on the other side of Mystica. The rumors of my curse are just that, rumors. Until right now, my parents' fears did well to keep the truth from anyone of interest.

Including Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Considering what happened to my suitor, we’ve cut all contact with Arthur over the years. Now that I’m trapped with these three, I don’t know what they will end up unearthing. I don’t know them, but they could accidentally cause a catastrophic series of events if we aren’t careful. All because a Reaper shot me out of the sky.

If the truth gets out, I’m so screwed.