Page 16

Keltania

There’s a small alcove on the other side of the lake I’m hoping to entice Valen to join me in. Except the moment I break the surface of the water, he disappears beneath it.

“Valen?”

Gensted stops swimming and turns to me, confused. “Is something—” Then he, too, dips under the water with a violent splash.

A rush of panic hits me—mine or Valen’s, I’m not sure—and my heart thunders. The water. There’s something in the damn water! “Daroose?”

He’s on his feet, peering into the water from the bank. “I don’t see either of them!”

“Shit!” I inhale and dive, cursing myself for being so careless. What the hell was I thinking? We aren’t on vacation. This is serious. Thousands of lives hang in the balance, and I’m skinny-dipping? With not one Fae monarch—but two?

I see Gensted’s form through the murky water. He’s taller than Valen, fighting his way back to the surface. He’s almost there when something bright lashes out and drags him back down, into the kelp. I kick harder, propelling myself deeper, and when I finally see him again, I nearly swallow a mouthful of foul lake water.

His arm is clamped in the mouth of a white kelpie. Its horse form is much smaller than Daroose, though the water is too murky to make out much more. An orange mane? Glowing red eyes? I need to find Valen.

There’s no sign of him, and I’m frantic. The link is too quiet.

Deeper… He has to be deeper. I force myself to stay calm and dive.

I make it to Gensted and the kelpie, and, having no weapon, I punch it as hard as I can in the head. It drops him—probably more from surprise than the blow—and I drag him to the surface.

Gensted scrubs a hand across his face. “What the fuck is that thing?”

“Valen,” I say with a gasp. A million scenarios flash through my mind—none of them good. I need to find him. “Where is Valen?”

He shakes his head.

I dive back beneath the surface.

It takes my eyes a moment to adjust, but when they do, I catch sight of the kelpie’s retreating form and kick hard to follow. I lose track of it after several minutes, unable to put off resurfacing for air. My head breaks the surface and I greedily suck in a breath.

“Valen?” My voice cracks, and I cough, trying to catch my breath.

Instead of his response, something hauls me from the lake. For several seconds, I’m flying, the shock of cold air against my wet skin chilling. With a jarring impact, I land hard on a rocky shore.

“I haven’t had a decent meal in a long time,” a female voice says. There’s an odd sound—like someone snapping their teeth—then a contented sigh. “And tonight, I get three courses.”

I rub the water from my eyes. The kelpie, in human form, stands over me, licking her lips. Like Daroose, her clothing looks new and dry, and her long hair is golden yellow. Unlike my kelpie, though, her eyes have a pinkish hue and gleam with insatiable hunger. She smiles and snaps her teeth.

It’s hard to seem threatening without a weapon and dripping like a drowned rat, but I try. “Where is he?”

“Consider him an appetizer.” She laughs, then narrows her eyes as her gaze catches on my neck. Her expression sours. “Where did you get that ?”

She’s referring to the bridle. The one around my neck belonging to Daroose. She’s not wearing one of her own. “I’ll tell you—if you tell me where the Fae is.”

She clenches her fists and bares her teeth but begrudgingly points to a boulder formation a few yards away. I bolt for the rocks. Valen is lying in the sand, unconscious, behind them.

“Now, answer me!” she demands, stalking up behind me. “Where is the kelpie who belongs to that bridle? What have you done to it?”

“I imagine he’s starting to wonder where I am.” I check Valen’s pulse—still strong—and drag him toward the edge of the water. “He has the tendency to worry.”

She follows me, looming over us with a growl. “What?”

“I didn’t steal this bridle from a kelpie. He gave it to me.”

She spits on the ground at my feet. “Impossible. A kelpie would never give his bridle away.”

“This one did.” Daroose emerges from the water, his face a mask of fury. He yanks Gensted onto the land, then tosses my clothing down beside him. “If you value your life, you will not touch my human.”

If possible, her eyes grow even wider. She makes a low stuttering sound, then drops to her knees in the sand. With a shudder, she says, “Rhal Daroose!”

Daroose stands over the female kelpie, looking down. The anger in his expression morphs to pity. He sighs. “I hate when they do this.”

“Why—why is she kneeling? And what did she just call you? Rhal?”

“How dare you show him such disrespect,” the female snarls. “On your knees, human!”

Daroose grabs her arm and hauls her upright. To me, he says, “‘Rhal’ is our word for king.”

“You— I— Huh?” Maybe I swallowed too much lake water? “King of what?”

“The kelpies. Seriously, Keltania.” Daroose tweaks my nose and snickers. “What else would it be?”

“You’re a kelpie king ?” I ask. Beside me, Valen begins to stir.

“Of course not,” Daroose says. “I’m the kelpie king. There’s only one of me—thank the Gods.” He takes the female’s hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, where is your bridle?”

She keeps her head bowed, but her lips twist in fury. “Those filthy Spring Fae stole it.” She spits. “They use me to protect their borders.”

“Tania?”

Are you okay?

“I don’t think so.” Valen stumbles up and comes to stand beside me. “Because I swear I just heard Daroose call himself a king.”

“As it happens, we’re here looking for the Spring Fae,” I say.

“You found them.” She takes a menacing step toward us. “Which is why I’m going to have to eat you now.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Daroose flashes her a gleaming smile and moves closer to me. “I’m rather fond of this one.”

“I’m hungry!” She snaps her teeth. With a slow lick of her lips, she fixes her gaze on Valen. “What about the Fae?”

“I mean, you could eat him. But I’d advise against it. I took a bite once. He’s the most bitter thing I’ve ever tasted. Trust me, it’s not worth the indigestion you’d inevitably get.”

Her gaze strays to Gensted.

Daroose shakes his head. “That one? Don’t do it. Look at him. He’s all muscle and sinew. He’d get stuck in your teeth.”

I hold up my hands. “No one is eating anyone.”

Daroose sighs. “She tends to be a bit melodramatic. Not a fan of my diet and all.” He pats his stomach and frowns. “I’ve lost so much weight. I’m practically skin and bones…”

“What if I could offer an alternative solution?” I ask.

She straightens and folds her arms, sneaking another peek at Valen and taking a deep breath as if to smell him. “I’m listening.”

“You let us go, tell me where to find the Spring Fae, and we’ll get your bridle back.”

She scrunches her nose up and scowls. “Impossible.”

“It’s not,” I promise and point to Valen. “This Fae? He’s very powerful. He has magic—as do I.”

She looks to Daroose for confirmation. He nods. “It’s true. For a Fae, he’s actually quite useful.” Leaning close, he whispers loudly, “If you can get past the smell…”

“And, look.” I touch the ground, willing a single flower to grow. In moments, a small red bloom breaks the surface and opens wide. Its petals are paper thin and have the smallest bit of frost at their tips. Thankfully, it melts quickly, and I’m sure no one else sees it.

The kelpie bends to pluck the plant from the sand. She twirls it between her finger several times before tossing it over her shoulder, into the water. “My name is Emian, and you have a deal. But you will regret it. The Spring Queen is a bloodthirsty monster. My guess is she will kill you on sight…”