Page 60 of Of Rime and Ruin (Sirens of Adria #2)

Chapter fifty-seven

Aethan

I launch across the ice, faster. Faster. I jump from the edge without hesitation, plunging into the dark, frigid water.

Nahla needs me, and I will tear the world apart if it means keeping her safe.

Cold pierces my heart. I squint into the blue expanse, searching for any sign of her. A trace of blood or the scent of her fear. The clawbeast’s howl. But my senses are dull now, and I can’t mark her location among the turmoil of the sea.

The water is packed with panicking fish. They swarm through the gap between the mountains, scales flashing as they flick their frantic tails, crowding my view.

Their eyes whiten as they spot me, but otherwise they pay me no mind.

Irritation crawls up my spine. Predators scare fish away, every damn time.

But as I kick my feet and flail my arms, moving sluggishly through the water, they ignore me.

Indifferent to my presence. Focused on escaping a threat far stronger than me.

My skin crawls at the touch of cold water, like a warm-blooded guppy who hasn’t grown into his scales. Useless.

Fuck. I’ve lost my touch. I can’t find her scent. Can’t hear her screams. I can’t frighten a fucking silverfish. How can I fight a clawbeast in this weak body? No claws. No teeth. No tail. Nothing but my soft siren skin and an abhorrent amount of delusion.

I grit my teeth, clench my abdomen, and kick. I’ll figure something out. I have to. I’m the fucking King of Frost, this is my domain, I am its protector, and I won’t abandon Nahla over a bite of cold.

It’s my fault she’s been captured. My fault she left to begin with. I tried to protect her, to protect my kingdom, and she ran.

I force my way through the frantic crowd of sea life as dread twists in my throat.

What else should I have done? My people were dying, and I had to protect them, as a king should. I rid them of their villain.

I push my body harder. Kick faster. Regret roils me, its sour tinge coating my tongue. I was misguided and oblivious, and I chose wrong. I picked the wrong villain, my kingdom is vulnerable, and I could lose Nahla forever.

Water churns behind me, and I turn—a lone Frost Guard plunges into the Rime. He’s equipped to the gills. Knives are sheathed at his hips. Leather armor encloses his chest, too large for his small frame. His tail is damaged at the end, where half of his fin is missing.

As the bubbles clear, I recognize the young guard’s face. Perrin.

My stomach drops. What is he doing here? I should warn him of the danger. The clawbeast is out there somewhere, and he could get hurt. Or worse.

The young guard orients himself in the water, twisting upright with a flick of his tail. The damaged flesh of his tailfin hangs loosely, frayed around the scar my magic left behind.

My throat tightens. I did that. I’ve already hurt him.

He swims forward, a fierce set to his expression, heading for the gap between the mountains.

“What are you doing?” I grab Perrin’s forearm, stopping him.

“Saving Nahla, Sire. I saw the clawbeast take her.” His whiskers twitch, and he flicks his gaze over my useless, naked form. “I thought you’re afraid of the water.”

Annoyance warms the tips of my ears, but I ignore his comment. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.”

He pulls out of my grip. “Yeah, and Nahla’s out there. I’m her rescue party.”

“Go back,” I snap.

“But Deirdre would kill me,” he whines.

“The clawbeast will fucking kill you!”

“You don’t have to protect me, Your Majesty. I’m a Frost Guard, remember? I protect you .” He puffs out his chest, touching his gills in a sign of respect.

I swallow hard. Perrin’s got his shit together more than I do, it seems. Such bravery. Such innocence. He’s the best of us all, through and through.

He narrows his eyes as our silence stretches. “Here.” He unhooks a knife from his belt and presses it into my hands. I curl my fingers around the bone shaft. “We’re wasting time. Are you coming or not?”

I push the knife away. “No, you keep that. I have magic.”

He flares his nostrils, inhaling before he nods and sheathes the blade. “This way.” With a kick of his tail, Perrin speeds into the fray of fish, leaving me to flounder.

Fuck.

I stir the magic in my belly with a quick spell and pray to the goddess this works. Summoning two blades of ice, I spin them at each of my hands with a push of my magic. Water stirs. My body propels forward, and I chase Perrin between the mountains.

We swim out of Frost Kingdom territory and into the open sea.

I ignore the eerie rise in my scales, and the significance of this moment passes without consequence.

I can’t remember the last time I left the Rime.

My sight-pool doesn’t reach this far, and without good enough reason to risk it, I haven’t dared venture out of my domain.

My throne. My kingdom. My safety. I’ll risk everything for the chance to hold her one more time.

Ahead of me, Perrin dives and arcs gracefully into the depths with the confidence of a merman who’s done this before. He follows the mountain’s jagged edge, the tip of his tail disappearing into the dark fathoms below.

I angle my spinning blades and kick my feet as I descend. Too fucking slow. She could be dead by now. Torn to shreds by the clawbeast’s claws. Her bones, used as toothpicks to clean her own flesh from its jaws.

Rage burns in my stomach, fueling me. The blades spin faster. I speed up, vision darkening, pulse racing, teeth clenching. I will tear that beast apart one scale at a time if it puts a single hair out of place on her head.

Perrin tucks into the mouth of a tunnel, and we regroup at the entrance.

Jagged rocks hang like spikes from the ceiling, leaving a space wide enough for the beast to fit through.

He signals with one hand, using traditional hunter motions to convey his meaning without sound: Nahla’s scent is strong here.

I’ll take the lead, I signal.

Perrin huffs, and bubbles spray from his mouth. His hands move with irritation. This is my rescue mission. I’ll go first.

I hold out my arm, blocking the young guard’s path. Sorry, squirt. Can’t let you do that. I need you in the back.

He pouts but obliges. Silently, we glide deeper into the tunnel with Perrin taking the rear.

Near-darkness descends, the only light coming from the quiet flicker of glowmites clinging to the stalactites.

The mites stir into wakefulness with our passing, glowing brighter and dimming. A signal of our presence.

Fuck.

Will the clawbeast see us coming? Are we swimming into a trap?

The path is winding, the walls twisting and curving until I can no longer determine which direction we face.

Before me, the rock bends sharply to the left. I follow its curve, trailing my fingers along its rough surface, and end where I started. A dead end.

I bump into Perrin to get his attention. My hands sign: It’s a labyrinth.

He frowns and nods, pushing in front as he taps his nose. He’s caught her scent. I follow his lead back the way we came, taking a right turn at the main chamber instead of left. The water feels colder here. More sinister. I inhale, trying to place her scent among the cold stone.

There. Faintly. A thread of her warm vanilla scent, doused in fear. The tunnel curves left. We follow. Faster now. I kick my legs hard, gaining speed. The blades of ice whirr at my sides and propel me faster still.

She’s so close I can feel it.

I’m coming, Nahla. I’m going to get you out of here if it kills me.

A roar trembles through the tunnel, freezing the blood in my veins. The glowmites snuff out, and the tunnel plunges into shadow. I slam into the wall, rough rock gouges my skin, and pain bursts through my shoulder. Fuck!

The sharp scent of fear permeates the water as we fumble in the darkness. I can’t call out to my companion, or else I’ll give away his position.

Pebbles clatter to my left. I strain to hear moving water. Someone slips past me. A kick of bubbles. Perrin?

The clawbeast roars again, louder this time, bouncing around one final curve in the tunnel. With numb fingers, I grip the hard rock and prepare to spring.