Page 29

Everyone made their way down the hill. Already I dreaded the thought of picking our way through waterlogged trenches and drowned vegetation.

My boots weren’t even waterproof in normal rain conditions.

But realistically speaking, wet socks were the least of my worries.

What sorts of things lurked in the water, with no telling how deep it went in places?

The fine coating of vivid blue-green algae could be innocuous or poisonous to the touch.

“Stay sharp,” I warned the others as we approached.

Yrra nodded, big blue eyes solemn. Scanning the terrain ahead of us for signs of danger, I adjusted my pack and forged forward.

Almost immediately after crossing the tree line into the wetlands, the soft earth became thick mud that gripped the soles of my boots and tried to swallow my feet whole.

“Isn’t that pleasant,” I muttered to myself, yanking my legs into motion one after the other. I raised my voice to be heard over the chorus of sloshing and squelching footsteps around me. “If the carrying mood strikes anyone, you know where to find me.”

“Goddess, Mar, do you want a faceful of mud?” Vyrain exclaimed. Beads of perspiration already dotted his hairline. “Because that’s how you get a faceful of mud.”

“Hostile much?” I grinned even as I considered my next step.

“I didn’t mean I would—oh, never mind.”

The mud was a short stretch followed by stagnant pools of algae-infested water.

We had no choice but to continue onward.

I broke the surface with my first step, and my nose wrinkled at the pungent bouquet of rotten eggs and decomposing plant matter that wafted up.

The ground dropped off under my foot. My leg sank in to the knee, and I stumbled forward, almost face-planting in the dark water.

I caught myself just in time, flailing for purchase.

“You all right?” Lu called. He lowered himself into the water with a grimace and waded toward me, arm extended, but I waved off his approach.

Jokes aside, I didn’t need babying. Still, I was oddly grateful that Luthri chose to trudge along beside us instead of flying, though it would have been difficult to navigate the trees as a full-grown man.

Daethie had an easier time of it, cruising along on the breeze, making lazy loops when it suited her.

Those of us who walked made our way steadily through the water, mud, and underbrush.

As we went, the water became clearer, and the smell faded until it was nothing more than earth with an eggy undertone.

Some areas were deeper than others. We weren’t even halfway through, and I was soaked to my waist. The others removed their packs to carry them above the surface. I followed suit, grumbling all the way.

Shiny winged insects skimmed along the water, diving under in places. They didn’t bother us, thankfully. I didn’t have hands to swat them away.

I was fit enough, but I wasn’t built for this .

Half-swimming, half-walking with my bag above my head, I’d begun to tremble from the weight when Yrra paused where he was. His nostrils flared, and his tongue darted out to taste the air. A deep line appeared between the twin curves of his brow ridge.

“Wait,” he murmured. I paused. The twins were ahead of us and didn’t hear him.

“Wait,” I repeated louder for their sake. When they stopped and turned back, I looked to Yrra. He said nothing, only scanned our surroundings with a sharp-eyed intent.

That’s when the singing started. It began low and sweet, a melodic hum that reverberated over our watery surroundings and caressed my ears with the care of a lover.

The sound skimmed over my flesh, sending goosebumps scattering in its wake.

I couldn’t make out the source. I should have found that odd, but instead, I found it remarkable.

My eyes closed, and my arms sagged. I didn’t even care that my bag slipped into the water—simple pleasures ought to be enjoyed without distractions, and this brand of pleasure was something special.

A malignant hiss burst from Yrra, causing my eyes to snap back open. “ Nykse ,” he spat with a vehemence I’d never imagined he was capable of. “Quick, cover their ears!”

He dropped his pack and sprinted toward the twins, cutting through the water with a level of efficiency that only a water-dwelling species could achieve. Daethie shouted his name and dove after him.

It took me a moment to snap out of it, but when the meaning of his words registered, I leapt into action.

Letting my burden fall, I surged toward Luthri.

He stood rooted in place, eyes wide and empty, his wings trailing forgotten into the water behind him.

He didn’t so much as twitch, even when I sloshed to his side and clapped my hands forcefully over his ears.

The tune shifted. Layers of sound braided together, rising and falling in volume, invading my senses.

I could feel it, as though it had a physical presence, or as though it were a chemical and not a song.

Lu repositioned under my hands and stepped forward, almost dragging me with him. Was he back to himself ?

“Luthri?” I looked up hopefully, but his face remained blank.

“Their ears!” Yrra cried. The twins pulled away from him, even as he tried to stuff their ears with whatever plant debris he could gather.

It made no difference. They didn’t so much as lift a hand to deflect him, steadily making their way forward as if they were zombies.

They turned right. My head whipped around to scrutinize the terrain in that direction.

More trees. Deeper water. And there, in the water, were creatures I’d never seen before.

Only their heads were visible above the surface.

Three… no, four of them, their faces narrow strips of luminescent white blighted by huge, bottomless black eyes.

Long, dark hair floated behind them like a shroud.

Somehow, they sang with their mouths barely open, but the strength of it sent the water before them fleeing in tight ripples.

They advanced, each step revealing more of their forms. Slim shoulders emerged, followed by nipple-less chests and flat abdomens.

They carried their willowy frames in graceful beats to the music—stepping forward, swaying to one side, stepping forward, swaying to the other side.

“Yrra?!” I had to shout to be heard over their noise.

He couldn’t help me; he was too busy trying to block the twins.

And Daethie flitted from person to person, desperately trying to keep their ear stuffing in place.

Ugly scenes flashed before my eyes, visions of the men willingly walking into the nykse pod and being torn apart.

The twins screaming with pain as nykse tore into their backs with sharp teeth.

Luthri’s body—what was left of it—floating away to decay alongside the algae.

Heartbeat shrieking in my ears, I pushed through the water to snatch a hold of Luthri’s arm. My feet dug into the mud as I grappled with it, putting everything I had into holding him back. His progress was slowed, but not halted. My own strength wasn’t enough.

Which left me with one option. I gritted my teeth and drew mana like a woman possessed, expanding muscle and bone so quickly it hurt.

Magic burned through my veins. My skin stretched to make room for the new bulk, and I expanded in all directions.

But in the end, even with what I’d learned from Cantal, I couldn’t spread my reach any farther than usual.

The excess mana pooled in my chest, heavy and useless. Acid climbed my throat like fire.

Goddess, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t enough; I couldn’t do it.

I released the breath I’d been holding and gulped fresh air in short pants.

When my grip on Lu’s arm slackened, he shook me off.

The nykse beckoned, almost licking their lips at the prospect of fresh meat.

I watched his back retreat from me, his waterlogged wings dragging through the swamp water behind him.

What do I do now? What can I do? Angry tears blurred my vision. It’s not fair.

Yrra threw himself in front of the twins, between them and the nykse pod. His long ears drew back against his head, his lips peeled back from his teeth, and he loosed a vicious rattling hiss that had the nykse rearing back in surprise. Their song stuttered.

And for a fleeting moment, Luthri hesitated.

“That worked.” I lunged forward to grasp Lu’s hand once more. “That worked! Do it again! That’s right—we mean business!”

The mana I’d already gathered leapt at my command, bulking my body to its limit once more.

I turned my clothes into blue skin and sharpened my teeth.

Pushing aside any embarrassment, I flattened my own ears against my head and hissed in the best approximation of Yrra’s.

The nykse in front closed its mouth abruptly and shook its head, taken aback.

But the others kept singing. And despite Yrra’s best efforts, the twins reached the edge of their big pool. Any farther and they’d be climbing in for a casual swim with the sharks.

We were running out of time.

Yrra realized it too. He glanced back, and his eyes ran over the twins and Luthri as he sized them up. “Could you carry him? Or Vyrain?”

If it was our only option? I would somehow, so help me. “Yes,” I breathed. “Yes, I can.”

Yrra wasted no time in snatching the arm of the man nearest him and, faster than I could blink, sank his teeth into Hohem’s wrist. He did the same to Vyrain. Without a word, I did what I could to pull Luthri closer, and Yrra dashed to us to repeat the process on him.