Page 89 of The Throne Seeker

How long she hung there, she didn’t know. Twenty minutes? An hour? The rising tide below was the only proof that time was passing. The cove was full now—the thin crest of sand had all but disappeared.

Without warning, the curved iron contraption groaned, dropping her toward the water. She gripped the chain in terror, gasping. The force jolted her towards the water, but just as swiftly as it had begun, it stopped.

She winced at the sudden impact on her wrists. A sinking pit grew within her stomach. The action proved they wanted to send her into the water. She was certain they were somewhere watching her, reveling in her fear, hoping she’d die and they’d be rid of her and all of their worries.

After what seemed like ages, her arms threatened to give out. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could carry on like this. She winced from the strain of her chains, her arms threatening to pop out of their sockets at any moment. Blood began to trickle down her arms from the iron clasps digging into her wrists.

She prayed to the lost city above that her mother wasn’t watching.

She didn’t think things could get much worse until she noticed a strange ripple in the water.

Rose’s heart stopped mid-beat. Maybe it was her imagination running wild from the blood loss. She strained her eyes. Another massive ripple ran across the water. Just below the surface, a scaled creature glided through the water.

Something was in the water.

Something big.

She suddenly mined a new strength, gripping the chains again as terror took over her body. Perhaps she could try to swing herself towards the curved iron and give herself more time?—

“Rose!” a voice bellowed from above, echoing through the cliffs—a voice intermingled with equal amounts of fear and fury. She knew that voice.

Relief flooded her veins as she spotted Tristan standing at the edge of the cliff. “Tristan!”

He faltered, mortified at the bloodstains marring her arms and dress. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she lied, ignoring the pain.

“Dammit—hold on! You hear me? Just hold on. I’m coming, I’m coming!” Tristan called. He searched around frantically, looking for something he could use.

“Tristan, there’s something in the water!”

He muttered a stream of curse words under his breath, untangling the thick rope he carried. He tied it around his waist at top speed, anchoring himself to a nearby boulder. “I’m climbing down. I’ll get you out, I promise!” Without an ounce of fear, he jumped off the cliff, rappelling along the rocky cliffside at top speed.

The water was nothing but calm waves. She searched for any sign of the creature, but all she could see was an infinity of blue.

Without warning, the iron rod lowered again, sending her closer to the ocean.

She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

“Rose!” Tristan called out.

Her fear became harder to suppress as she dared to peer into the water again. “Hurry, please hurry,” she begged in a whisper, hating how fragile she sounded.

So scared.

“I’m coming! Don’t worry. I’m coming!” Tristan yelled as if he had heard her soft plea.

The water rippled again, revealing its secret—a massive sea beast swam beneath her, sheer-violet scales glimmering as large, translucent fins glided effortlessly through the water. Its scaly, snake-like body was speckled with sapphire blue markings, propelled by four powerful webbed feet, tearing through the water with force. Its fierce sea-green eyes lifted up at her from the depths below.

She stilled, petrified.Please, she begged in her mind.Please don’t hurt us.

The beast broke eye contact but continued to circle beneath her like a predator circling its prey.

Tristan had reached the base of the iron contraption in record time. He didn’t waste a moment before mounting it, putting his arms out and balancing himself as he tiptoed across the narrow contraption.

The massive hook lowered once more, inching her closer to the crashing waves, this time so low that the sea monster could easily snatch her away with a single swipe of its razor-sharp talons.

The force knocked Tristan to his knees as he gripped the iron truss. She gasped, fearing that he’d be tossed off, but Tristan held on, rising to his hands and knees, determined to reach her.