Page 45

Marin

The tall grass swayed in the breeze, its soft blades tickling my elbows as we made our way through the dense field.

We’d already covered a good distance, setting out after our detour through the sky market to purchase our cloud tokens. They’d cost a fortune. At this rate, Gavin probably regretted funding our expedition.

Gavin’s pack hung loosely over his shoulder, alongside his new addition: a razor-sharp cutlass, sheathed in a leather scabbard across his back.

The way he’d admired it in the market, showing it off to me while we ate lunch, made me think he’d finally found his one true love.

Meanwhile, I’d been demoted to the sidekick in my own story.

Talk about sword envy.

But being the selfless partner that I was, I let it go and focused on my acquisition: magic sound-casting darts that can mimic footsteps and even muffled voices. I also picked up a pot of red paint.

I wasn’t exactly sure how we were going to solve the maze portion yet, but we’d need something to mark our path. The rest, I’d figure out later. Assuming we didn’t perish on the way there like so many others before us, or like Gavin kept grumbling, die in a tragic fall from sketchy cloud tokens .

The man hadn’t spent three years cursed as a mermaid. He didn’t understand the complexities of magic. Or maybe he just had something against grizzled merchants who picked their teeth.

“You know,” I said, trailing my fingers over the tops of the grass. “The Fields of Futile Escape are lovely this time of year. It’s very tranquil.”

Gavin grunted a few feet ahead of me. “Just because it looks peaceful, doesn’t mean there aren’t beasts crawling around in here. Remember the fields outside of Crows Hollow? Keep your eyes peeled.”

I rolled them instead. “You mean when I was dragged to the ground by that vicious, evil creature with teeth the size of corn kernels? And claws that wouldn’t even rip through paper? It was so cute with its thick fur and soulful eyes.”

“I thought you were being mauled,” he muttered, swatting the grass with his forearm. “I’m convinced you enjoy taking years off my life. Actually, I’m surprised there are any years left. I should be six feet under by now.”

I tried to adopt a serious expression that didn’t last. “I don’t enjoy it, per se… Though technically, yes, I was being mauled. By a wet nose and a slobbery tongue.”

Gavin glared at me over his shoulder.

“Oh, come on! That ball of fur was adorable. I was heartbroken Bowen wouldn’t let me keep it. Our crew needed a pet. Reid agreed with me, too. I think he wanted to study it. Teach it tricks.”

I doubled my steps to catch up with Gavin and kept up with his long strides.

“How is Reid, by the way? I know he works for the paper now. ”

Gavin slowed, his body tensing. His grip clenched around the strap of his pack, knuckles going white.

“What is it?”

We stopped in the middle of the field. Gavin exhaled sharply and dropped his chin to his chest.

“Just tell me.”

He hesitated. “Reid is… dead.”

My arms curled tightly over my stomach as if I could soften the blow. “When? What happened? I just saw his last article a week ago.”

“You know Reid, always chasing a story. This one was too big, even for him. He infiltrated a gang and…” Gavin’s throat worked. He stared at the grass. “Bowen and I were there. We tried to stop it. We couldn’t. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

There was an edge to his voice. Something caught between guilt and frustration.

My throat felt scratchy. I pressed my fingers against my eyelids, my lashes wet.

Only four of us left.

We weren’t whole anymore. That hurt. It was proof that none of us were invincible. And I didn’t need more proof of that. I'd already lost so much, and now I had to bury this new ache alongside all the others—my father, the promise I'd failed to keep, and the years I could never get back.

I settled my hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “I’m glad both of you were there. That he wasn’t alone.”

Gavin’s jaw flexed. An unreadable emotion flickered across his face. He was hiding something, I just didn’t know what.

“Me too.”

I studied him for a moment, wanting to force his secrets to the surface.

But that wasn’t fair, demanding the truth when I was hiding the way my lungs fought for air, the numbness creeping deeper as my curse sank its claws into me.

Maybe some secrets were best left buried.

The ones we hid to protect others. To protect ourselves.

“Let’s keep moving,” I said quietly, walking ahead.

The tall grass ended at the edge of the bog. A silvery mist unfurled along a dense, tree-lined path. This was the last obstacle before we reached the castle, but unlike the fields, I didn’t think we’d get through unscathed.

We walked single file, Gavin leading the way since his cutlass outclassed my less than passable dagger skills, and it was easier to hide the unsteady rhythm of my steps. Gnarled roots and skeletal branches snaked across our path, half-submerged in mud like wooden predators.

Eerie moss glowed faintly in wispy strings hanging from the trees.

The glow cast a sickly light over stagnant pools of black water that reflected the tree’s distorted shapes.

Thick mud sucked at my boots, threatening to rip them from my feet.

It helped that I could only take shallow breaths.

The damp air carried the scent of decay and something metallic.

I could taste it. And the less I inhaled, the better.

My skin tingled as we trekked through the bog. The shadows deepened, swallowing the weak light. Distant croaks and rustling leaves broke the stillness. But other creatures that weren’t as subtle lurked in the dark water. Every ripple or bubble popping on the murky surface made my stomach lurch.

I stepped over a particularly large bone and frowned. “So far, the Bog of Regret ranks lower than the fields. I don’t think any cuddly beasts live here.”

“You mean you’re not interested in adopting a slimy eel as our long-lost pet? ”

“Does the eel want to snuggle like a newborn pup? Then, no.”

Gavin reached back, guiding me around what appeared to be the rest of some poor creature’s skeleton. The bones were faded and picked clean. Some had splintered, revealing jagged edges.

“This place is so inviting,” I muttered, cringing as my boot accidentally snapped a thin bone hidden in the muck. “What a fun atmosphere.”

“It could be worse.”

“No. Do not justify the bog. It’s ruining my new boots.”

Gavin grinned at me, sliding his hand to my waist as the path dipped sharply. “How do you think I feel? Mine are made of fish leather. Very expensive.”

I let out a short, winded laugh, pressing my palm against the middle of my chest with a wince. “You’re right. They were expensive.”

His fingers dug into my belt, forcing me to stop. “Are you feeling okay? You look pale.”

“Never comment on a woman’s complexion. I’m fine. The stench in the air is making me a little nauseous.”

He didn’t believe me, gaze zeroing in on my hand pressing against the relentless pressure under my ribs. I dropped it to my side. More teasing small talk wasn’t going to wipe the concern off his face. I needed a blunter topic.

I cleared my throat and stepped around him, picking up our pace. My chest still ached, but distance would get me farther than rest.

“Tell me about Bowen’s scars. How did he get them?”

Gavin jogged through the mud to my side. “It was after we returned from finding Incantus. We stored the treasure inside Bowen’s secret warehouse, thinking it would be safer there. It was just for one night. We planned to hand it over the next day. But there was a fire.”

“Who set it?”

“A gang leader. Argus Ward. He was retaliating against his father, who happened to be Bowen’s benefactor, so he knew where the handoff was going to take place. And in the chaos, the treasure chest containing the vial of immortality disappeared.”

I looked up at him, my lips snarled. “You lost the treasure?”

“In our defense,” Gavin grated. “We had just lost you. The treasure wasn’t at the forefront of our minds. We got sloppy.”

“Still,” I grumbled. “It took us a whole year to find, and then to lose it like that.” I snapped my fingers.

“Yeah. Don’t remind me.” Gavin raked a hand through his hair, his fingers threading roughly through the dark strands.

“Anyway, Argus’s father made Bowen pay for the loss.

He tortured him and left him with the scars on his face and his back.

It broke him. He wasn’t the same after that. None of us were.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

Gavin shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. We were dealt a fatal hand. But Bowen’s better now. He’s moved past all that pain.”

“Bowen deserves to be happy.”

“He is. Disgustingly so. I almost had to move out.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the air thinned in my throat. A sharp, invisible weight pressed against my ribs. My hand crept past my chest and up toward my neck, my fingers digging in as my lungs spasmed. Panic clawed through my body .

The air was gone. It was just—gone.

“Mare?”

“I’m fine.” I wheezed out a breath, then struggled for another. My vision blurred for half a second before snapping back into focus.

“You’re not fine.” Gavin’s boots squelched in the mud as he stepped toward me. “You can barely walk.”

Gesturing to his feet, I blinked furiously as the ground beneath us pitched. “You’re not much better. It’s the mud. It’s sticking to my—”

I yelped as Gavin hooked his arm under my legs, and in one fluid motion, he lifted me off the ground.”

“Put me down.” Everything was still spinning, and I forced myself to focus.

“Not happening.”

I growled under my breath, squirming against him. “Gavin—”

“No.” He crushed me in his grip until I went still. “You told me back at the inn you expected me to carry you. You’re getting your wish.”

“I was being a wise-ass, and you know it.”

“I do know.” His lips twitched despite his frustration. “And it’s one of my favorite things about you.”

I scowled, slinging my arms across my chest. “You can’t carry me all the way to the castle!”

Gavin glanced down at me, his jaw tight, eyes glinting with challenge. “Try me.”

His tone left no room for argument. I squeezed my eyes shut and internally screamed. Gavin jostled me in his arms until my eyes snapped back open.

“Since you have nothing better to do, tell me what’s wrong with you. And do not lie, or I will carry you all the way to the castle, and then tie you up outside of the gate.”

My head fell against his shoulder, and I shot eye-daggers at his chin. “The shackles were my plan. You do not get to use them.”

“Funny. They’re in my bag, and I have the key.”

“Only because you forced me to hand it over in some overtly masculine power play,” I muttered darkly.

“And now I’m stuck in your domineering second act.

But fine. You want the truth?” I paused to suck in a gasping breath that made Gavin’s jaw clench so hard I worried for his molars.

“It’s because of the curse the sea queen placed on me.

I only have three weeks to find the shard. ”

“I know. Cass told me. But why are you sick?”

I hesitated, my fingers fiddling with the collar of his shirt.

“After three weeks, if I don’t return to the sea, with the shard or without, I won’t be able to breathe on land…

and it’s kind of already starting.” I let out a brittle laugh.

“I guess curses with a death clock aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Shoulda read the fine print.”

“Dammit, Mare.” Gavin stopped so abruptly that I might have nosedived into the murky water if his grip wasn’t so tight. “You should have told me sooner.”

I hung my head, shame coiling inside me. “I didn’t want you to know. It makes me a burden.” I waved my hand weakly through the air. “Someone you have to haul through the bog like a useless weight. I swear, it’s not constant. It usually passes quickly.”

“Marin, you could never be a burden.” He shifted his hold, pulling me closer to his chest. “We’re partners. We carry each other’s weight. No matter what.” He nudged me with his chin until I finally looked up at him. “Promise me you won’t hide it anymore. Tell me when you feel sick.”

I sighed, letting my fingers graze the side of his cheek. He leaned into it, making the pain in my chest sharper. “I promise.”

Resting my head against Gavin’s shoulder, I let him carry me for a while. He seemed content to do it, murmuring funny anecdotes and pointing out creatures he spotted hiding in the vegetation as if this was a pleasing stroll through a less-than-fragrant garden.

Gavin had a weird sense of humor. But I loved it. And quite possibly, the man who wielded it.

I was doomed.

The air thickened with moisture as we traveled deeper into the swamp.

My lungs loosened. I relaxed as the tension released from my muscles.

The spasms had finally passed, thanks to the bog.

Good thing we didn’t choose the gorge. But it was a not-so-friendly reminder to pick up the pace.

The sea queen might want me to find the shard, but the curse and Tivara’s lingering hold on me had their own plans.

“I’m feeling much better. The mist in the air is probably thick enough to trick my lungs into thinking I’m underwater. Too bad I can’t bottle some for later.” Wriggling my shoulders, I signaled Gavin to set me back on my feet.

He ignored me and kept walking.

“You can put me down now. Your arms must be tired.”

“Never comment on a man’s arm strength.”

My eyes flared. “Look at you! First, you steal my shackles, then you steal my quips. A thief through and through. Don’t use my own words against me, Gavin.”

He shrugged, completely unmoved. “Then don’t ask me to do something I have no intention of doing.”

“Fine.” I held up my hands in defeat. “But just so we’re clear, if we’re attacked by a barbaric bog monster, and your arms are too tired to use your sword, I will say I told you so.”

Gavin bounced me against his chest with a smirk. “Even in death, you’ll get the last word?”

“Yes, and I will die happy.”

“Pleased to hear it.”

“You will hear it, with my last breath.”

“ Shh. Wait.“ Gavin went still, his arms locking around me. “Did you hear that? ”

Something large rippled beneath the water, moving fast before sinking deeper and leaving the surface eerily calm.

Gavin dropped me to my feet and shoved me behind him. He unsheathed his cutlass as we edged away from the shoreline.

I pulled my dagger from its scabbard, but my grip was already slick around the hilt.

The water stirred again. Then a slimy tentacle surfaced, thrashing for our feet.