by Linsey Hall
I fell into a bit of a stupor, staring at the iron-gray sea in front of us. When a popping noise sounded behind me, I jumped.
I turned. “What was that?”
Fearnan looked up through the wheelhouse window, his face pale. “The compass just burst.”
“Oh, shit.” I scrambled upright, Lachlan following. “How does that happen?”
“Bad luck.”
“You don’t do maintenance?” Lachlan asked.
Fearnan looked at the boat around us. “Does it look like I do maintenance?”
“No.”
“What does this mean?” I asked.
“We’re lost.” He shrugged. “Or at least, we will be. I can keep us going in this direction for a while, but eventually we’ll veer off course. And there are no landmarks.”
I looked up at the sky. It was such a uniform iron gray that it was impossible to see even a glimmer of the glowing sun. No way to tell east or west. Nothing in the ocean to give us any clues. And certainly no stars. Even if it were the right time of day, they’d be hidden behind clouds.
Not that I knew how to use a sextant, anyway.
I looked back at Fearnan. “Did you really think we’d make it to the whirlpool?”
“No.” Honesty sounded in his voice. “Definitely not. That’s why I charged you so much.”
Understanding dawned, followed by the memory of what Merodia had said about the whirlpool. “And if we did make it, were you going to take us through the whirlpool?”
Could we even make it without a boat?
“No. I never thought we’d make it.” He didn’t even look a little bit remorseful. “The boat was supposed to sink, then I was going to take the compass and swim back.”
“You can’t tell direction in the water?” I asked.
“I’m a Pike demon, not a damned fish. I can swim well, but not find my way across hundreds of miles of open ocean.”
“And you don’t have a spare compass.” I grinned. “Well, it looks like we’re in this pickle together.”
“It looks like we’re all dead,” Fearnan grumbled.
“This is hardly close to dead.” I looked at Lachlan. “Right?”
“Aye, it’s nothing.”
“Lost at sea?” Fearnan thundered. “Floating on a rickety old tub?”
“Well, you’re the one who didn’t check his equipment, so I hardly think you should be complaining.” I grinned. “I’ll find a way to get us to the whirlpool, and you’ll take us through it. Not only will that allow you to honor the original bargain, you can find a new compass there and get home.”
Fearnan’s expression turned thunderous.
“That’s your best offer,” I said. “And you’ll make it back so you can get paid! Even better.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But how are you going to find the whirlpool?”
I turned to the bow, hoping my plan would work. “Just like the mermaid finds things.”
I lay down on the edge of the deck on my stomach, then hung my hand in the water. The cold bit at my fingertips, but it worked. I could feel the ocean even more strongly now. Just like I’d been able to feel the fresh dark dirt in the desert.
I closed my eyes and focused, calling on my magic.
“Want some help?” Lachlan asked.
I blinked. “Yes, actually. Good idea.”
I was running through my magic quickly here, and this was a delicate operation. There was no telling how far the whirlpool was.
Lachlan sat next to me, laying a hand on my shoulder. He fed his power into me, just like he had back in the cottage where Hansel and Gretel had taken care of the witch. Back then, it’d been an attempt to help me learn how to access my magic. Now, it was a partnership. The two of us putting our magic together and making something bigger and stronger.
It was easier to feel the sea now, as if my reach extended out farther. Lachlan was like a magical battery, and boy, was I feeling the power.
In the distance, several miles ahead and slightly to the left, I felt a disturbance in the ocean. It was a massive amount of energy, swirling around and around.
“I’ve found it!” I pointed my free arm in the direction of the whirlpool. “Go that way.”
“Weirdest compass I ever saw,” Fearnan muttered.
His footsteps thundered back toward the wheelhouse, and the engine rumbled to life. The current dragged at my hand as we powered forward, but I kept it submerged, making sure that we were on track. It took a few adjustments in our direction, but eventually, Fearnan’s shout sounded over the engine.
“It’s ahead!”
I stood, my skin freezing from the cold wind that whipped across my wet clothes. Up ahead, a massive whirlpool spun in the middle of the ocean.
Fear chilled me even more.
“We have it on good authority that this thing is actually a portal. But damn if it doesn’t look scary.” Everything in my body screamed to get away. A whirlpool like that was the stuff of nightmares.
“It’ll be okay.” Lachlan squeezed my arm. “We trust Mordaca and Aerdeca.”
And that was the heart of it. We did trust them.
Enough to jump into a deadly whirlpool, apparently. I turned back to Fearnan. “Drive straight for it.”
“I know,” he grumbled.
I grinned cheekily at him, but it didn’t make me any less afraid. I gripped Lachlan’s hand tighter and turned back to the whirlpool. It grew closer and closer. With every yard, my heart thundered louder.
I ignited the magic in my lightstone ring, knowing that it was probably a bad idea. Did I really want to see what was in the darkness of the whirlpool?
Hell yeah.
It was the size of a football field, roaring as it swirled round and round, ready to suck us into the depths of the sea. If this went wrong, even my water power wouldn’t get us out of it. Merodia and the mermaids couldn’t save us.
We’d be dead.
It was my last thought as the bow of the boat tipped into the roaring water, and the freezing liquid devoured us whole.
6
Darkness closed around me as the whirlpool sucked us in. My ring glowed faintly, shining on thousands of bubbles that swirled around us. I clung to the rail of the boat with my right hand and to Lachlan with my left, but the cold force of the water was too strong.
I lost my grip on the rail, and the boat disappeared from beneath my feet. I clung to Lachlan, refusing to let go. No matter what happened down here, we’d do it together.
The water tore at us as we spun round and round. Briefly, I caught sight of the boat. Then of Fearnan, swirling down with us. My lungs began to burn as we went deeper. Worry for Lachlan flared.
Then we were sucked into the portal. The ether grabbed hold of us and flung us through space. I lost all track of time and place. I couldn’t even tell if I was spinning anymore, or if there was water around me.
But I could feel Lachlan’s hand. I clung tightly to him, desperate not to let go. We had to stay together.
Finally, the ether thrust us upward, and my head broke through the surface of the water. Gasping, I blinked and looked around, searching for the boat.
It bobbed upright, looking like it’d been ejected from a watery burial. The wood was ragged and gray, the wheelhouse missing its glass, and the motor sat askew.
“That thing looks like it should have stayed on the bottom of the sea,” Lachlan said.
“I can’t believe we rode it across open ocean.”
“Hey!” Fearnan shouted. “She’s a faithful friend.”
“It,” I muttered. “It is a faithful friend.
“What?” he demanded.
“Nothing!” I let go of Lachlan’s hand and swam for the boat, cutting quickly through the water.
We scrambled onto the deck. Panting, I straightened and turned around. My gaze caught on a bright green island in the distance. It rose out of the sea, mountains sloping upward toward the sky. Stone buildings dotted the edge of the island, and it looked like
a huge wall surrounded the perimeter.
“I think we’re here,” I said.
“Not very inviting,” Lachlan said.
“They made us ride a deadly whirlpool just to get here.” I grinned. “I don’t think they’re the welcoming type.”
Fearnan sighed. “They’re not.”
“And you hadn’t intended to come at all.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “But now, here you are! Best of luck.”
He glowered at me, then went to the wheelhouse and cranked on the engine. It rumbled to life, and the boat powered forward.
As we neared the island, I realized that the gray walls that surrounded it were higher than I’d expected.
“Looks like the only entrance is through that gate.” Lachlan pointed to it. “Hope they open it.”
It was a huge stone thing with two great doors that descended straight into the water.
The boat slowed as it approached. I considered shouting at the gate, hoping that a guard would hear me and open the stone doors, but it was unnecessary. As if they sensed our presence, they began to swing open.
It was slow going, the doors pushing away tons of water as they opened.
“It’s really not the best engineering for the water, is it?” I asked.
“It may be a show of strength,” he said. “Though who’s going to attack them, anyway, if they have to get through that whirlpool? We only made it because you have gifts that helped us.”
“Good point.” I didn’t like pointless shows of power, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the people who’d built that gate.
Fearnan steered the boat through the opening. The water within the harbor was calm and placid. It stretched like a mirror across an expanse that was roughly the size of a football field. About a dozen boats were tied off to the docks, but it was the land behind that caught my eye.
Brilliantly green, it swept upward to the peak of a mountain. There was a single road leading up from the harbor, with gray buildings on either side. A massive gray tower sat at the end of the road, spearing toward the sky.
“I think I know where we’re headed,” I muttered.
“Definitely their seat of power.”
Fearnan directed the boat toward an empty slip and pulled up alongside. He jumped off and tied the boat to the cleats, then looked up. “You’ve got twenty-four hours. If you’re not back by then, I’m leaving you.”
“Fair enough.” I climbed off the boat onto the wooden dock, then strode up toward the quay. Lachlan joined me, and I glanced up at him. “I suppose we just walk right in.”
“Aye, it’s our best bet.”
The town was deadly silent as we walked slowly up the street. A glance behind showed Fearnan veering off toward some buildings near the waterfront, no doubt in search of a compass to replace the broken one on his boat.
Curtains twitched in the windows, but no one came out of their houses to see who the newcomers were. A sense of strange magic hovered over the place, neither good nor bad. Definitely uncomfortable, though.
I shivered and kept walking. My clothes had dried stiff against my skin, and the chill still hadn’t left my bones. Worse, my magic was nearly depleted, and I was weak from hunger.
Really not the best way to approach an unknown power cable of great magic.
At the thought, my hand burned, reminding me why we were here.
Yep. No choice.
The tower loomed ever higher as we approached. The green mountain speared up into the iron-gray clouds, making it look even more threatening.
As we neared, the magic grew stronger, prickling more fiercely against my skin. There was no wall surrounding the tower, but then, there didn’t need to be. Two massive wooden doors were decorated with iron filigree that twisted and turned over the surface. We were about twenty yards away when they began to slowly swing open.
A single figure stood within the frame of the door, gray robes sweeping the floor. The hood concealed the face, but nothing could hide the aura of power.
“You come seeking answers,” the figure said.
“I do.” I stepped forward, stopping right in front of the door.
“Then come.” The figure gestured us onwards, and we followed.
I glanced at Lachlan, and he nodded. We joined the figure in the huge entry hall. It turned and swept away, so we followed.
“I will take you to a place to rest for the night,” the figure said.
“Night?” Lachlan asked. “But the sun is shining.”
“Our seasons are opposite of yours, and being so far north, it is, in fact, nearly midnight. Not only is everyone asleep, but you will need your strength when you meet with the Elders of the Indomidae.”
I didn’t hate the idea of regrouping, not when the magic that flowed through the air here was strong enough to make my knees buckle.
“Thank you,” I said.
The figure merely nodded, then led us to a large room that appeared to be a sleeping chamber. The ceiling arched high overhead, paneled with golden wood that gleamed. A fire burned in a large hearth, and a massive bed sat along one wall. A large wooden tub sat in front of a fire.
“Freaking honeymoon suite,” I muttered.
The figure turned to me. “What was that?”
“Nothing. It’s beautiful.”
He—I could only guess that it was a he; the voice was too nondescript—swept a hand toward a table that sat in front of a little couch. Magic sparked more strongly on the air, then a huge platter of food and a pitcher appeared.
“Refresh yourselves. In the morning, someone will come to collect you for your meeting with the Elders.”
We said our thanks, and the figure departed.
I turned to Lachlan. “Weird place.”
“Aye.” He scrubbed a hand over his chin and looked around. “Very empty, too.”
“It’s midnight.”
“Still, it almost echoes with the emptiness.”
I nodded. He was right. My stomach grumbled, and I went to the platter of food. I didn’t recognize a single thing, but I dug in anyway.
“It’s delicious,” I said. Maybe I should’ve been worried about our circumstances, but I was too tired, weak, and hungry. Worry wouldn’t get me anywhere, but eating would make me feel better.
Lachlan joined me, and we plowed into the food. As I ate, exhaustion began to pull at me. I glanced at Lachlan, remembering the revelation on the boat.
I loved him.
Should I tell him?
I opened my mouth, then shut it.
Nerves got the better of me, and exhaustion. This wasn’t the right moment.
Yeah, that was it. It was about the moment, not cowardice. Totally not cowardice.
Okay, maybe a little of that.
We finished eating and took turns in the bath. I appreciated the view of Lachlan’s bare chest, I couldn’t lie. By the time we crawled into bed, my muscles felt like jelly.
I snuggled up against him.
This feels like home.
He leaned down and kissed my head, and warmth spread through me. This was real. Not just infatuation and lust. Real.
I moved closer to him and let sleep take me.
When the knock sounded at the door the next morning, I jumped. My gaze moved to Lachlan. “Looks like it’s time.”
He nodded and rose, then opened the door to the same figure as last night.
Or was it?
Hard to tell, really. The cloak concealed anything distinguishable.
“You may come,” the voice intoned. Power reverberated through the air, and I shivered.
We followed the figure out the door and down the wide corridor. It was done entirely in white, making me feel like I was approaching the pearly gates. I really hoped I wasn’t.
“This place is weird as hell,” Lachlan murmured.
“Ain’t that the truth.”
The corridor seemed to go on forever, and there wasn’t a single window or piece of artwork in sight. The figure walked quietly
in front of us, gray robes swishing behind him, his movement so smooth that it looked like he was floating.
Finally, we reached the end of the corridor. A massive room spread out before us, the ceiling so high that it disappeared inside some clouds.
“There are clouds inside.” I whispered the obvious statement, but I was just so wowed that I couldn’t help myself.
“Aye, it takes powerful magic to create that,” Lachlan said.
In front of us, the floor turned to shimmering silver water. Flat stepping stones were laid out in front of us, leading across the gleaming surface.
The figure swept out a robed arm. “You must cross the stones to enter the sacred space, then you may speak with the Elders of the Indomidae. If you make it across.”
There was always an if, wasn’t there?
Lachlan stepped forward, determined to go first. Always throwing himself between me and danger, that man. I waffled between appreciation at the sweetness and annoyance.
“Be careful,” I said.
“Aye, always.” He looked back at me briefly, then stepped onto the first stone.
Then disappeared entirely.
Shocked worry pierced me. “What happened to him?”
“He is crossing.” The figure gestured, sweeping his arm toward the stepping stones. “Now you must do the same.”
I stepped forward immediately, determined to find Lachlan. Nothing happened at first, so I stepped onto the next rock, and the next.
The air around me began to shimmer, magic igniting.
Suddenly, I stood at the edge of a cliff, staring down into nothing. My stomach pitched and my head went woozy. I stepped back, breath caught in my throat.
“Oh, fates.” I looked around. What the heck had happened?
The stepping stones had disappeared, and the ground was flat, boring dirt. Except for where it dropped off into nothingness.
“This is a test, isn’t it?” I muttered.
Muffin appeared at my side, little wings fluttering to keep him aloft. I bet you a pound of tuna that it is.