Sighing, she patted her mount’s neck comfortingly before sending him back to try again. “Batyr is strong. He will not fail me.”
“Anastasia got through?”
“Yes.” Galina’s graceful jaw worked furiously. “Just before this male woke and charged to block my way. Stupid creature.”
Marina blinked at the acidic tone, and watched in disbelief as the male dragons reared and clashed yet again with no less ferociousness.
Guilt crept into Marina’s heart about what she considered doing. Royally screwing the other Chosen over would create yet another enemy with a personal vendetta.
Would it be considered weak by her critics if she offered her help as she helped herself?
Since when did she give a shit what the Courts thought?
“Hold onto Fia,” Marina ordered as she adjusted her hold.
Galina’s head whipped around. “What?”
“Your Batyr is providing the perfect distraction. Hold on. Fia will get us past.”
“But–”
“Really? I am not going to sit here convincing you.”
Flushing, Galina latched on.
It took a moment for Fia to settle at the unexpected grip. Marina urged her on with a quietly spoken command, adding another in a short bark for a sharp increase in speed.
Fia’s body dived, but her head and neck remained visible, reminding Marina of a hunting crocodile.
The water dragon sliced through the oily water’s surface, causing it to split and spray in glistening arcs either side of the Chosen.
Marina’s body lifted and her legs dangled as they powered forward.
As Batyr fought with the wild one they took a wide berth around the skirmish and ended up slowing a considerable distance away.
After a tense moment of silence, Galina chuckled darkly. “You understand that would have been less dangerous if you left me behind? She would have moved faster.”
Heart pounding, Marina managed a shrug. “As far as I’m concerned you’re not a threat to me.”
“You are wrong. This is a competition.”
“I don’t have to be a hateful bitch to be a strong competitor.”
Galina sniffed.
Detaching from Fia she swam back the way they came. Treading water, she shouted a terse instruction to her mount.
Batyr thrashed his tail before vanishing.
“Time to go, Fia. That wild one is not going to be happy.”
Again the pair cut through the water at pace, leaving the other Chosen and her mount to their own devices.
It was not long before they slowed.
This time Marina felt more than a stirring of fear. She experienced bone-deep dread.
Anastasia Vor, regal in her splendour, fierce as any warrior, battled three wild ones. And was losing. Blood misted the air and turned the murky water opaque.
The tame red dragon roared in pain as bladed tails punctured its flanks.
Batyr coasted to a stop beside them.
Once again mounted proudly at his front dorsal fin, Galina’s sweetly rounded face was troubled. “Visigoth looks bad.”
As if in denial of this, Anastasia cursed, and yelled a battle cry to push forward. Her mount tried again and again to pass the barricade of scaly flesh only to be beaten aside.
A tail skimmed taking Anastasia’s head off at the neck.
Blanching, she yanked her mount back and kept going until the males separated. She remained flat on his back, shaking badly as they retreated.
She shot straight and crushed her fear to nothingness when she realised she was no longer alone.
Gaze passing over them both, revealing only a hint of embarrassment, her mouth thinned. She appeared piqued to be caught unawares. “Either of you wish to try? My Visi must rest, but they must have none if one of us is to be victorious.”
Marina hid her surprise. “You’d partner up on this?”
Galina snorted. “She will use you as you used me, Princess. With them distracted by your pretty female she will slink past.”
Annoyed, Marina turned to the viper-tongued Chosen. “Used you did I? Try carried your busted ass keeping you in play.”
Galina had enough grace to flush in shame, even if she didn’t avert her eyes, or rise to the bait when called her on her bullshit.
“I am not some slimy Tyr,” Anastasia said. “I have honour.” She held out her arm to Marina. “We shall get past together. I am not above using enemy resources if it means victory. Especially since I plan to build a decent alliance with my fellow Queen.”
Galina jolted, affronted.
Her Dragon rumbled loudly sensing the upset of his mistress.
“So certain I will lose?” she hissed.
“You are too lazy and spiteful to be a Queen.” Anastasia said this casually, in a voice soft with certainty, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to insult somebody so harshly.
Unnerved by the conversation, Marina grabbed the offered arm and drew their hostile stares. “Deal. I have a plan.” She looked at a fuming Galina and forcefully offered her free arm. It was a silent order for the other woman to get over it. “Are you in?”
At the Chosen’s short nod and terrifyingly strong grip, the three broke their linked arms and looked at the now still water.
You would never know such terror lurked below.
“Fia and I can move faster than the wild ones,” Marina said, “but only for a while. Her energy lags after about a quarter hour. Then she needs to go at a slower pace.”
Anastasia eyed what could easily become a bottlenecked death trap. “How do we break the front line?”
“We need your larger males to create a distraction so we can slip through.” Marina figured it worked beautiful before, so why not now? “When we’re a little ahead, Fia and I will draw attention to ourselves.”
“How?” Galina demanded, suspicious.
The belligerent Chosen grated on Marina’s nerves. Hadn’t she already proven she was a fair and compromising even towards competitor?
No good deed goes unpunished, she thought wryly.
Marina kept her cool and responded icily. “Blood in the water should do it.”
Anastasia grimaced even as she nodded her agreement. “Brave females.” She stroked Fia’s flank. The ends of her hair fell into the water and floated like ghostly fingers. She smiled when Fia cooed. “Very brave.”
Marina warmed to the openly affectionate nature the Chosen displayed towards their mounts.
Anastasia may look like an icy blonde and act superior, but underneath it all beat a heart not devoid of compassion.
“Your males can punch through when the wild ones are distracted vying for dominance.” Marina chuckled without mirth. “Then we flee like hell for the border.”
“That is your plan?” Galina scoffed derisively. “Your female will be overtaken. These wild males are sneaky and they know every nook and crevice in this lagoon. There are underwater passages riddling the lakebed. They will take short cuts to hem her in.” She tossed her head imperiously. “You doom us all.”
“Shut up, Galina.” Marina didn’t bother to look at her. “I welcome you and Batyr to volunteer as collateral damage. I won’t lose any sleep over it.” A small lie easily told. “If all you’re going to do is bitch, I’ll leave your butt behind. Offer a helpful alternative before you reject my idea outright. Suggestions are welcome. Morale destroying criticism is not.”
Anastasia’s eyes smiled wickedly. “The idea is not favourable, but I can think of no better.” She lovingly petted the only unscathed spot on her Dragon’s snout – between his nostrils. Her face creased in distress when he whimpered. “My Visi is battered. How it galls me to admit it, but he cannot go at this alone. It would pain me to see him die at so young an age, for I cannot stop trying to succeed for the honour of my House.” She slid a taunting look at Galina. “Of course the path is unsavoury to you, Lady Tyr. Lesser warriors often balk at tests of warskill.”
The churlis
h Chosen gritted her teeth. “If a Vor has enough spine to employ this insanity so does a Tyr.” Galina kicked Batyr’s side. “Let us get this done.”
Anastasia winked at Marina over her shoulder before she coaxed her mount into following.
“This idea seemed less stupid in my head.” Marina yelled into the wind as Fia powered through the water.
The dragon paddled so fast Marina worried her skin would get left behind.
Batyr and Visigoth flanked Fia with their mistresses clinging for dear life.
None of the women dared look behind them.
Listening to the agitated roars from the wild ones giving chase was impetus enough.
“I told you,” Galina shouted. “This is insane.” Daring a look over her shoulder, when she faced the front again her eyes were glassy with fear, her lips the palest pink. “Faster.”
“Do not,” Anastasia barked. “My Visi barely keeps pace. He has taken too much damage.” As the water dragon swam a large streak of blood was left in his wake. His eyes were heavy lidded with fatigue, but still he swam with a determination that matched his mistress. “You vowed an alliance.”
“And I meant it,” Marina cried. “I won’t leave you behind.”
She held misgivings she could even if she wanted to.
Fia’s sides heaved as she laboured to carry Marina and travel the long distance at speed.
“We lost one.” Galina’s voice hollowed with fear. “He dived.”
“Deeper there is less resistance,” Anastasia said. “They move faster with the current.”
Galina’s eyes widened. “Underwater caves.”
Water erupted in a violent surge.
A wild one breached the surface. Its forest green scales were mottled and crusted with star shaped barnacles. It opened its triangular snout and roared, sounding like a prehistoric monster ready to devour and destroy.
Jerking wildly in the water, looking for an escape, Galina realised they were surrounded and screamed as if being murdered.
Raising her spear in challenge, Anastasia warbled a battle cry.
Visigoth bellowed with her, prepared for this last encounter to take his life.
Marina’s only sane thought was of retreat, but triumphant hissing and growling from behind confirmed she was trapped.
The otherness awakened.
A hacking cough rattled Marina’s bones, momentarily loosening her death grip on Fia.
Her eyes burned like hot coals and her vision faded at the edges.
Really panicking now, as her body revolted at the worst of times, she choked and spluttered as her throat constricted in a sharp clench. The sensation, burning from the inside out, was dreadful. Her insides felt stripped raw as flecks of glowing brimstone forced past the tensing flesh and flitted past her cheek in flares of pain, grazed her hair, singing it, and intermingled with the smoke billowing past her lips. It tasted bitter and acrid. The foul smoke quickly dispersed in the humid air rushing past as strong breeze swept through the yawning canyon.
Scared out of her wits, Marina’s nails dug into Fia’s ridges, yanking her to a stop.
The enraged wild one bore down on them. He aggressively reared from the water as if to body slam Fia and drag her into the murky depths.
“There is nowhere to run.” Anastasia lifted her chin as she awaited her fate. “I will not die afraid.”
Galina shrieked like a lunatic.
Screams and battle cries ringing distantly in her ears, Marina let go of her pitifully trembling mount, oddly calm in the midst of chaos as her drubbing heartbeat hypnotised her.
The tempo slowed, and the rushing in her ears quieted until she heard the rhythmic chanting of a guttural voice deep within.
She blinked as the centre of her eyeballs ignited with chilled flame, the twin sensations of hot and cold stabbing stilettos of pain.
Gasping harshly, she shuddered as the otherness slithered and twisted beneath her flesh.
This wasn’t like with the ice wolves.
That had been a gentler rising of power. This was forceful, absolute, and inevitable in its permanency. The barricade around this foreign invader cracked. It split down the middle and rumbled like a volcano clearing its throat.
The presence was no longer a disembodied voice offering magick and predatory insight, but a living, breathing, mystical fright baring fangs and claws.
The air turned from sweltering to chilled.
Her next breath was a frigid puff of vapour that hardened to sparkling crystals.
She lifted her hand to touch her lips and stilled.
Dark scales rippled across the back of her hand and down her wrist.
Jerking, she grabbed the hand and was horrified to witness a pulse of light under the flesh of her forearm as more ghastly looking scales pushed through her skin then faded before she could scrape them off.
The wild one roared.
Head snapping up, Marina’s fear receded. She growled. The foreign creature taking over silently roared back, and an inferno exploded from within Marina’s chest, yet enveloped her body in biting cold. She knew terror as control was wrenched from her by a previously latent part of her psyche, merging with the instinct that ruled supreme when survival was death’s alternate.
With a will of their own, both pulsing hands jerked forward on the surface of the water.
Frost raced down her arms and set the surging liquid into a rumpled glacier.
The wild one slammed into a creeping wall of ice.
It’s broad snout crinkled as its lips peeled back and ivory fangs wreathed in seaweed gnashed. Oval pupils dilated to startling voids, rounded with shock. The wild one thrashed and rose from the diminishing water. Its bloated body twisted and contorted in blazing agony.
Snared in the icy fingers sliding above and below the surface, he moaned eerily as he froze, appearing a diamond encrusted statue in the middle of the lagoon iced over bank to bank.
Sunlight danced over the multifaceted shell of the once dominant male of the black lagoon.
A rainbow jubilee of colour slashed across the stunned faces of the three Chosen cowering by their mounts in the behemoth’s shade.
“Mother Goddess, save me,” Galina whispered.
“Shit,” was Marina’s less eloquent response.
Less impressed and faster to recover, Anastasia rushed into action. She scrambled over Visigoth’s hulking hide to enter the now icy water with an ungainly splash.
She swam over and grabbed Marina’s rigid arm. “Again. This time get them all. Can you make it go down? All the way.”
The Chosen thrust Marina’s cramping hand under the water. They watched, bewildered, as the frost continued to spread from her splayed fingers.
The otherness stirred with feral pleasure, stretching and rolling over contentedly.
Marina decided ignoring it wasn’t working out for her.
The wild ones pursuing them were barricaded behind a wall of sparkling ice.
All that remained liquid was a thin strip the First Chosen’s uneasy water dragons floated within.
“Good. Now we have time.” Anastasia released her tingling wrist and slapped her shoulder. “You are surprisingly useful. We go now.”
Marina managed a strangled noise before jerking both hands from the water to her chest.
A wide-eyed glance showed the scales were gone.
Did the other Chosen see?
Dazed, she began to flounder, as her legs grew tired keeping her afloat. She let Fia nose her over to the ice and push her onto the slick rime.
Already the sun melted the unnatural floe.
“Do you think it’s dead?” she asked in a small voice.
“Who can say?” Anastasia gave Visigoth a kiss on his ravaged snout then sent him diving with a curt command. “Send the female under into the caves with my Visi. He will protect her. The ice goes too far for us to go under with them. I cannot hold my breath that long.” She gave Marina a funny look, as if she expected her to start shitting gold
nuggets. “Can you?”
“I don’t want her to leave me.” Panting to hold back sobs, Marina clutched the purple Dragon. Fia was a solid and comforting presence in her shattered world. Fia was safe. She didn’t care how feeble she sounded, how weak she appeared clinging like a frightened child. “I want her with me.”
“Come now. Our alliance stands until we reach the other side.” The resilient Chosen bounded to her feet and dragged an unwilling Marina onto hers. “You have done much, so I will help you.”
Marina wilted, her limbs flaccid and her knees wobbly.
As gentle coaxing failed to get her moving, Anastasia slapped her across the face.
Staggering back, Marina’s hand flew to her flaming cheek. Anger overshadowed the fear. “What the hell is your problem?”
“I heard you had moments of terror.” Crossing her arms over her ample bosom, Anastasia was unrepentant. “You breathe too fast and you go loopy. I see this now. Your eyes are crazy. Truth? I hoped to use them against you.” Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “Seeing it for myself all I summon is pity. I feel no desire to exploit this weakness, much to my shame.” Nudging Marina with an elbow, her blue eyes twinkled naughtily. “You will make me soft.”
“She is not natural,” Galina muttered.
She scrambled onto the iceberg, still trembling with aftershocks of terror. She inched closer to the frozen wild one.
Expression leery, she hesitantly slid her fingertips across the translucent ice.
Her hand came away wet.
She shivered and rubbed her arms, shrinking back. “It is cold.”
“Frozen solid.” Anastasia’s voice was dark with satisfaction. “Serves it right for harming my Visi. Those males will trouble us no more.” She looked at the horizon then higher at the sun. She tucked damp gold hair behind her ears. “Time is short. We go now.”
Trailing behind, Marina skirted the statue the evidence the inner voice was very real then turned her back to it with a ragged gulp of air.
Picking up her feet, she ran for the finish.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Never will I forgive myself. Koen Raad tucked his wings and swopped low over the black lagoon.
He was in shock.
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