AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I poked my toes in, sighing in delight as I welcomed the refreshing, cold water on my sun-kissed skin. It wouldn’t be any different from all the other lakes and rivers I swam in, right?
Standing, I fished the rope out of my satchel with a trembling hand. A quick trip into Faerway surely wouldn’t raise any flags. I’d be in and out before anyone noticed. Hopefully, even before my mother noticed, then I could snatch the letter and pretend it never happened.
For all we knew, the fae could be long extinct. I’d believe anything if it gave me enough courage to cross. I repeated my mantra once, twice, honing into that tranquil feeling that filled me moments ago.
Shrugging the satchel off my shoulder, I pulled out the bundle of rope, tossed my bag aside, and tied one end of it around my waist and the other to a nearby tree.
It wasn’t bravery that had my legs moving of their own accord to the water’s edge—I was doing what I needed to do to help my mother. She’d do it for me. I knew she would, even if she’d deny it to prevent me from doing the same.
With one last glance across the river, I took in the barren trees that lined Faerway’s shore and rolled my shoulders. Stepping into the murky water immediately made my heart race. Another few steps. My tunic billowed around me.
I sunk down to my neck, wading through the water until the slippery bottom dropped away.
Using my hands as makeshift oars, I glided through the river, gently paddling my feet behind me, mindful not to disturb any fish in the still waters. All the horror stories seemed trivial as I floated and took my time to move through the river.
The water lapped against my body, cradling me in its weightless arms. I stared up at the pale blue sky, searching for images within the clouds.
Then, something slick brushed against my foot.
Fear pricked my skin, and I flipped over, noticing the way the air stilled and birds stopped chirping.
It’s just my imagination running wild, I told myself. A subconscious survival tactic my mind designed to keep me alive.
But my heart wouldn’t calm. And air whooshed from my lips in a panicked series of pants.
Something was off. I could sense it.
I warily picked up my pace, trying not to draw attention to myself, only to be yanked underwater.
The river swallowed my screams as I thrashed below the surface, attempting to shake my foot from whatever held me in place, but I was stuck.
My lungs cried for air. Please.
The muscles in my legs ached, and I pulled and pulled, tugging until I freed my leg. As soon as my head emerged from the water, sharp air filled my lungs from the inhale.
I propelled forward, pushing my body to move faster—quicker—when a spiny, gray fin breached the surface, swimming alongside me before dipping out of view.
My heart slammed against my rib cage as rough scales brushed against my arm. My foot. My thigh.
I tried to reach for the knife at my hip, but I wasn’t quick enough. Sharp claws—teeth—dug into my calf, and I shrieked in agony as I was pulled back under the water.
“Come, darling, don’t be scared. I only want to play,” the creature sang.
I didn’t stop to wonder how I could hear its voice underwater—or why it sounded human. Only raw, unadulterated adrenaline pumped through my veins as I ripped my leg away, repeatedly slamming my hands and feet into its armored flesh as hard as I could, until I escaped its grasp.
“What’s wrong?” The creature flashed its needlepoint teeth as it caught up to me—wrapping long, spindly fingers around my wrist. Its sinister voice lit with malice as its grip tightened. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
I sure as hell wasn’t about to find out.
Holding my breath, I willed my arms to carry me through the water, leaving a trail of blood in my wake.
After jamming my uninjured foot into its gills, it retreated, buying me enough time to swim away. My gaze flickered between my escape and its shadowy form beneath me.
Vengeance curled up its mouth as it lunged, tearing its webbed claw through the air toward my back. My feet met the rocky bottom once more, and I ran up the bank.
Narrowly escaping its claws, I crawled up the beach.
Soulless, beady orbs locked onto mine as the creature lingered at the surface. Its dark, stringy hair splayed out in the water around it.
