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I flinched, but it had nothing to do with his tone. My chest burned. I gasped, grabbing my heart and curling over.
I had to tell him about Ilaria.
Shay didn’t speak, I opened my mouth, gathering the courage to tell him about the necklace, but Shay’s head snapped to the water, squinting at the lake.
“Do you feel that?” He frowned, pushing himself up.
I didn’t feel anything but the burning in my chest. “Feel what?” My question was answered a moment later as the tiny ripples I’d mistaken as fish under the surface grew in size. Sucking in the water and churning the surface with angry foam.
I stood up, following Shay as we watched the lake dip, forming a whirlpool that seemed to grow and grow.
Mist pooled at the lip of the whirlpool, cloaking the lake in a thick sheet of darkness. Soon, I couldn’t see more than my hand in front of my face. I only knew Shay was beside me because I felt his arm against mine.
The sounds of the party behind us died, swallowed by the mist.
My mouth parted in an O shape. “Charybdis,” I whispered.
“The Living Whirlpool?” Shay was skeptical. “That is a myth older than my father, and I’d wager older than the Mad Queen herself.”
“My mother told me that Charybdis comes on the heels of mist. She was a sea witch who thought of taking the High Throne but was cursed when she tried to sit on it.” My hand twitched for my belt, but I wore no weapon. The firelighter in my pocket couldn’t pierce the darkness. I tried reaching the water, but it felt like death.
“Charybdis was imprisoned,” Shay growled, moving into a fighting stance.
“But where?” I wondered. “Because it looks like someone’s broken her out.”
Shay cast a furtive look toward the village. “There are children past the beach. Elderly. I can’t let her come to shore.”
“I know.” I nodded, resolute.
“We don’t have time to get Cormac and the others,” Shay murmured. “And we couldn’t find our way out of this mist if we tried.”
“I know,” I repeated.
“As far as I know, the undine imprisoned Charybdis.” Shay palmed his blade. “Let’s assume the sea witch is going to be pissed off if she sees you.”
“I’m not running from her.” I wiggled my fingers. “I can control the water. I’m fast enough to get away if it comes to that.” Especially if I used my selkie form. If I could remember how.
“I wasn’t asking you to run.” Shay lowered his voice, keeping his eyes on the growing whirlpool. “I want you to distract whatever comes out of the water. Are you strong enough to outswim the current?”
“I don’t think anyone is strong enough to outswim that.” I winced. “But I can try to move the water; that might be enough to draw her attention.”
“I don’t want her close to the shore, but I don’t want to fight in the water either.” Shay shook his head, and his braids shifted, tensing as if ready to fight.
I tried to remember the poem my mother had taught me, but it had been filed away long ago with all of the other childhood stories she had told me.
Charybdis.
Charybdis.
Charybdis.
Traverse the narrow waters,
Beset upon by monsters,
Of the two, chained one,
To the lake bed, she did cry,
