Curiosity has me using my cloak as a glove to wedge my iron ring off my finger, immediately harassed by squeals and bellows and gushing wails and—
“Creators flay me,” I hiss, stuffing the ring back on so fast I almost unsheathe the bone, whipping my hand up to wipe the blood now leaking from my ears.
Shit.
“Everything okay?”
No, I’m pretty sure Clode just slit my eardrums.
Utris pauses, squinting back, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead into raised brows. Though his expression swiftly morphs into a frown. “You look like you’re gonna spray your last meal all over me. You alright?”
How do I sayI appear to be immune to the powerful stone arches intended to null everyone beneath but the Tri-Council memberswithout sounding … crazy?
Impossible.
“I don’t like the change of air pressure.” I smile despite the fresh dribble of blood leaking from my right ear, courtesy of Clode’s high-pitched squeals. Never heard her scream so loud before. “You look worn-out. Wanna slice him in two and share the load?”
Utris passes me a rather condemning frown, mutters something beneath his breath, and continues down the stairway, perhaps thinking I wasn’tserious.
His loss.
I’m left to mull over my odd ability in ear-splitting peace …
The Tri-Council doesn’t fuck up like this. There’s a reason they hold more political sway than any monarch despite governing only a small pocket of land. They don’t want more space because more space equals more folk to care for. They know perfectly well that if you spread a lump of lard over a large piece of loaf, it’s not going far.
No.
They’re resource-rich and picky with who they accept into their small circle, each member gifted and powerful beyond measure. And they know how towieldthat power. Faultlessly.
MeaningI’mthe problem.
Something best to keep to myself, lest somebody decide to put another bounty on my head.
The air becomes so still and quiet that every breath feels like a roar, taking on a thicker, more potent stench as we emerge on the edge of an underground lake, the lofty cavern large enough to house Rygun—impressive wingspan and all. I step out on the small cobblestone bay, scanning the body of inky water that certainlyappearsdark enough to swallow a soul, even without the anthe’s help.
“This it?”
“Sure is,” Utris grumbles, picking a careful path across the stones.
I move ahead of him, eyes on the ceiling; a mural of stalactites speckled with glowing bugs that reflect on the water’s smooth surface, making itresemble the sky in The Shade. Something that jostles me in ways I can’t quite put my finger on.
Looking right, I notice the cavern tapers into a tight tunnel that disappears into the darkness, numerous bell-lined ropes hanging from the ceiling, plunging beneath the water’s surface as far as the eye can see. No doubt to notify when there’s movement in the water—a jingled warning toget the fuck out.
I look to the left, past a ridge of jagged stone, a chill running up my spine at the ornate entrance that spits out a white-stone pier, carved to look like a pale dragon’s maw with its tongue flopped across the lake. And tethered to the pier …boats. Numerous long white boats tipped at both ends, some with chinks in their sides. Like they’ve been scythed by something big scrambling to munch the meal within.
Guess that’s how the Tri-Council dishes out execution rulings. Not sure what’s worse: being fed to the dragons, orthis.
“You ever fed an anthe before?” Utris asks, lumping Rekk on the shore. The sound of his head goingcrackagainst the stones makes morbid satisfaction crawl across my skin.
I pocket my moonlight and crouch, helping to remove the shroud and unbind the body. “Never had the pleasure.”
“There’s a few things you’ll need to know.” Utris yanks off the last of the ropes and rips back a blood-soaked layer of cloth, his eyes like bright-blue gemstones in the dull light. “They don’t have ears, but water movement ruffles their membranes and cues them on an awaiting feast. The moment we drop the body in, the anthe will be lured up from her den,” he says, jerking his chin toward the tunnel to the right. “They’re magnetized to the water, but the stronger ones can sometimes pull themselves partway out, and this one … well. She’s big. Soon as those bells jingle, we’ll need to go. Fast.”
I tug the last of the material free and slop it to the side. “Anything else?”
“Yes. Should you happen to come face-to-face with her, do not, under any circumstance, make eye contact.”
“Why not?”
