“Where are they?” I croaked out through my teeth, my vision turning red from fury and fear.
“They left the boat,” Veli whispered. She turned back to gaze into the woods from which we came, as if an answer would lie between the trees.
“They knew not to do that!” Avery shouted.
A snarl danced across Veli’s lips. “Just as you knew not to touch my book!”
I tuned out their arguing as my lungs threatened to collapse. Jace’s sword was left in the middle of the boat, lodged beneath the center’s wooden seat, and I knew with every fiber of my being that he would never willingly leave his weapon behind in uncharted lands. There also wasn’t a single sign of Gage.
“Gage!” Zaela shouted into cupped hands as she walked a few steps into the thick, hazy water. “Jace! Where are you?!” Her words echoed and were lost in seconds.
My eyes traced along a line of water droplets that led over the pinnace’s edge.
In the distance, the water’s surface was disturbed by the sudden appearance of bubbles, which burst immediately upon contact with the dense, humid air.
“Veli,” I called in a hushed voice. “Veli, what lurks in these waters?” My eyes shot back to shore to see that the witch’s eyes had widened so intensely that it put a pulsating fear in the pit of my stomach.
I stood in the center of the boat, and without a second thought, I sucked in a deep breath and dove overboard.
“Elianna, no!” Veli’s plea faded the moment my ears were beneath the surface.
I opened my eyes beneath the murky swamp to realize that the day’s setting sun struggled to penetrate the dark depths that lingered beneath it. I frantically swam through the greenish-brown hued water that was filled with fallen leaves and branches, gripping the decaying bark to heave myself deeper into the camouflaged pits.
The swamp floor was adorned with haunting shadows from submerged trees and their gnarled roots coated in slimy algae and moss. Long blades of aquatic grass swayed with the subtle movements of the water, appearing as if they would try to wrap around my ankles.
I kicked my feet and pushed through the murkiness that surrounded me. My eyes glimpsed a sudden movementfrom the corner of my blurry vision, and I let out a gasp as my attention snagged on Gage.
The thick strands of grass that felt as if they would try to trap me down in their depths were doing just that to my friend, wrapping around his legs and securing him to the swamp’s floor. I paddled with all my might as my lungs burned. Once I reached him, I realized he was unconscious, and I immediately unsheathed my dagger and sliced through his nature-made shackles.
Wrapping my arms beneath his, I kicked off the muddy swamp floor and swam as fast as I could to the surface with his extra weight.
My head broke the water, and I let out a desperate gasp for air as my heart pounded in my chest.
“Zaela!” I screamed through coughs as the water filled my mouth and throat. “Zaela, help!”
Splashing sounded, and I turned in its direction to see her racing to me in a sprinting swim.
“Get him on the boat!” I demanded as she reached me, shoving his body in her direction.
“Jace?!” she whispered, horror written all over her face.
I pursed my lips and took another deep breath as soon as she had Gage in her grasp and dove back beneath the surface, praying to every god that I wasn’t too late to save him.
Kicking and heaving myself through the hazy water, I frantically searched every space I could as I felt our bond withering away, the tether’s beating a faint, fading pulse.
A deep trench appeared, and as I peered over its edge, my eyes landed on Jace in the clutches of not one butthreevicious sirens.
One held his unconscious body close to hers, while another placed her lips on his, pushing bubbles of air into his mouth—his lungs. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief, tinged with fury, as they worked to keep him alive, if only to prolong his torment.
The third circled around from behind them, her tail moving the water in a rapid current. She opened her mouth, revealing razor-sharp teeth, and sunk them into the flesh of my mate’s shoulder.
Pain seared through the crook of my neck the moment her rows of fangs pierced his skin. Rage took over me, and without a second thought, I kicked off the rock and swam as fast as I could to them.
Their attention was caught by the sudden movement, and a strange hissing sound escaped their mouths, echoing through the water.
The sirens matched my movements, and two of them raced toward me while the other continued to hold Jace beneath the surface.
Their sleek tails propelled them effortlessly, creating whirlpools that distorted the surroundings. Suddenly, the haunting notes of the sirens’ songs echoed, resonating from the darkest depths of the abyss.
