I was still frozen in my position. Sweat was pouring out of me from my strain to move. My wolf was trying to shift. My body was yearning for it. Butshewas blocking me!
Lady Skol smiled. “Yes, it was smart using the Singer girl. Very powerful. Very talented.Very dead.” She clicked again, and the door of Agatha’s chamber opened. The guards who’d been fumbling with the lock stood dumbfounded. Only for their surprise to heighten as a set of the hideous men-like creatures from the temple walked in, limping as they carried the trussed up, dead body of Zani.
“No!” I screamed.
Lady Skol laughed. “You think I wouldn’t know? I created the beast fromthem.I used their own songs against them. All of you. Of course I would feel an anti-melody, even in my castle.” She smirked. “But very devious of yourmate.And he thinks he’s protected as he goes to save thosemen?” She laughed and it flayed my body.
Lady Skol turned, walking towards the window and looking out. She tasted the air like the Siren Singer. The hideous creatures licked their lips and picked up the dead Siren Singer, talking among themselves like they’d just won a delicious meal. I felt sick.
It was just Zani’s body left. Her eyes were wide open, shock on her face.At least she’d died quick.
“On the contrary,” Lady Skol said, “she died slowly. Well it felt slow to her. An eternity. Years of pain and torture. All because of you. The reason she looks shocked is because she finally saw what you really were and your fate.” She came back to me. “You think you’re the only one to know those who can foretell?”
She dragged a finger across my belly, where a cut seconds earlierhadbeen. Except now it was back. She reopened the wound. Warm blood spilled out of my clothes and down my legs.
“You’ve played your part well. You fell for that letter better than I had ever thought. Your blood will draw Dion to me and then I can kill him, and end all of this prophecy business–”
A chilling howl rose into the night. It shook my very bones and core. I heard a thousand more cries of pain.
Lady Skol tasted the air. Her forked tongue coming out of her pristine and beautiful face. She was pure evil. “It is time we left,” she said, snapping her fingers again.
The room dissolved and suddenly we were in an antechamber.
The antechamber I’d dreamed of countless times, where I’d fought and killed Lady Skol.
Chapter 26
DION
The sun was boiling. We’d been walking for hours without stopping. I didn’t know why Roman was pushing me so hard. Why he’d been so quiet these last few days? I’d just shifted for the first time, shouldn’t it have been a good thing?
I was fifteen, I suppose not too late. I couldn’t remember anything of it, really. But something had scared Roman. Scared him enough that we left the village immediately and began walking.
After so long without food, I was beginning to feel weak.
“Roman,” I said. “Can we stop? I need to rest. I feel–”
“The waterhole is just ahead,” he replied, without looking at me. “Rest there.”
‘Just ahead’ turned out to be another two hours, but when we finally got to the high-sided bowl canyon and could stop, I understood. “You’ve brought me out here as protection,” I said.
“Exactly,” he replied. “I didn’t have any herbs on me to drug you, and a good walk is the next best thing.”
“But why?” I asked.
He shook his head, watching the walls. He opened his mouth a few times and then never spoke. Eventually he pointed to the pool. “Go and swim out to the center of the spring. See if you can see how deep it is.”
He said no more, only waited for me to obey. Confused, I rose and took off my robe and ran and jumped in. The water was glorious. It was cold and refreshing. The spring must’ve come up from the depths of the earth to be this fresh. I swam out to the center where he’d said. When I turned around, he was gone.
“Roman?” I called, panic rising in my chest. “Roman!” My wolf stood in readiness.
“Look down into the water,” he called. He was up on a ledge.
How had he got up there? When had he climbed?
I looked below me; it was darkness. “What?” I called, looking back up. “I don’t understand.”
“Take a breath and look into the water. Can you see the bottom?”
