The blunt shock of the fall had worn off, and now she was left with the icy pinpricks of the surrounding cold. She could feel her lungs caving in as she clawed her way up, begging for even the smallest fraction of air. The panic grew thick in her chest as her head pounded from the pressure—she needed air and she needed it now.
With one final sweep of her hand, she reached, and kicked, and kicked again.
Her head burst through the ripples of foamy waves. Her gasp for breath came out as a triumphant roar. The lightness in her head depleted with every sweet breath that passed her lips.
Helaina treaded water, allowing the current to slightly take her. The cut on her arm was deep, and ribbons of blood floated and dissipated in her wake.
She jolted her head in every direction. No sign the syren hound had jumped in after her. Still no sign of her captors. The encircling peaks reached up past the clouds. She could see the visible snow along their summits.
Give me a break. Tell me there’s land close.She beseeched any gods in existence to listen.
They must have taken pity on her, because there, in reachable distance, was a beach. She garbled out some version of praise as another wave smacked her face.
Her teeth resumed their uncontrollable clicking.
The cold was getting worse, her pale skin had turned a sickly shade, her pink lips now a powder blue. Her whole body was going rigid as she attempted minor strokes toward land. Madge had walked her through the signs of hypothermia once when a group of soldiers had returned from a long winter ride. She feared her body was exhibiting the same symptoms. Her fingers and toes were already numb, making it difficult to fight the current.
She had to hurry.
Helaina kicked her legs and felt the slightest reverberation. Like someone—or something—had created a wave underneath her.
She tried not to think about it, she stayed focused on that tree line, the lush greenery offering her safety.
Another wave of movement hit her, this one closer, more forceful. The jade water crashed into her face as she floated forward, fighting the current with every ounce of strength she had left.
Something touched her ankle. A slimy, leathery grip that tugged at her, preventing her forward motion. Helaina scrunched her legs upward, trying to dislodge whatever had a hold of her. It felt like a worm as thick as her arm was coiling around her. She dipped below, reaching one arm underwater. It was slick, leaving a sticky residue on her palms, but she pried it off.
The second it released, she pulled her head back over the water and swam. She didn’t want to know what it was.
Her pace intensified as she desperately fought against the waves. She didn’t dare look behind her as she kicked harder and harder. Breathing became more difficult as every joint, every muscle, started to stiffen, each stroke causing her immense pain.
She pushed past it. She could reach the shore. She wasgoing toreach the shore.
Before she could make another sweep with her trembling hands, something serpentlike crested the surface before her. Its color was a garish eggplant as it crashed against the water, coiling and splashing directly between her and the shore.
An arrow-shaped body revealed itself. It wasn’t a snake at all. Those were tentacles, lashing out in all directions. Then the waves engulfed the creature, allowing it to disappear into the water.
She screamed, thrashing backward, pleading for space between her and the thing that lurked somewhere just below. Her head dipped under in a violent surge as a strong force pulled on her boot. She kicked the boot free and got above water again, sucking in as much air as she could.
Whatever it was, it was playing with its food.
Another cluster of limbs surged in front of her, and another. Too many. There was more than one of them.
She caught a glimpse of glassy yellow eyes as another slimy torso rose upward. Then the water swallowed it back up.
She stopped swimming, stopped fighting the inevitable. Another harsh tug pulled her under. This time painful pressure coursed through her leg, pulsating through her entire body.
Teeth.
Rows and rows of thick needles penetrating below her hip. She screamed, but the sound was suffocated by the surrounding water. The slithering appendages wrapped her torso completely as the creature’s body latched on to her thigh, guiding her down into the dark abyss.
Even as she accepted the end, she desperately held on to every bit of remaining air in her lungs.
The water around her shifted. A vigorous wave crashing down from above. Through the clear water she saw the definite outline of wings. That devastating demon form was coming straight at her. A swarm of underwater monsters charged upward, encircling him. The captain gave one flap of those massive wings, creating an undertow that sent the creatures flailing backward.
He moved his wings in unison now. Like fins, they propelled him through the water. In mere seconds, he was before her, knife in hand—the same kitchen knife she had tried to plunge through her own chest. She didn’t even feel his attack as he drove it toward her.
Suddenly the piercing teeth on her leg released. She looked down to find the knife lodged through the monster’s oblong head. Red spilled. Slick arms released their constricting vise, allowing her to wriggle free as the creature sank, only to be devoured by a swarm of its own brethren.
