Page 97 of Prince of the Sun

Elvish healing truly is miraculous.

The river is huge, at least fifty feet across. The other side is illuminated by bright moonlight, black grass on a slight slope, leading to yet another dense forest. The river itself looks innocuous enough. Slow-moving black water drifts along between the riverbanks, gentle swirls and bubbles appearing every now and then.

Cara bends over, reaching her fingers down to dip into the dark water.

“Whoa, there.” Berendir scoops her up by the waist, stoppingher just before her fingers make contact with the river. He spins her effortlessly around and sets her back onto the black grass. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Why not?” Cara elbows him away, shooting him an annoyed look.

Berendir points at the slow-moving water. “You have no idea what’s inside that river. For all I know, your fingers wouldn’t be attached to your hand when they came back out.”

I shift under Daerios’s arm. “How are we supposed to cross, then? I don’t see a bridge anywhere.”

“That’s a good question.” Berendir bites his lip, looking up and downstream several times. “I could run down a ways and check if—”

“No.” I cut him off. “We stick together.”

“But—”

“I’m serious, Ber. What if an urrath corners you while you’re gone? Or several?” I shake my head. “We stick together.”

“Fine.” Berendir taps his saber atop his foot. “Then I guess we swim.”

I look up at Daerios, whose forehead still glistens with a subtle sheen. “Are you up for it?”

“A swim across a potentially monster-infested river while still barely half-alive?” He grins weakly. “Why not?”

I smile back up at him. “Didn’t you tell me the water is where you feel most whole?”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” He watches me for a moment, lips curling upward. “I think there’s a place I feel even more whole, now.”

“Really?” I ask. “Where is that?”

He just winks and takes my hand, pulling me toward the river.

The first half of the swim passes without incident. The water is freezing, but I swallow my squeals and paddle resolutely forward, not wanting to alert any nearby monsters to our presence. A part of me is glad for the chill; Daerios looked like he could use a cold shower.

I stick close to his side while we swim. He might be making jokes again—smiling, laughing, even splashing a bit of water at Berendir’s head—but I know he’s still weak. If anything comes for us, I want to be ready to grab his collar and haul him back above water.

When did you become Daerios’s protector?a voice whispers inside my head.When did his safety become your first priority?

Probably around the same time you almost told him you’re in love with him.

The thought takes me by such surprise that I startle mid-stroke. I gasp at the same time that my chin drops below the water, inhaling a mouthful of freezing black. I start to cough, hacking, garbled sounds that echo loudly atop the river.

“Quinn?” Daerios swims closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“F—”Cough, cough.“Fine. I’m fine.”

I’m fine. I just thought the very last thing I ever wanted to think and am currently having a panic attack about it, but I’m fine.

The prince eyes me warily. I shoot him a strained smile and keep swimming. Thankfully, he says nothing more.

As I paddle, I dig further into my own thoughts.

Do I love Daerios? Is that what this is? Is that what this all adds up to? How I think about him constantly. How my memories of him, even the painful ones, seem etched into my mind in the brightest technicolor. How willing I am to protect him, even if it means throwing myself before a monster; I would do it every time, no questions asked, even if it meant facing my own death.

How he’s ruined me for anyone else.