Page 261 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

We swam the distance to the centre of the lake. The more we stood there in the water, the more I could feel a tug of magic weighing down my limbs—as if my magic was being called and asked to run while being sucked in a vortex at the same time.

I took off the earplugs and listened for that vibration in the air—a strange call to my senses.

“Snow,” Thora said, breathing heavily. “Is it…is it just me?”

“No, I can feel it, too.” I looked below us and right as I did so, something wrapped around my leg and tugged me under water.

I heard my name being called and shouted over the surface and then another scream—Thora’s. The water splashed near me, and a hand brushed mine. Immediately, I grabbed onto it and held it tight, while I pulled a dagger from my thigh baldric, crouched and waved it near my foot till I felt it meet something soft before slashing the blade through it. Whatever was pulling Thora under, tugged me along as well. Not for long because Thora blasted a wave of wind and formed an air pocket around us.

“I can’t see,” she coughed and sputtered, hugging me tightly.

“Just hold me,” I said, looking around as if I could see anything. My magic was useless in water, unless I wanted to electrocute or freeze everyone in it.

Something drummed against the air shield and Thora jerked in my hold. It drummed again, but this time, I felt something warm crawl around us. “Kilian?” I rested a hand on the shield and then felt something on the other side rest against it. “Thora, pull it back. Pull back the shield.”

“But—”

Wrapping my arm tightly around her, I said, “I’m never letting you go. Never again. Pull it back.”

We both sucked a deep breath and waited for water to surround us. Immediately, strong arms were wrapped around me and another pair over my other side—Mal.

Bright light filtered the thicket of water from below us, casting brightness to our grim surroundings and the men holding us.

Thora jerked in my hold again when dozens of nereids surrounded us, all holding a safe distance from us.

Kilian pointed his head to the floor of the lake, over a massive crafter circle and then signalled something to his brother. Mal grabbed Thora’s hand and Kilian mine, and we swam toward it.

We’d not reached halfway down when a flash of light flickered to the point of blindness and then…we were no longer surrounded by the weight of water.

The ground below our feet was solid and there was air entering my lungs. It took me a moment to shake the dizziness, the ringing in my ears and the white cast on my sight. And when everything sharpened in sight, I stumbled a step back.

Piles of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, shimmering pearls and gilded weapons of all sorts rose like tall hills toward a sky that wasn’t quite a sky but a twirling blue and white vortex resembling a whirlpool—the sky looked like a water surface.

I’d been so distracted that I’d not noticed that there was no one beside me. “Thora!” I shouted. “Kilian, Mal!” The sound of my voice echoed around the large maze of treasures surrounding me and then returned back to me.

My feet carried me to a sprint, I kept straight, no twisting or turning into the corridors formed along the treasures. Everything was the same and endless—gold and more gold.

“Why do you rush, young treasure?” an old slithery voice called from my side, and I stopped. Half man, half something else, the creature was vile looking. Instead of feet, he had tentacles and instead of hair, long strands of seaweed curled almost down to his back. There was a layer of pearlescent scales on his skin and his sharp teeth jutted out of his mouth. He studied me intently and frowned. “That cringe will wrinkle your pretty young face.”

“You’ve not taken your own advice,” I said, backing a step and clutching both my daggers tightly, electricity skittering from them. Thank hells I could still call my magic.

“For Ithicea,” he said, leery blue eyes widening. “You’re Nubil’s.”

“I’m not anyone’s.”

“You possess lightning, that makes you Nubil’s.”

“You possess great ugliness, does that make you Golgotha’s?”

He blinked stunned for a moment before nodding to himself. “You’ve got a great point, but you are so rude about an old man’s feelings.”

“Where am I?”

“My home.”

“Where is your home?”

“A pocket between realms.”