Page 126 of Crown of the Courtesan

And it’ll be my fault if I don’t save him.

My power has to have more meaning than just taking life.

The little hairs on my arms stand up as power emanates from me. A gust slides over my back. Another one. My shift billows as the wind bears down, pushing waves to circle the perimeter of the pool.

Faster and faster.

Water sloshes out, drenching me in its spray. The depth of the water lowers, but it’s not enough. A hint of burgundy is barely visible as a wave careens.

I concentrate harder.

The surge allows Rett to uncover his face and gulp a mouthful of air before it crashes over him again. In the swirling darkness, flashes of color reel by. The surge slows—something is fighting my magic.

Numerous female heads pop up, their skin varying in shades and tones—yet all of them wear a sickly pallor despite their unnerving and haunting beauty. With hair slicked over their slender and voluptuous forms, they smile, their sharpened white teeth gleaming in the night.

I plead, “Give him back!”

They giggle shrilly, glancing at each other with a cruel spark. Their laughter echoes between the trees, instilling fear and uncertainty into me.

“We couldn’t possibly. You were having so much fun with him that we became quite jealous,” the nymph with plump red lips says mockingly. “And we don’t like being jealous of humans…”

The black-haired one purrs, “It’s our turn, selfish girl.”

Rett’s time ticks.

“Release him,” I grind out. “Now.”

“Or what?” she asks before swimming in circles. The others mimic her and swim in circles as well. I take a deep breath, fighting the disorientation. They laugh as if this is the funniest thing they’ve ever done.

“Hurry! He can’t breathe!” I warn them. “I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

“He doesn’t need to be alive for us to have a bit of fun!” A squeal of glee burns my ears.

I close my eyes and focus on the wind, bringing it near again. The pool spins like a cyclone, the waves crashing over the edge. The nymphs scream, kick, and splash, trying to hold on while being swept away in the current. I concentrate harder and harder until Rett’s face emerges. He spits out a mouthful of fluid, gagging and struggling for breath. Vines wrap around his naked body, traveling up his neck, preventing him from moving.

My focus slips, and the water level rises again. The nymphs hold onto boulders, screeching slurs, their voices like whips in the wind.

“Human trash!”

“Ugly and useless!”

My confidence plummets. Useless. How often had Balor called me that? Tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

“The stupid girl cannot save her lover-boy.”

My body flares with searing magic, but the water doesn’t recede.

I step forward and submerge my lower body into the pulsating pool as the wind continues to whip around me. I close my eyes. The wind ceases, and the pool sloshes and returns to an unnatural stillness. I wade farther in.

The nymphs’ mouths move, mocking and insulting, but I can’t hear them anymore.

They remind me of the cruelty I left behind in Alexandria. The way I’ve always been an outsider.

The way I was used.

My skin grows hotter.

Bubbles break the surface above where Rett is located.