Page 149 of Tempting Fate

Don’t scream. Don’t react.

In the dusky luminescence of the cave walls, I couldn’t see below the surface. This was it, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter who got to us first. This was how we died. Together, but without me having told him—

The lake exploded in furious motion.

Big Fish made a beeline for the mercenaries, cutting through the water in less than a second, then breached, one man in its vast jaws.

I stared in horror until it sliced back down, and my brain came back online. “Get us out of here. Fast as you can.”

Airida’s reply was swallowed by agonised screams.

And crunching.

I was just glad it was too dark to see the blood.

Airida made his way to the far edge in sluggish, freezing steps that took years. “Can you get onto the path?”

My arms were too cold to hold me up, and the path was higher than my shoulders. “Nope.”

“Very well. I’m going to put you down. There’s a ledge here, you’ll only be up to your waist.”

“Okay.”

Airida hauled himself out of the lake, then reached for me.

My legs scraped over the stone as I half scrambled, was half pulled to safety. I was so cold, I could barely feel any of it, and when I was finally out, I collapsed on the ground.

The water was eerily still, the only sign anything had happened a dark sheen on the surface like an oil slick.

On the far bank, that spectral shadow writhed but never ventured closer.

Airida’s voice was stark with disbelief. “They are gone.”

Gone. Dead. Fish food. Not chasing us. Safe. Were we safe?

“What was that thing?”

“Oh, that’s just my friend Big Fish.” The absurdity of it dragged a laugh from me, and then we were both laughing, laughing and shivering, teeth chattering, holding each other close.

“That was not a fish, that was…”

“A movement-sensing tentacle shark?” But today, definitely a friend. I jerked with a sudden shiver.

“You are so cold, my moonlight,” he rasped.

“We need to get changed. Get out of these wet things.”

Airida dug through our packs, and I peeled off my clothes, wincing and gasping as they skimmed tender skin.

We dried off as best we could. I pulled on my last change of clothes and then a thermal heat blanket, but even that couldn’t chase away the cloying, lingering dread.

“One life sign. Racing away from here.” Airida held out his datapad.

Despite my relief, I shivered. “The shadow?” The beast? Or some even worse third option?

“We have to assume so. The important thing is, she isn’t following.”

I rested my hands on the walls. Plain marble, even above our heads. “Ignore what she said. We’re free. Let’s get round the corner, then you can send your comm.”