AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But I don’t. Instead, I picture Evya on the shore, standing boldly with her face to the waves as she watches for my return. I think of the fiery taste of her kisses, of the song she sang over me this morning, of the resolve in her countenance when she claimed me as her mate before the tribes. Then my thoughts speed back to the first time I saw her—when the One showed her to me in a shadowy vision, and I chose to respond.
I have no regrets.
And I don’t believe the Eternal intends for our tale to end here.
As my memory lingers on that first vision, a faint strain of notes echoes around me, sung by a fierce alto voice.
Evya’s voice.
Perhaps it’s only a trick of my mind, but I cling to the echo of the notes as lifeline. I force my eyes to stay open and my body to keep fighting against the tides.
The song swells. It resounds not through the water, but through my very soul. As the strains of music well up within me, so does a surge of magic. It rushes through me, strong as a hurricane and tasting of salt and sea wind and raw energy.
Astonishment grips me. This isn’t my magic. It’s Evya’s, flowing from her soul to mine through the bond we share as mates. As her power floods into me, I feel her presence as clearly as though she swims beside me.
Hope surges within me, along with a wave of new strength. I try to kick my legs, but the movement feels foreign. Almost as if my legs want to move in unison instead of broad strokes.
I barely grasp what is happening as the power takes me fully in its grip. It rushes through my bones and sinews, shifting and transforming. Magic blazes as my legs fuse together and lengthen into a long tail. The fabric of my trousers smooths out into scales—deep purple and edged with silver that flashes in the light of the rune-lantern I hold. More magic burns along my forearms and erupts into ridged fins with strong, sharp edges.
My mind races to comprehend what is happening, but my soul and my body understand at once. With Evya’s magic racing through me, the ocean around me bursts onto my awareness with new intensity. I sense every current around me. My tail moves in fluid motions as I catch hold of a swift stream and swim toward the shore with all my might, even as the Seamother’s breakers bear down on me from above.
Chapter 18
Evya
––––––––
He’ll never make itout alive. Not while my mother controls the sea.
I run along the edge of the cliff, scouring the waves for any trace of Keliveth. All I see is the maelstrom, its white-crested waves piling higher and plunging deeper than ever before. I can taste the rage on the waters, the torment as the Seamother tightens her hold on the sea and forces the waters to her will.
The Seamother stands at the highest point of the cliffs, arms outstretched and threads of rune-light streaming from her fingers. She speaks no words, but I can feel her spurring the ocean’s fury. The sea has never raged like this, as if it would tear the whole world apart if it could.
I need to stop this.
I follow the edge of the cliff to where it slopes down to meet the water. My skirt catches on the stones and my feet slip on the steep slope, yet I only stop when I’m at the water’s edge. The beacon fire blazes a few yards away, the flames leaping feebly against the backdrop of roiling waves.
