Page 65 of Freed Wolfsbane

I’m swimming for about half an hour before I reach the shimmering brown magic dome. I hold my breath as I cautiously cross the boundary, waiting for an alarm to sound or Knights to start shouting.

Nothing happens. The Knights keep walking along the ramparts or loading one of their battle ships with something. They don’t seem to have a clue I’m here, which is a huge freaking relief.

Steeling myself to swim the remaining mile, I dive back under the crashing waves again. After roughly twenty-five minutes or so of more swimming, I pull up short. The boats are docked about two hundred yards offshore, if I had to guess. I’m another two to three hundred yards further out from them.

Even though the veil is supposed to camouflage me, it seems risky to swim up to their harbor and walk up the steps cut into the seawall to the city. I’ll be better off approaching from somewhere that isn’t as heavily guarded.

The further inland toward the main shoreline the wall goes, the fewer Knights are stationed on the ramparts. Deciding that’s going to be my best option, I swim parallel to the seawall until I’m far enough away from the battleships.

As I cautiously make my way closer to the seawall, the waves get rougher and rougher, with swells trying to sweep me up and crash over me. Being constantly tossed around is disorienting, and I go under more than once.

My panic rises as I keep trying to go closer to the rocky shore but am dragged back by the powerful waves.

“Close your eyes, child.”

I skeptically squint at her in my mind. I’m pretty sure I’ll be in worse shape if I can’t even see anything.Why?

“Because the waves are disorienting you. You will never make it to the shore at your current progression. Close your eyes and swim in the direction of the wall without stopping. Rely on your hearing to tell you when you have reached your destination.”

How am I supposed to hear a wall?

Dido rubs her temples like I’m giving her a headache.“You aren’t listening for the wall to make sound. You are listening for the sound the waves make as they strike the wall. As that grows closer, the roar of their crashing will grow louder. By the time it sounds like you are right upon the wall, you should be able to safely make it to shore.”

I’m skeptical that her method will work. But as another wave crashes over me, I decide I don’t really have much to lose. I’m going to drown if I keep doing what I’m doing, which would be a super unsatisfying way to die. I want to at least take Ryker out with me if I do get killed.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I dive under the water once more. Even when I turn my head to breathe, I keep my eyes firmly closed and rely on the sound of the waves to guide me. At first, I can’t really pick out any individual sounds in the roar of the waves. But as the seconds tick on, I can start to hear how the water batters the wall.

My mouth twists up into a grin as I keep swimming toward the sound of the waves against the fortifications. I don’t open my eyes until it sounds like I’m about to smack into the wall myself. I’m surprised to see the beach only ten feet away. I’m easily able to stand up, the water only coming up to my hips.

While it would probably be easier just to swim the rest of the way to shore, I’m still a little freaked out by the whole almost drowning thing. I trudge through the water until I reach the dry sand. The beach is an arm’s width wide before the towering seawall juts up.

Craning my neck backward, I feel like I’m looking up and up and up to finally find the end of the wall.

How in the fuck am I supposed to climb that monstrosity?

While I wasn’t asking Dido, she still answers.“With your fingers and toes.”

I huff a laugh.Thank you, Captain Obvious. I was planning to use my hands and feet to climb, but I have no idea how to make it to the top.

“I was the rank of General by the time I died, so that’s ‘General Obvious’ to you, child,”Dido informs me haughtily. She can’t help the grin peeking through.

Snorting, I just shake my head.Seriously, though. I appreciate you being here for me and helping me the whole way here.

“I am always here for you, Briar, and I was trying to say you need to take your shoes off to successfully climb the wall.”

I gape at her and look at the rough stone of the seawall in horror.You want me to do it barefoot?

If so, that’s going to hurt. My feet will be all scraped up after I scale all thirty feet of that stone monstrosity shoeless.

She nods.“Your toes will be better able to grip the holds you find in the wall that way. Doing a climb as sheer as this one, you need every advantage you can get. Otherwise, you’ll fall to your probable death.”

Great, I mutter to her.

No biggie. I, a girl who hasn’t climbed anything taller than a ladder in her life, has to climb a basically vertical wall. If I mess up, as beginners tend to do, I’ll die.

What could go wrong with this super awesome scenario?

“Do not fret, child. I climbed many a wall and cliff face in my time. I would take control of your body, but doing that for that long will sap your magic, leaving you defenseless if you do need to protect yourself. Instead, I will call out holds to you, and it will be fine. Now approach the wall six feet to your left. There is a stone protruding just above where your hand will reach. If you jump, you will catch it easily.”

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