Page 12 of Of Rime and Ruin
Perrin whimpers as the healer prods the wound with a spell. The youngling’s head snaps back, his teeth bared, and Deirdre gives him a piece of cloth to bite. His foot can’t be reattached; my hoarfrost has spread too far.
I wrench my gaze away, turning on my heels. The hallway is silent. Empty. No one to see me flee the scene of my crime.
I grab a vase of flowers and shatter it against the wall as I pass. The shards cut the bottoms of my feet. But the pain is not enough.
When will I learn?
I’mthe Beast who haunts the Rime.
Chapter six
Nahla
Deserter.
Through a cloud of bubbles, Ramona’s rough shell passes before me. Her fins angle, then tuck, and she dives. The palmwoods bend, trailing in the water. A few loose barrels get caught in the current and spiral away from her shell to be lost to the deep.
Traitor.
My heart aches. My fins itch to chase her. To catch up, somehow, as she gains speed. My friends, my home, my past, my future—it all fades into the blue.
Disappointment.
The voice in my head sounds a lot like Winona, so I ignore it. The more water I can put between us before my deed is discovered, the better. Ramona heads west, so I angle northeast. I’ll skirt the Frost basin and loop south. Keen said there’s life beyond the known sea, and I’ll be the first to go there and back again.
With one final glance at Ramona’s wake, I steel myself. I ball my fists and ready my gills for the journey.
The current beneath my fins, I cut through the water with speed. My gills slip into an efficient flutter. I open my mouth to catch the scent of the sea, following the bitter trail that will lead me northward. My tail pumps with purpose. Easy.
No one to tell me where to go. When to sleep. What to eat. I’m the maker of my own way, and I’ve never felt so free in my life.
I can do this.
***
Ican’tdothis.
The first rays of morning light pierce the surface, filtering through the waves with dancing hues of gold and pink.
And I haven’t slept a wink.
I swam all day and through the night, unable to stave the sense of being watched. Like a million pairs of eyes were on me, hidden in the depths. My stomach tingles as I think of their invisible gaze.
Beasts don’t care if you’re royal or low-born. You’re either food or foe, and I look a lot like the first one.
The sea is endless. Lonely. I swim for hours without spotting a single creature. Blue stretches in every direction, and my mind spins until it feels like I’m swimming in place, getting nowhere. My body shrinks, a tiny golden fleck swallowed by the blue.
I need to find cover. Or friends. A large pod of fleetwhales would do, if I’m lucky enough to find them. The gentle giants rarely mind a clinger or two.
But I can’t catch their scent. Out here, I’m alone.
I reach with my magic, every so often, to detect predators. But my energy is depleting fast. I need to sleep before it can renew. So I keep it locked tight, swimming with mental blinders on.
Already, I miss the protection of Ramona. If I see her in the future, never again will I take her guardianship for granted.
Fear’s teeth puncture and chew until my gut is a mess of panic. My gills filter oxygen at a frantic rhythm.
What was I thinking?
