Page 132 of Of Rime and Ruin
Gone.
The moment our mental connection severs, I feel it like a dagger through my heart.
The Frost King hangs limply, suspended in the glow of the healer’s magic, and I can’t meet his eye.
The Beast is gone, snuffed out like a fucking candle, and the king agreed to this outcome.
“What have you done?” I choke. I’m asking the king, the healer, the gods above—anyone who will answer. But my ears are ringing, and I can’t hear the reply.
The Beast wasgood. He wasn’t some creature haunting his thoughts, as Aethan seemed to believe. His emotions, his fears, his memories—all lived within the Beast. And the more I connected with that side of him, the more kind and joyful the King became.
He was improving. Without the Beast, Aethan would never have brought me books or that cloak, or asked me to dance, orplayed in the snow. I’m sure of it. Without him, I’d still be locked in that fucking cage.
Doesn’t he see it? He needed the Beast.
I needed him.
This kingdom needed him.
And now he’s gone.
Because of Lucas, the so-called healer. How is it helpful to sever Aethan from a crucial part of his identity? A healer should know better than to inflict harm wittingly.
Lucas’s Voice cuts off and the glow of his spell disappears. Aethan slouches as the restraints leave his body, his shoulders rolling and his head sagging. His knees wobble.
A chill traces my spine. What kind of healer is he, anyway? One who inflicts pain? One who can shatter the Beast entirely? He seized me from the beach and dragged me here, tied me up and gagged me with his magic, all to torture Aethan and lure the Beast into the open.
I flick my gaze to the nearest exit.This is so fucked.
And Aethan was in on it. He agreed to the treatment, as Lucas said. Did he know Lucas would kill the Beast? That he would gag and restrain me? Hurt me?
Steeling myself, I glance at Aethan’s face. Weariness gathers in dark pockets beneath his eyes, and the usual sparkle of humor is absent. He searches my face as I study his, and his eyes tighten. Waiting. Like a petty thief expecting his punishment.
My chest squeezes until I can’t breathe. Why didn’t he fight harder? Why didn’t he protect me? The Beast? Why did he stand there and take it?
“Nahla,” he whispers. He takes a shaky step toward me.
I back away. My hands meet the flat of the door, and I slide them along the damp wood until I find the knob.
From the darkness of the room, Lucas chuckles. His words come flat and seething. “Where are you going, Princess? Come,don’t you want to enjoy your king, risk free? He did this for you, after all. No more accidental dismemberments in the library. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I turn the knob as my breath quickens.
Something is wrong with Lucas. Something either the king knows already or is too blind with loyalty to see. He cannot be trusted. Even now, the healer steps forward. His lips move, revealing the subtle glow in his mouth. His eyes flash as he looks at me, dragging his gaze over my body head to toe.
Panic rises, forming a heartbeat in my throat.
I have to get out of here.
My feet sting with each slap on the cold stone as I stumble into the hallway. Darkness shrouds the bottom reaches of the castle. The air hangs heavily, smelling of must and wet earth, making it harder to breathe. I limp forward on weakened legs.
Fuck, what did Lucasdoto me? My body moves sluggishly, like I’m swimming in a dream. No way can I climb the stairs before Lucas snares me with his magic again. Or worse.
Somewhere behind these stairs is a beast-sized hole in the floor. As I stumble around the corner, praying to the gods I’m right, my heart lifts. It’s still here. The floorboards crack open around a glistening pool of water, churning with current. That’ll work.
Unfastening what’s left of my dress, I slip out of the ruined silk and dip my toes in the water. My bones crackle and rearrange, my legs merge, and my golden fin sprouts. I peer over the rim. The stone foundation hollows out, giving way to a long tube of ice that plummets into the depths below. A tunnel, as I suspected.
From the other room, Aethan groans. The floorboards squeak under his weight as he shifts and stumbles, likely trying to come after me. As I slip further into the hole, water laps at my golden scales, beckoning me into its depths.
