Page 115 of Hunted in the Shadows
A crystalline serpent erupted from my hands; sparkling fangs bared as it curled and kicked through all the fairies in its path. I wavered for a moment, remembering how I’d witnessed this enchantment on my last day of training in the caverns—just before the night my life changed forever.
The serpent exploded into a shockwave of frosty air, but I took control of the remnants before they could fade, turning my attention to the water. Ice leached into the lapping waves, curving and taking solid shape to herd the sirens away from the hunters. The sirens clawed and shrieked in their fury, denied their promised meal. The wall wouldn’t hold forever—especially when fae magic began pummeling it.
Though they were recuperating, the boys still stood at the ready, weapons raised. Their stunned silence made my ears ring.
“The tunnel—it’s there.” I pointed at what was now an empty pool surrounded by ice—no sirens to speak of.
As they moved toward the edge of the path to survey the water, my courage wavered, and I eased back slightly. I hugged the satchel close, wishing I had any talent with earth magic so I could use the gemstone to burst through the walls themselves.
“What’s wrong?” Cliff demanded, noticing my uncertainty.
“I can’t swim,” I reminded him in a small voice.
Jon stowed his weapons and held his hands out. “I’ve got you—come on.”
The ice was beginning to crack.
“Deep breath,” Jon cautioned just before he closed his hands around me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, huddling against him. My stomach dropped as he dived. One moment, I was weightless. The next, freezing water burst around me.
23
Jon
The sharp temperature drop threatened to shut my body down. I forgot what to do for a solid three seconds, limbs stiff with shock. But as Sylvia shifted in my grip, rigid from the cold, I forced myself toward the narrow opening in the cavern wall.
At first, the underwater tunnel was wide enough for Cliff and me to swim side by side. The deeper we went, the more it shrank, darkness encroaching until touching the jagged walls was the only way to know which direction to go.
My lungs began to burn. I felt myself falling behind, forced to claw my way forward with only one hand while the other held Sylvia.
Finally, a wink of late afternoon sunlight bobbed ahead.
Gritting my teeth, I strained toward it. Once I was free from the tunnel, reaching the surface seemed like another mile upward. Unnaturally bright fish glowed like lanterns in the filthy depths. Just as my throat was about to give in and swallow a mouthful of water, I burst into the open air and took a deep breath.
Closer to the shore, Cliff coughed heavily, agonized and relieved.
I raised my hand to check on Sylvia, but the moment my fingers unfurled, something latched onto my ankle and pulled hard. As I was dragged back under the surface, I lost my hold on her—lost her to the water.
Her name flew past my lips, muted and garbled.
The surface flew out of reach, becoming a mere ripple overhead. I tried to reach out, to grab hold ofanythingto pull me away from my attacker, but there was nothing. Cold hands gripped me feverishly, subduing my thrashing limbs with inhuman strength as I was pulled deeper into the dark and cold.
The siren’s melody echoed around me. It rose above the roar of panic in my mind, delicate and beautiful despite the water’s distortion. One hand gripped my shoulder, jagged nails piercing my skin like a harpoon sunk into its prey. Another bony hand gripped my jaw. The burning in my lungs was already unbearable, every second excruciating. I needed tobreathe.
Though I tried to fight, to look anywhere else—our eyes caught.
Immediately, my muscles relaxed. A halo of red hair fanned around her head, eyes bright green beneath long lashes. Recognition surfaced—this was the same siren that had targeted me on the docks, the one Sylvia had freed from the outpost. She was achingly beautiful, otherworldly,terrifying.
Her rosy lips spread in a smile, pulling me close enough to kiss me. Her touch became loving, stroking my cheek as though she’d known me forever.
I’ve got you, darling. You can let go now.
I hardly noticed how frozen her skin was against mine. It didn’t matter.
Life is so hard up there. You don’t need to fight anymore. We can be together here, forever.
My vision blurred as I tried to glimpse the surface—a faint glow so far away now. The pain in my chest numbed, a distant memory as her sweet voice sang to me. Her promise was a comforting thought. No more pain. No more loss. I’d have given anything to feel whole like that again.
