Page 86 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
Hawk steps farther onto the pier, and I follow him, unsure how I should act in order to calm the situation. “You can’t be serious! You’ll get paid extra if we go now.”
“I have enough money,” Lepearl says, her face growing colder. “You’re welcome to swim on your own, though I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Hawk lets out a growl. He takes another step forward and some of the dried seaweed falls off him. “You need to get him on that ship, and to Ravanzia or I will rip you all toshreds! That’s the deal!”
My stomach plummets, and I want to pull him back, but it’s too late. I have no idea why he’s being like this when we could just wait until tomorrow.
I don’t know whether it’s Kick or Bite, but one of the kelpie steps in front of Lepearl and shifts in front of our eyes. Within seconds, his pale body turns tar-black, only the head remaining bone-white since it’s a skull. The imposing horse beast stomps its hoofs on the creaking pier. This must be Bite after all, because he lunges forward, teeth-first, but Hawk doesn’t fall back.
He punches the kelpie right on its bony muzzle.
“No!” I yell, because this mess is about to get even messier.
Bite collapses to the wooden floor, making the pier creak in warning, but as he falls, so does Hawk. He shrieks in panic, grabs Bite’s neck with his unprotected hand, and his fingers get stuck to the kelpie’s coat. The need for clothing made out of octopus leather meant to prevent situations like this has been drilled into me before my first kelpie-riding lesson. But Hawk is ignorant to what’s going on and drags Bite over the pier in an attempt to get free.
Lepearl stares in mute shock, and leaps to the end of the pier when a flash of light radiates from my man. He starts glowing, as if there were demons attempting to free themselves from under his skin.
“Fuck! Don’t! Hawk! Don’t!” I yell, but take a step back, afraid that in his fury he might take a bite out of my shadow.
To make matters worse, Kick turns into his animal form too, and moments later, the Sunwolf stands on the pier, no longer stuck to Bite.
“Wh-what is that?” Lepearl asks.
Hawk lowers his skull-head with a growl as the kelpie back away. They could easily leap into the water, but I’m guessing they want to stand between the golden beast and their captain.
“No one fight!” I put all my princely authority into my voice. “We can resolve—”
The pier crashes under the combined weight of beasts and elves. With a panicked yelp on my lips, I fall into the dark water.
Chapter 34
Hawk
Ilet myself float in the gentle waves, along with all the wooden debris. But then movement sends bubbles of air my way, making me open my eyes in time to see the weird horse’s hindquarters morph into a twisted fishtail. It resembles the creature featured on the collar we had taken off Sylvan. A merhorse. A… kelpie.
I can’t explain how I went from hanging on to Sylvan’s advice about not interfering to white-shot anger that made the smugglers hostile. It’s ended up with the pier destroyed, and everyone floating in cold water. When I emerge to take in air, the dampness on my face and shoulders evaporates, creating a white cloud of steam that prevents me from seeing the details of my surroundings.
I’m boiling up.
I just want to…
“Sylvan! Where are you?” I ask as soon as my brain is no longer an overheated mass of goo.
“Here!” he yelps, struggling to keep his face above the surface. He’s splashing about like a puppy dropped into water for the first time, his lips wide open and facing the rocky ceiling of the cave. I reach him before he can disappear beneath the surface, and steel myself, in case I need to prevent him from attempting to climb me like the last person I saved from drowning had.
But he’s calm and holds on to my shoulder as I scoop him up with my arm before setting off to where the shore is a mild slope. Both the kelpie and Lepearl are already there by the time we exit the water. I can’t help but stare at the majestic creatures that nevertheless would not be out of place in a gothic horror movie. They’re back to being four-legged animals, but it’s hard to miss features that would be unusual on a regular horse, like the translucent film covering their hooves. Or the fuckingskullsthey have for heads.
Lepearl glares at us as she takes off her fish bone hat to twist salty water out of her hair. “I don’t know what you are, and frankly, I don’t care! Get out! I don’t want to fight, but if you step anywhere near my ship, I will!”
A tremor passes through Sylvan, but his lips are set, and he nods. “I understand. May I just ask you not to mention this to other captains?”
“Ha, only the ones whose ships I don’t want at the bottom of the ocean,” she shouts back, and that is that.
I let out a howl as the heat within starts once again rising. Alarmed, both the kelpie stand between me and their captain, a direct challenge to the demon inhabiting my blood. But before I can make another mistake, blinded by the fever burning out the insides of my skull, Sylvan grabs my hand, and I relent, like a dog brought to heel.
I want to apologize, to try to negotiate a safe passage for my husband at least—all he did was try to stop me—but when Sylvantugs on my arm, I follow, leaving the cave with my tail between my legs.
The silence between us is inflamed and uncomfortable like an ulcer developing deep under the skin, but every time I inhale, about to speak, the absolute resignation painted on Sylvan’s face stops me from attempting to excuse my behavior. He doesn’t deserve what I’m unleashing on him. When I remember how I growled at him, the sense of despair inside makes me want to cry.
