Page 47 of Beneath a Shattered Sky
“I’m not hurting her.” Caed is pissed, and I risk a glance behind me.
The Fomorian has caught me, but Lore is perched on his shoulders, holding a blade to his blue throat, red blood spilling down the silver.
“No touching, remember?” The redcap offers a grin. “That means I get to pick a part of you to keep.” He cocks his head to one side. “Which ear do you like least?”
“Lorcan,” I snap. “Let him go.”
Lore topples backwards from Caed’s shoulders, turning the fall into an effortless somersault, only to blink before landing and snatch me away.
Once I’m secured in the redcap’s arms, he takes his hat and plops it on my head where it shrinks until it’s a tight knitted round cap.
“What the fuck?” Caed hisses. “I thought you’d forgiven me, you psycho.”
Lore whistles. “That doesn’t stop me wanting to dismember you—or anyone else—on a daily basis.”
“Enough,” Bree hisses, coming to stand between them. “The kelpies are telling the truth. Cressida has paid them to take us to her.” His mouth twists down. “Dragonfly, hold your breath. Whatever you see, you need to hold your breath.”
“She could just close her eyes,” Lore suggests.
Bree shakes his head. “She’ll just look, anyway.”
He’s right, but I blush and glance away like I don’t know what he’s talking about as Lore carries me over to the horses.
“When you touch them, you’ll stick to their fur.” Lore grins. “They’re almost as fun to travel with as I am.”
“Hold your breath,” Maeve reminds me. “Touch their necks when you’re ready, then brace yourself; this will be fast.”
“I don’t like this,” Jaro mutters, but he goes first anyway, reaching out to tangle his hand in the mane of the kelpie closest to him.
With a fierce whinny, the horse rears, then plunges back into the river, dragging Jaro with it.
Drystan is next, clenching his teeth as he beckons Blizzard forward. He touches the kelpie, allowing himself to be dragged beneath the waves. Then, to my surprise, his black stallion dives in after them.
Blizzard can… do whatever that thing does?
Before I can bend my mind around it, more splashes fill the air, and looking around, I realise it’s just me, my barghest, and Lore left.
“What about Wraith?” I ask.
“I’ll blink him to us when we know where we’re going,” Lore promises. “Barghests don’t like water much, anyway.”
Petting Wraith’s head, I take a reluctant step towards the kelpie.
“It is my honour, Nicnevin,” the horse promises. “I shall ride swift and true.”
Taking a deep breath, I touch his soggy mane.
My stomach drops out through my feet as I’m jerked into the freezing cold water, and the breath I was so carefully holding bursts free in a torrent of shocked bubbles.
Fifteen
Lorcan
Kelpies arefun. Unfortunately, given the way the Call is pulsing beneath my skin, I don’t think my mate agrees.
In her panic, she’s lost all her air and seems to have forgotten that I’m with her, having grabbed the kelpie’s mane at the same time. With my free hand, I press her against me, willing the buzz between our bodies to keep her from slipping into a panic as she promptly loses the breath she was told to hold on to.
Silly pet. We’ll have to have a talk about best practice for not drowning when we reach Cressidick.
