Page 78 of Ransomed to the World
He reacted with a bark of laughter. “Of course I know how to swim. Trolls just aren’t built for it, and our size and weight work against us. I’ll manage fine for a short trip. You worry about finding the entrance to the aquifer and leave me to worry about the rest.”
“You said we can’t portal without setting off the alarms.” She glanced pleadingly at Edgar, anxiety tightening her chest. “Can’t we just slip into the afterworld and cross over?”
The rest of the guys crowded around her, Camden moving behind her until she was surrounded.
Edgar crossed his arms, shaking his head. “I wish it were so easy, but there’s a spell to keep people out. It was created centuries ago using dark matter. While you may be talented, they were very skilled. If you try to fight the wards protecting the island, you could very well end up destroying it. Some phantoms might be able to protect themselves, but you’d put the whole race in danger.”
“You have one minute to decide whether you’re going to do this,” the captain called across the deck from his stance behind the wheel.
The guys glanced at her, leaving the decision to her.
Fuck.
The island loomed larger in the distance, the stone walls seeming to reach for the sky, tall and imposing. Birds shrieked as they soared overhead, and the dark walls shimmered even from this distance, something moving beneath the surface, and she knew Edgar was correct. If they tried to cross using the afterworld, she wasn’t sure where they’d end up, but she doubted it would be inside Central City.
They had no choice.
Prem raced along the railing, leaping toward her and crashing into her chest. She caught him close, and the critter rubbed his face along her jaw. He was being left behind on the ship, his job to sneak on the island, check it out, and find them at the first opportunity.
She hated being separated from him. It was the first time she was going where he couldn’t follow since he’d joined her in her prison cell over a decade ago. After she gave one last scratch under Prem’s chin, Edgar took him from her, and she had to turn away to hide her tears.
She lifted the small, hand-held oxygen tank up and gave the guys a brittle smile. “Let’s do this.”
The guys didn’t waste a second and began stripping down, shoving their shirts and shoes into their bags. Xander grabbed her shoes, then firmly strapped the pack to his back, and it was all she could do not to gawk at their very naked chests.
Then Logan flashed her a smile, scooped her up in his arms and launched them both over the railing, his yodel ringing in her ears. She stifled her yelp, crossed her arms the way they showed her, and pointed her feet at the water.
She hit hard, spearing deep under the waves. Moments later, five more bodies plunged into the water after her. Above the waves the vast expanse of ocean was frightening. There was no end and no beginning. It was too wide, too open, leaving her too exposed and vulnerable.
Beneath the surface was different. Her vision was limited to only a few yards in every direction, the weight of the water confining—it would make running nearly impossible—and set her heart racing.
Her hands shook, and she fumbled with the tank, clamping the mouthpiece between her teeth. Her uncle was dead—she no longer needed to run.
And she had no intention of allowing her father to put her in the same situation.
They dove deep to keep from being seen from the towers. The water was murkier than she expected the farther down they dropped, until they got closer to shore.
A splash of bright colors spread across the bottom of the ocean, stealing away her fear. Schools of tiny fish darted in and out of the coral, and she found the gentle surge and pull of the current calming. The lack of sound was a little unnerving, but it still quieted her mind. She treaded water as the rest of the guys joined her, and she frowned to see Mason struggling not to sink. He gave her a thumbs-up, but urgency twisted her guts.
With one more concerned look at him, she turned and headed toward the island. Edgar took the lead, swimming hard, but she didn’t have a prayer of keeping up with him. Xander and Camden swam on either side of Mason, keeping pace as he floundered. Logan remained at her side, helping her stay afloat and showing her how to swim. It took her a moment to get the hang of it, and even then, she felt completely uncoordinated compared to the guys’ smooth strokes.
Annora quickly became exhausted, hyperaware of the line on her tank dropping steadily. She slowed her breathing, rationing her oxygen, but memories of her uncle crushing her throat, his fingers wrapped around her neck, made her shudder. The darkness around her didn’t help.
Then Logan tugged on her hand, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. She glanced at him, and the tightness in her lungs eased. The closer they got to the island, the shallower the water got. To avoid being spotted, they clung to the bottom.
She glanced back at Mason and saw that he’d given up on trying to swim and was now walking along the bottom of the sea, struggling to get past the coral and large boulders strewn in his path. Fine sand clouded the water with his every step, his big body fighting the current, and his hair slicked straight back like a pissed-off cat.
Forgotten boats that sank long ago were like skeletons along the bottom, the sea life reclaiming their home. The wood had rotted, the planks turning green as vegetation crawled over the deck, staking its claim.
It was both beautiful and haunting.
Then she noticed Mason and the other two guys were falling farther and farther behind. When she pulled up short, Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and continued hauling her along. She tried to fight him and pull away, but his arm was like a vise.
Edgar swam toward them, then pointed to his eyes then the island, his expression urgent.
They needed to find the underwater aquifer.
It wouldn’t matter if she went back to help the guys if they couldn’t find the entrance. They had less than ten minutes before their air ran out, and they were discovered. When she went to swim forward, Edgar clamped down on her wrist.
