Page 41 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

Water slipped into Shadow’s nose, and she coughed, which only drew more of the salty liquid into her mouth, but then the firebird was there, reaching for her. Shadow blamed her oxygen-starved brain for the hallucinations she was so clearly seeing because Buttercup was no longer a bird at all, but a person.

Protector, her brain supplied. She could think of no other word to attribute to the magical shapeshifter as the androgynous figure took her face in their hands, dozens of tiny bubbles flowing from their lips as they sealed their mouth over hers.

Shadow was helpless to do anything but clutch onto Buttercup. She took in their long strands of flame-colored hair, piercing blue eyes, and the way their luminous skin seemed to be lit from within as her lungs gratefully accepted the life-restoring air they passed to her.

“He needs you, Forsaken. Go to him. Save the one whose soul calls to yours before it’s too late.”

“I don’t know where he is.”She wasn’t aware of sending the thought. It just floated through her mind, and she could only assume the protector heard her because they took her shoulders in their palms and spun her around before giving a little shove.“There.”

And he was. The man she’d come after, the one she’d been so intent on saving, was right there. Floating face down. Still. Lifeless.

Her heart stuttered.

No.

No!

I can’t be too late.

She kicked hard, swimming to his limp body as fast as she could. The lure of the darkness aided her, still eager to draw her down. As soon as she reached the warrior, she wrapped her arms around his muscular torso and did her best to pull up. They didn’t move much at all until Buttercup grasped him on the other side.

“Kick, Forsaken. Do not stop until you reach the shore. I will not let you drown.”

Shadow could do nothing but obey. She scissored her legs as if her life depended on it, or, she supposed, Ronan’s.

Even with Buttercup’s aid, it was slow going moving through the dark. Her body was weighed down, and it soon felt like she was attempting to swim through sludge rather than the sea. Her lungs screamed in protest, barely healed from their first bout of deprivation, but she couldn’t allow herself to doubt they’d make it.

Just as her lungs began to seize a second time, they broke free of the surface. Clinging to Ronan’s limp form, she gasped for air. “Th-thank you,” she panted, the words nearly impossible to form around her heaving breaths.

It was impossible to look at Buttercup straight on, their luminosity blinding without the suppressive effect of the darkness. Instead of answering, the protector shifted once more, returning to their phoenix form and letting off a series of soft trills Shadow interpreted as an invitation to climb on. She couldn’t help but wonder why the protector would abandon their means of direct communication, and her confusion must have been on her face because the protector spoke in her mind once more.

“Using my power in this realm is a far greater drain, so I am selective in its use.”

That made sense. Looking from Buttercup to Ronan’s floating form, she shook her head, still blinking salt water from her eyes. “I don’t... I can’t leave him.”

“No one asked you to. Just grasp onto me, Forsaken. I will take care of the rest.”

Swallowing, she simply nodded her agreement. She was in no position to question the offer of aid. Perhaps once she was safe, she could afford to be more discerning, but for now, the only order of business was getting Ronan on dry land... and maybe napping for a dozen years or so.

Buttercup twisted in the air, shaking their tail feathers in invitation.“Hold on tight. I will tow you to shore.”

“But that will take—”

“No time at all. Do not let go—of me or your mate.”

The title sent shockwaves through her very core. “Mate?” Shadow rasped, her throat burning from the excess of air it attempted to pull into her lungs.

She would have sworn she heard soft snickers float through her head. But that would mean all of this was real, and she wasn’t fully convinced she wasn’t still aboard theRevengehaving the dream of a lifetime.

“Just take hold.”

Lifting one arm out of the water, she grabbed a fistful of Buttercup’s surprisingly sturdy feathers, keeping her other arm banded around Ronan’s thick chest. He hadn’t so much as twitched since they’d come up to the surface, but she couldn’t think about that right now. The only way to keep the fear at bay was to focus on getting out of the ocean. She’d worry about him after.

As soon as her hand was secured, Buttercup took off, the tips of their fiery wings causing steam to rise whenever they made contact with the water. Behind them the Lusca was still engaged with theRevenge, though the pirate ship had split in two, both bow and stern sinking quickly into the depths below.

There wasn’t time to mourn for the vessel or its crew, but her heart ached regardless. She prayed Calypso and her men would survive.

“Why me?”The thought left her of its own volition.

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