Page 79 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
But I falter as my gaze catches briefly on an entire line of golden guards who stand at the base of the hill, their swords drawn as they wait for us to descend the other side. They would have had us completely surrounded if we had stayed on land. My hesitation means I jump a fraction of a second later than Flynn does, and his hand is suddenly ripped from mine. I scream as my legs kick in the open air, the water below no longer blue but more gray from the agitation of the faster moving current. Time feels suspended for a moment as I watch Flynn and Bella fall, but then the river is rushing up towards me, and the dark glow of something black catches my eye before I’m abruptly submerged. The water is astonishingly cold, especially for it being summer. My eyes open under the surface, though the dirt makes it impossible to see anything but the light shining above me. My fingers go to tighten around Flynn’s, to wait for him to pull me up, but instead, my fist closes in on itself.
Terror causes me to thrash under the water as I try to kick and move my arms in a way that will bring me closer to the surface, but I don’t move upwards. No, instead, I keep falling deeper and deeper. The urge to open my mouth and take a breath of air that isn’t there is relentless.The current pushes me forward, but I sink farther from the surface. My cheeks burn from how I’m fighting to hold my breath in and keep my mouth closed against my body’s instincts. I should have timed it better and inhaled deeply before hitting the water, but I didn’t think. I just assumed that Flynn would be here to help me. My back scrapes along something in the water, the pain instinctively causing me to scream, and that’s all it takes. The last of my air is now gone, the bitterly cold river water replacing it instead.
Despite being freezing, the water burns my lungs as my body thrashes and pain erupts all over. The beating of my heart starts to slow, more time growing between each pulse.My body stops its jerky movements, my limbs growing numb while my mouth moves as though it’s still trying to get air in, but there is none.Thud.My eyelids grow heavy, so I let them close, all fight leaving my tired body and weary soul.Thud.Warmth floods my chest, a shimmering white light flaring as I feel my magic start to hum, but I still can’t take a breath. I picture Flynn and Bella in my mind. I hope they stick together and make it back to Flynn’s home safely. My only regret—thud—is that I dragged them into this.
T h u d.
Chapter Forty: Rhea
“Itisnotsupposedto be her time yet!” The voice sounds shrill, panicked.
My eyes flutter open, and I immediately know where I am, the familiarity of it relaxing my anxious state. The air cradles me as I float weightlessly, caressing me on all sides. I can’t help but smile as I find solace in the fact that maybe I can finally rest here. Maybe I can even visit one of the many swirling galaxies overhead. The purple one straight above me glows brightly, surrounded by a hundred—no, athousand—stars. She said that they were other worlds, and I’m curious to know what they look like. Perhaps now, I’ll have the chance to find out.
“You are not staying,” she says, her voice calmer but still laced with worry.
“She cannot fight death,” another voice insists. Where the familiar woman’s cadence is silvery and ethereal, this new one is deep and robust. Where hers dances past me in small particles of stardust, his embraces me like I’m wrapped in the finest silk. “Especially without—”
“She isnotdead yet,” she hisses, the stars and galaxies above flickering with her anger.
I try to sit up, coming to my elbows as I look around. In all directions, the sky of purple and black and blue and every other color imaginable is lit up by billions of stars. Galaxies dot nearly every square inch as well. It’s so overwhelmingly beautiful.
“Rhea, it is not your time. You must make your way back,” she pleads, her desperation palpable as I swear that I can see the words drift towards me on a floral-scented breeze. “Try to cough the water up,” she commands, but I don’t feel the need to cough. I don’t feel anything at all. “Rhea, listen to me. He needs you.Theyneed you.” A sharp punch of air hits my back, causing something to sputter inside of me. “It is not,” she grits out as another harsh gust lands on my back, spurring the urge to cough. “Your.” Another hits me until I feel something cold move up my throat. “Time,” she shouts.
I cough, and something wet dribbles down my chin. The wind starts to whip around me, my long hair unbound and wild as I sense myself getting heavier and heavier.But I want to stay.I say those words in my mind since I know that she can hear me. There is a ghost of a touch on my cheeks, shimmery stardust swirling around me.
“I know,” she whispers, “but they need you more, Rhea.” The stars and galaxies flicker all around as my soul slams into my body layer by layer, and then, darkness and calm descend into chaos.
Water squeezes out of my lungs forcefully as strong hands roll me to my side and pound on my back. My chest heaves and my throat strains to get all of it out between the small gasps of air my body is trying to take. The tingling sensation that always appears after avisitto the Middle hurts this time as feeling comes rushing back into my limbs.
“That’s it, Sunshine,” Flynn says with a sigh of relief. He waits until my breaths are steady before picking me up off the ground and cradling me to his chest from where he’s kneeling. “I really need you to stop almost dying,” he rasps, bringing his forehead to mine.
“Maybe King Dolian was right. Maybe I truly am safer in the tower,” I joke. My throat is sore, talking nothing more than a painful rasp.
“That’s not funny,” he replies, squeezing me more tightly to him. I shut my eyes to focus on simply breathing. My chest burns from the water that had filled it only moments before. I wonder how close I was to death and why only moments of duress get me to the Middle.
“Neither was the sword joke you made earlier,” I counter, clutching onto his tunic to anchor me as I breathe him in with big gulps of air.
“Do not,” he whispers, “do that again.”
My responding laugh is strained because I absolutely agree with him—drowning is not the sort of experience that I want to repeat. His eyelashes lower, his gaze laden with the unspoken words of a man terrified to lose something important to him. Terrified to loseme. And it ravages my already devastated heart because I put him through this pain.
“I’m alright,” I say, and it’s partially true. I’m alive and in his arms, in a pocket of safety here. I leave out how I went to a magical place where I could see other worlds and how a spirit woman basically saved me from death—or at least worked in tandem with him. My gaze holds his as I watch him pick apart my words. He’s always seen right through me, seen what no one else ever bothered to look for, but even he can’t discern the darkness within me. A muscle in his jaw flexes as I watch water bead from his wet hair to trail down his temple and cheek, traveling further down his neck and under his wet tunic. My body stills, anticipation coiling at the base of my spine. The tautness in the air feels sticky and thick, like honey dripping onto a petal.
“It would be alright if you weren’t okay, Rhea,” he murmurs. His lips are so achingly close to mine—the perfect distraction. I lean in, needing to feel their softness and warmth. Wondering how long it has been since we’ve kissed, and then remembering that it has only been a few hours. But Flynn pulls back before I can feel him. My eyes flick up to his, hurt and disappointment dragging like rocks against my chest. “No kisses until you tell me how you’re really feeling.” His smile is a pointed thing, double-edged with his own desire and his care for me.
“Flynn, I’m fine,” I urge, unable to hide the slight bit of frustration from my voice. His determination doesn’t waver, but I’m not ready to discuss what is lurking in my own shadows, so I change the subject. “Where is Bella?”
“Still so terrible at being subtle. She’s right there.” He smirks as he points to the side with a jerk of his chin. My gaze falls from his as I look to Bella; her head rests over her crossed paws, her wet body rising and falling with her breaths as she rests. The river is at our backs, the water flowing more quickly like it had been where we jumped.
“How far away from them are we?” I ask, forcing my body to sit up.
The forest looks the same as it did when we first entered it, so other than following the river, I don’t know how anyone could traverse these woods without getting lost. I wish I had more time to appreciate my surroundings. I had always imagined what walking amongst the trees might look and feel like from afar, but my only experience with them now has been linked with fear and pain. It seems like that may be the only way I’m allowed to live.
“I’m not sure. We were in the water for longer than I would have liked,” Flynn answers. “The current was moving so quickly that I couldn’t get us to the bank for several minutes,” he exhales, sounding completely drained. We’re both soaking wet, and I assume the items in the satchels are as well. “Are you okay to start walking? We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long.”
“Yes,” I reply but make no effort to move, and neither does he. My hand cups his cheek gently, my touch lessening some of the tension in his body. He leans into it as he watches me, so many emotions flashing in his eyes. “Thank you for saving me. I’m afraid that it might be a full-time job for you if we stick together,” I say quietly with a small smile. My light tone masks the fear I hold of the truth in those words. How many times can I make him choose me over everything else? When will he realize that I’m not worth the trouble?
He turns slowly and plants a tender kiss on my palm, lingering there for just a moment before facing me fully again. In a smooth voice, he says, “While I’d rather not have to rescue you from literal death, I’d do it every day.” My eyes dip to his lips and back up, watching as he does the same. “I have told you so many truths, Rhea,” he says, dropping his voice lower, “and I meant them all. I am yours to command. I will fight for you, kill for you, and rescue you as many times as you need.”
