The Dragon (Creasan #2)

Thea followed the orb to the edge of the iceberg, where the ocean began again. But her gaze drifted momentarily away from the orb to a much larger light just up ahead. It wasn’t light reflecting off of the water or torchlight. It was sunlight!

A smile stretched over Thea’s face. They’d made it through Dúdach Cave. They just had to figure out a way through the ice and then Qamizeh was practically within reach.

Thea heard a splash and her head whipped toward the water. It rippled violently, as if someone had dove in. She frowned and held her sword up. “Fendrel?” she called cautiously.

His head suddenly popped above the surface, and he spoke in a rushed voice. “Maerwynn,” he gasped. “I saw Maerwynn in the water.”

Her eyes flew wide. “What?!” She began to shirk off her coat as her gaze fervently scanned the water. “But we saw…”

“I know, but I swear, she’s in the water.”

Thea yanked off one of her boots as her hopeful eyes went back to Fendrel’s - and she paused. His eyes were…wrong. Though the shadows were thick this deep in the cave, his eyes appeared brown instead of blue. And they were always blue. Then Thea took in the rest of him.

He no longer wore his coat or shirt or - it appeared - anything at all. He tread easily in what Thea was sure was freezing water without a single bump of gooseflesh on his naked body.

Thea felt her hope dissolve, and her shoulders drooped. “You’re lying.”

“No, I bloody saw -“

“You aren’t Fendrel.” Thea shook her head sadly and sat heavily on a boulder behind her. “You’re a sea nymph.”

As soon as she’d said the words, the creature’s face changed. Though it was still an imitation of Fendrel, somehow it managed to look nothing like him; it’s face twisted horribly, with thick lines forming above his brows. He bared his teeth at her and lunged out of the water.

Before she had time to react, his hand wrapped around her ankle and jerked her toward the water. Thea grunted as she fell hard on her back, and the rough ground scratched harshly at her skin as the nymph dragged her closer to him.

Gritting her teeth and praying for perfect aim, Thea slashed her sword down at her ankle.

The nymph screeched horribly and lifted his now handless arm. Blood the color of lavender poured out of it. He looked at her and screeched once more before sinking beneath the surface of the water.

Thea dropped her sword and laid on the ground for a moment, breathing hard. Her eyes drifted shut as the adrenaline seeped away and the familiar burn of tears started behind her lids. This was the second time the cave had used the pain of her family against her. No wonder voyagers went mad in this place. She felt as if she were on the verge of madness herself.

Before she allowed herself to dwell on it longer, she raised her head and glanced around the cavern. She was alone. With furrowed brows, she called, “Fendrel?” There was no response. She sat up and grabbed her sword. “Fendrel, can you hear me?” When there was again only silence, Thea rose from the ground and ventured back the way she’d come.

Fendrel nearly burst out laughing when he saw the exit to the cave. They could finally do what they had all traveled so long and lost so much to do - kill Malum. And he would finally be crowned King of Creasan.

He heard a giggle and glanced down at the water. The orb had disappeared, and it seemed to Fendrel that the surface of the water now glowed in place of it. It was a soft, calming glow. So calming that Fendrel’s limbs felt heavy, as if he were about to drift off to sleep. They anchored him in place, and he found himself slowly sinking to the ground, with his legs hanging off the edge of the ice.

The giggle echoed around him again and then Thea’s head emerged from the water. Her lips were stretched into a smile wider than any Fendrel had ever seen her wear before. She folded her arms and rested them on the ice beside his legs.

Her skin almost seemed to glimmer in the sunlight streaming in, and her strawberry blonde hair shone darkly down her bare back. Her brown eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she said. “We made it.”

He nodded. “We did.”

She grinned and took his hand from where it laid limply on the ground. She turned it over and idly traced the lines of his palm. It was soothing in a way Fendrel had never experienced, like the mere touch of her fingers melted every bone in his body. She looked up at him beneath her thick lashes and said, “I suppose we make a rather good team.”

Fendrel blinked. He had never seen Thea so…carefree. Floating in the water with the glow of happiness around her, she looked as if she were in a regal bath. The prince felt his lips turn up at the corners, and he repositioned himself to lie on his stomach with his arms folded in front of him and chin resting on his hands. “I suppose we do.”

Perhaps Fendrel ought to be worried about the rest of the crew back at the ship, or perhaps he ought to have been devising a plan to break through the ice. But he wanted a moment, just one moment, to breathe. One bloody moment to appreciate the small victory they’d just achieved. And did they not deserve that?

Thea moved, the water making a pleasant rippling sound as she did, until she was floating just inches away from him. He could feel the warmth from the water radiating off of her skin, making his eyelids feel even heavier than they already had. And when she spoke, her breath smelled like the sweetest cake. He could nearly taste it. “Fendrel?” she said softly.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Fendrel’s brows furrowed. Gratitude was not easily gained from Thea Wyvern, and actual expressions of gratitude were even more rare to come by. The prince suddenly felt as if his heart had leapt into his throat. “For what?” he asked.

“All of it. For saving my life that day in the forest, for always protecting my crew.” She lowered her gaze as she whispered, “For this morning.”

Her breath washed over his lips, and his face felt suddenly hot. Her mouth was so close to his that the sweet scent of her was all encompassing. There was no air, no oxygen. There was only her. “Thea, I…”

She reached her hand up out of the water, some of it sprinkling over his face, and put her fingers in his hair. Running them delicately through the long black strands, massaging his scalp. It felt as if the top of his head had become the most sensitive spot on his entire body. Every sweeping touch of her skin against his sent a blanket of chills down his spin. He was suddenly hyperaware of her naked body under the water as he gazed into her brown eyes.

She leaned closer, so close he could feel the whisper of her lips against his, and breathed, “Join me in the water.”

Fendrel’s eyes blinked slowly as her heat enveloped him. Outside of the water was much too cold, and he could feel the warmth pouring off of her. Without hesitation, Fendrel slipped into the water, clothes and all.

His toes couldn’t reach the bottom and he hung onto the side of the ice for support. Even though he could still feel the warmth of Thea’s body, the water was freezing. His eyes widened and he gasped sharply. “It’s too cold -“

Thea wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. But the calm and reassurance he’d felt earlier had completely disappeared, almost like he’d been violently slapped awake. As he gazed into Thea’s eyes, he couldn’t explain it, but there was something wrong in them. Something that wasn’t Thea. But she just hugged him tighter. “It’s all right,” she promised.

Then she pressed her lips to his.

Instant, intense cold shocked his body. His eyes bulged and all feeling within his body vanished. Except for his lips. Where they touched hers, there was acute pain. As if he’d been thrust into a fire.

She smiled against his mouth. Then they plunged beneath the surface.

Thea emerged into the opening just as Fendrel was thrust under the water. She cried, “Fendrel!”

Immediately, she broke into a sprint with her sword held tightly in her fist, stopping at the very edge of the ice and gazing into the water. She could just glimpse the top of Fendrel’s head, but it was getting smaller and smaller the further he sank.

“Shit.” Thea tossed her coat and shoes to the side. She sheathed her sword on her back and took one deep breath of oxygen before she dove in after them.

The water was colder than Thea could have ever expected. Paralysis spread through so quickly that, for a brief moment, she thought she’d already frozen and died in the dark waters. But her instincts kicked in, and her arms paddled her after Fendrel.

The sea nymph had entirely wrapped itself - arms and legs - around Fendrel’s body, and they were sinking at a rapid speed. Thea would never never be able to catch them.

She paused in her swimming and swung her crossbow forward. Her hands were clumsy in the freezing water, but they found the trigger easily. Her gaze - though blurred - locked onto the nymph’s form. Thea could just make out Fendrel’s limbs, which had gone slack as he allowed himself to be dragged down. Thea hoped he had just passed out, and not…

Thea felt her heartbeat thundering in her ears, but there was no time to think of worst case scenarios. She aimed her arrow and fired.

The arrow shot through the water, leaving a path of bubbles in its wake. Then it lodged in the nymph’s head. Instantly, the nymph fell to the side. Its limp body floated away from Fendrel, its unseeing eyes open toward the water’s surface.

Thea swung the crossbow behind her again and didn’t waste any time in swimming toward Fendrel.

His eyes were closed and his lips were blue. Thea wrapped her arms around his torso and kicked her legs furiously, dragging him up. Her lungs had begun to burn so horribly, she thought her chest would collapse any second. But still, she swam harder.

Just when she didn’t think she could manage any longer, their heads broke the surface. Thea gasped hard, sucking in as much as her lungs would take. Then she dragged Fendrel toward the ice. She gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might, but the prince was much heavier than he looked. His drenched clothes weren’t doing much to help matters.

Eventually, Thea managed to pull him safely onto the icy floor. The strength was fading quickly from her body as feverish shakes took over her, but Fendrel still hadn’t opened his eyes, and she’d be damned if she lost another person on this journey.

She rested her ear against his chest and heard his heart stuttering stubbornly. Thea’s teeth chattered as she rose above him, put her mouth to his, and blew as much air into him as she could. She pressed her hands to his chest, pushing over and over, helping his heart beat. Then she breathed into him again.

When still nothing happened, she felt panic and hysteria fill her. She couldn’t do this again, not so soon after Maerwynn. She simply wasn’t strong enough for it. She glanced in the direction they’d come. She couldn’t leave him, but… “Please, hear me,” she prayed. Then she screamed with all her might, “Carac! Help!”

Carac’s head perked up and turned in the direction Thea and Fendrel had disappeared.

The sound of blades chipping away at ice made it difficult to listen, but he was certain he’d heard Thea’s voice.

“Mate?” Merek said curiously. “Are you all right?”

“Did you hear that?”

Everyone paused and listened. Just silence.

Merek shrugged and went back to work. The others followed his lead, though Peronell eyed Carac closely.

Then distantly, Carac heard, “Help! Carac! Help!”

Instantly, as if his legs knew to move before he did, he headed in the direction of Thea’s voice.

“Oi!” Merek shouted. “Where are you going?

“They’re in trouble.”

Thea breathed into Fendrel’s mouth once more, but there was no change. Frustration and indignation filled her. He couldn’t die. He simply couldn’t. He was the reason the lot of them were made to go on this voyage at all. And they were so close to reaching Malum. He had to see it through. He just had to.

And he couldn’t leave Thea like this. She wouldn’t allow it.

She was so cold that she could hardly feel her body, and she was shaking so hard, her vision had begun to blur. But she wouldn’t allow her body to give up. Or his.

She wanted to let loose a battle cry, but her throat had frozen so much that all that came out was a broken whimper. She croaked, “Wake the bloody hell up!” Thea slammed her fists down on his chest as hard as she could.

Water burst through his lips, and then suddenly Fendrel was coughing.

A disbelieving laugh bubbled out of Thea and she quickly turned him to his side.

Fendrel hacked so hard, his whole body convulsed and water poured out of him. When there was nothing left to expel, the freezing shakes took over him. He glanced back at Thea - and his eyes widened. He scrambled away from her.

“Wait, wait, no,” she said with her hoarse voice. “It’s me! It’s Thea!”

He put his hands up to ward her off and shook his head fervently. “N-No - y-you-“

“Highness, it’s me.” She grabbed his hands and put them to her freezing cheeks. “Look at me. It’s me.”

The prince’s calloused hands spread over her cheeks, feeling the chill the nymph had replaced with warmth. He stared into her eyes, eyes that had bared down at him at the palace, eyes he had glared into as he had divulged the darkest secret he’d ever held, eyes that had mocked him, challenged him, excited him. There was no mistaking; they were Thea’s eyes.

Fendrel relaxed against the ground. “Thea.”

She nodded and smiled, tears welling in her eyes. “You’re all right,” she breathed with relief. All the strength went out of her in that moment and she collapsed on top of him. With the little she had left, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She whispered, “You’re all right.”

Carac rushed into the cavern and found Thea and Fendrel collapsed beside the water. Brom, Merek, and Peronell rushed in after him with their torches held high. Janshai had stayed back with Ana and Isolde in case whatever danger had befallen Thea and Fendrel found its way to the ship.

Carac fell to his knees beside the sopping pair and slid out of his coat quickly. “They’re freezing,” he said. “We have to get them back to the ship and in front of a fire.”

Janshai asked, “What happened to them?”

Merek gestured toward the dead nymph floating face up. “I’d wager that.” He handed his torch to Peronell and then hefted the unconscious Thea into his arms.

Carac took Brom’s torch as the Guard carried the prince.

But Peronell’s eyes had locked on the door of sunlight. He pointed at it. “They found the way out,” he said.

Everyone turned in its direction. Merek smiled widely and he glanced back down at the trembling Thea in his arms. “Well done, mate. Bloody well done.”

“Let’s get back to the ship,” Brom urged. “They need heat, and they need it now.”

They nodded and hurried back.

The fireplace of the Captain’s Quarters was mercifully as powerful as any on land, and Isolde sat as close to the fire as Fendrel and Thea. They were still asleep, but after Isolde had examined them, she knew they’d recover quickly.

The healer had never felt as weak as she had in the cold of the day. It was as if her limbs had been completely drained of the energy required to function. It was nearly painful being in such a deep state of immobility. It was only now that she was sitting so close to the heat of the fire that she felt the stiffness leaving her and life returning to her body.

Janshai sat down beside her with a deep sigh. “The ice is finally melting.”

She nodded. Her blood seemed to vibrate in the slow recession of cold. It was a relief unlike any she’d ever experienced.

Janshai glanced at Thea and Fendrel where they laid on the other side of Isolde. They’d been piled high with blankets, but even so they curled tightly under the blankets. They’d been laid head-to-head so that their hair intermingled and their expressions of exhaustion seemed to be mirror reflections of each other.

Janshai chuckled softly. “Strange, isn’t it?”

Isolde looked at him curiously.

“Not too long ago, I watched Thea plot ways to murder him and his family, and now they lay together after she’s saved him from drowning.”

She shrugged. “She likes him.”

Janshai frowned and turned to her. “No, she hates him.”

Isolde smiled. Perhaps it was because she had known Thea for so long, or perhaps it was because Isolde had also forced herself to lie, but she found his naïveté amusing. “She says she hates him.”

He blinked. “Right.”

Isolde snorted and shook her head as she held her hands closer to the fire.

Janshai glanced back at Thea and Fendrel with furrowed brows, grunting with mild surprise.

Isolde rested her head against Janshai’s shoulder and closed her eyes tightly. She whispered, “No one can even look at me.”

“That’s not true. I’m looking at you.”

She straightened again and turned to him. Isolde could tell he was trying to maintain eye contact, but almost instinctually, his eyes kept darting away. Her shoulders drooped and she scooted away from him. It wasn’t his fault that this had happened to her, and she never wanted anyone to be made uncomfortable by her presence.

Janshai cringed. “Izzy, I’m sorry, I -“

“It’s all right.” She tried to smile but it was pained. “Takes some getting used to, I’ve been told.”

He bowed his head. “You’re the same Isolde Taren as you’ve always been. Serpent blood or no.”

Isolde’s eyes drifted shut. They were nice words, reassuring words that everyone had been spouting since they’d realized she’d awoken. But not an ounce of it felt true. She didn’t feel like the same Isolde, and it was clear that no one thought of her as the same Isolde, either.

But she nodded all the same.

Merek entered the room and paused just inside of the doorway. He told Janshai, “The ice is nearly gone. I assume we’ll be sailing shortly if you want to look over the map, or whatever preparation it is you sailors do.”

“Right.” Janshai glanced at Isolde again and smiled.

Isolde had always found Janshai to have an air of comfort around him. When she had no one, she always had Janshai. They were bound to each other by their secret, and there was a certain security in that. Even now, when he appeared skittish around her, she knew that he would do all he could to help and support her.

So she forced her lips to turn into a smile in return. That seemed to put him at ease a bit.

When Janshai was out of the room, Merek lingered awkwardly by the door. He looked as if he had something he wanted to say, but he didn’t know exactly how to word it.

Isolde said, “If you’re working up to another apology, please don’t.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

She gave him a droll look.

He frowned and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “You want me to feel bad for feeling bad?”

“Yes. I very much do.” Her regret was enough. She didn’t want to add anyone else’s on top of it.

“Right.” Merek cleared his throat and nodded toward Thea and Fendrel. “How are they?”

“Recovering. They’ll be all right.”

He nodded.

Tense silence stretched out between them. Isolde had nothing else to say, but the way Merek scratched his head and shifted on his feet seemed to mean he did.

Eventually, he asked, “Are you…Have I angered you?”

“No.”

“It just…It feels like you’re angry with me.”

“I’m not angry with you, Merek.” She crossed her arms. The fire had thawed her joints enough to allow for movement without pain. “Leitham Serpent venom is coursing through my veins, I look like a monster, and I have become entirely obsolete in the face of a slight chill, so please excuse me if I’m not the picture of happiness you were expecting.”

“You’re alive.”

“And that’s all that matters.” She rolled her eyes. “Except it isn’t, Merek. You should dump me on the side of the cave and leave me there.”

“Obviously, that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?” She turned toward him fully, intentionally hitting him with the full force of her strange gaze. “When Carac lost his eyes, Thea wanted us to leave him behind. If he wasn’t an asset to the group, then he was a hindrance. That’s what I am now.”

“You’re not a hindrance, Izzy.”

“I’m useless -“

“You’re a killing machine.”

Isolde froze at those words.

Merek folded his arms over his chest, not backing down from her strange stare. “When you woke up, you nearly killed me with your bare hands. And not to be an arrogant bastard, but Isolde Taren before the Serpent could never have killed me.”

She blinked at him. He was right. Not that Isolde would ever have felt the need to try, but she already knew that Merek was much too strong for her to have ever succeeded in killing him. Injure, certainly, but not kill. Least of all with her bare hands.

“If you think your worth is purely limited to your fighting abilities, you are probably the most valuable person we’ve got.”

Isolde stared at him with surprise. Though his words were positive, he wore a deep frown and his eyes gazed back at her darkly.

He continued, “But you’re right. We should curse the fact that you lived and toss you onto the rocks like a pile of rubbish.”

“Are you angry with me now?”

“Yes!”

Her mouth dropped. “You have no right -“

“I have every right.”

“And how do you figure that?”

His nostrils flared with fury as they stared off against each other. The muscles in his cheeks bunched as his jaw worked. Like he wanted to shout at her but was using every bit of strength to hold himself back. Then he spat, “Forget it,” and turned for the door.

“Hang on a minute -“

“We’ll be sailing soon. If you’re going to leave, time’s running out.” And then he was gone.

Isolde stared after him with shock and rage. How dare he yell at her, how dare he become angry with her. She was the one who’s entire life had been altered, who now had to come to grips with the loss of her humanity. She was the one who should be enraged with the world, not him.

“Wait a few minutes, then go after him.”

Isolde turned sharply in Thea’s direction. Her eyes were closed by the words had clearly come from her. “I didn’t realize you were awake,” Isolde said.

Thea smiled groggily. “How am I meant to sleep through all your yelling?”

Isolde cringed and consciously lowered her voice to a whisper. “Sorry. Go back to sleep.”

Thea murmured, “He never left your side, Izzy. Just…talk to him.” Then sleep reclaimed her and her limbs went slack.

Isolde stared at her friend indignantly. Why was Isolde being made to feel like the guilty party when she was the victim? And yet she couldn’t help feeling as if Thea was right, as if she’d done something wrong. She glared petulantly in the direction of the door and rested her chin on her knees.

Ana studied the map with Janshai. If they were exiting the cave where Janshai thought they were, they shouldn’t be more than a few days’ journey away from Qamizeh. She asked, “And how will we know that’s where we are?” She pointed at one end of Dúdach Cave, where Janshai had indicated they were situated.

“I’m hoping to recognize constellations. But…”

Ana frowned. “But what?”

He shrugged and lowered his head. “Maerwynn was the expert. It’s hard to be certain without her.”

Ana’s shoulders lowered and she rested her hand on his back. “You’re about to steer us out of this Aestus-forsaken place. She would be proud of you.”

He gave her a stiff smile. Then he glanced back down at the map. “As long as there are no more serpents, nymphs, or murderous insects, we should be facing off against Malum in no more than three days’ time.”