Page 22 of Crowning of the Sword

“You can’t possibly think Cole is serious about you. Your life is just an insignificant blip compared to ours. You are to us what a mosquito is to you. You will age, wither, and die, and Cole and I will still be young. For you, it might as well be that we live forever.”

“Well,” said Ember, her voice trembling. “That might be true, but Cole wants me here. And I want to support him. And perhaps, when the tournament is done, he might …”

Lissa let out a peal of laughter. “Keep you on? I doubt it. And if you were thinking of anything other than the sticky marshmallow between your legs, you’d leave him alone to focus on the tournament. Your world is tied to ours, and both our fates are in the games.”

“How do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed how your world is heating as it comes close to ours? The polar ice is melting, ocean temperatures are killing all the darling water creatures, uncontrollable fires are swallowing up swathes of forest; your world is nearing the point of no return. And it’s all because the kingdom hasn’t yet crowned the Sword. When Cole wins the tournament and becomes ruler, the veil between our worlds will grow thicker, temperatures will fall, and Earth may yet have a chance to redeem herself. But not if you continue getting in his way. He must win. For your sake as well as ours.” It was clear Lissa was telling the truth. Sincerity oozed from every word she spoke. She came closer to Ember and finished with a short and vicious, “So stay away.”

Ember looked out over Lissa’s shoulder at the beautiful, alien vista in front of her, spread like a rumpled coverlet in shades of emerald green. The scented breeze swirled her skirts pleasantly around her ankles and her skin was deliciously moist and cool from the drifts of spray rising from the waterfall. She thought of Cole, and she knew she had never felt more beautiful, nor more desired in her life. What did the real world hold for her, anyway? Endless struggle for meagre wages to pay for poky housing, a run-down car, and chain store clothes made from sweatshop labour and pollutants. Even after art school, she wouldn’t be able to live the life she deserved, not a life like this. And there was no one who was like Cole. No one.

She let her gaze rest on Lissa’s beautiful face. She felt sorry for her, and she wanted the other woman to know how she felt. “I can’t.” There was a gentle sincerity in her voice. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t.”

Lissa’s brows drew together in a savage scowl. Her nostrils flared, lips peeled back from her teeth and the gills in her neck opened wide to reveal the inner red of her throat. For an instant, she looked monstrous, terrifying. Without a word, she seized Ember’s shoulders in a powerful grip and propelled her backward. For a moment, Ember teetered on the edge of the riverbank. Beyond, the water thundered and frothed. And then she fell.

Chapter 20

For a breathless few seconds, the current swept Ember away, and then the world disappeared as she plummeted into the heart of the falls. She just had time to suck in a horrified breath to scream, but then the water took her, and she spluttered and coughed, wondering if she was going to be the first person ever to drown in mid-air. The water slowed her descent, but tumbled her around and about, and for a moment she didn’t know which way was up. And then, with a terrific splash, she plunged into the pools below.

The volumes of water shoved her under, holding her fast and she struggled and thrashed as the falls tumbled her relentlessly in a maelstrom of bubbles and froth. But her swimming training took over, and she reacted instinctively, diving even lower into the cloudy depths to escape the churning waters.

Her long skirts, so pretty and light above ground, were nothing but a hindrance in the water. They tangled about her legs, heavy and clinging, threatening to drag her down even further. But she was strong, she was used to the water, and she’d taken every swimming course that her job had offered, from lifesaving techniques to beginners’ scuba. She wasn’t panicked any more. Instead, her focus was solely on two things: one, getting herself into safety, and two, finding Lissa and punching her as hard as she could.

Before long, she was away from the thunderous tattoo of the falls above and into calmer waters, and she swam for the surface. The lungful of air she’d taken was a while ago now. Black spots were dancing before her eyes. She swam and kicked, and eventually broke the surface, gratefully sucking in a deep breath, and then another.

A tight grip on her ankle yanked her under the water again. She kicked out and struggled, but the grip was unyielding. When she saw the green creature with pointed teeth, scaly skin, and a long whipping tail, she almost screamed, but she kicked again, getting her foot in its face. It fell back, its grip loosened, and she broke free.

She swam for the surface again, grabbed another sputtering breath, and then she was under, flailing against the creature who had her by the skirt this time. She twisted a hand behind her back and fumbled at the ribbon holding the waist of her skirt. The fabric fell away as she kicked, tangling the creature in its folds and she had a sudden urge to wrap the skirt around its neck and choke the life out of it. Instead, she headed for the surface again. She’d just taken a breath when there was a splash next to her and she cried out and took a few hurried strokes before she realised Ashe was there.

His muscular arms came about her, and he attempted to bring her to shore, but she pushed him away, weary but still capable of getting herself to the bank.

“There was a … a thing …” she spluttered when she could speak. “Down there.”

He dove again. A flash of blinding green lit up the pools, and then he was at her side. A few seconds later, a charred body rose to bob on the surface, the remains of Ember’s shredded skirts still wrapped around it, melted into its scaly skin. The corpse drifted to the side of the pool, nudging at the rocks, and then to her horror, something dune-coloured and enormous with too many legs came bounding out of the trees, scooped it up and threw it into a cavernous maw, before disappearing again. The whole incident had taken only seconds, and she gasped and spluttered, swimming hard for the shore, wanting to put as much distance between her and the many-legged thing as possible.

When she got to the edge and dragged herself out onto the grass, she was shaking.

Ashe came beside her and waved a hand, casting some sort of invisible barrier between them and the mist that churned up from the falls. In an instant, she was dry but still cold and shivering from shock. He conjured a soft blanket of black fur and draped it around her, concealing her bare thighs. She nestled into its folds, unable to say anything, and he handed her a crystal glass containing some kind of warm, spicy drink. She drank deep, the tension loosening within her. When she felt she could speak without her voice breaking, she said, “Thank you.”

“Perhaps next time you could swim in the castle lake. It’s free of vermin.”

Her shocked laugh held an edge of hysteria. “Believe me, I wasn’t planning on going swimming. Lissa pushed me.”

Ashe pressed his lips together as though to prevent a grin, and indignantly she dug him in the ribs. “Don’t! I nearly drowned!”

“I apologise,” he said, but his eyes danced. “Lissa has always had a fiery streak.”

“She’s a bitch,” Ember said frankly, and this time Ashe laughed aloud. It was a pleasant laugh, she thought, spontaneous and free. He didn’t look half so intimidating when amused.

“Cole won’t be happy with her,” was all he said, and then his face closed over again, and his eyes became shadowed.

She shivered and took another sip of the wine. “What was that thing that grabbed me? And what was that thing that grabbed it?”

“The leggy thing was a spider -”

“A spider! You must be joking.”

“Why would I?”

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