Page 77 of The Rusalka and Mr. Right

The boat skips over a boulder and waterfall like it’s nothing.

I try not to barf. The only reason I’m not on my knees is because the monster mechanic is still holding me upright.

“This is moving way faster than any normal boat!” Minegold shouts over the rush of the waterfall we’re speeding away from.

“Are you saying we can take out his boat with our boat? We’ll all get thrown in the water with a big-ass demon!” I argue.

“Our boat won’t crack—I don’t think. But it’s certainly got the power of many horses. I think if the prophecy mentions the Lord of Bones can only be stopped by a great knight and his horse—the power of 500 plus horses wins. Between this boat and the little blaster that Janet’s packing, I suspect we can free Marina.” Minegold looks grave as he turns to me. “But I think you will be the one to finish him.”

“I’m not a knight!”

“I’m not sure anymore. Ardy protects everyone—but you alone were chosen by Marina to protect her. As far as I know, she has never given her heart and soul to another to keep safe. I cannot think of anything more knight-like.”

I shake my head as the soft pink glow starts to cover the boat. Jakob needs to get below, but I don’t think he’s right. “She told me I’m her king. Not her knight. She picked me. Married me, even if it wasn’t a normal wedding.”

“And aren’t we foolish to think that there can be warrior queens and kings who lead their troops into battle, but that a man who would lay down his life for his beloved is not a knight?” He blinks at me, something far away and sad creeping into his eyes. “My Magda has been gone so long now—but I became what I am, gave my life to take this form, to make sure I could free her and our children.” He pats my shoulder and slips away. “I know a knight when I see one.”

He leaves. The sun rises. The boat chases it, sailing into orange and pink waters at breakneck speed, slipping and shifting past other boats like we’re invisible. Maybe we are.

I’m not going to worry about that right now. I have to think about what Jakob said.

I know a knight when I see one.

But I’ve never been a fighter, I’ve always been a healer, a helper.

What if it is my job to save Marina—and I can’t deliver?

Chapter Twenty

“Doubling the speed... Taking into account when the moonrise was last night and when we think Marina was taken...” Calder comes to stand beside me, holding out a fancy gilded cup and a little pouch. “I think we should catch up to the boat by noon. The coven back in Pine Ridge is acting on the assumption that the stolen yacht is where she’s being held, and they can scry that.”

“They can track that, but not Marina?” I demand, taking the cup and bag reluctantly.

“Koshchei is hiding Marina and himself somehow. That’s probably good, since it’ll use his energy and weaken him further.”

Unless that means he snacks on my girl.I growl and clutch the golden cup more tightly. “But he’s not hiding the boat?”

“Probably didn’t think we’d track that. Maybe he didn’t understand that Marina is family. That we love her, and if you mess with one of our own, we don’t let you get away with it.”

I nod. “Thanks for helping. I gotta do something really nice. Thank everyone.”

“You can just say ‘thanks’ and let us hug Marina when she’s rescued. That’ll be thanks enough. Now, come on and eat your fairy bread. It’s delicious, and it gives you whatever you need in terms of protein, fats, carbs, whatever. Same with the drink. If you need rehydrating, that’ll do it.”

“Damn. That’s— Do they sell this in town? Never mind!” I push thoughts of Carter and Cal using this as a magicallyperfected pre- and post-workout diet out of my head. There are other things to worry about now.

Calder shakes his head anyway, blue-gray skin sprinkled with spray from the river as we tear down it at dizzying speed. When he sits next to me on the little benches that line the sides, I can see he has tiny scales, glimmering little crisscrosses in his skin. “I’ve never seen it in any store in town—or anywhere. Fae don’t like to share fairy-made things with non-fae, usually. But, I guess the owners of Country Pines thought this was a big enough emergency because there’s a cooler full of these little cups and a bag of fairy bread for everyone. It came with the boat.”

“I’ve never had it before, but I know what it is. My nan on my Dad’s side used to make it,” Ardy sits next to me, too.

“I don’t know how to kill a demon,” I suddenly blurt. “Minegold thinks it’s me, not anyone else, who can actually finish him off.”

“I don’t think you have to do it alone. I just think you have to strike the killing blow.”

Silence. Roaring of water. This boat does crazy things, like shrinking down and expanding back to normal size like it’s some Willy Wonka creation. Now I’m wondering if Roald Dahl ever visited Pine Ridge, or if there are other towns like this where he grew up.

“I’d feel better if I knew what the fuck this bastard looked like. Where to aim, you know?”

Ardy heaves himself up and comes back with a curling scroll of paper that looks like it’ll break if you breathe on it. It doesn’t, though, and he opens it up to show me a handsome man with long black hair and a crown of bones. He looks elegant, sinister, and powerful.

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