Page 39 of What Lies Within Blood & Heirs

Her back rose.

That way.The surface was behind her.

Alora turned, threading her numb fingers, legs, and arms through the water. Her lungs burned and pleaded for relief as a beam of light irradiated farfarabove her.

She kicked—so terribly did she kick.

Those traitorous lungs, they wouldn’t stop pleading that her mouth needed to open—it was going to open?—

Air, air, air.She neededair.

Needed air, needed air, needed?—

No—no!

Alora’s fingers slid against thick, damning ice. Fists balled, she willed every ounce of depleting strength into her arm and pounded against it. Even with her High Fae strength, it was no use. The resistance of the water was too strong.

Then it happened. The borders of her vision began fading to darkness. Her chest burned like starfire, tearing and shredding her lungs. And she … she knew. She knew she was going to die.

The water at her chest pulsed to the rhythm of her slowing heartbeat as the frigid temperature constricted her every vein.

She counted them.One. Two. Three.

Four.Opened her mouth to breathe air, only to remember the water.

This was it. Her fight was over?—

Five.

.

.

.

White flames burst from her body, igniting her entire being like a living flame.

Burning the ice at her fingertips.

Starfire—her blazing, beautifully ruinous starfire—melted the ice in pathways like lightning.

The entire lake surface boiled away, and Alora found that vital air, choking on it. Greedily inhaling frigid gulps as she blinked away water, or tears—she couldn’t be certain.

And when her starfire burned out, the lake instantly started to freeze because that winter storm … that winter storm wasn’t nearly at its peak.

She needed to get out of the water. Before the lake froze over and trapped her inside.

But her body was too cold, and her fire was now nothing more than a spark on her fingertip.

Torturous. Every movement wastorturous. Like electricity shooting into every nerve. Like ten thousand needles pricking her skin. She wouldn’t make it to shore.Couldn’t.

Water splashed in the near-distance, and she threaded another aching hand through slush and ice crystals, turning to see darkened gray hair and battle-black armor.

Garrik reached her in time, and panted through a frigid rasp, “I have you, clever girl.” His breath slowed as his hands pulled her to him. It was an effort to hold her sobs inside as his arm banded around her and he kicked forward. An effort tobreathe, each gasp agonizing.

Alora’s eyes drifted to the shore behind them. Too far to swim to, where two figures stood over a mass in the snow.

Thalon.

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