Page 72 of A Rising Hope

“So, what now?” Priya quirked her brow up. Her eyes skeptically scanned the surroundings as we anchored our boat in the middle of the ocean. No island, no castle. Just never-ending blue.

“It’s here. I know it,” I mumbled, staring at the map, then at the silver compass, then at the map and the waters again.

“I hate to break it to you, Freckles, but take agoodlook around, won’t you?” Priya leaned against the wooden helm of the ship. She chucked an apple core overboard, finishing her small breakfast with a snarl.

I folded the map and put away the compass, securing all my weapons tight.

It was here. I knew it was even if I couldn’t see it. So, without another word, I took a large breath and dove off the edge of the boat.

The cold blue waters of the Northern Ocean swallowed me entirely. Salt water stung my eyes as I stared at the bottomless darkness below. With a few swift kicks, I pushed myself back to the surface.

“What the actual hell, Freckles?” Priya scowled, clearly displeased with my actions, scrutinizing me up and down.

“Are you jumping in, or do you not know how to swim?” I taunted her, my arms stretching in large strokes as I swam further away from the boat on my back, watching her.

“Fuck the gods, fuck the Queen, fuck your boyfriend and fuck you for making me do this.” Priya grumped as she slid her bag off her shoulder, shoved her large braid beneath her tight leathers, and dove. “Fucking heaven and hell.” Her teeth clattered, and she propelled herself closer to me, swearing combinations of profanities I hadn’t heard before.

“Suddenly those villages in the middle of nowhere with their terrible plumbing don’t sound too bad, huh?” I chuckled, as our lips turned blue in the ice-cold water.

“Fuck you again, for that matter.” Priya’s teeth clattered. “I am going to fucking kill the Queen and then feed her stupid head to the sharks,” she hissed, swimming up next to me.

“Well, that’s a good plan, granted if the sharks don’t eat you first,” I retorted, carefully scanning my surroundings. We were close. I could feel it with my magic, in my gut, in my entire soul. I was close to him. I knew that.

“Do you have a death wish, Freckles? Because I swear, one more word about sharks and I’ll drown you myself?”

“See but then you’d have to not drown first.” I winked at her pale face and dove again.

If Priya could curse underwater, she would have. Salt water stung our eyes, but I pointed to the little flicker of light far beyond. There, light curved differently, sunrays were swallowed by the darkness below and yet there was a flicker in the depth of it. She noticed it too.

We broke the surface a moment later, replenishing the air in our lungs.

“So, we just go there and knock?” Priya rubbed the water off her long black lashes.

“Something like that,” I mumbled, still staring into the empty nothingness around us. A large wave rolled towards us, pushing our bodies closer to the boat.

“Hell, whatever gets me out of this fucking water.” She looked precisely how I’d imagined a wild cat forced to take a bath would.

Another wave rolled in, and we swam ahead further, occasionally diving to ensure we were following the ripple of light below.

Both of us gasped for air as the far sun warmed our blue noses when we finally reached the barrier.

We floated only a few feet away now.

“Once I touch it, I don’t know what happens next.” I took a jagged breath, meeting Priya’s look. “I don’t know if that notifies him, or the Queen, or even if it’s going to kill us.”

“Yeah . . . yeah . . . yeah . . . my boobs are going to fall off in this freezing water if I have to spend another moment here. So death here by me, or death there by the barrier, sounds all the same to me. Just pick.”

A large wave pulled us under. I kicked my feet, pushing myself to the surface. Priya coughed near me. I rubbed my eyes, taking another moment to think.

I had crossed a clear barrier before. One that held the dark shadows away from Godric, from me.This was no different from that,I calmed myself.

“Well, see you on the other side.” I gave Priya a tense smirk and reached for the unseen barrier. My arm was outstretched, palm extended. I swam closer, blinking only once as I reached for it.

A large wave of power recoiled from me, shoving me far away from the unseen barrier. I was glad we were in the water as my body flew across, landing deep underneath the waters.

Fuck.

I swam towards it again. A single touch and my body was flying deep into the waters again.

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