Page 98 of Once the Skies Fade

“I appreciate your help with the injured and dying, Hilde. I do. But as long as I’m your queen, you will show some respect.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she whispered, lifting her hands to her injured neck. When she pulled her fingers away to find them streaked with blood, the fear in her eyes slowly shifted into the bitter defiance she’d shown earlier.

Guilt hollowed out my gut, and I pressed my palms together in a vain attempt to calm my nerves.

What the fuck had I done?

Isa was going to be furious.

The Assembly would hear of this and do all they could to drag me from the throne.

I needed a stars-damned drink.

Chapter 43

Matthias

Without hesitation, I took off toward the spot I’d last seen Graham, diving beneath the surface to search for him. There, ahead of me, a beast just as Phillip had described—with a sleek, nearly forty-meter-long black body with a horned and spiked head—glided in a downward spiral. In its jaws it held Graham by the leg, blood trailing behind it as it swam lower and lower. Slipping my dagger from its sheath, I kicked furiously.

I might not have liked Graham, but he was my best chance at learning more about Calla.

I needed him alive, not drowned in this lake or eaten by this creature.

The beast moved lazily through the water, confident and unthreatened by any of us trespassers. But just as with fae and men, confidence could be a detriment. I caught up to its tail and swiped quickly at it with my blade, but it arced out of the way at the last moment. Swimming harder and ignoring the blood that tinted the water around me, I pushed myself forward until I wasalongside the back part of its body, just ahead of the slithering tail.

This time I jabbed my blade at it, but the tip simply slid along the thick scales that protected the animal.

Pushing aside my initial frustration and disappointment, I reminded myself of the first lesson I’d learned as a warrior: every enemy has a weakness. I just needed to find and exploit it, hopefully before Graham bled out or drowned. Unfortunately for both of us, my lungs couldn’t hold as long as usual—another gift of the poison, I supposed—and I had to return to the surface quickly to grab more air.

Lifting my face out of the water just enough to suck in another deep breath, I immediately descended to find the beast, still clutching a now-unconscious Graham in its vicious maw, swimming straight for me. At least I wouldn’t have to hunt for it.

I dove straight down, hoping to get beneath its head, but it shifted effortlessly to cut off my descent, swinging its massive skull toward me. It struck me hard in my ribs, and I had to fight not to gasp for air from the blow. I adjusted my grip on the handle and watched the beast circle me.

My lungs ached, burning with the need for another breath, but I persisted, even when the edges of my vision started to fade into darkness. On the creature’s third rotation around me, I threw myself toward it, thrusting my blade up under its jaw, slicing easily into the tender skin beneath its snout. Yanking its head away from me—and wrenching the weapon from my grasp—the beast opened its mouth in a roar of pain, deafening even when muffled under the water. Graham’s body fell from its jaws, drifting slowly toward the lake floor.

Ignoring the agony blazing in my chest, I rushed down to catch him. As I kicked for the surface, I hauled Graham up with one arm locked under his shoulder, his body resting against my back. My vision darkened more with each passing second,and from somewhere far off, a voice called for me to stop and rest, promising me an end to all the pain and discomfort. I had to admit, it was tempting in the moment, and I might have succumbed had the shock of the cold breeze on my face not snapped me back to the present.

Cramps shot through my limbs, protesting the effort it took to keep myself and Graham afloat. The edge of the lake was so far away, I’d never make it by myself, let alone while dragging dead weight. I tried to wave an arm to Isa, but as soon as I lifted my arm, I went under. Maybe it wasn’t worth saving the bastard. For all I knew, he was already dead, but if I concentrated, I could still catch his heartbeat, though faint.

I’d need help getting him back to shore, so I spun in a circle, searching for anyone else, but the surface was clear.

Except for a dark shape swimming toward me.

Fuck.

I should have known I hadn’t killed it.

I tried to propel myself backwards toward the lake’s edge, keeping my eye on the approaching threat. My heart beat wildly against my sternum. My breaths rushed painfully in and out. My mind whirred around the few options I had left.

Releasing Graham seemed the best chance I had if I was going to survive at all. If I died here, we’d never learn the truth and Brennan’s death would never be avenged. Loosening my grip on Graham, I was about to sacrifice him to the beast when Phillip surfaced behind me, heaving and gasping for air. He held up a stone that barely fit in his hand. It glistened in the sunlight, bits of gold shining through the slick green moss that coated it.

“Can you take him with you back to shore?” I asked through gritted teeth, fighting to ignore both the burning in my limbs and the beast that still swam toward us.

Phillip’s eyes widened as he glanced over my shoulder to where the monster was closing in.

“I’ll lure it away,” I assured him. “You just get him to safety.”

Phillip bobbed his head a few times, and as quickly as I could with arms shaking from the exertion, I transferred Graham onto Phillip’s back and turned back in time to see the darkness stop a few meters away and vanish.

---