Page 7 of Treasure of the Abyss

Beyond the island was a small waterfall, spilling from a high cliff into a nearby pool. Thick vines hung over the rock to either side of the water. She followed the run-off with her gaze to the deeper, darker water it flowed into. A few jagged rocks jutted from the depths, but it was all shadowed by the stone wall and ceiling hanging overit.

She swung her gaze around the area; the stone walls were on allsides.

She was in acave.

Directly overhead was a large opening in the ceiling, allowing her a glimpse of the bright blue sky, but she was otherwise surrounded by rock andwater.

How did I gethere?

“I…I should be dead,” she rasped. Gathering tears blurred her vision and stung her eyes, and her throat was dry. She should’ve drowned. Why had she been spared —again— when Sarina was never given a chance atall?

Sitting up, Macy drew her knees to her chest and hugged her legs close. Tears spilled down hercheeks.

What of Camrin? Had the sea claimed him,too?

Her sobs, though muted by the rush of the waterfall, echoed off the walls of the cavern. Shuddering breaths shook hershoulders.

Notagain.

She couldn’t have another tragedy on her shoulders. Couldn’t bear the guilt. Camrin had taken Macy out to surprise her, to win her over…to join withher.

If I had said no, if I had told him the truth, we’d still be safe in TheWatch.

A splash, different from that steady sound of the waterfall, broke through her heavy thoughts. She raised her head with a start, searching the shadows as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. The sound had come from the darkest part of thecave.

The water was in constant motion, lapping against the edges of the island and making it difficult to determine where the disturbance hadoccurred.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She wasn’t alone. Whatever was there, it waswatchingher, and she had nowhere to go. Macy was trapped, vulnerable to whoever — orwhatever — was waiting in thedark.

Was it the stranger who’d collected all these things? Was he the one who’d rescuedher?

Macy sniffled and ran her hands up and down her arms to coax the chill of fear away. She scooted closer to the island’sedge.

“Hello?” she called. “Camrin? A-Are youthere?”

The shadows near one of the protruding bouldersshifted.

She licked her dry, rough lips. It wasn’tCamrin.

“Hello? Would you…would you please comeout?”

A hand emerged from the shadows and slapped against theboulder.

Macy flinched, falling onto her backside with her legs splayed in front of her, but she couldn’t lookaway.

In structure, it was like a human hand — four fingers and a thumb, the same number of joints and comparable proportions — but the similarities ended there. The skin was gray, paler on the webbing between the long, claw-tipped fingers. Powerful tendons stood out along the back of the hand as the creature pulled itselfforward.

It emerged from the shadows slowly. Macy moved her gaze up the muscled arm, over the dark, jagged stripes on its shoulder, and onto a broad, powerful chest. Its musculature was humanlike, despite its odd skin, but the creature was larger than any man Macy had everseen.

Its build screamedmale.

His face was surprisingly human, as well, with a broad, strong jaw and full lips. There were two slits where his nose should’ve been; they flared with slow breath. More stripes ran from side-to-side over the top of his head. There was a tube-like opening behind each of his cheekbones, near where his ears should be, and hiseyes…

She met his gaze; her curiosity was reflected in his. Set beneath a heavy brow, his eyes were bright green with long, horizontal pupils. She’d never seen anything like them. They were unusual, but they suitedhim.

As unsettling and strange as this creature was, Macy didn’t feel threatened by him; wouldn’t he have harmed her already, if that was hisintent?

“Did you save me?” sheasked.

---