Page 93 of Kingdoms of Night

He broke through the surface.

Two more splashes sounded near him as Hawthorn and Buttercup emerged from the waters as well, paddling toward him. Hawthorn shook his head as the waters churned up around them, spraying even more over both of them. Pungent lake water filled his mouth and nose.

Idalno spat out more water and jabbed her finger in the air. “It’s gone! The hill is gone!” She yelped. “It bumped me again. Swim for the shore!”

They started swimming. The dark shapes slid through the waters, scales shining briefly.

He kept pace beside her. The hill might’ve disappeared, but he wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t try to outpace him, but there was a bit of distance between them. Not a problem. They would reach the sand-packed shore in moments.

Best to think about that and not the enormous eels that slipped beneath him. One of those shadows swept close and then darted away.

The sandy shore flattened out into a low valley before merging into a dark dull forest of tall trunks, with the few branches high and intertwined. Predators stared out of places like this and waited until their prey was helpless to attack.

If he focused on it for any time at all, his skin prickled and his shoulders tightened. Werewolf or not, this place unnerved him, far more than the grassy forest they’d just left, Lambton Wyrm included.

His stomach gurgled in annoyed response, sending cramps through his abdomen. He grimaced. Even as stomach contents, the wyrm refused to go down without a fight.

He cut through the water faster. Some of it got into his mouth despite his best efforts, tasting like algae and mud. Disgusting, but not even close to the flavor of wyrm.

Nearer to shore, his boots touched the mucky bottom of the lake. Yes! He reached out for Idalno. “We’re almost—”

The murky waters splashed up around his face.

He bobbed back to the surface, spluttering.

It was the center of the lake again. Merde. He and Idalno had ended up back where they’d started.

She whimpered, treading water slower now. “I don’t know what’s wrong. It isn’t because we weren’t right next to each other, is it? We weren’t that far apart.”

He shook his head. No. He’d gotten much farther away before he’d encountered the cursed loop. It didn’t make sense for it to reduce so strangely and so fast. They weren’t at shoulder rides just yet.

Her breaths came faster. “The eels haven’t attacked,” she said firmly. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for—” She yelped again.

He swatted at the water, but he only nicked the creature’s tail as it ducked down into the depths. “We’re going to get out of this.”

She looked at him, eyes wide. That wasn’t trust in her eyes, exactly. At least not trust that he knew what he was talking about. But she nodded.

His gut twisted. Shewastrusting him. He gave a sharp nod and then indicated the shore. “We’ll go again. Steady this time. Side by side.”

She agreed without argument.

They swam side by side, the wolves paddling beside them. The eels circled, three more joining the throng. One nipped in close but, when he slashed at it, turned away. He hadn’t even needed to Change his fingers into claws. But how long would that work?

Stroke after smooth stroke through the water, they neared the shore. His boots scraped the slimy muck and slick weeds at the bottom. He grabbed ahold of Idalno’s wrist and drew her close.

Murky water crashed up over his face, swallowing them both under.

Gasping and spitting, he reemerged with Idalno in tow.

They were back at the center.

His chest tightened, suppressing a scream. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be. They hadn’t tried everything yet, and he wouldn’t give up.

The wolves whimpered, swimming in circles around him.

Oh, not good,Buttercup said.

Obviously,Hawthorn agreed.I don’t like swimming as much as running. At least not swimming like this. Very wet. Very unpleasant.

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