Page 44 of Rebel in the Deep

Nox blinks. “Oh, so now we’re trading in fairy tales.”

“It’s not a fairy tale. My grandfather passed the same stories to me that his grandfather passed to him and so on back to the beginning of Threshold. The Cwn Annwn protected our realm. It’s only in the intervening time that that purpose has become perverted and used to abuse power.”

“Sure, and why don’t you spin a tale on turning straw to gold while you’re at it.Ifthe Cwn Annwn ever existed, which, I’ll grant you, your presence seems to suggest, then no doubt theywere just as corrupt and selfish as those who currently call themselves by the same name. I’ve seen what power does to people. You’ve seen it, too—both of you. Just because they were here first doesn’t mean they’re immune to that. Even if this damn horn does summon them, it’s entirely likely that they will be a worse problem than what we’re currently dealing with.”

There’s no reason to feel betrayed by their words. This has been a long shot from the beginning, from the moment that I took the first steps to create a rebellion that would help people. In my heart of hearts, didn’t I know it was a losing battle?

“The Council is scared of the horn,” Bastian says. “That means something.”

“It means it’s a threat. There’s no telling the size or shape of that threat,” Nox snaps.

“The legends in my realm are varied,” Evelyn says slowly, almost apologetically. “Sometimes they hunt those who deserve it, but almost as often, it’s a proximity thing. If you are in the wrong place on the wrong night, the Wild Hunt will take you, too.” She frowns a little. “Though in this scenario, ‘taking’ could qualify as everything from killing to kidnapping to just dragging along for the ride, only to be deposited somewhere far from where you originally joined up.”

“See.” Nox motions at Evelyn. “Even if we had endless amounts of time for research and were able to travel to the other realms where the Cwn Annwn hunted, we would find the same conflicting stories and legends. There is no such thing as uniformly good or uniformly evil. Siobhan and Morrigan are more than proof of that. She’s descended from the Cwn Annwn, too, and she’s vicious, violent, and cruel.”

As much as I hate to admit it, that is one angle I can’t argue. There may be no such thing as uniformly good or evil, but my sister is damn close to the latter. I don’t know if she was just born a particular way, or if something in our upbringing went wrong with her. All I know is that her ambition burns inside her with a heat that incinerates anything standing in her way.

Including our parents. And me.

“Nox,” I start. “If you have a better plan, I’d love to hear it.”

“We run. We hide. We fight. All of those are better plans than sailing to the heart of the Cwn Annwn on rumors that don’t even prove your thesis.” Nox turns away and drags a hand through their short hair. “It doesn’t matter. We can fight about this back on theAudacity. We need to move. The longer we stay in one place, the greater the target upon us is.”

At least on that we’re in agreement. There’s an itching under my skin that seems to be growing with every minute that ticks past. There’s no reason to think we were followed here, and we intentionally avoided the busy docks where secrecy is impossible.

And yet…

Dia walks back into the room with a bag nearly the size she is. Bowen promptly takes it from her and slings it over his own shoulder. There’s nothing left to do but leave. He’s the first one out the door, Evelyn and Dia close behind. After a short, silent battle, Bastian follows, then Nox, and then me. I softly close the door behind me and look around.

Where the streets weren’t particularly busy before, now there isn’t a single soul visible. The itching beneath my skin reaches a frenzied threshold. I shiver. “Something’s wrong.”

Dia shudders and almost goes to her knees. Only Evelyn’s quick thinking is enough to catch her before her old knees hitthe cobblestones. She gasps out a harsh breath. “Storm. Magical. Acid.”

Even as she speaks, realization rolls over me. Bull, Morrigan’s quartermaster. I’d heard rumors about his powers, but even in Threshold it seemed exaggerated to a laughable degree. Summoning a magical storm that drops acid instead of rain? Even as my disbelief tries to take hold, clouds gather above us, a deep and worrisome green.

Bastian follows my gaze and makes a sound of rage. “It will eat through the roofs, will kill people. How is Morrigan justifying this to the Council?”

“This is Kanghri,” I say quietly. “As long as she keeps the damage far from Mairi, it’s likely they’ll look the other way. What’s a little more damage to this place?” I motion around us.

“It’s wrong,” he snaps.

“This is Threshold. You know better.” Nox rolls their shoulders, and I already know I’m not going to like their next words as soon as I see the determination in their pale gray eyes. “I can stop him.”

Bastian and I speak at the same time. “Absolutely not.”

Bowen cuts between us, breaking our line of sight with each other. “Now isn’t the time to argue. We have to move. If Nox can help, then let them do it.” He turns to Dia. “I’m going to have to carry you.”

She grumbles a little but allows him to carefully lift her into his arms. He glances at Evelyn, but she’s already shaking her head. “I can keep up.”

I turn back to Nox, only to find their eyes distant. Around us, the wind begins to pick up. “Damn it, Nox. We don’t have—” There’s no time to argue.

“I’ve got Dia’s bag.” Bastian takes it from Bowen. “You carry Nox. The faster we get out of here, the less magic they have to use.”

“As if that’s going to stop them.” I sweep Nox into my arms and we rush after Bowen and Evelyn, cutting through the streets at twice the pace that I came in. What’s the point in stealth when there’s no one around to see? Morrigan won’t be here. She won’t risk any of her people being harmed by Bull’s attack. The bitch.

In the fifteen minutes it takes to reach the edges of the city, the wind has increased in strength until it’s a fight for every step. I lean down to murmur in Nox’s ear. “It would be helpful if you didn’t make it more challenging for us to flee. Direct the wind overhead and into the storm.” I hate asking them for more effort when I know the cost, but there are thousands of people who live in Kanghri. If I don’t let Nox fight Bull, then the death toll will be astronomical.

“I know what I’m doing.” But the wind shifts around us, no longer a wall to be burst through. Bowen is moving so fast that I have to sprint to keep up with him, and though Bastian is breathing hard enough to make me worry, he keeps pace. Evelyn, on the other hand, is having a difficult time despite her confident words. With a soft curse, I dodge in front of her and go down on one knee. “My back. Hang on.”

---