Page 38 of Of Rime and Ruin
I want to be useful. Necessary. And I can’t achieve that trapped in here.
Rules one and two are out of reach for the moment.
But the clawbeast visited me yesterday.Heengaged withme. I instigated nothing, but who’s to say I can’t next time?
Can he be summoned? It’s worth a try, anyway. He could help me escape.
I settle into the far wall of my cage, curling against the ice where I’m partially out of view from Perrin’s position. I keep my Voice soft, quiet, and cup my hand over my mouth to stifle the sound.
My power threads through the water, part of my mind lifting out of my body. I scan the tunnels for signs of life. Several bottomfish nibble at the reedgrass growing in the rocks below. Larger silverfish move in unison, the swarm leaving the mouth of the cave toward open waters. I follow them out, brushing their minds for memories of the clawbeast.
Nothing.
I expand my reach. A few glosswhales skip waves, but their memories hold no evidence of him since yesterday. A lone thrashershark prowls near the beach. Again, nothing.
Farther, I push. Into the depths. Is he a nocturnal hunter? A cave at the bottom of the Rime would provide him with the darkness he needs to rest.
I scan the crevices, reaching, searching, until I reach my magic’s limit. My mental grasp thins, my vision fogging. My gills flutter at my neck, as energy uncoils from my stomach.
Dammit.
“Whatcha doing?”
I flinch at the sound of Perrin’s voice and cut my spell.
The youngling presses against the bars of my cage, a gotcha-grin spreading across his face. With him, he carries the set of keys and a new satchel tied to his hip.
My face warms with embarrassment. “Nothing,” I say. “Per the orders of His Royal Asshole.”
I clear my throat, now hoarse from the spell. I pushed it too far. All for nothing. The clawbeast is not on this side of the Rime. And if I’m to search farther, I’ll need to eat first.
Hunger batters the walls of my empty stomach, and I stifle its growl with the heel of my fist.
“Riiiiight,” Perrin says. “I heard you singing.”
“Just a little warmth spell.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You can do that? Wow.”
I shrug. No, I can’t. But he doesn’t need to know that.
“Wish I could sing. That’d be so cool.” He sighs. “My family’s just… normal. Can all of yours do that?”
“My sister”—I swallow thickly as I picture her face, frowning as always—“is a siren. My parents, too.”
“Wow, all of you? Lucky.”
I shrug again, feeling awkward. “It’s a royal thing, to marry only magical blood.”
“Why?”
“To keep the family strong, I guess.”
He lets out a puff of bubbles. “Not fair.”
My stomach twists. “Hey,” I say, smiling. “You’re lucky Grumpy Gills didn’t capture my sister. She’s got some wicked spells.”
Perrin perks at the thought. “Oh yeah? What’s her best trick?”
