Page 60 of Of Rime and Ruin
Please, just turn around. Let me help you.
There is no help.
Only death.
Memories drift from my other form. Of bodies on the shore. Claws. Blood. Flesh.
He thinks I am to blame.
But I have no memory of the deaths.
Only guilt.
Cold, piercing guilt. Flaring in my chest.
Are these… Did you kill them?
I cover my thoughts again. Another wall of ice. How much did she see?
Shit.
It’s Sunfish’s favorite word: Shit.
She softens in my grip.
I scent her emotions. Surrender? Fear?
She wriggles. Close, now, to the center of my soul. Soon, I’ll have nowhere to hide.
You’re dangerous, I know.
Her voice is careful. Afraid of me?
No. No. Please, no.
I am safe.
I protect. I fix. All for my Sunfish.
But you wouldn’t hurt your Sunfish, would you?
Never.
I could never forgive myself if I did.
The shore is close.
I glide over the rocks.
But I do not exit the water. Do not transform.
She can’t know. She may suspect, but she must never know.
She is afraid of me. Because I am a Beast. Sunfish is never safe with me.
My heart breaks at the truth.
She will be safe there, with the king. He can protect her. He can bring her books and fish.
