Page 46 of Cages and Crowns
Water surges into my lungs, suffocating me with its salty embrace. My body convulses and I can see a purple glow spreading from Nithe’s fingers to his neck before my eyes close.
Something slams into my ribs, pulling me through the depths. I vaguely feel my body being dragged against rocks before someone’s hands smack my chest and warm lips press to mine. Serenity is what I feel. Peace.
But something is pounding on me, something is blowing air into my lungs. Something—
Burning liquid explodes out of my lungs as I cough. I roll onto my stomach as I inhale desperately before vomiting what little there is in my stomach.
“Gods.” Someone whispers, and I glance over my shoulder. Enzo is soaked, his body rippling as if he is about to shift. I hear shuffling and coughing and see Nithe out of the corner of my eyes. “What the hell happened? You weresupposed to shift!” Enzo yells as I pull myself up to my knees, my breathing coming in quick pants as I try to calm the burning in my chest.
“I tried, I couldn’t. Something was pushing on me, dampening my magic. Itried.” I cough again as I sit up fully, my lungs on fire. “Are you alright?” Nithe reaches towards me, something like fear filling his eyes, and I lift a hand, sparks flying off my fingertips.
“I’m fine.” My throat is scratchy, and I don’t ignore Enzo’s hand, offering me aid to stand. I take it, his cold palm firm in mine. He pulls me closer, his hand resting on my back. I’m grateful for his warmth as icy water penetrates every part of me.
“We need to get on the boat, and across the lake before they come.” I nod and let him lead me across the sand and rocks, to the boat that is tethered to what used to be the bridge. My chest aches, my body is weak. Shivers run deep in my bones, causing uncontrollable shaking. I need rest. I need food.
I climb into the boat without hesitation, collapsing onto the bench with a gasp in pain, Nithe and Enzo close behind. I note the small satchel under the seat and a stack of blankets. Nithe climbs in, immediately going for the oar, as Enzo pushes it off the beach. He hops in before the boat floats away, coming to sit across from me.
He reaches next to my leg, and I flinch. His eyes flick to mine, but he just grabs the satchel and opens it.
“Are you hungry? We have cheese and bread.” He rummages through it. “Oh, and chocolate.”
“If you touch my chocolate, I will push you out of this boat and you can swim to Rakushia.” Nithe pipes up from behind me, where he is steering the boat towards the center of the lake. My eyes linger on the cliff’s edge, where Tobias just was. He’s gone, probably trying to get down to us before we can escape. His face though, it looked as if he was scared for me. As if he cared. “Elaenor?” I flinch.
“No, thank you.” I answer, wrapping my arms around myself. “Helooked scared.” I whisper. Enzo sighs and reaches for my hand.
“Don’t worry about him right now. Worry about you. Worry about getting to safety. If he was truly scared of anything happening to you, he wouldn’t have been the way he is. He wouldn’t have hurt you.” I stare into his green eyes, knowing that what he says is the truth, but it’s hard to accept. I still believe some part of him loves me.
“How long does it take to get across the lake? Will we be fast enough?” I ask, turning my attention back to the lake.
“Like this, hours, but I’ll get us across fairly quickly.” My brows furrow as he smiles and releases my hand. I wrap my arms around myself.
“How?”
“Have you ever heard of a sturgeon?”
“A giant fish that could probably eat a man, yes I have heard of it.” I retort. His smile grows as he unlaces his boots.
“Want to see one?”
“Not really.” I mutter, watching as he pulls his boots off, and then his socks, water dripping from them. “What are you doing?” He stands and winks before diving into the water. I glance back at Nithe, who is throwing a rope in the deep water, and pulling the oar out. I wait a few seconds before I peer over. “He isn’t surfacing.” Nithe ignores me and I can feel my pulse start to race. “Nithe, he isn’t surfacing!” My voice raises and I stand, searching the dark waters for him. “Nithe—” The boat jerks and I fall forward. I suck in a breath right before I hit the water, but I never do.
A strong grip holds onto my arm, yanking me back into the boat. I fall against the seat, my spine instantly cramping. I clamor up, making sure the cloak is covering my legs. I glare at Nithe, who is pulling out a chunk of chocolate.
“You could have been more gentle.” I snap.
“I also could have let you fall in the water, but I didn’t.” The boat starts to move quickly, water streaming behind us in waves. “Before you ask, yes. Enzo is down there as a fish pulling the boat, so I don’t have to paddlefor the next two days.”
“Can he breathe under there?” I say, curiosity peaked.
“When he shifts, his lungs do too. He can breathe just as well as he would as a person on land.” His eyes are focused on his chocolate, as he breaks the block into bite sized pieces with weird precision and concentration. I bite my lower lip and work up the courage to ask what I am really curious about.
“What canyoushift into?” His chewing stops, as do his hands as he looks up at me.
“What?”
“Can you shift into a sturgeon too?” He swallows and tosses the chocolate back into the bag. He leans forward, his elbows on his knees, and I fight the urge to retreat. The distance between us shrinks as the boat suddenly feels too small.
“Who says I can shift into anything?” I suck on my bottom lip as I try to form a rational thought, but nothing comes to mind. His narrowed eyes don’t look angry, they look curious.
