Page 62 of Depths
I felt as if I were watching my life flash before my eyes. My arms tightened so much that my muscles trembled. Every nerve on my face was on high alert, and goose bumps stood up on my arms. I wanted to scream, “Stop!” But whatever I did would be too late, and Mateo couldn’t afford a distraction.
His arms struggled, and his silver tail thrashed, and he pulled himself up just as the tips of the two beasts’ noses clashed. When the metallic sound rang throughout the arena, I felt my heart stutter to a stop.
My eyelids fluttered, and the edges of my vision blurred. I couldn’t see if Mateo was hurt or not. As blood filled the water, darkness overtook me.
19
Be unexpected.
—Sultan Raj of Cheryn
* * *
I came to in a daze,only to find Felipe’s arms wrapped around me. We were no longer in the tent, in the arena. We were in a hallway that was narrow and dark, lit only occasionally by a magical orb of light.
“She’s awake,” Felipe called out to someone I couldn’t see.
“Mateo?” I asked, still in a daze.
“He’s fine. Glancing blow to the arm. A healer will fix him up in no time,” Felipe said softly, his thumb gently brushing back and forth over the scales on my elbow.
A rotted face popped up over his shoulder, wild frizzy hair making me blink, unsure if my eyes were focused or not. “Oh good. If she’s up, she’ll be able to chew her own lizard bits.” I recognized Lizza’s voice. The undead witch—the one who knew my secret—was with us. “Set her on the table. Then you go guard the hall or something. I’ll deal with the queen.”
I was set gently on what felt like a stone table. It was cold and hard against my spine, and I instantly wished he could hold me through this process instead. He couldn’t. Because even though I knew Felipe suspected something was wrong with me, I couldn’t let him know for certain. No one could.
But Felipe didn’t immediately leave. “Are you alright?” His face held a look of genuine concern.
I had to lie to him. I had no choice. But what explanation could I possibly have for fainting for no reason at all? My sluggish brain couldn’t seem to think of one.
“She’s a swooner. Can’t handle blood. She’ll be just fine. Now, out you go, boy!” Lizza all but shoved him through the door, where Ugo hovered uncertainly. She shooed the guards out too. “You can stand outside just as well as you can in here. Move along then.”
Felipe looked at me over her shoulder, and I gave a weak nod. I tried to sit up but hadn’t the energy. He disappeared and I heard athunkas Lizza slammed the door shut behind him before stomping back to me and stirring up sea mud around her calves.
I passed back out. When my eyes cracked open again, I had no idea what time it was, only that it must have been long enough for the mud to settle and Lizza to take a seat beside me. She saw me awaken and stood, her bones creaking as she leaned over to check my pulse.
“Well, you’re quite the idiot, aren’t you?” she asked conversationally.
“Excuse me?” My retort came out breathy, and I had to close my eyes for a moment. My entire body felt weak, dull—almost like I was floating.
Lizza didn’t answer me directly, just shoved her hand under my breast and pressed an ear to my chest. A minute later she rose, shaking her head. “I’m surprised you can still speak at all. That thing’s weaker than an undead dick.”
“What? You said I had a month …”
“It’s an estimate. As in a rough guess. Why the hell haven’t you gotten rid of it already?” She waved a hand carelessly at my chest as she pulled open a pouch on her waist with the other and rummaged through it.
“I’m trying to decide who deserves it.”
“Deserves? Deserves? Who cares?” Lizza grabbed a dead, headless lizard from her pouch and held it up. The arms of the poor decapitated thing drooped over her fingertips as she shoved it in my face. “Here. Eat this. All of it. I don’t want to see you spitting out the bones either.”
She shoved the lizard into my mouth before I could protest. The texture made me want to gag. But I knew she’d used it before to make me well, so I dutifully bit down. As I chewed, I tried to think of anything but what was on my tongue.
Lizza’s scolding made it easier to focus on other things. “I should have just made you undead. That would have solved everything. I could still do it. You’d have a few pretty years before the skin started to fall off.”
I couldn’t speak with my mouth full, so I settled for shaking my head back and forth as frantically as my weak body would allow.
“You and your sister! Gah! Being undead is the best. Those stupid urges go away. Do you know how long it’s been since I had my monthly courses? Neither do I—it’s been so long I’ve forgotten.” She pursed what was left of her lips in a smug grin. “You think about that for a minute.”
No. I didn’t want to think about that. I shouldn’t have to. Fury at Mayi rose in my gut. If she hadn’t shoved her heart into my chest … Fury at Gela soon replaced it. If she hadn’t kidnapped me … I couldn’t complete a thought. All I could do was wallow in a pit of anger that roasted my insides like lava.
