Page 142 of Of Serpents and Ruins
The ship seemed to be starting to turn as the currents took hold and guided us toward…nothing. The air crackled.
Buttercup moaned. The parasaurs and other triceratops also uttered bellows of complaint.
He gave me a dark smile as he looped his arm through one of the straps and gestured for me to do the same. "You’re going to hate it. Brace yourself, love, and hook yourself into that strap if you don’t want to crack your head open."
"Could you be any more vague?" Hooking my arm through the leather strap, I looked back out the window when something dark jetted out beneath the ship. I opened my mouth to ask what it was when we plunged down. My legs shot out from under me as the entire ship screamed.
Walls of water rose around us, and the ship shot into the channel of living water. Light and water streaked around us. Enormous dark forms spiraled and spun among the waves. They towered above us, monstrous denizens with claws and teeth the size of our ship’s mast.
Ihlkit!
This wasn’t what I remembered. I’d remembered jagged rocks and rushing water. Something with stark, harsh sounds.
Not this fall.
Not these creatures. Beings with six eyes. Sinuous forms with black teeth as big as broadswords.
It was as if the fabric of the world had been torn open, exposing the blood and veins of a whole other realm. The shadowy creatures with their angular eyes and jagged mouths swept closer to us as we screamed down into the watery chasm.
Our double-hulled ship slid through, descending faster and faster. The shrieking wails surrounded us, throbbing inside me like a pulse. Then we were rising and spinning. A heavy rush of water surged against the prow.
My arm wrenched as I clung to the strap.
A yellow-eyed creature with four claws and a series of whip-like tentacles sliced through the water, swiping toward us. Dark waters slammed against us.
And all the while everything screeched and roared.
I seized tighter against another strap next to Brandt and pressed against him. Hay and alfalfa slid and piled against the back, filling the air with choking dust. He held me fast with one arm, bracing his feet against one of the beams. Buttercup curled closer, her tail sweeping around both of us.
I huddled closer to Brandt, pressing my head to his chest. Fear hollowed me out and chilled me. The wailing howls filled my ears, pushing out all sound, including his heartbeat. Yet I felt that heartbeat against my cheek.
Up and down, around, down.
The whole world twisted. My stomach lurched.
Time lost all meaning. There was nothing but howling and the strength of his arm tight around me.
STELLA
The Keening Pass seemed to stretch on and on, our ship twisting and dropping helplessly among the waters. Then as fast as we entered, the Keening Pass ended.
Everything went still.
Slowly, my body relaxed. I rested against Brandt, breathless but alive.
The ship creaked as we righted. Heavy footsteps pounded on the deck as the captain called for everyone to return. The crew surged out. Water splashed up as six of the crew dove in, becoming water serpents once more. The ship creaked as they tugged against the ropes and swam forward.
Just like that, we had returned to ordinary sailing activities. Even the animals calmed.
I kissed Buttercup on the forehead, then let Brandt lead me up to the main deck slowly. My stomach continued to clench and flutter. For once, my sea legs weren't certain. I staggered.
"Easy there." Brandt steadied me, his arm curving around my waist as he pulled me to the railing. He chuckled, his voice low in his throat. "Probably should have given you more warning aboutthe Keening Pass. It’s not a particularly fun passage, and if you don’t hit it at the right times, it’s a lot more dangerous."
"Yeah. I figured that out." I accepted his help gratefully, my hands grasping the slick wood. If we never went through that passage again, it’d be too soon. I kept my head down, breathing in the salty air as I focused on settling my stomach and steadying my legs.
He kept his arm around me, watching me patiently and saying nothing until my breaths slowed. "Do you remember this?" He pointed toward a dark wall that loomed on the starboard side.
I looked up for the first time in what felt like minutes.
