Page 53 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
Landon leaps from one wyvern to another with power and confidence. I can’t see his face but I feel his eyes locked in our direction. The vicious gaze of a predator who has found his prey.
“He’s going to fry us,” Nimue mutters behind me. The thought is enough to send us careening faster down the hill.
The fae makes another higher pitch melody with his flute. It drives all the wyverns in the grassland insane. Every one of them is coming after us now.
Oh gods, please save us.
In this grave moment, I’m suddenly reminded of a tale Rainer once told me when I was a child, the tale of the fae piper and the rats.
The story was about a town that was infested with rodents. The mayor hired a fae to save them from the impending plaguein exchange for gold. The fae accepted the offer and played his pipe.
All the rats were mesmerized by the beautiful music and followed behind the fae faithfully until he led them into a river. But the people lied, and they never paid the piper. So, one night when everyone was asleep, the fae played his flute again. Every child in town slipped away from their bed and trailed behind him merrily.
Rainer told me the happier version of the story where the children eventually went home to their family, but Blaire and I later read the darker end of that tale. I feel like I am reliving that story. The fae and his stupid flute. Except Landon is luring wyverns instead of rodents.
“I found it!” Nimue suddenly claps her hands, shaking me from my thoughts. “But it’s an underground water source. Brace yourself.”
I prepare myself just as she warns me, clutching to Coral’s horn tighter.
It begins as a rumbling, no different from the sound of my own stomach growl whenever I’m hungry. Except this one is coming from the earth.
A tremor vibrates through the ground. The grassland around us cracks like caramelized sugar. Wyverns in the field take flight to the horizon, recognizing the incoming threat from below.
In a blink of an eye, water blasts from the rocks, shooting towards the sky. A torrential rain pelts the ground from the high pressure spurt. All the winged reptiles seem to hate water, clearing a path for us. Even Landon and his wyverns cease their chase.
“All right!” I gasp with relief. I spread my arms wide, loving the way the water hits my skin.
We’re safe.
But the important thing is to get out of this place. We’ll savor this victory later. Coral doesn’t stop her amazing sprint to our freedom.
“I don’t think they’re following after us anymore,” the water wraith whispers from behind me.
“You really did it, Nimue!” I cheer in pure delight.
She stares at her webbed hands in disbelieve, surprised by her own strength. “I did it…”
More geysers appear in the field, bursting uncontrollably. The fountains turn into a sweeping tide, flooding the hills.
Fear dips in my gut when I realize we’re running towards the foot of the hill. The water will course down on us soon and Coral can’t fly.
“That doesn’t look good,” the jester mutters, peering at the incoming wave from my satchel.
For the first time, I agree with the painting.
“Umm… I think you need to stop that now,” I tell Nimue. The stream is coming straight at us like an avalanche.
“I can’t… The pressure is too strong,” she says, shaking her head in horror before the water engulfs us in its wave.
Chapter 7 Rhianelle
Water. So much of it. Everywhere.
The people of Kashran and Völundr are terrific swimmers. I kick and paddle against the tide to get to higher ground.
Despite my best effort, the raging torrent overwhelms me. Water rushes in, filling my lungs, and I’ll be dead soon. Death must be annoyed to see me at his door again. All I can think of is how I dragged Nimue and Coral into this mess. Into my mess.
This is all my fault.
