Page 147 of Liar Witch
His palm feels like it’s on fire compared to the cool clamminess of my skin, but he doesn’t say anything. His fingers clench around mine, dragging me towards the hole in the floor.
“Close your eyes,” he whispers, pulling me into his body. “Come on, witch. Close them and hold your breath. This will be over before you know it. I promise.”
I force air into my lungs, look back at him one last time, then nod past the knot in my throat.
My eyes slide closed.
Val tugs my body forward, and we free-fall into the water below.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Valorean
Nilsa is stiff as a board above me as I do my best to keep her face above water while swimming backwards with one arm.
Cirio designed this escape route for a shark shifter and pirates who could fucking swim. Not a witch who’s petrified of the ocean. There are parts where the gap between the ceiling and the water is so small it takes everything I have to keep her face from dunking under. The twins are still making a racket above. Each blow of serpent on serpent rocks our escape route until I’m convinced a cave-in is imminent.
She looks dead. Her skin is so pale with fear and her limbs are so rigid that, if not for her shallow breathing, I’d believe she was.
Fuck. She should be with anyone but me right now. Even a silent Kier would be better at comforting her than I am. As it is, all I can do is try to get us out of here as fast as possible.
The tunnel seems to go on forever. Each turn only leads us farther into the darkness. I won’t say anything to the witch, but I’m tiring faster than I thought I would. It’s been years since I swam any considerable distance, and that was as a boy.
Thankfully, my body remembers the motions.
Eventually, I feel it. Fresh air. A glance back shows we’re nearly there.
“Nearly out,” I huff. “I can see the sky.”
We break free of the tunnel, only for the first large wave to send both of us under.
That’s when the witch finally snaps.
Her body flails. Limbs fighting me and dragging me closer all at once, even when we’ve broken the surface again.
“Stop fighting me,” I snarl. “The shore is right there, but we’ll both drown before we get there if you don’t cut this out!”
Another wave slaps her in the face, and she cringes, but she’s calmed slightly. Her eyes are still glued closed, but it doesn’t stop the fear leaking into the rest of her expression.
The moment we reach the shore, she falls to her knees and clings to the sand like that will keep her tethered to the land. I let her while I pull myself up to my feet, then grab a fistful of her soaking clothing and tug her farther up the beach until we’re both sitting on solid ground, sucking air into desperate lungs.
“Never again,” she whispers, opening her eyes and staring at the sea with such vehemence that for a second, I don’t know how to answer her.
“I’m never leaving my ship after this,” I agree, flopping back onto the rough sand. “Never.”
Silence descends. Or it would, if I couldn’t still hear the leviathans destroying the cave beyond. The escape route has brought us out around a headland, hiding the sight of what’s happening to Cirio’s Cove and any chance of seeing if the others managed to pilot my ship out of the way before she was crushed.
TheDeadwoodmust still be intact. Even my bond to Nilsa wouldn’t stop me feeling something major, like a shipwreck.
“We need to signal the others.” Nilsa’s hugging her knees, but she’s finally stopped shaking, her mind already on the next step. “They have to know where we are.”
“It’ll take them a while to get the ship to us. She’s made for a larger crew.” Or one fucking powerful mage.
“Well, I’m sorry you’re stuck with me for a little longer,” she huffs, pushing to her feet and heading farther up the beach. “I’ll try to get their attention.”
With that, she lowers herself to her knees and presses her head to the sand.
“Mother Moon, make me a beacon. A guiding light…” her prayer trails into a whisper, but the Moon still hears her.
