Page 34 of Birthright

“Let’s just hope I don’t have to worry about him.” I changed the subject. “I’ll go get my stuff and meet you at the tower so no one sees us heading to the water together.”

Blood-of-the-dead coral grew off the south side of the island where the currents ran strong and the rocks were treacherous. Fog rolled across the choppy water, making it look particularly eerie. The sight of the ocean was beautiful, but I knew what it held. This was Feldema’s world, and I was not at all eager to enter, but it was the only way to get the coral. I had to dive for it and that meant going in. I stood at the edge of the water and took a deep breath. The cold air rushing into my lungs sent shivers through my body.

“You be careful. I don’t know if Feldema has creatures that will alert her to your presence, but I don’t want to find out the hard way,” Abbey whispered, apparently trying not to alert anything herself.

I didn’t know either. I strapped two small daggers onto my bare thighs and fastened a small bag to a strap of leather around my waist. “If you lose sight of me for too long, go get Bevin and Manus.” The surf was rough and she could easily lose sight of me in the churning waves.

She swallowed hard. “You make sure you get somewhere I can see you every few minutes.”

“Okay, stay over there on those high rocks so you can see me easier over the surf. If anyone comes, you duck down.” She nodded and headed to the boulders above the water. I stepped tentatively into the surf.

The water was freezing—not merely cool like the streams and river on the island. The cold waves seemed angry at my presence. I had a hard time getting past the breakers in the waves. In my mind, they were trying to push me back.

Swimming out the required hundred yards or so helped me adjust to the temperature. An Imp friend of Abbey’s told her the coral was out about that far—and only Feldema was willing to dive in those dangerous waters. I was going to try. Looking around, I found Abbey sitting high up on the rocks. The sun had started its approach toward the horizon, and her hair was gleaming in the brilliant rays.

She waved and pointed at her wrist to remind me to check in often. I took in a deep breath and dove under the water. When I opened my eyes, the salt stung but I adjusted quickly as I swam down. I was surprised at how well I could negotiate the waters. I had thought that, as a Witch of the land, I wouldn’t do well in the ocean, but I moved easily down to the reef.

The colors were dazzling. The reef was an entire world unto itself. Corals of all colors, growing one atop the other, looked like a giant painting. Some of them hard and luminescent, others soft and swaying with the currents in a ghostly dance to music I couldn’t hear. Brightly colored fish darted to and fro, ignoring me as they went about their business of existing. I was running out of breath and hadn’t seen any sign of the blood-red coral. I surfaced and looked to find Abbey, realizing the current had moved me down shore a bit. She waved as I found her on the rocks. I waved back, took in another breath, and down again I went.

I saw a huge octopus under an overhang in the reef. It moved toward me to investigate. I contemplated attempting to kill it in case it could alert my sister. The creature drifted before me a moment then darted away. I decided that if Feldema was aware of my presence, the octopus would have probably attacked.

I kept moving along the reef, using some of the smoother corals to pull myself along. I had to surface again. I had dived even deeper and had to struggle this time to get to the light of the surface. I splashed through with a gasp. I turned to look back to the rocky shore and once again found Abbey’s hair shimmering in the evening sun.

I went under a third time. It seemed to be harder to hold my breath as long and the cold water was definitely starting to stiffen my joints. I moved along anyway, finally catching a glimpse of what I thought was the right coral. I quickly pushed myself toward it and broke off a piece with a dagger, tucking it in the bag.

On the way back to the surface, my lungs were burning for air, and my toes were numb. I watched as the surface came closer and closer. The setting sun was playing off the waves above. I hit the surface just before I thought I was going to bust, taking in large, labored breaths as I turned toward the shore.

Abbey was nowhere to be found.

I stopped just short of panicking when I realized I had drifted around a large outcropping of boulders. I tried to head back toward my starting point but the current, stronger now, would only let me head into shore.

By the time I got to the sandy shore, I was exhausted from fighting the current. I sank to my knees to catch my breath then climbed around the outcropping to find Abbey.

She wasn’t there.

I spun around, looking among the rocks for her, thinking perhaps she had somehow fallen. I found nothing. Maybe she had headed to get help since she lost sight of me…but her bag was still over by the trail. I was frightened and my heart was pounding—and not from the swim.

Running to her bag, I glimpsed movement on the water out of the corner of my eye.

A Slaugh!

He was standing on top of the ocean. That makes no sense. I stared harder and made out the boat. It was the color of the ocean, making the small vessel nearly invisible if you didn’t squint to see it. Then someone else came into focus—Feldema. She blended into the horizon almost as much as the boat.

The black-cloaked Slaugh turned slightly, and I saw Abbey struggling in his grasp. They were heading away, neither of them looking back.

I had no way to help her. I couldn’t swim to them, so I did what I did best—I ran.

CHAPTER 15

Ran with all I had, acid tears building behind my eyes, guilt pulsing through my veins instead of blood.

When I made it inside the manor I continued to run, darting from room to room, looking for Doran. Her chambers were empty. The meet room was empty. Finally, I skidded to a stop in a small dining room. Doran and Bevin were eating. They stopped, alarmed by the abrupt intrusion on the quiet meal. I was too winded to speak. I stood there shaking, hair dripping on the clean floor, mind frantic as to what to say, where to start, how to explain.

Doran ushered me to a chair and took my face in her hands. “What is it, child?” Her eyes filled with the fear I felt. “Tell me.”

I couldn’t stop the tears but managed to say, “The Slaugh have Abbey!” before my tears became a ranting, incoherent sob. Bevin gasped.

Doran knelt in front of me after issuing some orders to other house Imps who had gathered at the commotion. She brushed some hair tenderly from my face. “Slow down, Keena. Start from the beginning and tell me all of it.” She handed me a glass of water but I pushed it away.