Page 9 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

Chapter3

Adelaide

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Imryll and Ecaeris blink out of existence, leaving me startled and unsteady. I miss the support, but only for a moment.

The nurse walks forward, and I don’t hesitate. I deck her right in the face, one solid swing landing against her cheek. I’ve never considered myself the violent type—although the Mongrel Prince makes me wonder how far I would go. I’m about to find out, even if this is a nightmare.

I hit her again, smirking when her head snaps back. She gawks at me… and I sort of wish I could remember her name, though I know this whole thing is a ruse.

The guys said this was the darkness. I think they were hinting at Spiran’s sister, she who shall not be named. The Harry Potter reference makes me grin. I may not have a wand, but I do have some sort of newly gained water magic.

Angry waves crash in my mind as the tide rises. This element of mine helps provide life and sustenance. At the opposite end, the depths wait to swallow its victims whole, delivering them to the abyss of a pitch black grave.

I don’t realize I’m still fighting the nightmare until I’m kneeling on top of her, trying to punch through hot water.

It pours from every corner of the room. It beats against the window in thunderous drops, cascades from the ceiling tiles, and spills from the edges of the doors. It seeps out of the plugs and lightswitches too, but no sparks fly.

“You can’t contain me,” I shout, then lower my voice as I calm. “I am the rivers and the rain, the tsunamis and the hurricanes. I am water; you need me to survive.”

The nurse evaporates into a cloud of gray mist and is gone. Just… Poof. No more.

I stumble to the door on jelly-like legs. It seems too easy, but I hope leaving is this simple.

It isn’t.

I suppose nothing worthwhile ever is.

And getting back home is beyond worthwhile.

The door closes behind me. I’m suddenly thrust into a dome under the ocean. Fish swim above me, fleeing as the kraken swats at them with her tentacles. I spin, taking in the illuminated sights when the source of light catches my eye.

A dazzling creature floats toward me, and the dome shifts. Rocks roll up from the ocean floor, forming a flat top inches from the ground.

“Please tell me that isn’t a sacrificial altar?” I mutter.

Tinkling laughter rings around me as the creature steps through the dome. The woman. Maybe. She glows so brightly that I can’t make out her facial features, but her body is that of a woman.

“Are you going to kill me now?” I inquire, already thinking of a way to fight back. Clearly, water won’t harm her; she walked across the depths of the oceans like I walk on flat, waterless land. Except with more grace.

She doesn’t answer, and that frustrates me.

“Look. I’ve already died once today, so if you’re going to kill me, make it quick. I’m tired and hungry and confused.”

“I am sorry that I had to kill you to change you,” the woman says softly. “I’m afraid it was necessary.”

“You killed me?” I question, then slap my hand over my mouth. “Holy shit. You’re Spiran?”

“Indeed. The power I gave you would have eaten you alive had I not altered you during the process.”

I laugh, snort, then shake my head quickly. “I’m sorry. I thought I heard you say you altered me? How did you change me by drowning me? Other than giving me another traumatic event to add to my resume.”

“You’re no longer the mortal you were when you got here. But because of my hasty actions, my sister was able to take over your mind while you were weakened.”

“She caused the nightmare?”

The goddess before me smiles mischievously. “Yes. She wasn’t expecting you to fight back, though.”