The sedation only lasts for a few moments, and the audience watches a red-haired bear shifter get swallowed and catapulted toward the trees with a loudly roared, “I can fly!”
I about have a heart attack when Ophelia almost gets caught in a set of metal jaws, but Jack gives her a mighty tug forward across some invisible barrier the fish haven’t passed. And I decide that Ame found herself a top-notch mate who I will never speak ill of to the end of my days.
“Come on,” Owen calls over the excited shouts of other spectators. “Let’s keep up.”
The selkie grips my arm and pulls me along, all of us shifting our viewing spots to make sure we don’t miss a single piece of the action.
Overhead, there’s the ominous chorus of cackling, laughter, and steady beats, like wings in the air.
The sirens are here.
18
OPHELIA
“Watch overhead!”Niko calls out.
The sound came back on once we passed the fish obstacle. It was eerie as I stood on that island, knowing danger lurked in the water on all sides, but not having the ability to communicate our next steps, even with Niko and Jack beside me.
Throwing the apple at the fish was a lucky guess. But Seamus, winner of last year’s Gauntlet, said luck was an important factor toward him winning.
Hopefully, mine hasn’t run out because we’re still swimming and some gleefully determined-looking women with wings are arrowing toward us in the sky.
For a moment, I’m paralyzed by the sight. I thought one winged mythic was amazing, but here’s a whole crowd, joy on their faces. No fear. No concern. No shame.
In this moment, I decide that two years from now, I don’t want to compete in Galen’s Gauntlet.
I want to be an obstacle in it.
“You’re looking a little weighed down,” Sonya, the siren co-owner of Coffee & Claws, shouts to the group of us who made it this far. “Let’s take some weight off!” She fakes a throw toward Niko, who ducks under the water, but then she switches at the last minute to chuck a blue orb at Jack.
The wolf dodges, but isn’t fast enough, and the ball catches him in the shoulder. The light ball soaks into his skin like water into a sponge.
“What the—” he starts, then snarls when his body slowly rises out of the water.
I’ve seen videos of astronauts in the space station weightlessly floating around, unable to move anywhere unless they push off something first.
That’s exactly how Jack is now, hovering five feet over the surface of the water. Not flying, just hanging there.
“Fucking hells,” he growls just as Niko resurfaces. “You two, go. Now!” His command leaves no room for argument, and with orbs smacking into competitors all around us, staying put isn’t an option.
“Ophelia.” Niko’s voice is urgent as he hooks his fingers around my wrist. “Take a big breath. Hold it. When you need air, pinch my hand. Got it?”
I’m not sure what his plan is, but I trust the kappa. So, I nod, suck in all the oxygen I can handle, and let the mythic drag me underwater.
When Niko starts swimming, towing me forward, I realize that he easily could have left me behind. The guy is fast, even with my dead weight—although I try to kick my feet in a helpful manner. After probably too short of a time, my lungs burn—and not in the pleasantly heated way I normally enjoy. Reaching through the water, I pinch Niko’s slippery skin. He immediately shoots us to the surface. We break into the air with dual gasps.
I glance around to see the field has thinned considerably.
Still, Seamus warned me that some obstacles might slow competitors down, but not fully knock them out of the race. Mythics could catch up at any moment.
“Come on.” Niko begins swimming again. “It looks like it gets shallow up ahead.”
Thank the gods.
We paddle forward, and I spot a few competitors in waist-deep water, which encourages me to kick faster. My swimming lessons helped—hell, they saved me—but I long for solid ground under my feet. When my soles meet the muddy lake bottom, I feel like I can finally keep up with the kappa. Niko and I half walk, half paddle around a bend, and I do my best to ignore the audience crowding the shores. That’s easier to do when the next obstacle appears.
Rocks.
