It wasn’t long before she tripped again, falling to her knees and hands.
“Get up,” the mythological ordered.
She would. She just needed a moment.
She lifted her head, noting Griffin seemed perfectly fine, as fresh and spry as he’d been that morning.
“Why am I so tired?” Shea asked Ajari, trying to slow her breathing.
“Humans have trouble this close to the heart,” he replied.
“So why isn’t he in the same shape?” Shea asked, nodding to Griffin.
The mythological’s face turned stony. “He’s partaken of the Badlands. The heart doesn’t have the same effect on him as it does the rest of your puny race.”
“Or you it seems,” Shea said, her breath finally slowing.
He gave her a humorless grin revealing a mouth full of very sharp teeth. “I was created from the Badlands’ bones. Of course, it doesn’t affect me.”
Guess that made sense. If the whole bit about the seal was true, it meant they’d been locked up near this heart for centuries. They would have adapted or died out in that time.
“Is it the water?” Shea asked. She had to know. Her reserves were getting low since she’d dumped most of it to try to create the mud that would help hide her father’s blood. She only had a few gulps left.
His face turned stony and he grabbed her arm, not answering as he forced her to her feet.
Guess they were done with their conversation.
Shea braced herself and then resumed her trudge.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Shea hit the ground with a thud. She was done. Everything in her hurt. It was hard to hold on to the reason she was fighting—why this was so important. Hope was beginning to fade, along with the belief she’d somehow come out of this ahead, that she’d accomplish what she’d set out to do.
Her lips were cracked, her eyes puffy and swollen. Swallowing hurt. It felt like her throat had sand caught in it, every bit of moisture gone.
“What’s wrong with her?” Griffin asked in an irritated voice.
“The heart is having a negative effect on her body,” Ajari answered carefully.
The ground vibrated under Shea as Griffin came closer. Her eyes cracked open. He leaned over her, his necklace dangling just out of reach. She tried to summon the energy to reach for it. If she could just grab it, this could all be over.
Her arms refused to obey, her eyes sliding shut, veiling his frowning face.
He let out an irritated sigh. “This is no good. She’ll never make it like this.”
Well, at least her weakness was screwing up someone else’s plans, she thought with a dry chuckle.
After that things got a little discombobulated, as Shea drifted in and out of consciousness and hallucinations. She was vaguely aware of strong arms picking her up before being thrown over a sturdy shoulder.
“Stupid little mouse, how do you expect to free anybody when you can’t even take care of yourself?” Ajari muttered, or perhaps that was part of Shea’s hallucination.
She came back to herself, the taste of cool, refreshing water sliding down her throat. It tasted better than anything she’d ever experienced.
She sputtered, almost choking as she pushed the liquid away from her. The mythological stared down at her with a hard expression as she forced herself upright, horror in her eyes.
“What did you do?” she asked, despair in her voice.
If Griffin had changed so much by simply ingesting the water or food, she feared what ways she could be twisted too.
