The puca is equally as agile in the water as he was on land, and it isn’t long before we clear the small inlet and move into the open ocean.
That’s when the puca plunges beneath the waves.
I gasp for breath before the water closes over my head, but it isn’t enough. My lungs are already screaming as the creature dives deeper and deeper into the ocean. I struggle, pulling at the puca’s mane, but my hands have lost all feeling.
This is the end,I realize. I can hold my breath no longer.
Water floods my mouth as a wave of tiny bubbles crashes into me, obscuring my vision. The last thing I feel is a pair of hands encircling my waist.
Chapter Sixteen
When I wake, everything hurts. My eyes, my lungs, my throat. Every muscle feels like it’s on fire. My eyelids flutter open, and I try to sit but can manage no more than lifting my head before a searing pain behind my eyes has me sinking back into the pillows beneath me.
“Evie!” The voice belongs to Amelie, though I don’t dare open my eyes to find her. The pain in my head is too great.
“I’ll help her sit,” says another voice, which takes me a moment to recognize as belonging to Lorelei. An arm moves to my upper back, lifting me, and I feel a mountain of pillows fill the space behind me until I’m propped up slightly. “Drink this.”
The rim of a cup touches my lips, and I don’t bother to fight the warm liquid. I’d drink fae wine or the juice of a honey pyrus, if it meant quenching my razor-sharp thirst. The liquid tastes like a mild tea, like something Mother would have made me when I was sick. Its soothing effect is immediate, easing the pain in my throat and sending a wave of relaxation over me. Finally, I open my eyes.
Squinting into the semi-darkness of what appears to be my bedroom at the palace, I find Lorelei and Amelie hovering before me, concerned expressions on both their faces as they sit next to me on the bed.
“What happened?” My voice comes out like a croak, renewing the pain in my throat and lungs.
“Oh, thank the Great Mother above.” Amelie brings a hand to her heart, shoulders drawing down with relief. “You are coherent.”
My brow furrows at her words. She said it like she expected otherwise. “How long have I been asleep?”
Amelie and Lorelei exchange a glance. “What has it been? Three days?” Amelie asks.
Lorelei nods, then faces me. “You’ve been coming in and out of consciousness, but mostly sleeping.”
“Three days?” I jolt forward, but the motion sends my head reeling again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I lie back until the pain recedes.
“Drink more,” Lorelei prods.
I do as told, relishing the sweet, familiar herbs that remind me so much of home. When I open my eyes again, Amelie is grinning.
“Foxglove was sent to the village for a remedy,” she says. “He brought you something from Mother’s shop. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I want to argue that he should have returned with antibiotics, but I can’t help but admit how much comfort the tea is bringing me. “He…saw Mother? Did he say how she is?”
“I sent him with a letter, told her we’re being treated well, aside from your unfortunate incident with the kelpie. She sent one back, expressing her love and wishes for you to return to full health. Would you like me to read it to you?”
“Yes—wait. The kelpie? Is that what the creature was?”
Amelie nods. “Cobalt told me all about it. You should have seen him! He looked quite the hero as he carried you in his arms through the castle, dripping water in his wake. His skin was blue too, it was so odd.”
“He’d shifted into his unseelie form,” Lorelei explains, “when he rescued you. He’s a nix.”
“He…rescued me?” I shudder, remembering the deadly ride on the puca—or kelpie, I should say—and how it drove us into the ocean and pulled me underwater. I remember the burning, searing pain as water entered my lungs, followed by the hands of someone pulling me by the waist. That’s the last thing I remember. “Why did the kelpie try to kill me?”
“Apparently, dragging lost travelers to their deaths is their specialty, according to Prince Cobalt,” Amelie says. “He had to sever the creature’s mane with a shard of coral to release you from its grip.”
“But how did Cobalt find me? We were separated during our picnic.”
Amelie scoots closer, hands an animated flurry, as she explains. “He said he went looking for you when he realized you were missing. There was no sign of you, and he had no idea where you’d gone, but when he caught scent of the kelpie, he knew exactly what had happened. He followed the trail and dove in after you when he saw the kelpie drag you into the ocean.” She puts her hand to her heart and sighs. “He’s so romantic.”
“Romantic? No. This entire situation—” I swallow my words as another wave of pain radiates through my skull. With a deep breath, I wait for the sharp ache to pass, and force my body to relax back into the pillows. I grind my teeth, hating how helpless I feel, how helpless I’ve been for three days.Three days.Anything could have happened in that time.
