“Oh, all you want is a name? Then here's one for you—Samara.” I said.
He straightened. “That's lovely. I am Nori.”
I almost laughed but then turned it into a cough.
“Are you all right?” Nori, the seaweed-eating Kelpie asked.
Wait, he ate raw fish too. Nori ate sashimi and seaweed. That was too fabulous. Wrap him around some rice and you have a full meal. Okay, that went too far.
“Yes, I'm fine. I just had a piece of fish lodged in my throat.” I cleared my throat and held out my hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Nori.”
He frowned at my hand, then abruptly grabbed it, and we shook. “Yes, well met, Samara.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next afternoon, a few hours after Nori got back from sinking a village (there was nothing I could do; he tied me up in addition to the chain) the Ballybogs came bouncing furiously into the cave. Nori crouched to listen to their grunts and squeaking, his eyes narrowing on their gesticulations. Then he cursed and looked over at me.
“Let me guess; King Rory has come to my rescue?” I grinned.
“No,” Nori said. “It is King Arach who has come. King Rory is not far behind, but the King of Fire has the lead. He will be here momentarily.”
“Damn it!” I hissed and climbed awkwardly to my feet. “Listen to me, Nori. This is not a ploy to get free. I'm telling you the absolute truth when I say you're only hope of survival is to free me right now.”
“Not my only hope.” Nori grabbed me, yanked me against his chest, and laid one on me.
As I stared wide-eyed at his closed eyes, less than an inch from mine, his breath entered my mouth instead of his tongue—a strong gust of air full of magic. Nori's magic flowed down my throat, much as Arach's fire did when we exchanged dragonfire. But Nori's breath gave me more than a boost of energy. I could feel my lungs shudder. The magic condensed inside me, turning liquid. For a second, I thought I was going to drown on dry land, and I flailed in his arms. Nori held me firm until the sensation faded and the liquid sank into my lungs. When he pulled away, breathing was difficult but not impossible.
I gasped, “What have you done to me?”
“Given you the Kiss of Water,” he said gravely. “It's not shared often.”
“Great.” I continued to work to pull in air. “I'm honored. Why can't I breathe?”
“Because your lungs are craving their first breath of water.” He grabbed the chain between my manacles and pulled me deeper into the cave. “You'll be all right after that and will easily go from water to land.”
The Ballybogs bounced away, knowing they couldn't follow, and I stared after them, having the urge to drop-kick them to Arach like a flare sent up. As the darkness of the cave closed in around us and my dragon sight adjusted, I reeled under the realization of what had just happened. A Kelpie giving me the ability to breathe water instead of drowning me. How novel.
I'd been underwater before. Last time, I'd used a breathing pearl, but this was different. Now, my body craved water. I couldn't wait to pull in a lungful of the stuff. Meanwhile, my mind screamed that it was a bad idea. Plus there was the whole not meeting Dubheasa thing.
Nori continued to drag me after him, my boots skidding over ground that was shifting from rock to pebbles and then to sand. He stopped at a wall and placed his hand upon it. A crevice started to glow, then widen. As soon as it was wide enough for us to pass through, Nori drew us into the void. And with perfect timing too. Just as the wall closed behind us, I heard the telltale growl of a Dragon-Sidhe coming from the cave behind us.
At first, it was pitch black. But my eyes adjusted in seconds and then I saw the glowing lichen on the walls. It illuminated another pool of water. This one had fish in it too—little pink fish and tiny crustaceans with long antennae. I didn't look too long at the sea slugs, but it was enough to register what I already suspected. The pool led to the Water Kingdom.
Nori dragged me into the pool.
“Hold on,” I panted. “I won't be able to swim with my hands bound.”
“You won't have to,” he said cryptically.
And then I was in the water, my body moving instinctively, seeking the relief only water could give me. As soon as I was submerged, I drew in a liquid breath. If I could have sighed, I would have. As it was, I smiled in relief. The cool sensation of seawater revived my aching lungs. My dragon wasn't too pleased, but she couldn't overpower this magic. And if she wanted us to live, she wouldn't try.
Within the pool was a sinkhole. Nori took me into it. Down we went, him pulling me along. The sinkhole became a tunnel. Tiny creatures climbed the walls on spindly legs, their pale bodies luminescent. They scuttled away as we passed. Down and down we went, Alice and her Mad Hatter, and then the tunnel turned. From down to up. Topsy-turvy into Wonderland. Or Waterland. Wait, no, I think that was a Kevin Costner movie. Whatever, the reference was getting old anyway.
But dagnabbit did it apply. I was swimming into a world I didn't belong in, where everything was strange, and a brutal queen waited for me. The words, “Off with her head!” came to mind. That would be the one way Dubheasa could kill me. As we left the tunnel, thoughts of the Sea Queen bubbled away. Nori, kicking industriously, pulled me after him, up into the frigid, deep sea water. But thanks to my dragon, I could change my internal temperature and did so automatically.
Once we were in open water, Nori let me go and backed away from me. I frowned at him as I floated far above the seabed, wondering what he was about. Then he stripped, and I knew.
I'd been around too many shifters to not understand a preparation. To be nice, I grabbed his clothes before they could float down to the sand below and bundled them up. Meanwhile, Nori's body thickened and lengthened into the form of an aquatic horse. His hair didn't change, just repositioned itself down the back of his equine head, and his eyes were still the same shade of green, just larger and without the white sclera. Fins grew from the back of his legs and within his long tail and gills went down the sides of his thick neck. His fur was longer than most land horses, like that of a Shetland pony, and it swayed in the currents like seaweed.
