“What must I do to win it?”
“Survive,” the God's voice echoed into silence.
The light of Shale's love drew back as if snatched away, leaving me in darkness again. Nearly. Like a beacon, a pinprick of pink in the distance lured me forward. I took a hesitant step, then another. When nothing bad happened, I began to run toward the pink glow. I ran and ran until my legs gave out, and I fell to the ground. As I hit, the solid surface went liquid, splashing around me as I was sucked under.
Luckily, I took a breath just seconds before I was submerged, but it wouldn't last long. I fought to resurface. Something grabbed my legs. Held me just below. My fingertipsbroke through. Light shimmered on the top of the water. Pink light. It was right there. Shale's love hung over me. Calling me. But the way to it wasn't up.
I looked down.
Shale held my ankle.
No, it wasn't him, couldn't be him. But it represented him. I had to treat this lookalike as if he were Shale. So what would I do if Shale were there, drowning?
The not-Shale pulled. I let him drag me down. With life and love above me, I chose him instead. I went into his arms and pressed my lips to his. His love wasn't him. It was the prize, but he was who I fought for. I'd give up the prize for him.
Shale opened his mouth and breathed air into me.
Gasping, I clutched him closer. In my mind, I heard his voice, “You promised you would never let go.”
And I wouldn't.
I clutched the not-Shale as if he were my life. As if I needed nothing more. The pink glow above me grew larger. Was it taunting me? Trying to get me to release Shale? I didn't know. Gods were tricky. Ranu had told me to survive. But there was all sorts of survival. I had been willing to leave Shale so I could move on. Survive. That had been mere hours ago. But now I knew that leaving him would have only been a slower death. I would rather have him as he was, the Indifferent King, than not at all. Even if it meant the pain of unrequited love.
“Very good, Sebastian,” Ranu's voice came from all around me.
Shale and I shot out of the water. I held on, but I pulled my mouth away from his when we broke the surface. Air filled my lungs as water sluiced from me. I blinked rapidly and shook back my hair, all while holding onto Shale.
“You aren't strong enough, human,” another voice said. It wasn't the God's. This voice was deeper. Rougher. Angry.
I looked over my shoulder to see a hulking form come prowling through thick mist. It was a man and a beast. Covered in glossy white scales, with a spiked tail, horns down its skull, and a pair of glowing teal eyes, it walked upright and carried a club. Why it carried a weapon, I didn't know. Its claws were weapons on their own. And its teeth.
Then it swung.
I cried out from the impact on my calves. Bones cracked. I fell, but Shale held me up.
“Let go, little doll,” the beast said.
Then I knew. Recognized the nuances. It was Shale's voice. Deeper, but his. And those eyes. This was Shale's dragon. The beast inside him.
“No,” I shoved the word out past my clenched teeth. Past the pain. “Never.”
“You can't promise that. You already tried to break your promise once.” Another strike, this one against my back. “Now, I will break you.”
My spine snapped. I shouldn't have been able to hold on. But I did. I pushed away the blinding pain and dug my fingers into Shale's muscles. Not-Shale kept me upright but did no more than that. When the dragon wrapped his clawed hand aroundmy waist and pulled, I had to hold on without any help from Shale. My strength against the beast's.
I should have failed. I didn't.
Crack! The club hit my skull. Blood poured down my chest. I couldn't see. I should have been dead. But I held on.
“Weak,” the beast said. “Pathetic.Mortal. You will age and die. You fight for nothing. You will only hurt him again in the end. Just let go now.”
“No!” I shouted.
The darkness was lit by a magnificent light. I could see again. The blood was gone. But the light blinded me. I squinted against it as the pain vanished. My feet found their footing on something soft. My eyes adjusted.
Shale and I stood in a clearing, grass under our feet and the sun shining down on us. A jungle ringed us, creatures cackling within it. Roaring. But Shale's dragon was gone. I sighed and nestled in against Shale's chest.
Something tickled my calf. I looked down. Vines were growing out of the ground, twining around me. I prepared myself for the next torture and clutched Shale tighter.
