Was this part of the All Father’s great plan? For the child of prophecy to drown in a swamp while her supposed king watched?
Curse it all…
Even if I survived today, and Kane decided to really go through with this ridiculous arrangement, his kind had been trained to hate me, and I had no idea what they would do if I became their queen.
Something brushed against my side, peeling me from my thoughts. I spun around in the water, my feet kicking.
What was that?
When I backpedaled,my dress caught on a submerged branch. I ducked under the water to grab hold of it and tugged.
Something poked my hip, and I yelped, breaching the surface and screaming.
I glanced back at Kane. The easy grin on his face had been replaced with something slightly more sinister.
He knew something.
What was in here with me?
“Get out of the water!” the red-headed pixie screamed.
Kane growled and moved to grab her, but she darted out of the way. His shadows lassoed around the pixie, stopping her flight.
Another pixie, this one with light-brown hair, hovered near the edge of the pond. Though she said nothing, she motioned with her hand for me to move to my right.
“Ella,” Kane said in a low tone, and the brown-haired pixie zipped away, disappearing into one of the nearby trees.
At least not everyone wants to kill me.
If I can get free of Kane’s reach, maybe the two pixies would help.
The damp heat continued to press around me, making the water feel stagnant other than refreshing. Clouds of gnats hovered around areas of the water, making me wish I had run in a different direction.
This wasn’t a swamp, yet every aspect reminded me of the bogs I had read about in the temple.
Something grabbed my leg, bringing me under.
In a fit of panic, I kicked at whatever wrapped its sinewy hands around me and kept swimming to the opposite side of where Kane stood. If I could just make it out of here, I might have a chance of using the surrounding foliage to create a wall between Kane and me.
Faster I swam, kicking and moving as quickly as I could.
Giant lily pads blocked my path, and I shoved the impossibly large plant aside.
A creature leaped out of the water and over my head, landing on the bank in front of me.
I don't know if I was too shocked to scream or the terror had frozen me completely, but I stopped swimming, my feet treading water as I gaped in horror at the creature propped on the grass.
The muddy brown fae crouched on the moss, sitting like a bullfrog, knees bent, hands in front of it. There was no nose that I could see. Two holes, a wide mouth, two giant black eyes, and pointy ears that stuck out of its hairless head.
It blinked, eyes switching from black to gold.
What is that?
Some type of fae creature, but what? A brownie? A sprite?
It stared at me, cocking its head to the side. A long tongue flicked out of its mouth, forked like a snake. Its limbs were skinny like twigs, its body fat and bulbous. It opened its mouth and croaked just like a bullfrog.
Maybe that's what it is? Some type of brownie bullfrog?
