“The queen will believe we’re still on board and returning to Daxton’s territory,” I added. “When in reality, you’ll be gathering ships to sail to Solace.” I fixed my bow across my back before securing the dagger strapped at my side.
“I know,” Shaw groaned uneasily. “It’s just that—”
“Come on,” I said, grasping his arm as Fjorda moved the railing aside. “Don’t overthink this. Just jump!”
I pulled Shaw with me as we leaped into the ocean, splashing next to Malek and Iara. Before we could resurface, Malek pulled me into his arms under the waves. His lips gently pressed over mine as he gifted me his magic, allowing me to breathe under the cerulean waters cast in the shadow of the clouds hovering in front of the beaming moon.
“It won’t last long,” Malek said as he turned to Iara, who finished gifting her magic to Shaw. “Let’s go.”
Tucked safely under their arms, the water nymphs gripped us tightly as the king and queen beat their magnificent tails, speeding off into the darkened abyss.
I could barely make out the surrounding ocean, the depths of which disappeared underneath us in an obscured trench of mystery. I grasped Malek’s arm, not wishing to fall from his hold and be trapped in the open seas.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered with a chuckle. “We need you to finish these trials. I wouldn’t dare drop you into the abyss below.”
“That’s reassuring,” I mumbled.
“It won’t be much longer,” Malek said.
The sea’s sandy bottom began encroaching beneath us, and relief washed through me at the sight of it. We meandered along the tan sands. The powerful tails of the nymphs propelled us through the seas with ease, riding the natural flow of the waves that crashed along the shoreline.
Chapter Forty-Four
Skylar Cathal
Breaching the surface, I gasped, gulping a full breath of air. A second later, Shaw broke through the waves behind me, safely tucked under the queen’s arm.
“I forget how difficult the transition from water to land is,” Malek said. “You’ll adjust in a few moments.”
“You…” I rasped between coughs. “You don’t say.” My lungs burned as he released me onto the beach, water spewing between my heaving breaths.
King Malek’s magic retreated from my system as I hurled water onto the rough sand, shaking as I steadied myself on my hands and knees. Shaw was not much better. Glancing behind me, I could sense a rise in his magic. His animal was close to the surface, ready to break through and force a shift in response to his distress.
“You all right?” I called out. “I don’t know if your panther would have fared much better underwater.” I spat the horrible taste of seawater from my mouth.
“That was fucking horrible,” Shaw answered, violently coughing, followed by hacking noises as he tried to breathe.
“I hated every minute of that,” he rasped. “Never again,Sky.Never.”
“Noted,” I agreed. “But you’ve got to admit, it was effective.”
“I see your next transport is already waiting,” Malek said, motioning toward the large rock-faced cliffs trailing along the beach. “This is where we part ways.”
I turned in the sand. “Thank you to you both,” I said.
“Return our favor with your victory, Champion,” Malek replied with a grin as a flash of orange and green splashed in the waves, disappearing beneath the night and the sea.
“Whatnow?” Shaw groaned. “Please tell me it’s a horse. Or at the very least something on land.”
“Half-right,” I grinned, recognizing the neigh and flaps of wings.
A dark-skinned rider dismounted a pegasus with a rusted auburn-colored coat. A bright, beaming smile stretched across his face, with his dreadlocked hair flowing behind him as he raced toward Shaw and me.
“Skylar!” Astro called out, reaching to help me onto my feet.
He pulled me into a strong hug, his fire magic warming me from the bite of cold night air and my soaked clothes.
“Good to see you, Astro,” I said. “Finn didn’t come with you?”
