The Toad Prince

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nadaria stared down into the black water, taking a deep breath. It was like a pool of ink, dotted by the lone white, glowing lily. Aurelian stood just behind Nadaria, but Nicoleta stayed several feet back, wringing her hands.

Nadaria put her hands on her hips and took another long breath. “Wow. This is gonna suck.”

“It makes sense though, right?” Aurelian asked. “That one is down there.”

“Yes. I suppose it does.”

The ballroom candles didn’t light automatically like the rest of the house, so the only light came from the cloudy day that dripped through the windows and cast the room in a pastel grey hue. Nadaria wasn’t sure if she’d ever been in a room so silent. Her intuition, and the hair on her neck, stood on constant alert.

She looked at Nicoleta and Aurelian. “So which one of you is diving in?”

Their eyes both widened, and Nicoleta started sputtering about not being able to swim. Nadaria giggled and grinned over her shoulder at them.

“I’m just kidding. Of course it’s me. Wish I brought a bikini, though.”

Nadaria knelt and skimmed the surface of the water with her fingers. Roux slid down her arm and touched it with his nose, recoiling in disgust as soon as he did. The water was freezing and that same horrific feeling of nausea washed over her as it had in the garden.

She stood and sighed. “Yep. I think there is definitely one down there. Can we drain this pool?”

“We’ve never tried… afraid we’d harm the lilies,” Aurelian said. “I think you have to swim down to find the plug, anyway. And no one will go in there…” He paused, then whispered, “With Crina.”

Fear slid its way up her spine, making her heart plunge. Dipping your fingers in was one thing, but she had to swim in this dark water. With an undead.

She took a deep breath and pushed it out so her lips vibrated in a purring sound. Determined to get this done, she knelt and started untying her shoes.

Behind her, Nicoleta shuffled her nervous feet. “You’re going in right now?”

“Why not? Time is of the essence, after all.”

“Shouldn’t we get Lord Sorin?” she asked.

Nadaria shrugged. “You can go get him if you want. He’s the one that’s convinced I need his help. I have always been fine by myself.”

She sounded more bitter than she intended, and she took another deep breath to soothe her tender heart. She didn’t want to be mad at him. Sorin’s words were born of his fear and self-hate. She understood that better than most because she had played a hand in healing many broken hearts, but it still hurt to hear him say those things. She knew he felt something for her, that he cared, or he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. He was afraid to face the past and accept that he had a chance at a future.

Besides, by herself wasn’t exactly true, and she glanced down at Roux.

“You’re coming, right?”

He wrapped himself around her wrist like a bracelet and flicked his tongue over the top of her hand.

“You’re the best,” she whispered, petting his smooth back and staring at the water. “Let’s do this.”

She sat on the edge and dipped her legs in first up to her knees. The water was ice cold, and she furrowed her brow. It was full of something. It felt like… hair caressing her legs. After a moment she realized it was roots, a giant network of lily roots.

“How deep is this, Aurelian?”

“I think it’s just under two meters.”

“That’s good. Not too deep,” she said, her breath shallow. Nadaria swallowed, overcome by a wave of hot nausea. She closed her eyes and let it pass, then slid into the pool.

The cold water stole her breath and shocked her lungs, making them tighten and temporarily turn to stone. Evil magic crawled over her body, and she worked to take a deep breath while treading water. The roots were like slimy fingers under the water, grabbing at her every time she moved.

Behind her, Aurelian knelt at the edge and he whispered, “Oh, I don’t like this, miere.”

“Me neither,” she said, then drew a deep breath and dove under the surface.

Nadaria was an excellent swimmer—perks of being a water witch—but the root system of the lilies was thick and tangled. She clawed through it and focused on her intuition to lead her towards where the dark magic was the strongest. Her night vision was decent, but this was a different kind of dark. It was like oil and ink down here, and the water didn’t even feel like water. It felt thicker, and the sensations made her stomach churn as it tried to claw its way up her throat.

The grey light from the dining room didn’t penetrate the surface of the water at all, and her visibility was inches. All she could see was black water and a jungle of roots.

She swam until her lungs burned and she had to return to the surface somewhere near the middle of the pool. Sucking in a deep breath, she wiped at her eyes and spit, not wanting the water in her mouth.

“Anything?” Aurelian asked.

“Not yet.”

A thick root, cold and clammy, wrapped around her ankle, and she kicked at it. But… it didn’t let go. It tightened, and she gasped at the sensation of nails digging into her skin. Her arms slapped the water, and she sucked in a sharp breath as she was yanked down under the surface.

Nadaria searched for calm, trying to remain in control of the splash of icy fear rushing through her. The thing at her ankle let go, and she searched the water at her feet, but saw only roots. She surfaced again, just to take a breath, and then dove back under.

She ripped through the thick underwater jungle until her fingers brushed the smooth bottom of the pool. A fresh wave of nausea burst in her gut, and she used the roots along the bottom like handholds, pulling herself along. Her instincts were thrashing against the direction, telling her to turn around, so she knew she was getting close.

Finally, her eyes caught a flash of something. If she wasn’t holding her breath and trying not to vomit, she might have cheered. There it was, wrapped in the clutches of a pile of roots.

The next hex jar.

Her pink curls floated around her face when she stopped, ripping at the roots holding it. They were stubborn and seemed to be determined to keep it hostage forever. Her lungs burned again, and a sense of urgency and panic blossomed in her chest. She tore at them, breaking one of her fingernails all the way back to the quick.

Her heart leapt with relief as she freed the jar, but a hand clamped down on her shoulder, and teeth sunk deep into her neck. Nadaria opened her mouth to scream, and the vile water rushed in. She stopped herself from inhaling it, but her lungs burned anew, scrambling to find oxygen.

Nadaria flailed, punching at the mouth that held her shoulder. The teeth ripped away, but took a solid chunk of her flesh with them, and she clamped her hand over the gaping wound.

She wrapped her fingers around the jar and kicked away, turning in the water. The roots knotted around her like ropes, and she ripped at them in a full, lungs-on-fire panic.

Crina looked like a water spirit, her blonde hair floating around her, and her white nightgown drifting in the water. Nadaria’s blood drifted in tendrils around her mouth while she ate the mouthful of flesh she’d taken. Her disjointed jaw didn’t move right, making the chewing motion look strange and off center.

Nadaria clutched the jar to her chest and kicked at the water, trying to get away. The roots obstructed her, and Crina used the ones along the bottom like a rope, pulling herself along it with unnatural speed. New stiff fingers of fear squeezed Nadaria’s heart. Crina crawling at her like that was demonic nightmare fodder that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. She struck out at her, the top of her foot catching the undead woman at the temple.

Crina’s head whipped, but she differed from the others. More able, less rotted. Maybe because she was here in the castle. She clamped down on Nadaria’s shin with her hands, and bit her again, tearing at the flesh just below her knee.

Roux broke free and swam, a flash of sleek movement in the dark water. He attacked, sinking his teeth into Crina’s milky white eye and whipping his tail with aggression. Crina released Nadaria and swiped at the little snake, eliciting a wild scream that rippled in the surrounding water.

Roux was nimble, but Crina grabbed him around the neck and brought him to her mouth, sinking her teeth into him. A wave of hot fury blossomed into Nadaria’s chest and she dropped the jar, ripping through the roots to get to them. She clawed at Crina’s face and hand, trying to free Roux.

They grappled, the roots and their bodies twisting together in a chaotic mess. Nadaria’s lungs were about to explode, and she finally freed Roux. He floated listlessly, red blood coloring the water around him.

Crina was biting her, ripping at the flesh of her upper arm, and Nadaria snagged Roux and tucked his limp body into her bra the best she could. With all the strength she had left, she pushed away from Crina and drove her heel into her face.

Nadaria looked around, frantic, and located the jar again. She couldn’t leave it behind, and she lurched forward, wrapping her fingers around the glass. But as she moved to the surface, Crina latched onto her back and bit her again, her teeth sinking deep into Nadaria’s cheek.

Nadaria couldn’t stop her automatic reaction to the pain, screaming and drawing a deep breath. Water filled her lungs, and it burned like she’d inhaled an army of bees.

All she could think was how ridiculous it was, a water witch who died by drowning.

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The editor asked for a three day extension on the Loved by Fate manuscript, and I died a little inside, not gonna lie guys. :'( So, three more days of waiting and it will finally be returned to me. Once it is, I will actually be able to set a release date! Yayyyyy!