For a few minutes. Once my feathers get soaked, I sink like a stone.
A few minutes might be all we need.
He caught my intent.Are you of an unsound mind?
Only variably. Do you have any better ideas?
He folded his wings and dove.
The air whistled past us, and bits of ice broke away from his feathers. We shot toward the glacial lake below at a horrific rate. But if we didn’t do this fast, we would be seen, and it would be a useless effort.
We hit hard enough to drive the breath from him, plummeting into the icy-cold depths. He arched his body, aiming for the surface…
No! Stay submerged. Swim toward the shore.
If we stay under too long, that state will be permanent,he warned.
If I had any idea how to swim as a human, I’d get him to shift us back. But a lifetime galloping over grass did nothing to prep me for that. So my heart was in my mouth as he stroked for the shore, using his wings to help him move through the cold water. But the urge to breathe became nearly all-consuming.
He was sinking, and at first, I panicked, but then his feet touched the silty bottom, and he began to run along it. Was the water above us growing shallower? It was, and in a moment, his head was right beneath the surface?—
He poked just the tip of his beak through it and took a relieved breath, before ducking back under. And in that moment, a dark shadow passed overhead.
They were already onto us. And we had another issue. Despite Caliel’s efforts to stop it, the drug was taking hold. Slowing his movements, fogging my mind.
We could yet drown.
Caliel kept moving, until we were barely submerged.What now? If we climb out, we will be captured in an instant.
I scanned the banks. They were edged in ice, and in places, the silt on the shore had been washed away, leaving it hanging like a shelf out over the water.
Change us back to human,I said.
He resisted, but then he followed my thoughts.Aurora might still sense your life essence,he hedged.Not sure it will work.
It’s all I’ve got,I said.
He clacked his beak and took us back to human.
14
Riggs
When Bree took off up the stairs ahead of us, I suffered through a twisted mix of relief and regret.
It surprised me when Cara patted me on the arm. I faked a deadpan expression, but when I looked down at her, she asked, “Do you believe in Fate?”
My breath left me in an explosion of air. “I actually have no idea,” I replied. But I had more important concerns. “Please tell me Tyrez isn’t going to attend the funeral.”
Her brows dropped. “We have yet to discuss it.”
My instincts screamed at me. “It’s not a good idea.”
The Watcher’s jaw tightened. “For what it’s worth, I agree. But he may not have much choice. If he doesn’t go, it may look suspicious.”
“Do you think they suspect?” I glanced around as we spoke—we weren’t anywhere near other students, but some had very sharp ears.
She shook her head. “I doubt it. But ordinarily, Tyrez would take any opportunity to dig out details of their deaths, and that means talking to Taran about it. Which he can’t do, unless he takes the offer. If he doesn’t go—it would be out of character, and his brother would know it.”
