Page 100 of The Shrouded Queen
She led me to where five Shifters stood in a line, their horses at their sides, Keir noticeably absent. There was a new face among the Seven. The man I’d seen Rade speaking to before he’d taken me to the Eye of Ketet. He had brown hair the color of tree bark and a deep set of wrinkles in his forehead. Sillia’s age or older.
“Senko of Crestbane,” Velka offered without my having to ask. “The new Second.” The skin around her eyes tightened. She certainly didn’t look happy about it.
Neither did the rest of the Seven. My eyes landed on Bain first, but he gazed straight ahead, not looking at me, showcasing his profile—along with the large bruise covering his jaw and the teeth marks on his throat. Probably the reason Keir wasn’t standing with them now.
My shoulders still ached, my back still smarted, and not for the first time, I found myself feeling grateful for Keir of the Wild Valley.
I climbed onto the stallion Velka designated as mine. The Shifters led the way, but instead of heading down the hill like we usually did, we went up, toward the White Horn Mountains.
A trail curled its way higher, steep and unforgiving, and eventually opened into a clearing bordered by sheer mountainsides that stretched high above our heads. There were no trees here. No ice, either—nothing except for a lake in the center.
A placid lake without so much as a ripple, despite the wind. It was still—too still. And so deep blue it was nearly black. I couldn’t see anything beneath its glassy surface. Velka had mentioned water, but that couldn’t… I couldn’t be expected to get intothat.
Like last time, the priestess was there, Rade beside her. But no crowd, save the six Shifters. Thank the gods.
I dismounted and walked cautiously around the lake to stand beside Rade, only daring to look up at him in darting glances.
He didn’t appear any worse for wear from last night. His brown eyes were honey warm, and he smiled easily at me, his hand brushing mine in silent support. A foul-smelling chain was wrapped around his neck, too, and he carried a waterproof oiled supply bag on his shoulders.
“We began with Phadar,” the priestess said, “God of the Sun, to guide you on your way through the darkness. Now we turn to his wife, Ketet, Goddess of Earth and Sea, for your journey through her realm of water. Ketet and Phadar, the Holy Pair. You are to emulate them here on earth, and you will begin by fighting side by side. From comrades to lovers, as our Holy Pair were.” The priestess pointed at the too-silent lake. “Enter Ketet’s realm together.”
I stared at the glassy surface, knees trembling.
“Amunet,” Rade said, gently taking my shoulders and turning me to face him. I swallowed my wince when he touched my wounds. “It’s important you understand this part. All right? This lake is not a normal lake. It has existed since Ketet shaped the earth. There is one way in and one way out.”
I locked my knees to stop their shaking. “What do you mean?”
“We’ll enter here,” he explained, “but we must exit at the bottom.” When my breath caught, he smoothed his thumbs back and forth over my shoulders, sending trickles of pain down my arms.
“We’ll drown,” I said. Maybe Rade had magic that would help him breathe. I did not.
He nodded. “We’ll need air to make it to the bottom. We’ll take it from the Behemoth.”
My heart pounded. “The what?”
“It’s a creature that lives in this lake. Its blood will help us breathe underwater.”
Tell him, Samira. Tell him right now that you can’t fight any sort of Behemoth, that you have no magic, that you’re a fraud. Tell him, tell him, tell him!
“The Behemoth is large. Obviously,” Rade went on. “It’ll smell us, like a shark. Its size will slow it down. But these will help us approach without being scented.” He pointed to the pouches on his collar. “I’ll use my magic to stun it, and you use yours to penetrate its scales. One sip of blood is all we need. That’s all we have to do.”
That’s all? Dear gods, I was going to be sick. “But my power—”
“It will work,” he assured. “It was the same for me when Eira blessed me. You may not have full access, but when danger arises, it will rise in return to help you. Think of it like an intention to Shaya, an explanation in your soul. When your father hears it, he’ll help you.”
Tell him!
“The lake will let out at the end of the mountain chain, and then it’s a three-day walk back to Frostguard.” He smiled at me. “We can do this, Amunet.”
Tell him, tell him, tell him!
But the words wouldn’t come.
I couldn’t tell if it was cowardice or bravery when I nodded my head and turned toward the lake. Though, if I was honest, beingswallowed by a Behemoth somehow sounded less frightening than facing the hurt my lies would bring. Coward it was, then.
Rade took my hand. “Ready?”
Of course not. But I just clutched his hand and nodded again.
