Page 87 of The Dead Queen

I kneel on a flat boulder and reach forward to test the water. He’s right, it’s not exactly warm, but it’s certainly not cold. I cup my hands and splash my face. The sigh that escapes me is genuine. I unbuckle my cloak and lay it over a stone, then roll up my sleeves and start scrubbing my skin in earnest.

Hunter paddles over to me, then folds his arms on top of the stone to hold himself in place. “You really should get in here with me, Sienna. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. When will you ever get the chance to swim in a warm pond in Korrigan Forest again?”

“I think I can live without it.” I flick water in his direction. “I’d rather not freeze to death when I inevitably have to get out again.”

Hunter grimaces at the reminder and sinks a little lower into the pool. “You know, I always knew you were smarter than me.”

I laugh. “Smarter, no. More cautious, definitely.”

He leans toward me and whispers, “Also more stinky.” He pushes off the stone and tries to swim away, but I splash water in his face before he gets too far.

“Even without a bath, I’m half as smelly as you!” I yell after him.

He sticks out his tongue and continues paddling in circles around the pool. For one glorious moment, I let myself pretend that we are just two people playing in a forest pond. I forget that we’re journeying north with a Wolf. That we’re fugitives from the king. That we’re being hunted.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement on the far side of the pool. Lily pads sway in the ripples Hunter leaves as he swims in slow circles, the white flowers bobbing with each small wave.

But there’s something else.

Farther out, beneath the shifting surface and drifting weeds, something pale flickers just below the waterline. I squint, then rise, stepping carefully from stone to stone as I make my way around the edge of the pool.

There, tangled in the reeds, something moves. For a moment, I think it’s silk—just fabric caught among the water lilies. But then I see the curve of a shoulder and the sweep of long hair, fanned out like spilled ink. The rocks keep me from getting closer, but as I lean forward and the light shifts, I see it clearly.

A body floats among the reeds.

“Hunter!” I yell.

He pivots, looking toward me in alarm. “What is it?”

“A woman.” I point. “In the lily pads.”

She floats face-up. Her pink gown billows around her like she died in the midst of a graceful dance. Her face is peaceful, serene. There’s no sign of bloating or decay, so she can’t have died long ago. But what was she doing this deep in Korrigan Forest, presumably alone? And how did she drown in such a small pool?

Hunter swims toward us. Within moments, he finds her. He pulls her gently from the reeds, the water lilies tugging at her hair as if reluctant to let her go. He carries her to the shallows, where I splash forward, all thoughts of staying dry forgotten. I kneel in the water, pebbles pressing into my knees.

“Is she alive?” Hunter asks, his brow furrowed in confusion. “She doesn’t look dead.”

He’s right. Her skin still holds a flush, her cheeks frozen in a delicate blush. When I glance at her hands, her fingers aren’t blue from death or cold. They’re just pale and slender, like crescent moons.

A horrible thought crosses my mind.

“Enchanted?” I ask, like a child lost in one of the library’s storybooks.

Thankfully, Hunter doesn’t scoff. He spent enough time reading those stories with me when we were young.

“I don’t know.” The upper half of his body is exposed to the chill air and he shivers. “We can’t leave her in here. It’s not decent.”

He looks over my shoulder, back toward the shore. “Would you …?”

I look back at his pile of clothes. He’s still completely naked under the water.

“Right. Of course.” I run back to the large rock and toss Hunter his breeches.

He catches them in one hand, then puts them on under the surface of the water. They’ll be soaked for hours, but there’s not much to be done about that.

Partially clothed, he grabs one of the woman’s arms. I reach for the other and we start to pull her out of the water. She’s heavy with her water-logged dress, heavier than she should be. I look down to see if she’s caught on something.

Open eyes stare back at me.