Page 63 of Omen of ice
“Kelpies are wild, violent creatures. Shapeshifters.” I turn back to the trolls. “How do you expect us to retrieve this item from a kelpie? It will devour us before the first word.”
“If you want to cross the bridge, those are your choices. Leave the human or retrieve our treasure chest from Daroose.”
“Or do not cross at all.” The female lets out a horrible gagging sound I imagine is laughter. She doubles over, her enormous shoulders shaking with mirth. More rubble dislodges from the bridge and falls into the chasm below, and I wonder how sturdy the thing is. Even if we manage to strike a deal with them, will we make it across in one piece?
“Go back the way you came,” the troll says.
“No, we’ll retrieve your golden chest.” Tania squares her shoulders. I start to object, but she grabs me by the wrist and drags me back along the path.
In addition to trolls, they obviously don’t have kelpies in Lunal. If she thinks this will be as simple as storming the lake and demanding the chest, she’s in for a rude surprise. “We’re not going to be able to get that chest from the kelpie.”
“To get to Ventin, we have to get past the trolls. You said that bridge is the only passable way. I don’t see another choice.”
“And how, since you’re obviously an expert onall subjects, are we going to do that?”
She shrugs and keeps her pace. “You have magic.”
“Oh. Magic. Is that your plan?”
“You have Fae magic. So, technically,Ihave Fae magic, too. Yes. That’s my plan.”
I stare at her. “Perhaps we’ll stroll up, ask it nicely to hand over the treasure, and if it doesn’t, simply freeze the water?”
“Please.” She rolls her eyes. “That would never work. The chest would be buried beneath solid ice. We’d never get it back.”
“Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of that? How silly of me.”
With a confident nod, as if she just won an argument thatwasn’ttotal nonsense, she starts off in the direction of the lake, and I follow her, shaking my head.
This girl is either going to be my sweet salvation or my bitter end.
The sun is about to set as we approach Sonnet Lake. I might prefer a snowier backdrop, with ice-tipped branches and crystalized leaves, but even I can admit this is beautiful. A rare section of thriving earth. Tall reeds tower over thick patches of wildflowers that sway gently in the subtle breeze. The blooms are every color imaginable, from bright red to the darkest black. Dense tree cover shades a good portion of the lake, allowing the sun to beat down almost directly in the center as if shining a spotlight.
We stop at the water’s edge, and Tania spins in a slow circle. “How do we find the kelpie?”
I stoop down, balancing on the balls of my feet, and dip a single finger into the cool water.
The surface instantly ripples, and a gentle wave pulses outward from the center, directly beneath the small patch of light from the sun. When it reaches the edge, it dissolves into nothingness, only to be followed by a second, stronger one.
A head of golden hair rises slowly from the heart of the wave, followed by the body of a man. Once fully emerged, the figure stands atop the water just as solidly as we stand on the bank.
The kelpie. Its human form is slightly shorter than me, though bulkier. It has hair that holds an unnatural glisten against the light, and its blue eyes are just a shade too bright to be mortal. Its clothing—simple dark cotton pants and a matching tunic—appear bone-dry and brand new.
It quirks a brow. “It’s an unwise being that disturbs my lake without invitation.”
“And what would one have to do?” Tania asks. She steps closer to the water’s edge, and I resist the urge to reach out and drag her backward. “To win an invitation?”
The kelpie laughs. “Wicked things,” he responds with a disturbingly human wink. “Very wicked things, indeed.”
“I thought kelpies preferred to appear in true form?” The creature is a shapeshifter. The most devious and vile kind. Unforgiving in nature, a kelpie is said to use its razor teeth and vicious hooves to tear apart travelers who happen upon their homes by accident. What the beast does to those it purposefully lures there is far worse. The fact that it came to us wearing a human grin puts me on edge.
“As magnificent as my true form is to behold, how would I be able to converse with you if not like this?” The creature leans forward and inhales deeply. As if savoring the breath, the kelpie closes its eyes for a moment. When it exhales, its eyes snap open. Gaze locked on Tania, it says, “Perhaps I would have been able to speak withyou. Are you truly a druid?”
Tania bows. “I am. I am an Aphelian.”
The kelpie cocks its head and studies her. “I don’t know that tribe.” It leans forward and squints. “The markings on your forehead are…strange. Unlike any of the druids I know.” It tilts its head and snickers. “Well, I supposeknewwould be more accurate. You humans are so short-lived.”
Tania touches her fingers to the sigil on her forehead, shifting from foot to foot. “Tribe?”
