Chapter 20

F or a breathless few seconds, the current swept Ember away, and then the world disappeared as she plummeted into the heart of the falls. She just had time to suck in a horrified breath to scream, but then the water took her, and she spluttered and coughed, wondering if she was going to be the first person ever to drown in mid-air. The water slowed her descent, but tumbled her around and about, and for a moment she didn't know which way was up. And then, with a terrific splash, she plunged into the pools below.

The volumes of water shoved her under, holding her fast and she struggled and thrashed as the falls tumbled her relentlessly in a maelstrom of bubbles and froth. But her swimming training took over, and she reacted instinctively, diving even lower into the cloudy depths to escape the churning waters.

Her long skirts, so pretty and light above ground, were nothing but a hindrance in the water. They tangled about her legs, heavy and clinging, threatening to drag her down even further. But she was strong, she was used to the water, and she'd taken every swimming course that her job had offered, from lifesaving techniques to beginners' scuba. She wasn't panicked any more. Instead, her focus was solely on two things: one, getting herself into safety, and two, finding Lissa and punching her as hard as she could.

Before long, she was away from the thunderous tattoo of the falls above and into calmer waters, and she swam for the surface. The lungful of air she'd taken was a while ago now. Black spots were dancing before her eyes. She swam and kicked, and eventually broke the surface, gratefully sucking in a deep breath, and then another.

A tight grip on her ankle yanked her under the water again. She kicked out and struggled, but the grip was unyielding. When she saw the green creature with pointed teeth, scaly skin, and a long whipping tail, she almost screamed, but she kicked again, getting her foot in its face. It fell back, its grip loosened, and she broke free.

She swam for the surface again, grabbed another sputtering breath, and then she was under, flailing against the creature who had her by the skirt this time. She twisted a hand behind her back and fumbled at the ribbon holding the waist of her skirt. The fabric fell away as she kicked, tangling the creature in its folds and she had a sudden urge to wrap the skirt around its neck and choke the life out of it. Instead, she headed for the surface again. She'd just taken a breath when there was a splash next to her and she cried out and took a few hurried strokes before she realised Ashe was there.

His muscular arms came about her, and he attempted to bring her to shore, but she pushed him away, weary but still capable of getting herself to the bank.

"There was a … a thing …" she spluttered when she could speak. "Down there."

He dove again. A flash of blinding green lit up the pools, and then he was at her side. A few seconds later, a charred body rose to bob on the surface, the remains of Ember's shredded skirts still wrapped around it, melted into its scaly skin. The corpse drifted to the side of the pool, nudging at the rocks, and then to her horror, something dune-coloured and enormous with too many legs came bounding out of the trees, scooped it up and threw it into a cavernous maw, before disappearing again. The whole incident had taken only seconds, and she gasped and spluttered, swimming hard for the shore, wanting to put as much distance between her and the many-legged thing as possible.

When she got to the edge and dragged herself out onto the grass, she was shaking.

Ashe came beside her and waved a hand, casting some sort of invisible barrier between them and the mist that churned up from the falls. In an instant, she was dry but still cold and shivering from shock. He conjured a soft blanket of black fur and draped it around her, concealing her bare thighs. She nestled into its folds, unable to say anything, and he handed her a crystal glass containing some kind of warm, spicy drink. She drank deep, the tension loosening within her. When she felt she could speak without her voice breaking, she said, "Thank you."

"Perhaps next time you could swim in the castle lake. It's free of vermin."

Her shocked laugh held an edge of hysteria. "Believe me, I wasn't planning on going swimming. Lissa pushed me."

Ashe pressed his lips together as though to prevent a grin, and indignantly she dug him in the ribs. "Don't! I nearly drowned!"

"I apologise," he said, but his eyes danced. "Lissa has always had a fiery streak."

"She's a bitch," Ember said frankly, and this time Ashe laughed aloud. It was a pleasant laugh, she thought, spontaneous and free. He didn't look half so intimidating when amused.

"Cole won't be happy with her," was all he said, and then his face closed over again, and his eyes became shadowed.

She shivered and took another sip of the wine. "What was that thing that grabbed me? And what was that thing that grabbed it?"

"The leggy thing was a spider -"

"A spider! You must be joking."

"Why would I?"

"Spiders are … little."

" You must be joking."

She let out a surprised laugh. "Your spiders are not like our spiders. Thank goodness."

"It must have come over the wall. The guards have not been vigilant. That will be remedied."

"And what about the water thing?"

"A type of scylla—a distant cousin of water sprites. There are a lot of them living in these pools. They're vicious. Not too bright. It was a clever idea, trapping them with your skirts."

His eyes drifted down to the length of her legs, and even though the blanket concealed every inch of skin, she couldn't help but blush. She wondered what he was doing there, and why he had even bothered to jump in and save her. He obviously didn't approve of her. Besides, if he had let her drown, it would have rattled Cole and wouldn't Ashe do everything he could to upset his rival before the tournament? It was beyond her reasoning. He had almost killed her on Earth, and now he was saving her life.

"I'll need a new skirt, if that's alright." He nodded, and she peeked under the blanket to see a new skirt, similar to the last, covering her lower half. "Thank you." She swallowed the last of her drink. "I suppose I'd better go back to the training ground. Cole will wonder where I am."

"No, he won't," said Ashe. "He's focused on Swirl."

His tone was lazy, and it irritated her. Why wouldn't Cole wonder where she was? And what would Lissa say to him?

"Nothing captures Cole's attention for long," he continued. "He gets, he discards. He's fickle."

"Cole cares about me," she said with conviction. "He told me."

"I have no doubt. When he's in the moment, he loves everything he's doing. But there's always another moment, always something else to do."

Offended at his intimation that she was that something, Ember pushed the blanket off her and got to her feet, hoping her knees wouldn't start shaking again. "Then I'm going back to the castle."

Ashe raised an eyebrow and got to his feet. "Not hastening to your lover's side?"

"You just said he was focused on training." She injected a careless tone into her voice, but it did sting to know that Cole was so preoccupied he might not even notice if she was there or not. "I'd just be in the way. Besides, I have no wish to see Lissa right now. I might push her off a cliff too."

Ashe smiled. "I believe you would."

He gave her a courteous bow before pressing the back of her hand to his lips. To her surprise, she felt a languid, mellow warmth spread through her, not a quickening of lust like that inspired by Cole's touch, but a steady glow that thawed her from the inside like a glass of sweet fae wine.

She snatched her hand away. "Don't do that."

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I'll send a guide."

He vanished then, and the barrier was gone, the mist falling upon her and making her skirts damp. A yellow ball of light appeared, and she slowly followed it back up the path winding through the cliffs, and back to the castle.