Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

W ater engulfed Terena, spinning her around like a child’s top. Her lungs screamed, her body falling

falling

She landed and was immediately swept up again and tossed. The burn in her lungs overwhelmed her and darkness edged her sight. When she began to succumb, she was jerked backwards. Her body spun, rocks and dirt biting into her, and she fell.

Landing on her side, Terena’s right shoulder smacked into the ground hard enough she heard the pop before the pain hit. Stars exploded behind her eyes and white hot pain ripped through her as she lost consciousness.

Sleep was so good.

No.

She hated sleep.

Sleep was filled with pain jabbing at her shoulder, her hip, her leg.

Everywhere.

Terena moaned.

She was moving.

She hated the movement.

She squirmed. Cried out when pain lanced through her leg .

A voice.

Someone held her.

Moving.

Someone was moving her. Terena didn’t want to move. She wanted to be still. She begged for stillness.

The voice spoke again.

What was it saying?

“Please,” she whispered. Even that hurt. Her mouth and throat seemed lined with grit and she dropped her head.

Something hard.

Wet.

“Don’t speak,” the voice said.

Terena blinked, her eyes heavy, achy. She moved her head back and saw his face at last.

“Daris.”

“Shh,” he said. Soothingly. That made her settle.

“Your shoulder’s out,” Daris said, his voice short but not unkind. He had set her down on the ground. Terena tried to curl up, whimpering, when her body protested.

“You went over the falls,” he said, his hands probing the rest of her body gently. She opened her eyes, watching him as he methodically moved his hands over her, feeling for other hurts he could not see.

Terena sighed.

“My leg,” she whispered, her hand reaching out to touch his as it came to her hip.

“I see it,” he said. Daris rose and walked a few feet away. His head lifted to the sky, and she turned her head to see where he was looking. A hole, with meager light filtering down. The dull roar of the falls surrounded them.

“She’s down here!” Daris shouted.

Terena inched back, trying to sit up. When she cried out, Daris was at her side.

“Don’t move,” he murmured as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It hurts,” she whispered through gritted teeth .

“I know, I know,” Daris crooned. She blinked up at him. His face softened.

“Listen,” Daris said firmly, “I need to get your shoulder back in. It’ll be quick, I promise, but it will hurt.”

Terena nodded, not taking her eyes off him.

His lips thinned, and he moved to her right side. Daris put an arm under her, bracing her against his chest and, with his right hand, held her wrist lightly.

“I’m going to do it on three,” he said, his eyes boring into hers. She nodded again.

Daris moved his hand up an inch. “Ready? One, two?—”

Terena didn’t have time to brace as he pulled with one quick snap of his wrist. Her brain seized as pain seared through her shoulder and down her arm. She gasped and blinked rapidly against stinging tears, rolling down her cheeks unchecked as she panted.

“What the fuck happened to three?” she squeaked. Her arm shook. Cradling it against her chest, she shot him a mutinous look.

“Don’t be a baby,” he muttered, moving back to her left. The arrow piercing her thigh had snapped during her fall, but was still in her leg.

Daris pushed her hip gently. “Can you lay on your right a bit more? I need to push it out through the front.”

Terena’s head bobbed, teeth gritted as she shifted her hips. She hissed when the movement made her leg throb. Daris’s hands moved over her leg, and she stifled the urge to laugh. This was not the situation she’d imagined when his hands moved over her body. She’d much rather they’d been in a big, comfortable bed. Maybe a?—

“ Fuck!” she screamed when he pushed the arrow further into her leg. Her body shook, and she lifted her left hand to push his hands away. Dropping her head back, she closed her eyes, biting her lip hard enough to taste blood.

“Terena!”

Croak’s shout from above made Terena whip her head up. She panted.

“She’s fine,” Daris called out, his eyes hot and mouth pinched as he stared at Terena. “I’m getting the arrow out! ”

“Don’t you fucking hurt her!” Croak yelled back, his voice breaking.

A muscle jumped in his throat, but Daris only replied, “Jason! Move everyone back!”

He turned back to Terena. “Ready?”

She wasn’t coherent enough to speak. Her mind had seized, paralyzed by the excruciating, fiery flame searing her from the inside. She kept her eyes closed, the tears falling freely. Her shoulders trembled.

A few moments of quiet settled around her, and Terena thought the worst was over.

Then Daris yanked the arrow out. Black spots crowded behind her lids and the void enveloped her.

Terena awoke to Daris shouting in her face, his hand gripping her chin.

“I didn’t even get a warning?”

Daris hung his head. When he looked back at her, his face was pale, but he managed a smirk.

“You didn’t die,” he said gruffly. Daris looked back at the wound. Blood pooled and her leg shook violently.

Daris sat up straight and took off his leather armor, then lifted his tunic.

“We don’t have time for that,” Terena joked, a tiny laugh escaping her lips. She sobbed again, ruining the effect.

The corners of his lips tugged up. Daris tore the bottom of his shirt, setting it under her leg, and put one of his hands between her legs. “Believe me,” he said as he wound the strip of cloth around her leg. “When we get back to Sparta, I’ll make time.”

Terena’s heart seized. Did he know what he was saying? She’d been teasing.

Was he?

“Good for now,” he said, more to himself.

“Hey!” a voice called down. Jason?

Daris shot her one last look before he pivoted, rising to stride over to the hole, and looked up.

“Don’t bother,” he said, “she can’t climb with her shoulder. ”

“Tie it around her waist. We’ll lift her up.”

Terena looked up at Rydon’s suggestion. Daris looked over at her with an arched eyebrow. She shook her head. “We found the caves. Let’s see if we can find Bethana now.”

“We can try to come down,” Jason called back.

“No, don’t,” Daris yelled back. He waved a hand. “There’s a path down here. I’ll find another way out.”

“You sure? Croak is going nuts up here,” Jason said, his voice echoing around the small chamber.

Terena shifted, groaning against the pain trying to keep her rooted to the ground.

“Tell him I’m all right!” she bellowed.

Daris glanced back at her, then turned back to the hole. He held a hand to his mouth and called out, “You hear that? I’ll get her back to him. I’ll get her back to you, Croak!”

“All right,” Jason’s disembodied voice called down. A second later, the rope hanging down was pulled up.

Daris walked back and hunched down at her side. He frowned, moving to her right. He put his arm under her shoulders again and she whimpered, holding her injured arm close to her chest.

“Easy now,” he said in a low voice and she shivered. He lifted her up as if she was as light as air and shifted to tuck her closer.

His face was close to hers now. Heat stung her cheeks as he looked down at her.

“Good?” he asked, his voice a caress.

She nodded. Didn’t trust herself to speak.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a god?” Daris chided. “You seem to get hurt often. And easily.”

She gave him a sour look.

Daris’s lips twitched. He turned to look around, and Terena watched him out of the corner of her eye. The strong column of his neck was inches from her lips. The thought kicked up a corner of her mouth.

“Right,” he said. “This way.”

He began walking further into the cavern, further from the light filtering down. The deeper they went, the darker the cave became, and he cursed. “This isn’t going to work. I can’t see.”

He paused, looking around.

Terena shifted. “Put me down,” she said. He turned his eyes back to her.

“I can?—”

“We need a light, which we don’t have,” she said and hissed as another sharp pain shot through her arm when she moved. “I’ll be fine to walk, but we need you free to feel where we’re going and, you know, in case there’s anything in here wanting to eat us.”

“Like a giant snake?” he asked. She could feel the smile on his lips. Something hot moved in her chest that was definitely not pain.

“Exactly,” Terena snapped. “Put me down.”

Daris held her for a few seconds more. Long enough she arched an eyebrow at him. He set her down gently, still holding his arm around her back as she steadied herself.

“I’m good now.”

He dragged his arm away, letting his hand slide down to her lower back. Terena shivered at the trail of tingles his fingers left behind. Arching her back, she moved a half hop away.

Terena let out a low noise as her leg protested. Daris’s arm shot back out to steady her, but she batted at it with her left hand, mewling when the motion only jostled her bad shoulder.

“Just… go. I’ll be right behind you.”

Daris stood at her side a moment before he started walking. Using his right hand to feel along the rock wall, his left hand stretched back to Terena. He glanced back at her, then switched positions, holding his right hand back to her. He waggled his fingers and she huffed, giving him her hand.

“What happened up there?” she asked after a few minutes of silence. His hand gripped hers tight when she put weight on her bad leg.

“Rivermen,” he ground out. He glanced back at her before turning back. “When you fell in the river, we’d already cut down the ones on our side. Michael grabbed up your bow and took care of the ones on the other side while Rydon, Jason, and I chased after you. Rydon wanted to jump in, but you’d gotten to the branch. Thought we could grab you then, but right when we got to you…”

Terena squeezed his hand twice. “And?”

He was silent for a few moments. “We got to the bridge in time to grab you, but the current’s fast near the edge and when you went past me, I thought we’d lost you.” He was silent again before he added in a gruff voice, “Then we did lose you.”

“How’d you find me?”

A long pause. Then, “We ran down to the bottom. Rydon and I jumped in. Croak ran at us like a lunatic. It was chaos. I don’t know about the others, but I went under and swam. Saw there was an entrance behind the falls and went in. Found the hole.”

“And the handsome hero jumped in to save the lady fair,” Terena said, her voice rough as she grimaced against a fresh stab of pain down her leg.

Daris looked down at her with a smile. “You think I’m handsome?”

She twisted her lips at him. He winked.

“Fucking Rivermen,” she said into the dark. His only response was a grunt.

“Hey,” he said after a few minutes of silence. Terena looked up. “It’s lighter up ahead.”

As if his words conjured the light, the corridor became brighter as it narrowed. Terena sensed the decline and her feet faltered. Daris turned and stepped closer, pulling his hand—and hers—closer to his side as they stepped slowly down and into another large cave.

“What happens if we find Bethana?” Terena asked, slightly lightheaded from holding her breath to navigate the last few steps into the opening.

“Hopefully, the others will find us before then,” he said roughly. She looked up and yelped when he wrapped his arm around her waist, swinging her up and over some uneven flooring. Terena mumbled her thanks. He slipped his hand down until he had hold of her hand again. She sucked in her lips to hide the smile blooming.

“Or, we find a way out. ”

“Right,” Terena replied softly.

The sound of the river surrounded them as they moved through the cave. Daris stopped to get his bearings. “This way,” he muttered.

Terena followed, her stilted steps annoyingly slow. “Do you mind—oh gods!”

Daris whipped around as she gasped, biting down hard on her lip as another wave of pain tore through her leg when she’d stepped on a rock and her ankle gave.

His hands grasped her waist, digging in until she was steadied.

“Thank you.”

“Are you all right?”

Terena nodded, her hands on his forearms. She let out a half sob, half laugh. “Fucking pathetic.”

“Why don’t you use your powers to heal yourself?”

Terena scowled at him. “We’re doing that now?”

He arched an eyebrow.

“What?” Terena asked.

“Can you?”

“Can I what?”

“Heal yourself.”

“Aye! Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Thank the gods you’re here to remind me to heal myself!”

He pulled back with a smirk as he shook his head. “Who knows? Maybe you like faking injuries to get my attention.”

Terena’s eyes threatened to bulge out of her face. “Are you kidding me right now?”

Daris’s grin was so disarming, her lips opened, momentarily forgetting she was angry with him.

“You’re playing with fire, Commander,” Terena hissed, and yanked his hands off her hips.

“So. To be clear, you don’t have the power to heal yourself.”

Terena snarled at him. His grin widened before he took her hand once more. She tried to shake him off, causing another streak of pain to rumble through her body.

“I only want to get you to that rock over there. See it? You can sit and relax a few minutes while I look around. I think the light is coming from over there.”

Terena mumbled under her breath but let him guide her to the rock he’d indicated. It was not so low she’d have trouble lowering herself on it. Terena gritted her teeth, tightening her hold on his hand as Daris brought his arm around waist and helped her sit.

When she was settled, Terena gave him a quick nod as he watched her. After a moment in which his hands lingered at her waist, Daris moved off toward the far side of the cave where a thin stream of light wavered.

Terena tipped her head back and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glanced around the cave. He was gone.

And she was alone.

Perfect.

Terena lifted her hand to her hair, brushing back the black strands plastered to the side of her face. She groaned, thinking how disastrous she must look.

She wiped her nose on her forearm and loosed a long sigh.

Something slid behind her.

She stilled, holding her breath as she listened.

There it was again. Closer.

Where was Daris?

“Who are you?”

Dread buzzed through Terena’s body at the silky voice coming from behind her.

That sliding sound came again, and Terena slowly turned her head to look over her injured shoulder.

“I smell the other one on you,” the voice said languidly. “Is he your lover?”

Gods.

Terena shifted on the rock as she tried to find the source of that voice. She didn’t have to see it to know who it belonged to.

“Bethana,” she whispered.

The sliding stopped. A second later she heard the hissing voice near her left ear and jumped .

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time,” the serpent said, her voice edged in steel.

Terena willed her body to stop shaking.

“You smell different,” the serpent said, closer still. Terena sensed her over her shoulder, but did not move. “You smell like him, but beneath that…”

“Over here!”

Terena’s eyes snapped up, finding Daris as he stepped back into the cave, his sword out.

The serpent hissed and Terena held up a hand to stop him from moving closer.

“The lover returns,” Bethana hissed, drawing out her words. Terena shuddered at the brush of the serpent’s forked tongue near her ear.

“There’s no glory in killing an injured warrior,” Daris called out angrily. “Come for me instead.”

The serpent remained at Terena’s side. “She’s much more interesting.”

Terena’s gaze locked with Daris’s. “Go,” she whispered loudly. “Please, go.”

Daris shook his head once, ignoring her plea. “Come for me, Bethana.”

“Willing to die for your love?” The serpent crooned.

“No one has to die,” Daris said. “If you move away from her now, we’ll leave you in peace.”

The serpent let out a hoarse laugh. “That’s not a very enticing offer,” she said, her voice seductive. “I want to know more about your lover. There’s something fascinating about her.”

Daris took another step closer, earning him a hiss loud enough to reverberate through Terena’s body.

He stopped, holding up his free hand. “What’s so fascinating about her?”

The serpent, Bethana, moved, and Terena could see her out of the corner of her eye. She shifted her gaze back to Daris.

Daris looked between Terena and Bethana .

“You know,” the serpent hissed.

“No, I don’t. What is it?”

“She smells like them .”

Terena quaked. She sensed the rage emanating from the reptile. She turned her head a bit more and winced when she saw its eye focused on her.

“Who do you mean?” Daris called out, his voice loud as if to force the serpent to keep its focus on him.

“He was jealous,” the serpent hissed at Terena, its tongue darting out to flick Terena’s cheek. “He found us. Turned me into this!”

“Do you speak of Poseidon?”

The serpent snapped forward, hissing angrily at Daris. “DO NOT SAY THAT NAME TO ME!”

Terena let out an involuntary sound as the serpent raged. She caught sight of its body and closed her eyes.

Bethana was much bigger than Melanos had led them to believe.

“She smells like him.” Bethana turned her head and Terena’s blood drained from her body, terror squeezing her heart as she beheld the face of nightmares.

“She’s not like him!” Daris shouted.

“DO NOT LIE!” The serpent snapped forward again, this time at Daris. To his credit, he did not flinch.

“I am this now. My love killed. Because of him !”

“Melanos lives!” Terena cried out, her voice breaking. She swallowed.

The serpent whipped its head back to her. It crept close slowly and Terena froze.

“ Lies!”

Terena shook her head quickly. “No. No, in truth, he lives. We just saw him. We dined with him last eve. He lives.”

Bethana watched her with those unblinking eyes. “Where?”

Terena exhaled and swallowed again. “Nearby. Half a day’s journey. He was… when Pos—when you were turned, Melanos was cursed to live in a cave near here, forever. Never to leave. Never to come find you. ”

The serpent regarded her for so long, Terena’s lips trembled as she exhaled.

“You look familiar,” it hissed, twisting its head.

“Melanos lives,” Terena repeated, an edge of desperation in her voice.

“Lies,” Bethana said at last, her face resuming its slow progress toward Terena. “You smell like him and you lie!”

Terena raised her hand to shield her face as Bethana struck. She heard Daris’s roar behind the serpent as its mouth widened and clamped down on Terena’s forearm.

Terena screamed and time warped. The serpent had its fangs deep in her arm; they went through the other side. Terena yanked on her arm with a cry, renting the air around them, rattling the cave. Time sped up and Terena stumbled off the rock as the serpent screeched, slithering off to the far side of the cave.

Terena looked up. Daris lunged, running toward Bethana as she reared up for another attack. Daris launched onto the rock Terena had been on, pushing off with such force he flew. Terena blinked, slack-jawed, and got to her knees. Daris brought his sword up with both hands and landed, slamming the blade down, severing her tail.

Bethana’s scream shook the cave and Terena fell back, hitting her head on the ground.

Daris was in front of her a moment later, cursing loudly as he gawked at the fangs in her arm.

“What the fuck?” Terena cried, holding out her arm as she stared at it in disbelief. Her breath heaved in panicked waves.

Daris grabbed her around the waist and lifted her over his shoulder. Snatching up his sword, he ran toward the pathway where the light was coming from.

Terena’s head swam. She looked up in time to see Bethana slithering toward them fast. Terena screamed at Daris to go faster.

They made it into the passageway as the serpent lunged for them again.

She closed her eyes .

When she opened them again, her vision swam. She was still bobbing on Daris’s shoulder.

She closed her eyes again.

Pain ripped through her and she cried out.

She blinked against the blinding sunlight. How long was she out?

Where were they?

Daris began shouting, calling out for his men, for anyone.

Shouting so loud her ears hurt.

When next she woke, she was on a horse.

Her eyes drifted shut.