Choke.
My tie.
I wasn’t entirely defenseless.
I surfaced and tugged the thin fabric off. Gripping it in my hand, I inhaled deep and ducked under again.
Come here, you slimy monster! Let go of her!
Sabine’s knee knocked into my shin and I darted down toward them. As soon as I felt the slick flesh, I strapped it with my flimsy tie—whatever part of its body I had. I slipped it around and squeezed. The gurgles changed in pitch and it thrashed.
Got you!
It roared and smacked me away. My useless tie flailing in my hand as I floated back.
“Sabine!” Maybe if she held onto me, we could double up and attack it.
Wait. No. She couldn’t see it.
“Where is it?” She yelled a few feet away. “What is it—” Her scream faded as she was pulled down again.
I huffed and blinked to see clearly. Over there. Bubbles and ripples of lake water. As I moved toward them, a shadow darkened the surface directly overhead. Squinting, I allowed a quick look up. That crow again? No, it was a large shadow.
A growl I hadn’t heard for weeks speared through the gurgling rumbles from the sea monster.
My longma!
It stretched out in the sky, its black wings like drapes of evil shrouding us from the weak sunlight. Inky scales glistened and glimmered in a way I’d never seen in the woods on our runs. Flapping its wings once, twice, it showed me its true majestic prowess and strength. With a flick of its head, it jerked back, like a horse neighing, and growled again.
Help!
It lowered toward the water but stayed away from the liquid. Could it not swim? Horses swam. Dragons…? Hell if I knew. As it approached, I spotted something I’d never seen on him before. Hanging from its neck was a shiny chain-link strand. It hovered closer to me, and I saw it clearly. A chain, like a leash, the ending loop busted open. Around its massive neck was a thick band of metal.
Someone had chained it up? Captured it?
It growled as it remained above the water, giving me just enough space to grasp the chain.
To pull me out? Oh. I got it. I gripped the chain link with one hand and smacked my other on top of it.
Help me get her.
It flapped its wings, swerving a little as it aimed in the direction of the struggle under the surface. Then it sped forward with my hold on its chain, pulling me like a boat would haul a skier. We came upon the fight, Sabine and the mud monster down below.
Let her go! Release her now.
Nothing. Above me, the longma roared. Gurgles stopped rumbling, and more mushrooms of water grew. It was rising. Maybe meeting the challenging call from my buddy.
Sabine’s face shot up and out into the air. She coughed and sucked in air. I wasted no time reaching one hand out and grabbing her. I couldn’t even see what I’d gotten a hold of. She was connected to me. That was all that mattered.
“Go!” I yelled at the longma.
It didn’t wait. With gale-force flaps of its wings, it soared forward, away from the sea monster. Faster and faster, we were tugged through the top part of the lake.
“Ow!” Sabine’s hand covered mine, and I glanced back at her. Blood. So much blood streamed from her forearm. “You’re hurting me.”
Then I realized I’d gripped her hair. She held onto my hand, we shuffled our holds, and she latched onto my arm, her hand cupping my elbow as she hung on to me.
I thought the longma would take off into the air, but it didn’t. Maybe we were too heavy, our wet weights combined? It didn’t matter. It was fast enough dragging us toward the shore.
When Sabine’s grip weakened and she slipped from my hold, I struggled to hang on. To her. To the longma’s busted chain. Just before I lost either of them, we slowed, and the toes of my Oxfords dragged against the bumps and edges of rocks under the water.
Shore. We’d made it.
Sabine had passed out and I had to half drag and half carry her to stable ground. Once I’d released the chain, the longma hovered above, its shadow circling over and around my head as I tugged Sabine further onto the land. As if it wanted to make sure I would be okay.
Don’t leave. I’d missed him too much.
With a final growling purr, my friend shot up high in the sky and soared away.
“Sabine!” I slapped at her cheeks and righted her onto her back.
CPR? I thought I remembered the basics.
“Sabine!”
I patted at her face again and leaned down to look and listen for her breathing. My hair draped and clung to my face, and I brushed it back to see.
So much blood.
Her blouse was sopping red-white, like a wimpy attempt of tie-dyed pink. Close to her body, I could see the fresh, angry gashes in her flesh. Along her arm, her shoulder…
“Layla!” Mr. Alwin ran toward us from the upper stretch of the shore. Behind him were a couple of staff members from the medical clinic on campus. Mr. Suthering sprinted after them.
“Over here!” I waved an arm to them, in case they couldn’t see us.
In a flurry of orders, hushed expletives, and a couple of reassurances that everything would be fine, they surrounded us. A medical worker gently pried me back from my unconscious sister as the other began chest compressions for CPR.
“Layla, it’ll be okay,” the man insisted. He tugged me back by the elbow. I stumbled a bit backward, as he was urging me to retreat from resting on my knees. I fell to the side, and something stabbed my arm. Dammit. So not the time to injure myself any more than I already was. Yet, I hadn’t touched the rocky surface. The man’s hand was around my bicep. And the tip of a needle pulled away.
What? What did he do to m…
And darkness took over.
To be continued in
Discovery
Year Two
Acknowledgments
I am so fortunate to have a village to help me bring my stories to life.
For editing, I thank Expression Editing, and C.J. Pinard at www.cjpinard.com. For the cover design and photography, I thank Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design at www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk. For the lovely model, I thank Imogen Carey. For proofreading, I thank Cat at Cat’s Eye Proofing and Promo.
For all the never-ending encouragement, suggestions, and cheerleading, I thank a great team of betas: Crystal, Allyson, Kirsten, Rachel, Jessica, Lisa, Greta, and Lynn. I treasure your input and am so glad to have you in my corner!
Last but not least, I thank my family and friends. Mary, for herding up my kiddos when I get my precious work days. Mom, for the instant advice and inspiration to keep at my dream. My darling daughters, for brightening my days and giving me fodder for characters. Neil, for your patience and listening to all my bookish rambles.
And for my brother, someone I can count on who will always think elves are cool.
About the Author
Amabel Daniels lives in Northwest Ohio with her patient husband, three adventurous girls, and a collection of too many cats and dogs. Although she holds a Master’s degree in Ecology, her true love is finding a good book. When she isn’t spending time outdoors, or wondering how to negotiate with her mightily independent daughters, she’s busy brewing up her next novel, usually as she lets her mind run off with the addictive words of “what if…”
For more information about Amabel’s work, please stop by www.amabeldaniels.com.
Other Books by the Author
Better Than the Best
Appetite of Envy
Resisting Redemption
Covert Identities
Don’t Go Back
Indeed
Always Was
Flawed Plan
Across From You
ds
Secrecy: Olde Earth Academy: Year One Page 21
