Chapter Twelve

I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know why, but my feet moved of their own accord through the dark corridor of the castle. I stumbled and scraped against walls, but I still moved forward. I would face this darkness and save Nezira from her unjust fate.

But as I lumbered through the darkness, tripping and planting my face into walls, I began to wonder if the small black door I took even led out of the castle.

With my luck, this would lead to a death trap, and I had sufficiently succeeded in boxing myself into a dark, deadly cavern. What a lovely thought.

I silenced the pessimism in my mind. I needed to focus on getting out of here, not coming up with all of the things that could—or would—go wrong.

I heard the sound of trickling water up ahead and forced my legs to move quicker. The hall opened up into a water passageway, probably one of the old underground waterways that had provided transport for the citizens of Aria before the Rift Wars. Light shined down from a gaping hole in the tunnel ceiling, revealing the sickly green color of the water channel. The water moved at a slow, agonizing pace, but it was clear that it came from somewhere. Part of me wondered if it came from the naiad lake. The other part told me not to think about what the opposite part was wondering.

The room smelled like a mix of mildew and something metallic, although I couldn’t place what. I looked up at the hole in the ceiling. There were long, thick ropes hanging from the hole. This must have been where construction ended for the channels—the dead, forgotten transportation buried somewhere beneath the castle.

I heard commotion aboveground and desperately looked for a way out.

Hole.

Ropes.

Climb.

I already knew what I had to do.

Geez.

A sinking apprehension seized my stomach as I stared at the sluggish, green water moving down the tunnel. I had to get across if I wanted to get to the hole and climb to the top. The channel was at least five feet across.

But I had to get to the opposite side no matter what.

I braced my legs against the slick stone floor, stepped back several paces, and launched myself over the water channel. Miraculously, I made it to the other side.

In fact, I made it to the other side so good that I slid across the slippery stone floor and into the wall. “Argh!” Pain raced through my shoulder like liquid fire. I took shallow breaths as I stood, clutching my shoulder. But I didn’t have time to pay attention to the pain. Nezira was going to die if I didn’t get there soon.

I stumbled over to the hole and grabbed one of the hanging ropes. I yanked it hard. It held, and I started climbing. I prayed that it would hold out until I reached the top. I walked along the wall, pulling the rope in my hands as I ascended. Finally, after strenuous minutes that felt like hours, I arrived at the top. But what I found on the surface made dread, horror, apprehension—all of it—create a mighty fist and squeeze the remaining ounce of courage from my heart.

A placid body of water stood before me. The rays of the fading sun glinted off the water as wind made circular ripples upon the surface.

I lied.

Wind doesn’t make circular ripples.

Naiads do.

The hole I climbed out of opened to the bank that bordered the lake in front of the castle. Behind me was the castle and in front was the lake filled with man-eating naiads. To my right, I could see the main bridge that led to one of the only exits out of the castle walls. But the bridge was several feet above me.

My only hope vanished into a vapor of smoke. How would I be able to get on that bridge? There were no stairs or ladders leading up to the bridge, and if I was caught by the naiads, they would drown me!

“But do we know if she’s guilty or not?” I heard a familiar, angry voice say. “She’s a slave, for Aria’s sake! Or was a slave, for that matter.” I looked up to see Clarice walking across the bridge, Philippa and Odelia trailing slowly behind.

I was about to yell to them, but then I remembered if I made any noise, the naiads would discover me.

I scanned the shore, looking for a way to scale the bridge. Then it struck me. The rope! I looked at the hole, and found that the rope was attached to a metal hook. I pulled the rope from the cavern and marveled at its length. If I could form a knot with it, I would be able to climb the bridge. Hopefully.

I made my way across the thin sandbank bordering the castle, careful not to make any sudden noises. Fortunately, the sand muted the steps of my muddied dress shoes. The bridge had several posts that, if I could throw well enough, would serve as perfect holders for the knot. I tied the rope and braced myself for the throw.

But all of the sudden, something grasped my leg and made me lose my balance. I tripped and dropped the rope, looking to my side only to see the dark-skinned naiad grinning evilly at me as she pulled me towards the water. I yanked my foot free from her grasp, but she grabbed it again before I could get up. “Let go of me!” I whispered fiercely, although I wasn’t sure why I didn’t raise my voice. Either way, it didn’t matter if I screamed for help. I would drown before they could get to me.

Several more naiads popped their heads out of the water, surveying the scene before them with curiosity. The naiad holding my leg, however, did not stop at my plea. She had managed to pull my leg into the water when a voice rang out on the bridge: “Clear the way!”

I glanced up to see a figure with black hair and a pearl white dress being hauled across the bridge. The guards held Nezira by the arms, dragging her as if she were luggage.

They were heading for the guillotines.

Horror overcame me as I looked at the naiad. Her self-assured smile had disappeared, and was replaced with a look of anger as she continued to pull me into the water with her finned hands. I jerked free of her grasp again, only to be dragged back down—again. Why were naiads so strong? They didn’t have tails like mermaids did—they only had finned feet. The more I struggled, the more I was jerked into the water. My hands clawed at the sand, but I couldn’t grip anything. It was useless. “Please, I’m trying to save that dryad!” I cried. I knew the naiad couldn’t understand, but I tried anyway. “She’s going to be killed for something she had no choice in doing!”

The naiad paused, her green eyes hesitating for a moment. Had she actually understood me? The other nymphs circling her looked at each other in confusion, almost as if they comprehended what I had said.

“We do not associate with the land species,” the dark-skinned naiad hissed. Her alluring voice was far smoother than Nezira’s.

I gaped at her. Why..? How…? I decided to stop questioning why we could understand each other. I needed to view this as an opportunity. “She’s one of your own kind!” I argued. “Wouldn’t—” I paused, desperately trying to think of something to say before the naiad decided to reach out and fully pull me under the water. “Wouldn’t your queen be angry that you refused to help another nymph?”

Anger flared in the naiad’s eyes, and I immediately regretted what I said. “How dare you speak of our queen?” she spat, yanking my leg and hip fully into the water. “Just because you speak our language… You have no right!”

“You’re avoiding the question.” My heart was pounding so hard against my chest; it felt as if it would burst into a thousand pieces of fear and desperation. The naiad stopped trying to pull me under as I continued, “Nezira is a nymph, just like you. Your queen is a sylph, but still a nymph. Wouldn’t you save your queen if she were in danger?” I recalled the stories that Mother told me of a nymph’s loyalty to their monarch. It was a mixture of undying love and pride. Nymphs were loyal to the current ruling family of sylphs. The stunning portrait of the Sylph Queen in the study room came to my mind, but was wiped quickly away as the nymph dug her claws into my shin.

She bared her fangs at me, but something in her eyes told me that I had struck a chord within her. The naiad was indecisive, and the expressions of those around her said the same: doubt.

“Please, just let me go. Let me save the dryad. She is innocent.”

The naiad’s grip on my leg relaxed, although she still kept a firm hold. She studied me through slitted eyes. “Why do you care so much, human?”

“I—” Her question caught me off guard. Why did I care? I cared because I was supposed to care. It was the right thing to care. But was that really why I wanted to save her? “She is going to be executed for a crime she was forced to commit,” I told the naiad. “Saving her is the least I can do.”

Her jade eyes narrowed, cool and calculating. Dangerous. It seemed like she was deciding something within her mind. Finally, she released my leg. “Very well, Harbinger,” the naiad said in that soft, melodic voice of hers. “Save our sister if you so desire. But do not involve us in what will become of your decision. We take no part in human battles.” With that, the nymph ducked beneath the water, swiftly followed by the rest of her group.

What did she mean by Harbinger? I wasn’t exactly a messenger. Unless, of course, she thought I was a precursor to a bad omen. I wouldn’t put it past her to think that. I pulled my leg out of the water and picked up the rope again. The noises of the crowd in the city square sounded across the bridge. The people were cheering for Nezira’s death. I gripped the rope and stared at the bridge.

It was time to do some climbing.

                                                ————————

I was no athlete, but I was able to get to the top of the bridge by a stroke of marvelous luck. But I knew my luck wouldn’t last for long.

I landed on the bridge walkway, surprising the guards at the castle gate. I didn’t have time to explain the circumstances to them. I had a nymph to save.

Forcing strength into my legs, I bolted across the bridge towards the city square. I knew that the yelling from ahead meant they were starting the procession of the execution.

I didn’t know if I would make it. But I was going to try.

The blood pumped through my veins as I pushed myself forward. Every step was agony in my shoulder, but I paid no heed to the pain. Keep going, I said to myself as I reached the end of the bridge. Keep going, I told myself as my muscles burned, as my breath thinned, as my legs felt as if they would collapse. Keep going, I said as I sprinted through the bridge exit.

Keep going, I kept telling myself. Even as I stood in the middle of my worst nightmare, even as I saw the guillotine, the blade raised high over Nezira’s head.

The Royals stood next to the platform as grim onlookers of the situation. Through my exhaustion, I spotted Titus looking at me in confusion

On the platform, Cicero Rauch had just finished reciting the reasons why Nezira was to be executed. He signaled to Maddox, who put his hand on the latch that would release the blade of the large wooden contraption.

“STOP!” As the yell erupted from my mouth, I told myself I was an idiot. A fool. A moron. What place did I have in this world—a simple, nondescript girl of seventeen years—to save a nymph’s life?

But I was here for a reason, and I would use that reason to make the most of what I had.

As the whole crowd turned to look at the gasping, bloodied girl with dirt smears all over her clothes, a deep, contemplative thought crossed my mind:

What the heck was that reason?