The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology, #1)(77)

She definitely required a cool down. “Right.” Aerity cleared her throat and walked to the edge of the water. The others followed. Behind her, the younger guard had taken off his shirt, and was tightening his bow and quiver across his back.

“You’re taking your weapon?” Aerity asked. It hardly seemed necessary, and it would surely slow him down. She hoped he didn’t expect them to wait if he lagged behind. The hunters had all set their bows on the shore.

“Course, your highness. It’ll be a challenge, but how else will I protect you from sea vermin?” His tone was joking.

Aerity felt guilty for making him do this. “You honestly don’t have to accompany us.”

“Aye, but it’ll put my mind at ease. Plus, I’ve got to stay fit so I can race my little lad. He’s only three years and already threatening to overtake me.” He winked, and Aerity smiled.

Vixie bent and rolled her trousers up until they were snug above her knees. She did a series of squats and arm stretches that made Aerity smile.

“All right, then.” Aerity looked down the row at all the swimmers, who watched her in return—the men with serious, competitive faces, Vixie grinning wickedly, and Wyneth appearing flushed with readiness. “Ready? And . . . go!”

The seven of them bolted forward with a resounding, running splash into the cold water.











Chapter


36


Aerity sliced through the water as quickly as her arms and legs would take her, marveling at the sensation of leaving everything behind. She pushed beyond herself, past the burn of her shoulders and thighs, past her stifling fears of the future, past the ache that constantly pressed on her chest.

Wyneth was at her side, tired yet keeping pace. Vixie swam ahead of them, the guard behind. Now and then Aerity would turn to stare at the three bodies getting smaller as they swam toward the other barrier island. So far, the lads and lasses seemed neck and neck, but it was hard to tell for certain.

“Come on!” Vixie called to the girls over her shoulder.

Wyneth let out a groan and the two of them pushed harder, their torsos angling side to side with the movement. Three quarters of the way, as Wyneth began to slow, Aerity wondered if this had been a bad idea. Her cousin hadn’t had much physical activity over the past few months.

“Do you need to slow and rest?” Aerity called out to her.

This question seemed to awaken Wyneth and she responded with a loud, “No,” picking up a burst of speed. Aerity smiled. Then she had a fleeting, unwelcome thought about the great beast, how well it swam. Panic coursed into the pit of her belly. She scanned the waters, which were as smooth as glass. The fear left as quickly as it had come, and Aerity nearly laughed at herself.

She watched the Isle of Loch as it neared. Almost there. She could see the sand through the water again. Soon it was too shallow to swim, so they stood, struggling to move their numb legs through the surf. Vixie kept shooting looks over her shoulder at the nearby island.

“They’re standing too! Hurry!”

The girls trudged as quickly as they could, lifting their knees high and making a racket with all the splashing. Wyneth collapsed onto the sand, waves lapping at her feet. Aerity and Vixie saw the hunters standing on the other shore, having turned at the same time as them. They appeared so small.

“A tie?” Vixie shouted. “A bloody tie?”

From afar, Tiern raised his arms and appeared to be pointing down at the men, as if they’d won. Vixie slashed her arms through the air. “Not quite, sir! It was a tie!”

It looked as if their small figures were laughing. Paxton, with his hands on his waist, walked away from the other lads, while Lord Alvi and Tiern talked animatedly. She couldn’t hear their voices at all.

“What do you suppose they’re saying?” Vixie asked. “Better not be saying they won.”

Wyneth sat up, smoothing the wet hair back from her face. “I’m going to need a rest before I can make it back.”

Aerity patted her cousin’s wet head as the guard made it up onto the sand.

He checked his arrows, seeming pleased that they survived the trip. “Bit colder than I anticipated.”

“Aye,” Aerity agreed. She closed her eyes and raised her face to the warm sun, grateful for it. “Let’s rest and get warm again before we head back.”

A warm breeze blew, bringing with it a powerful scent of animal decay. Aerity covered her nose and Wyneth gagged.

“Something’s dead.” The guard laughed.

He wiped water from the wood of each bow, and then gazed up toward the old, abandoned structure. One corner of the building was partly crumpled, a pile of rubble on the ground and exposed deteriorating wood.

“I take it your highnesses will be safe here if I go check out the building? I’ve never been here.”

“Go ahead,” Aerity told him. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“I’ll only be a minute. We need to head back straight away.”

The girls nodded as he left them. Aerity sat in the sand beside Wyneth and stared with her across the stretch of sea. Tiern and Lord Alvi were lounging back on rocks, while Paxton walked among the wild bushes.

Vixie had walked a good ways down the shore, calling out, “Look at the size of this clam! Do you think it has a pearl?”