White Stag (Permafrost #1)(57)

I nodded. Soren’s words didn’t help me relax, but they made sense. “He told me Lydian is planning something, and I don’t think it’s something good.”

Soren snorted. “When does Lydian ever plan something good? No, but I heard him too. He’s definitely up to something. I figured that out the moment he said he could use me. But if we kill Seppo, we might never know what’s going on.”

I sighed. “We have to do this, don’t we?”

Soren nodded, his hair falling in front of his eyes. “I know you can do it. Whatever the n?kken asks of you, I know you have it in you. You’re strong and brave, you can do anything you wish.”

A giggle spurted from my lips. Strong? Brave? I didn’t feel like either of those things. But Soren thought them, and brutal honesty was his specialty.

“Let’s go then,” I said.

“Seppo,” Soren called back. “Come on.”

Footsteps sounded until Seppo popped up again. As we walked, the rushing sound grew closer until the salty tinge of water was in the air. Back in Elvenhule we would go down to the docksides to swim, and the smell of the ocean was always my favorite. In the dark cavern, my heart twisted with homesickness as once again I smelled the sea. I pictured the water rushing, sloshing, roaring like the force of nature it was. I had been a good diver when I was young; I could still hold my breath for a long time. Surely, I could do this. I could, I would save Soren, just like he’d saved me.

“It’s my fault you’re poisoned, you know,” I whispered, hoping Seppo wouldn’t hear.

“No,” he said plainly. “It isn’t. I could’ve let you die, saved myself. My instincts would have agreed with that course of action. But I wasn’t listening to my instincts, I was listening to something else.”

“Your heart?” I raised an eyebrow.

He smirked. “You should know by now I’m a heartless monster.”

From behind us, Seppo was pretending to heave. “Ugh. If I wanted to see a blossoming relationship, I’d have stuck to my mother.”

Heat crawled up my neck.

“Seppo,” Soren said, “I hardly ever agree with my uncle, so take this as the special occasion that it is. You talk too much. And you’re beginning to annoy me.”

Seppo’s eyes widened at the dangerous tone Soren’s voice had taken, and he nodded vigorously. Then, because the man couldn’t seem to help being obnoxious, he pantomimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

“If I don’t kill him because he’s working for Lydian, I’m going to kill him because he’s a pain in the ass,” I muttered under my breath.

Soren’s lips twitched into the ghost of a smile. Then he stopped sharply, good arm out to block us from going farther. I peered over his shoulder, and my eyes widened in awe.

The salty water fell from a waterfall overhead, the current swift as it spiraled down and down into a whirlpool. The water was as black as night, moving at a pace that could sweep even the strongest swimmer away. I was a good swimmer, but this?

It doesn’t matter. You need to save Soren. And this is how you’ll do it. I swallowed. I could do this. I hope.

“Do you know where the lair would be?” Soren asked.

“There’s got to be an underwater cove somewhere,” Seppo said.

I unhooked the bow and quiver from my back, but kept the stiletto at my side, just in case. Then I narrowed my eyes at Seppo. “You better be right; if you’re not, I’ll kill you.”

“I am right,” he said. “I know I am.”

Discreetly, I turned and whispered in Soren’s ear, “If it came to it, you could take him, right?”

He snorted with contempt. “A half goblin? I’d have to be an inch from death not to take him.”

I stepped forward onto the cold, slippery rock.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, and dove in.

The coldness of the water shocked me, and I barely had a chance to recover before the rapid current swept me forward. I took a breath, forcing as much air into my lungs as I could, and dove deep. Despite the salt in the water, I opened my eyes to watch the dark currents spiral down. With a powerful kick, I pushed my body into one of the faster currents, riding it down to the bottom. My eyes blurred at the speed, and behind my ears the pressure built up until I was sure my brain would explode. There had to be an entrance somewhere.

The steady burning in my chest reminded me of my ever-dwindling supply of oxygen, but I’d held my breath for seven minutes in my prime. Even now, with my body begging for air, I was sure I could go for at least five.

I spotted the hole and propelled myself to it. The current pulled at me again, its ever-seeking fingers grasping at my clothes. I should’ve taken them off, never mind the embarrassment, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

I fought as the current tried to pull me back into the vortex, dragging myself from rocky outcrop to rocky outcrop. My muscles burned with exhaustion, my lungs burst into flames. Fighting a flow this strong was using up all my extra air. As my head grew light, I made a final thrust into the hole.

Inside the small hole, the water was calmer, lapping back and forth in gentle waves. My muscles relaxed as the calm water became clear, and as black spots edged my vision, the tunnel shot upward, then to the right, and my head burst from the water into the sweet, cold air. I sucked up as much as I could, gasping until I caught my breath. Then I pulled myself forward, up onto the stones where the water lapped gently.