and panic set in. A thrumming behind my ears only unnerved me even more with the sudden intense spike in my heartrate. Beneath me, the blackness that spread up from the bottom like ink was getting closer, and I pushed toward the surface, hoping I was quick enough to outrun it.
There were no longer bodies dangling in the water, no muffled music or laughter. As my surroundings dimmed, I was painfully aware that it was only me.
I was alone.
Air burst into my lungs the second I broke the surface, gasping. Despite knowing I should get out of there as fast as I could, I was frozen in place. Above me, the once blue sky had grown darker than night, which I hadn’t even known was possible before now. Large embers peeled away from the ground like singed flesh, burning orange and crackling as they lifted into the air. The aroma of smoke and sulfur was overwhelming, making it even harder to catch my breath. In the distance, a fire blazed behind the silhouettes of dense trees, and I can’t explain how, but I knew that what lie beyond it was safety.
Intermittent flashes of lightning touched down beyond the shore, despite the absence of clouds. With each crack of thunder, I swear my heart stopped beating. I fought my way toward the edge, panting when I finally crawled out, onto the wet sand. Whatever I’d seen rising from the bottom had now filled the entire lagoon. What was once a turquoise paradise was now an abyss of dark-colored liquid.
Keeping my eyes trained on the water, I backed away, fully expecting someone—or something—to emerge at any moment and come after me.
Where did everyone go?
Why would my friends leave without me?
Had my guardians even abandoned me?
Or worse, had something terrible happened to them all?
I was reminded of the many warnings we’d been given since arriving here, being told that there was much to fear on this island. Now, I had the sinking suspicion I’d just encountered the very thing from which the locals sought to protect us.
Each step I took was slow and hesitant, unsure of where this space was that I wandered into, but it wasn’t the beautiful Sanluuk I knew. As air rapidly filled my lungs, a thought occurred to me.
This … is hell.
It was the only thing that made sense. I’d died while swimming in the lagoon, and hell opened up and was like, ‘Hey, girl! Come join the barbeque!’ Now, here I was. I guessed horns and pitchforks would be handed out later.
I stumbled backward, into something solid, but it was the squish of cold, wet fabric against my skin that made it abundantly clear this was no tree. With speed I’d never known within me, I spun on my heels, and had to take a step back.
Tall, motionless, emitting a frequency of evil I’d never felt before, a being stood before me, cloaked in a black garb that hid any defining features it may have had. For all I knew, beneath the material, it had no form at all. The only thing I knew for sure was what my gut told me. For starters, this … thing … was what I’d just swam to shore to escape. Even if it hadn’t been for the wet clothing, I would’ve still known.
Actually, I had the acute sense of it wanting me to be aware.
My chest heaved, and my first instinct was to scream, but no sound came. Instead, I just stared.
“Noelle …”
At the first sound that touched my ears, I only half believed I heard anything at all. The odd, hair-raising voice was difficult to classify as either male or female, and I wondered if it was only inside my head. That may seem strange to say, but it seemed to come from everywhere, enveloping me.
“Don’t be afraid,” it insisted.
Don’t be afraid? That’s some sort of a joke, right?
My entire body shook now, despite the heat that engulfed me. More of the scorched earth tore away near my feet, but they weren’t burned, perhaps because my dragon was immune to fire.
The being came closer, enough to make me wish I had the ability to outrun it. However, I don’t think that would have been possible even if I tried. I was certain of this because I hadn’t even seen it emerge from the water. Yet, here it was.
One arm rose into the air, and the cloak sleeve hung from it ominously, leaving me with the impression there was nothing more