floated at its surface, a stark contrast to the smoking black ash surrounding the pool’s edges.
“It’s still here,” Trissa said in wonder.
That crazy warlock dude was right.
Trissa unshouldered her pack and pulled out a giant canning jar big enough to hold water for at least two crystals.
Snap.
A twig broke again, this time closer.
Trissa turned to me slowly, alarm showing in the way her wings snapped erect.
“I’m going to need you to get the water and then be ready to run. We’re being followed.”
She handed me the jar and Elle pulled a few more throwing knives from her thigh holster.
Snap.
Snap.
Followed? By what?
I couldn’t see anything out in the thick dark woods, which was more terrifying than knowing what was out there. Taking a deep breath, I trusted that the girls had my back and swooped down to the edge of the waters, crouching on my heels. The small pond was only about thirty feet in diameter, with black charred grass that came all the way up to the edge. Foul smelling, sulfurous smoke ebbed from tiny holes in the ground, but the water … the water was the most beautiful color of teal I’d ever seen.
Unscrewing the lid of the jar, I reached my hand into the water. The moment my fingers touched the turquoise water, a zap of power shot up my arm and whacked my funny bone.
“Ow!” I yelped, my fingers springing open and dropping the water jug. “No!” Leaning forward, I reached all the way into the water and tried to grab the jar, but it sank to the bottom of the pond. That power zap happened again, and I yanked my arm out of the water to find my heart jackknifed in my chest. What the hell?
Why is the healing water trying to kill me?
“What’s wrong?” Trissa asked without looking back at me. Her eyes were peeled for anything moving in the creepy-ass dead forest.
“It … zapped me and I dropped the jar.”
“Zapped you? Okay, well, dive in, we need to get a move on. The water is perfectly safe, I assure you. My grandmother swam in it daily, and lived longer than we all could tolerate.” That made me grin. Okay, swimming in the zapping healing pool. No big deal. No pain, no gain.
Snap. Another twig. This one sounded like it was right behind me.
Without waiting another moment, I took in a huge lungful of air and dove into the cool water. I plunged into the deep lake and it felt like my skin was crackling. A burning tingle worked its way up my back and I started to panic. Maybe the healing pool had changed since Trissa once knew it. But I was already halfway down. I might as well bear the pain and get the jar. Kicking, I swam to the lower depths of the clear pond and wrapped my fingers around the edge of the glass. The second my fingers touched the edge of the jar, something pulled at my navel, and then everything around me spun. It was like I’d been thrown inside of a washing machine, similar to when Mara transported us from Faerie to Earth. The water swirled around me and I got disoriented. Then I was falling.
What the…?
It was a portal.
I dropped onto dry earth, inside some kind of cave, landing hard on my feet. Water dripped from me as I stood soaking wet on the sandy beach.
Doing a full 360, I realized I was trapped. The cave was completely closed off, no light but for the small glow of a few crystal lamps that hung on the walls.
“Hello, dear,” a lyrical female voice called out behind me.
A bright golden light at the back of the cave flickered. I stepped closer and the light began to etch into details of a humanoid form.
Whaaaat the…?
Long red hair cascaded over a woman’s shoulder as the light then moved to her lower half and it took the form of a tail. The cave glowed so brightly with this golden light I had to squint or risk being blinded.
When the light died down, I stood before … a mermaid.
A gasp left my throat. I thought they’d all died.
“Umm, hi,” I croaked.
She smiled and beckoned me closer. I took small, cautious steps until I was close enough to be respectable but far enough to retreat if attacked. Mermaids were beautiful, loving creatures, but they looked an awful lot like sirens, which were another story. I couldn’t trust my judgement to tell the two apart