Breaker (Ondine Quartet Book 4) by Emma Raveling

Author:Emma Raveling [Raveling, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mandorla Publishing
Published: 2015-01-28T05:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

Three cycles.

No visits. No nix blood.

No Ian.

Hunger and thirst had burned through my body leaving behind a fog as if I hadn’t slept in weeks.

The face of survival shifted again and it now became about conserving what energy I had left.

Time slowed.

Stillness conquers all.

Without nix blood, my magic slowly returned, a faint energy flickering in my core.

But its power was dimmed and my body was too wasted to use it.

Darkness wavered, thinned.

It was fading. Wasn’t it?

Yes. Light was coming.

A small patch of white feathered the dark, diluting the deep cold until it faded beneath its warmth.

Slowly, it widened until its edges touched the water pooled on the ground.

Drip.

Listen, Kendra.

It skittered across the surface, catching on dips and curves.

Finally, the water stilled. The surface smoothed to glass, waiting to accept the next drop from above.

I saw my hands reflected in the quiet surface. Dirty fingers gripped a chain slung across an enormous hook.

Something was different.

A detail.

My mind struggled to see through the haze.

The clasp was open.

It was usually locked tight, sealing the chain in the hook.

I remembered Bastien leaning in, his hand reaching above me, arm aligned with mine.

He’d unlocked it.

Something small and hard sparked in my chest, a match flaring to life.

I gathered up the last shreds of energy, the slim reserve honed from years of conditioning.

Her voice echoed again.

Move.

Everything hurt so much.

Survive, Kendra.

The hook was deep. I grasped the chain and swayed back and forth, balancing on the tips of my toes. With each swing, I edged the chain forward.

I tracked my progress in the water.

I needed enough momentum to lift the chain two inches so I could get it over the hook.

Those two inches grew larger, wider, until it became the farthest distance I’d ever encountered in my life.

I watched my reflection and increased momentum, body focusing on the moment of release.

Garreth and Ewan’s voices joined hers, the knowledge I’d acquired in training blending with everything she’d taught me over the years.

Balance in release, balance in landing.

Listen.

The water on the pipe beaded, ready to drop.

I kicked and pushed up. The chain hit the tip of the clasp, but didn’t have enough height to get over.

The chain rattled and sank back on to the hook.

Drip.

A new ripple distorted the reflection.

I waited until the water settled again, frustration mounting with each second.

I tried again. And again.

Each time the chain sank bank into the curve. I wasn’t getting high enough.

The ground blurred, exhaustion pulling my mind farther away.

The sun continued its journey. Light passed through the water and my reflection submerged into darkness.

I had to wait for another cycle.

My body continued to weaken.

I visualized the kick that would finally set me free. It kept me here, grounding my mind so it didn’t drift away in the fog.

Finally, the light returned.

It inched its way across the dark, opening, expanding, until it stretched across the water.

Drip.

A faint ripple shimmered across the surface.

Exhaustion flowed through my body. Everything wanted to shut down.

The ripples quieted.

Stillness brought reflection.

I had to get home.

To Haverleau.

To Tristan.

I kicked with every ounce of strength I had left.

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