Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye

Author:Evelyn Skye
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Daemon swam all night. He swam until his muscles cramped, and then he pushed on some more, the magic of his sailfish spell allowing him to continue past ordinary human limits. His lungs burned and his lips cracked from the seawater, and still, he kept swimming. He would never make it to Tiger’s Belly before the ryuu. Their magic could command the sea. Even against an ordinary ship, Daemon’s arms and legs would be no match. But he could do his best and swim ashore on one of the smaller islands nearby.

At the same time, he tried to project the will to resist Prince Gin through his gemina connection. Where was that electric feeling he’d had before, the sharp spark he’d used to shock Sora out of the Dragon Prince’s spell? He needed to send it to Sora again.

But he couldn’t find it. Perhaps Daemon had to be under attack by Prince Gin’s magic in order for his own defenses to rise. There was no blaze of resistance now, just his own thoughts reciting, Be strong, Sora, be strong, over and over again.

And yet, even that was useless. His urging went nowhere, like throwing a ball at a cushioned wall. It simply bounced back, muted. It was as if Sora’s mental ramparts were up.

Why were her ramparts up?

Oh gods, he thought, his arms growing heavier in the water. What if Prince Gin has already hypnotized her?

Part of Daemon wanted to let himself drown. He couldn’t bear to think of Sora stolen by the Dragon Prince. His strong, brilliant gemina reduced to one of the lemmings who followed the prince around.

But another part of Daemon knew that he had to keep going. If Sora had fallen under the charm spell, she’d need him now more than ever. And that part of him guiltily liked that he had a chance to be the hero of the story for once. Between the pair of them, Sora had always shined brighter. Daemon didn’t even know who his parents were or where he’d come from, for gods’ sake.

He heaved himself onto shore, his arms too tired to take care not to slice himself on the coral.

Officially, these islands were called the Sanran Atoll, but Kichonans had long ago nicknamed them the Belly Lint Atoll, since they were a sprinkle of tiny islands south of Tiger’s Belly, and on a map, they looked like specks of navel dirt.

Daemon flipped onto his back and lay there, panting. Because he was no longer in the water, the sailfish spell left him, and with it, his sailfish endurance disappeared, too. Suddenly, human exhaustion caught up and slammed into him. Not two minutes from climbing out of the sea, Daemon passed out.

The sun was up when Daemon woke. His eyes flew open in a panic. Was it morning already? How much time had passed? Gods, he couldn’t afford to fall asleep!

Waves lapped at his legs, and the salt water stung the myriad cuts on his skin. The pain helped

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.