Page 37 of First Light
As they reached the edge of the loch, the child pulled on Carys’s shoulders. “My mother told me not to go near the water.”
Carys smiled. “That’s good advice when you’re alone, but you’re not alone, are you?”
The path they’d been taking through the forest was twisted and uneven. Roots and rough stones threatened to trip Carys in her large boots, and it was hard to watch the path when she was getting directions from her little guide.
She looked at the smooth ground running along the edge of the peaceful loch where birds nested. Just then, a deer broke through the trees in the distance, walked to the edge of the water, and bent his head down to drink.
Carys watched the deer for a moment, holding her breath and waiting for anything sinister to emerge, but after a few moments, the animal lifted its head and loped away.
“Okay, I promise I’m a really good swimmer and I’m not going to drop you.” She turned and headed toward the grassy verge on the edge of the loch. Carys knew she’d walk twice as fast if she could hike on even ground, and her feet were a blistered mess. She was far more likely to stumble on the rocky forest path. “Don’t worry, okay? This is safer for both of us. I don’t want to trip and drop you. That might hurt you worse.”
“Okay.” The little girl’s voice was still cautious, and she hugged Carys’s shoulders tightly.
They walked down the green slope to the edge of the water, and Carys enjoyed the crunch of smooth gravel under the soles of her overlarge boots. The wind on the water curled ripples along the surface of the lake, tossing small waves onto the shore and singing a haunting tune as it threaded through the trees.
Carys smiled, remembering all the lakes that her mother had painted over the years; Tegan Morgan was fascinated by the play of light and darkness in the depths. She had loved taking her easel to the beach and watched in delight as Carys and her father played in the cold Pacific waves.
“It’s just past that log,” the little girl said. “Walk over the log and then go back into the trees.”
“Sounds good.”
“What’s your name?” The little girl rested her chin on Carys’s head. “I promise I won’t steal it.”
“Are you fae?”
According to most fae stories, a fairy who had your true name could enchant you, steal your free will, or even hold you captive in their world. The variations on stories were countless, but every tale she’d ever read told her that giving a fae your true name meant handing over power.
The little girl giggled. “Don’t be silly. Did you see my ears?”
Caryshadchecked her ears. She’d also looked under the layer of grub to check for any kind of sigil but had seen nothing.
“I’ll tell you my name first!” she said. “It’s Azar.” She pulled on Carys’s shoulders. “Now you promise not to steal it.”
For a child raised in this world, that had to be a constant threat. “I promise. That’s a pretty name. My friends call me Carys.”
Azar didn’t sound like a Scottish name to Carys. Then again, the Shadowlands reflected the Brightlands, and there was no lack of different faces from what she’d seen so far.
“Just up here.” The little girl patted Carys’s shoulder. “The path on the right.”
“Okay.” Carys turned to walk back toward the trees, but her eyes caught on a reflection in the water. She turned and stared at the hypnotic face that slowly appeared in the grey-blue gloom. It was a beautiful man, his pale skin silver beneath the surface.
He looked like he was sleeping.
“Carys?”
She blinked when she heard Azar say her name.
A curl of dread formed in her belly a split second before she realized what she was seeing. “No.”
“Run!” the little girl screamed. “Carys, run!”
Carys turned and ran toward the trees but not before a high-pitched shriek came from behind her. She turned, trying to get Azar offher back to shield her from whatever was coming behind them, and saw the terrifying figure of a kelpie bursting out of the lake.
The beautiful man was gone, replaced by the looming figure of a grey-skinned water horse with red eyes and a dripping black mane threaded with weeds and ropes he would use to pull his prey into the water and drag them under.
“Hold on!” Carys pumped her legs and tried to make it up the slope but didn’t make it before she felt something snake around her ankle. With all her strength, she flung the little girl toward the safety of the trees before she fell. “Get away!”
The little girl screamed as the rope around Carys’s ankle pulled her hard to the ground. Her chest hit the rocky shore with a thud, and she tasted blood in her mouth. The kelpie began to drag her along the gravel at the edge of the lake. She dug her fingers into the ground, trying to hold on, but there was nothing to grab but smooth grey stones that fell away under her hands.