Free Abide: An Awakened Fate Novella by Skye Malone Page A

didn’t mean the soldiers might not have followed our trail. Any of the villagers in the towns we’d passed could have pointed them in our direction.
    “This isn’t working,” I stated.
    Egan glanced to me. He hadn’t said much, beyond a few questions for the villagers.
    It still left me on edge. With every passing hour, I hated the fact he was with me more and more.
    “What would you like to do?” he asked.
    “Head to Washington. See if anyone there knows anything.”
    My tone was more irritated than I would’ve liked. I couldn’t stop it, though. Meanwhile, Egan didn’t respond, but just altered course and started north again.
    Struggling not to scowl, I followed.
    Rolling hills started to break up the flat terrain at last. Odd bits of random debris speckled the ground, a shipping crate and a tire and other things I couldn’t identify, all of them fallen from human vessels to be lost down here. A school of fish slid past in the distance overhead and the water showed the slightest hint of lightness compared to the depths where we’d been.
    I spotted a marker on the ocean floor, nothing more than an oddly shaped rock that glistened with magic when we came close. But it was pointing to a village somewhere directly ahead of us.
    “One more?” Egan asked.
    I hesitated and then sighed. “Yeah, okay.”
    Minutes passed. More markers did too. A ring of stones appeared from the murk, surrounding a cluster of hills on the seafloor.
    We slipped through the veil and the barren hills suddenly sprouted stands of fejeria and streetlights with water-torches on top. A pair of villagers who were obviously meant to be guards were hovering near the magical barrier, while others were stationed at various places around the rest of the veil. In the village itself, people paused what they were doing to look at us in alarm when we passed the border.
    Egan slowed and I did the same as the guards pulled in front of us.
    My heart sank at the sight of them. For one thing, they must not have recognized me – though that wasn’t terribly surprising. None of the other villagers had either. Dad was the only one who traveled to places like this, normally. But their expressions were cold, and spikes already stood out from their arms. It used to be that villages like this barely bothered with guards. The worst they had to worry about were humans, and this far out in the water, run-ins with deep sea trawlers or explorers were rare.
    The mercenaries Ren talked about must have changed things.
    “State your business,” the nearest guard demanded, adjusting his meaty grip on a spear that probably predated my grandfather.
    Egan glanced to me. “We’re looking for someone. Lord Jirral Ociras. Has he been through here?”
    The men paused, and if anything, their expressions became even more cautious. Their gazes flicked to me.
    “He stopped in a few hours ago,” the skinnier of the two allowed.
    My breath caught. “Is he still here?”
    They hesitated again.
    “What’s your business with Lord Jirral?”
    It was my turn to pause. It was no good lying. If soldiers from Nyciena came looking, giving my description would be as easy for them as asking for me by name.
    “He’s my grandfather.”
    The skinny guard blinked. The bulkier one seemed to suddenly find himself wondering what he was doing with a spear. Quickly, he tried to tuck it behind his back.
    “Princess Inasaria,” the large man sputtered. “O-our apologies. We didn’t mean to offend. Your grandfather was a great help to us when an illness spread through here five years ago. He brought medicines from the west. We only wished to protect him now. Things have been dangerous, what with the mercenaries, and we couldn’t be sure who was asking.”
    He seemed to realize he was rambling. Swallowing hard, he regrouped. “Lord Jirral was here, like Giorges said. Just a few hours ago. We’re not certain where he went after he left. He spoke to our village elder, though, if you’d like