Free Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) by Meaghan Rauscher Page B

land.
         We skimmed the bottom of the harbor and moved into the openness of the ocean. It was as though I could feel the complete boundlessness of the water on either side of me stretching for miles of unknown possibilities.
         Even though danger certainly loomed up ahead, my heart soared at the feeling of the water caressing each curve of my body, rushing past the flick of my powerful fins. In some ways, it felt as though I was coming home.
         How many? Voon asked, his voice floating on a wave as we kicked miles out from the shore.
         Only two , Daggin replied and Voon grunted disapprovingly. The rest will be on our tails soon .
         His words tightened the knot in my stomach. I focused on keeping up with my clearly faster escorts. They swam on either side of me, the green fins of Daggin contrasting the flashing red scales of Voon’s tail. Combined with my lavender, I wondered how the Hyven hadn’t already come upon us.
         Let’s move , Voon said and I felt the powerful surge he put into his kick which knocked me slightly to the side.
         Gritting my teeth, I put more energy into each flick of my fins as we fled across the deepening ocean floor and beneath the murmur of boat motors returning home from a long day’s work; I wondered if any of those we heard carried my brothers and father.
         Before long, a rhythmic sound of a far off tail pushing the water up and down reached us. I almost gasped but held my breath, as I waited for the intruder to make its presence known. Both Daggin and Voon’s blades stood out sharply from their arms, ready for a battle which might come upon us at any moment. I terribly wanted to pull my dagger out of its sheath to provide myself some protection, but all my concentration was focused on keeping up with the mermen. It wouldn’t be possible to pull out the small weapon without slowing our pace. For now, I would have to place my trust in their competency to keep me safe.
         Whoever was following us was not catching up, and my heart rate accelerated as I waited for them to move closer. By glancing to my sides, I could tell I wasn’t the only one annoyed by our pursuer’s actions. If anything, Daggin looked a little relieved, while Voon’s anger was growing by the minute. It didn’t surprise me he desired confrontation rather than cunning.
         Miles passed and the distance between us and the pursuer didn’t change. I wanted to think about what it meant, but all my brain could focus on was the exhaustion beginning to stream into the muscles beneath my scales.
         Do you think? Daggin’s voice murmured, barely audible over the rushing water.
         Possibly, was all Voon said in reply to his counterpart. I ignored the issue unsure of just what they were talking about. Their shoulders were stiff, blades still flashing with each slight tilt of their body as we kicked our way along the depths of the ocean floor.
         It wasn’t until the beat of two other tails joining the original sounded through the water, that their shoulders relaxed. Confused, I followed them, uncertain of why they would be less worried with three than with one.
         That’s it. I thought. The one. If there was any one creature to make the Lathmorians nervous, it would be the one who had cut down so many of them on their island.
         Swallowing hard, the idea of just what I was heading into began to wash over me. The words Zale had written on the piece of paper, now lying in my dresser, took on a whole new meaning.
         A storm is coming. Hang onto what you know. To what you told me when I left. Keep your dagger close.
         For the rest of the journey, I repeated the words as though they were a mantra and a stronghold to grasp on to. He told me to hold onto what I said the night we parted; the night I had told him I loved him. With our feelings at the forefront of my mind, I surged into the darkness between the rippling