Free Call to Arms (War of the Fae: Book 2) by Elle Casey Page A

sounds of things moving across a ground littered with crunchy, dead leaves disappeared.   This muted underworld was a perfect setting for a sea monster like her.   The water was murky.   All I could see was her dispassionate face and her hair, swirling around, flowing with the microcurrents that surrounded us.
    She slowly loosened her grip, letting me go.   I had reached a place where I was no longer able to do what I needed to do to escape.   My legs wouldn’t kick.   My arms wouldn’t push through the water to get me above the surface.   The burning in my lungs had already begun to fade.   Strangely, however, I wasn’t panicking like I probably should have been.   I felt like the best thing to do to survive was to surrender, which made absolutely no sense.   Lack of oxygen was making my neurons misfire.
    My brain had barely enough signal left, flickering.   But somewhere, deep down inside that last flicker, I was able to send out a mental cry for help.   Someone, something, somewhere ... please ... save me.
    A warmth began to build in my stomach.   It moved up and down, to my heart and my legs.   To my head and my feet.   Soon my entire body seemed to glow from the heat of it – this welcome fire that didn’t burn.  
    The murkiness of the water dissipated.   Suddenly I could see things – everything.   And everyone .   I was not alone in this lake with Naida.   There were others, many others.   Females, males, small ones, big ones.   Water sprites.   And fish.   And creatures I couldn’t identify.   And the lake wasn’t just a lake.   It was huge, like an underwater city but without the buildings.   I could see forever in this place.   My eyesight was sharp and there were no obstructions.
    I moved my arms a little.   Just a small flutter, followed by a tentative kick with my legs.   I was able to move.   I wasn’t in total body lockdown anymore.   I moved my arms in small circles, wondering what I should do next.   I turned my body in a three-revolution somersault, forgetting for a moment that I had to breathe out through my nose to keep the water from filling my sinuses.   But then, I realized it didn’t matter.   Holy shit!   I can breathe underwater!
    It wasn’t breathing, what I was doing, not really.   I had just ceased to need to breathe while I was here.   Somehow my body was pulling oxygen from the water, without it going through my lungs first.   This was some kind of medical miracle or something.   This was better than any dream I’d ever had with underwater breathing in it.
    Naida appeared in front of me again.   She didn’t look nearly as hideous under the water as she did above it.   She was actually kind of pretty in a way, down here in her world.   She raised her hand up slowly, placing it on my upper arm.   She held her other arm out, gesturing towards the area behind me.  
    I turned and saw the wavy outline of a figure, standing on solid ground at the side of the lake.  
    I looked back at Naida and she nodded at me, I think telling me I had to return to Dardennes and the forest now.   But I didn’t want to go back yet.   I wanted to discover this place some more, now that it no longer felt threatening.   I made a move to go in a direction away from shore, but several sprites arrived quickly, moving to block my progress.   They didn’t look dangerous, just firm.   Apparently not drowning did not automatically qualify me for free reign of the water sprite kingdom.  
    I looked at Naida and tried to say thank you, but my mouth filled with water.   I guess not all laws of physics ceased to operate in this realm.   I nodded my head and put my hand over my heart, the best imitation of an underwater thank you I could come up with.   She bowed her head to me in recognition.   Amazingly enough, I no longer wanted to punch her in the face.   She had shown me some of her special magic today, letting me see her world – even after I gave her a