The Girl in the Water

Chapter 17

"Hmm." Greyfire watched him with narrow, disgusted eyes. "Try it, boy. You're much too late for your love; she's been bleeding for quite some time now."

Fresh agony seared Roan's heart. "You – "

But Greyfire had lost interest. He began dancing and singing again, his insane voice lilting and floating around the room like a ghost. Roan tore so hard at his chains that they cut into his wrists; he barely felt the flash of pain as blood trickled down his forearms.

"Emery!" He called out. Grief shook his bones and tears pooled in his eyes, and he was half mad with the devastating pain of seeing her bloody and still. Fire roared and blazed from him like small explosions. "Emery, please! Don't you dare be dead, you can't – you can't leave me!"

The only movement that came from her was her gentle swinging, and both her eyes and her chest were awfully still.

"No!" Roan sobbed, pulling desperately at his shackles. How could this be happening? She had been in his arms such a short time ago – she had been so soft and warm and sweet, and her eyes had glowed like the ocean in the summer as she'd looked into his eyes.

What cruel god had let him have her for such a short time, just to be snatched away? Who was laughing at his agony now, watching the tears stream down as he mourned the first girl he'd ever loved?

How could he possibly survive this?

Roan collapsed, exhausted, and the shackles dug into his wrists before he could reach the floor. "Emery." He whispered brokenly. "I want more time with you. I need more time with you." His lips tasted like salt and rust, and he closed his eyes tightly against the pain that throbbed in every part of his body.

There was a sharp whistle of something moving through the air, and Roan gasped as he suddenly hit the floor. He scrambled to his feet, looking around in confusion; Greyfire was still dancing, too preoccupied to notice he was free. Roan stared at his wrists in bewilderment – the shackles were still attached to his bloody wrists, but the chains were swinging loose from where they linked to the shackles. He turned slowly to look behind him.

Four jagged shards of what looked like rubies impaled the wall, slicing right through the chains drilled there. He leaned forward, reaching a hand out gingerly to touch one of the jagged rubies, and he jumped back in shock to feel that it was icy to the touch. The pieces clicked in his head, and he whipped his head around to look at Emery.

Her blue eyes met his weakly. She'd rolled her head to rest against her shoulder, too weak to lift it properly, and he saw that her hands were splayed and trembling where they were tied up above her head. She looked exhausted and awful, and her lips trembled as she tried to say something to him.

He took a step forward, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing, when her soft voice reached his ears.

"Run." Emery whispered.

Roan's vision was suddenly tinged red.

Instead of doing what she'd asked, he ran forward swiftly and leaped into the air, his feet kicking out viciously when they landed on Greyfire's back. The waif's awful singing was cut off abruptly as he fell forward with a cry of angry shock, and there was a sickening crack as his head slammed against the floor. Roan didn't let him recover - he jumped gracefully onto the man's chest, straddling him with his legs, and then his fists were raining down on his face.

The man was screaming something, but there was a deafening ringing rattling around his skull that drowned out any noise. His head and vision were throbbing heavily and pain exploded in his knuckles as he brought them down again and again on the ancient waif's face. The chains whipped up and down, slashing out like whips as he struck Greyfire. His mind was empty except for one thought – he was going to kill this man tonight. With all of his being, Roan knew he wouldn't stop until Eleazar Greyfire was dead.