He set her on her feet, keeping a grip on her shoulder as he straightened.

She gaped, no doubt uneasy with his size- With a scream, she booted his shin. Or not. Or not.

He growled, crouching before her. "Stop, girl!"

She kicked again, screaming words he didn't understand. But he could make out Crow Crow again and again. "Carrow?" again and again. "Carrow?"

She paused her a.s.sault on his leg. "Crow. Carrow." She had a fierce look in her eyes. Green eyes like the witch's. "What have you done with her? Have you hurt her?" Another kick to the shin.

"Did not hurt her," he said in measured English. "But she is-"

"You're Malkom! The demon she captured."

He scowled. "Carrow is mine." He hit his chest over his heart. "She's ... my wife."

"You don't have to talk so slow. I'm not a baby, you know." At his bemused look, she said, "Where's Lanthe, then?"

"Do not know her. I must find Carrow. We have to go now now."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going with you. You yelled at her earlier. You said you were going to make her pay."

He couldn't deny that. " 'Twas true. Until you you."

"I don't know why she misses you."

Misses me? "She fell, Ruby. She could be hurt." "She fell, Ruby. She could be hurt."

The girl's eyes went wide. Then she turned on her heel and set off set off.

With a growl, he snagged the back of her shirt. "You have to stay with me."

"Goin' to save her."

He swiftly caught her up, seating her above his hip. "As-am-I," he bit out.

"Okay, I'll go with you. But if you try to hurt her, I'll kill you."

"Understood, child."

Amidst all the other scent threads, he again caught a teasing hint of Carrow's. Then he scented ghouls. Below Below them? He gazed down over the ledge. them? He gazed down over the ledge.

And lost his breath.

The first step was terrifying, the plummet even worse. Falling ... falling Falling ... falling...

When Carrow plunged into the water, the freezing temperature ripped the breath from her lungs. Desperately swimming from the depths, she burst up to the surface, sucking in air, exhaling with a scream.

The wave that had cushioned her fall now seized her, hurling her away from land.

Had she heard Malkom's bellow?

Live, Carrow! The words replayed in her mind. The words replayed in her mind. Ruby needs you. Ruby needs you. She began weakly paddling, doing no more than keeping herself afloat. Salt water stung her ragged fingertips before her skin grew numb with cold. Her teeth chattered, her muscles becoming sluggish. The force of the current couldn't be fought. She began weakly paddling, doing no more than keeping herself afloat. Salt water stung her ragged fingertips before her skin grew numb with cold. Her teeth chattered, her muscles becoming sluggish. The force of the current couldn't be fought.

Would she be cast out to sea? If the island compound was truly a thousand miles away from land, would she drift for days before someone found her? Months?

As an immortal, she wouldn't die from exposure. Sharks were another matter. Don't let those rumors be true. Don't let those rumors be true.

She heard movement from just behind her. Ah, G.o.ds, no! The ghouls had jumped as well and now were caught in the same current.

As they were all swept along parallel to the sh.o.r.e, those fiends clumsily paddled and thrashed about, wailing.

Then they caught sight of her again. They were so stupid, so aggressive, without even the sense to get to safety before attacking her.

As the rain and waves boiled all around her, the ghouls somehow neared. The largest slashed its claws out at her.

She kicked back just in time. Live, Carrow! Live, Carrow! Another swipe, another near miss-- Another swipe, another near miss-- A fin glided past her. A second joined it. The rumors were ... true?

Soon sharks swarmed them. The largest ghoul disappeared before her eyes, yanked down into the depths. Was a shark beneath Carrow even now, eyeing her legs?

Floating with her face barely above the surface, she forced herself to remain motionless. When a shark b.u.mped her, Carrow stifled a scream, somehow holding herself still.

Her strategy worked; she bobbed quietly, while behind her, one frenetic ghoul after another was s.n.a.t.c.hed down. Though the sh.o.r.e was still in sight, she couldn't risk swimming to it.

Even as rain pelted her upraised face and danger surrounded her, the bitter chill made her eyelids feel so heavy. Floating ... numb.

In time, she was no longer cold, just so sleepy. Hypothermia Hypothermia. She lost the battle to keep her eyes open.

Close them just for a moment.

Malkom had watched her jump from the cliff, had seen the water flinging her body like a giant fist. His heart had dropped when the ghouls followed.

And Malkom couldn't couldn't follow, not with her child. follow, not with her child.

Holding the girl tight to his side, he sprinted along a more solid-looking trail that wound down to the water.

Running, praying...

"Hurry, demon!"

Reaching the sloping ground beside the waves, he set the child down and ran along the edge, peering out.

The great water crashed against the edge of land in deafening bursts, swirling and swelling like angry wraiths. He couldn't see her.

"She's there! Just past the waves." The girl pointed. "Swim for her, Malkom!"

Can't swim . But when he caught sight of Carrow, motionless in the water, he charged into the freezing depths-- . But when he caught sight of Carrow, motionless in the water, he charged into the freezing depths-- The bottom disappeared. Heart racing, he kicked to stay above the surface, gulping breaths, swallowing stinging water. Can't breathe Can't breathe...

Dizziness washed over him, and his vision wavered. He shook his head hard. Then it happened again. Yet somehow he'd maneuvered closer to Carrow.

He felt the ends of her hair just as he saw a ghostly fin break the surface. He snagged the witch, trying to hold her while flailing his free arm and kicking frantically to keep them above the water. How to return to the land? How to return to the land?

Another fin rose and dipped. Creatures were circling them, which meant predators. Which meant fangs or claws, or both.

He shook her. "Carrow, wake!" She wasn't breathing? "Witch?"

One of those things came from beneath them, knocking into him with the force of a Gotoh. Another driving hit nearly pried Carrow loose from Malkom's arms before he gripped her against his body.

The next strike shoved them below the surface. Malkom's feet briefly sc.r.a.ped the bottom. Going against all his instincts, he let himself sink among the creatures. Once his feet connected to the bottom again, he kicked with all his strength, surging out of the depths into shallower waters. Through the frothing waves he hauled her away from those things.

Back on land, he dropped to his knees with her, lowering his head to her chest. "Carrow!" She still wasn't breathing. No heartbeat. "No, no no!" She couldn't die like this.

She is already dead. He knew this, could see-could He knew this, could see-could sense sense she was gone. she was gone.

But Carrow was an immortal, so she would revive. Right? And what do I know of witches? And what do I know of witches? He couldn't say that her kind could come back. He couldn't say that her kind could come back.

"Carrow, wake up!" Her parted lips were blue, her face ashen. His bite mark was stark against her neck. "Wake now, witch!" I cannot lose her again. I cannot lose her again.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her until her head lolled. "Breathe!" he roared. Water trickled from her mouth. "Come back, ara ara!" Collecting her into his arms, he cupped her head to his chest, smoothing her hair from her face. "Carrow, I plead to you ..." "Carrow, I plead to you ..."

The girl was. .h.i.tting his arm, screaming at him. "Blow air in her mouth, Malkom!"

Had he heard her right? Desperate, he put his lips to her cold ones, exhaling.

Chapter 34

Blackness receded in a rush as air filled her lungs, pushing the heavy water up. Lungs too full, strangling- Lungs too full, strangling- She opened her eyes. Malkom's mouth was pressed to hers? She knocked him out of the way, hunching over to hack up the seawater.

As he rubbed her back with his big hand, she wheezed on the stone-laden beach. Sand gritted in her eyes, her teeth chattered around rattling breaths, but she was alive. "R-ruby? Wh-where is she?"

Ruby rushed into Carrow's arms. The girl was conscious, safe.

"Are you okay, Crow?"

Carrow held her tight, shuddering with relief. Over the girl's shoulder, Carrow met Malkom's gaze. "Malkom, you kept her s-safe." She mouthed, "Thank you."

He gazed away, looking uncomfortable with her grat.i.tude. Then he tensed, his eyes going black and fangs lengthening.

The surviving ghouls had begun loping ash.o.r.e.

Malkom rose to his full height, roaring at them until her ears hurt.

Amazingly, they cowered, scuttling back into the waves. She remembered that the ghouls in Oblivion had been afraid of him, too. Never in her life had she met an immortal who could frighten them.

The monster that monsters feared.

She and Ruby both gaped up at him. Ruby whispered loudly, "He scared 'em away, Crow."

"I-I saw that, honey." saw that, honey."

Ruby was shaking, soaked through. Though Carrow could scarcely imagine getting to her feet, she knew she had to. They had to keep moving. I've got a little girl to protect. I've got a little girl to protect.

But where to take her? Carrow swiped her forearm over her face, squinting through the persistent rain at their surroundings. The rocky beach was part of a small cove. The forest bordered it. Mountain peaks soared in the background.

"She n-needs shelter and a fire," Carrow told Malkom. "She'll grow too cold. Will you help us again?"

A sharp nod.

As ever with things concerning the witch, Malkom's thoughts were in turmoil.

She'd asked him to get them somewhere safe, but he knew nothing about these lands. Falling back on habit, he'd begun heading for higher ground, had led them for more than an hour.

He glanced over at her now. She was petting the girl's damp hair as she murmured rea.s.suringly to her. The child looked like a tiny Carrow, a doll in her image, a deela deela.

Though he'd offered to carry both her and the girl, Carrow insisted on holding her, saying that she would be shaken.

Shaken? He He was still shaken from seeing Carrow lying lifeless, with her face so pale. Her heart had been still in her chest. She hadn't been breathing, until he'd given her breath. was still shaken from seeing Carrow lying lifeless, with her face so pale. Her heart had been still in her chest. She hadn't been breathing, until he'd given her breath.

The least he could do, since she'd first given it to him.

Earlier, when he'd realized that Carrow hadn't wanted to betray him, he'd been so d.a.m.ned relieved. His rage had been like a noose around his neck, easing its bite.

But now that he'd had time to come to grips with everything, he wondered how he could ever trust her again. Although he understood why she'd done what she did, the fact remained that she'd led him to what could have been his death. And his rancor over that had begun to grow.

A drop of water splatted him in the face. This place she'd taken him to was an alien world of green and water. The stories had been true. Yet even faced with all these new wonders, Malkom's gaze wouldn't stray long from the witch.

She looked exhausted, but she was putting on a smiling face, chattering to the girl. "Do you think your posse will believe that there were sharks?"

Sharks. Those powerful beasts in the water. He'd asked Carrow if there were creatures that strong on land, and she'd told him that there should be only Lore creatures from the cages. When she'd added that he would be more powerful than any of them, he'd nodded in easy agreement. Those powerful beasts in the water. He'd asked Carrow if there were creatures that strong on land, and she'd told him that there should be only Lore creatures from the cages. When she'd added that he would be more powerful than any of them, he'd nodded in easy agreement.

He could protect the two witches from any of those beings-unless those creatures joined forces.

The girl whispered at Carrow's ear, "Why can't he swim? Everybody can swim."

Carrow stumbled a step, knowing he could hear a whisper from a mile away, much less from three feet. "Um, he comes from a place where there's very little water. So no need to learn."