The Blood Reader

The Blood Reader Chapter 3

Water. Water. Water.

I gulped for air once my head reached the surface. Incoming waves lapped at my face as my legs and arms paddled furiously to keep me afloat.

"Astra!" Killian's voice boomed in the distance.

"I'm." My head dipped below the water line. I choked and coughed the fluid from my mouth. "Here."

My mother shouted as well, and they both swam to where I was treading water.

"I've got you," Killian whispered in my ear as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Just breathe."

He kept towing me along after him until reaching a depth that he could stand freely. Once his firm hold on me laxed, and I stood, completely drenched in the tepid chest-high water.

There was nothing but an endless horizon of water against a mauve sky bearing not just one sun, but three. But that wasn't what caught my eye. It was a vibrant orange moon so close that all it would take was to reach high enough to touch. Or maybe it was a fourth sun? Although, it didn't pulsate like the others.

"What is this place?" I asked.

Idal raised a hand toward the strange moon."We're in Landis, correct?"

From this viewpoint, my assumption of the distance was notably off. The moon leaped further away after prompted by my mother's sudden movement.

Killian placed a hand on her arm, forcing it downwards. "You don't want to do that." He added a warning head shake, and Idal immediately retreated.

Idal bowed her head. "My apologies," she said but not toward Killian or myself. She spoke to the peculiar moon.

It skipped across the sky and vanished. Only it didn't fade from our view or anything that subtle. It simply disappeared like it was never real-just a figment of our overactive imaginations.

"Whoa," I muttered as my eyes grew in size. "What was that?"

The oddest thing, a newly formed blackening mass of wisps remained completely still, even as a brisk wind blew.

"That." He tilted his head at the grouping of clouds stalled on the air. "Is the Oriter."

"The what?" Having to ask questions like this was just another byproduct of being me. One that I loathed of course.

"An Oriter is the protector of this realm, Astra." Idal's hazel eyes never abandoned the sight of the black clouds. "And I don't think they're too fond of our sudden arrival."

"They're not." Killian stepped between the mass as it thundered on the near horizon and us. "Good thing we're not staying."

"We're not?" Idal moved timidly closer to my side and found my hand beneath the water. The tide rose and splashed to the level of my chin. If we stayed here too much longer, I would have to hold onto Killian for support. Not that I would mind too much.

Although he might.

Killian turned to face us. "This was the easiest jump. We only have a few minutes before Darius shows up and we better be long gone by the time he gets here." He held both of his hands above the water as the waves crashed into our bodies, sending each of us off balance.

I staggered backward and went under. A hand plunged below the water and yanked me into Killian's arms. I hacked on the putrid fluid once again in my mouth. The sour taste turned my stomach.

"You need to stay close to me, Astra." He winked and drew me into his muscular chest. "We can't lose you now, can we?"

My heart fluttered as I tried to downplay my emotions. This was the effect I wanted to avoid. Please don't let him notice.

A brief head shake served as a coherent enough answer.

"Okay. Well, this here is going to be a bit tricky, though." Killian scanned the area beneath the three of us. His head tilted to the side a few times as if in great thought. This wasn't good. Killian wasn't a thinker. He was a doer and dealt with the repercussions afterward type of person. From what Idal had told me, it was a prevalent trait among all Blood Reapers.

"Killian?" Idal's grave tone garnered his attention.

His eyes never rose as he continued plotting our escape. "Yes?" He mumbled a few other things in a foreign language that my mother apparently understood.

She gasped as the water momentarily calmed, and sloshed against us. "No."

Killian's arm dropped to settle at my waist. He probably didn't notice the small influx of heat to my skin. But I most certainly did.

"There's no other choice."

Idal's gaze drifted from Killian to me. She frowned and shut her eyes. "Just don't let her drown."

"Drown?" I squeaked and pushed off his chest. "What do you mean 'drown'? Like?" My hand patted the surface of the water to demonstrate.

"Trust me." Killian pulled me close and grasped Idal's hand. "And on the count of three, hold your breath for as long as you can."

I groaned. This wasn't good. Nope. Noway. Nohow was I going to live to see another day. Forget about Darius or the Blood Guard finding me, Killian was going to drown me.

"One," my mother started the count.

"Two," I added and breathed in as much air as my teenaged lungs would hold.

Killian smiled. "Three." He dove into the water and tugged both Idal and me behind him until we reached the barrier.

Once we swam close enough, the bright light encased the three of us in a bubble. We ended up lying there silently, on a billowing underwater pocket of air, all panting to breathe.

Idal patted my hand still holding onto hers. She was alive. One down. One to go.

"Astra?" Killian rolled to the side as his weary eyes rested on me. Just watching him was hypnotizing.

"Yeah." I relaxed my shoulders and smiled. "I'm okay."

For now.

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