Chapter Seventy-Six

Ellie's body slammed violently against the wall closest to her, her head smacking hard against it. Pain exploded throughout her body, and stars burst in front of her eyes. She thought for a moment that she was going mad, unable to make sense of what had caused her to be pushed back. She blinked her eyes rapidly a roaring sound filled her head.

*Wait*... She realized quickly that the sound wasn't just in her head; the roaring was real, and it shook the room. She shivered as her body and mind finally began catching up with reality -- the room was rapidly filling with water.

By the time Avery's arms had wrapped around her, the water was already up to her neck. Ellie tried to breathe but struggled as the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She gasped, clutching onto Avery's arm as the water continued to rise.

"Breathe, Ellie. Slow, deep breaths. Come on." His voice seemed to break through the noise of the crashing water around them, and Ellie again tried to breathe. Avery held her close, urging her body to get into sync with his deep, steady breaths. He used one arm to hold her to him while the other rubbed her back soothingly, urging her body to regulate itself. Finally, after what felt like ages, her body began to respond.

Though it was painful, air filled her lungs. She timed her breath with Avery's, her chest rising and falling with his. Even as the water crashed over her head, she breathed, slowly -- deeply.

"That's it, Ellie. Just breathe." The water finally consumed him, distorting her vision of him. His silver hair splayed wildly around them, stretching out like a creature from the depths of the sea, rising to search for prey. His eyes, though full of concern for her, held a deep, unsettling rage. The purple irises glowed brightly in the cold, murky water, but Ellie was in far too much pain to care.

Fin suddenly made a mad dash to the door, his body moving quickly in the raging water. He looked so at home in the water, his movements so fluid and graceful. Still, her mind was far too jumbled to make sense of anything else. All she could understand at that moment was that she was cold, the room was flooding, and she was in pain. Avery seemed to understand this, and he held her tightly against him.

It only took a few seconds for the room to fill with water from top to bottom. A pressure Ellie hadn't even realized she was feeling peaked for a moment before fading as her body adjusted to the pressure of the water in the wrecked drawing room. The chair that Avery had been sitting on only moments earlier floated past them, settling onto the floor far from its original place. Her eyes scanned the room, barely able to make out the dark shadows of large pieces of furniture that settled to the ground. Avery glanced around before he gathered her carefully into his arms and began swimming them to the shimmering doorway.

Ellie curled herself into a ball to make it easier for him, her hands resting on his chest. Her fingers dug deftly between her breasts, searching for the small stone that rested there. Her eyes closed gratefully as she gripped it tightly, holding it as if scared it would suddenly disappear.

On the first night of their journey to the Pale Seas, Avery had climbed behind her in the bath like he normally did. however, as she moved to settle against his chest, she felt him slip something over her head. Something small and hard fell down her chest, hiding in her cleavage.

"What's this?" she'd asked curiously as she pulled the silver chain up.

"Protection," he'd answered simply. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, unbothered by the expectant stare she gave him.

"From...?" When he didn't answer, she held the small object up to eye level and examined it. The warm glow of the fireflies revealed that it was a small white stone, carved roughly into the shape of her dream flower.

"Someone will try to kill you."

"Obviously," Ellie sighed. "How will this help me, though?"

"This stone has a special rune carved into it by Melinoe," he said seriously. He opened his eyes and stared down at her worriedly. "This will keep you safe from the most obvious assassination attempt."

Her breath hitched at that moment as she realized that she would be stuck beneath the water. She closed her eyes and prayed silently to the Moon Goddess that she would never actually have to use it for that purpose. Now, however, she knew just how silly she'd been.

*Of course they would try to drown me. I'm a human -- it only makes sense*. She sighed deeply as Avery walked them through the door. She sagged under the sudden weight of her wet clothes, her body exhausted and sore from their ordeal. She had no time to think about it, however. The sound of a woman screaming filled the hall, jarring her.

"If the Master cannot have his whore, then no one can!" Ellie's stomach cramped painfully as she realized that the woman Fin had pinned to the ground was the same woman who had abused the minotaur children. Her eyes were wild, now, her face distorted with rage and madness. She clawed desperately at Fin's hands, but he ignored every cut she gave him.

Avery stared down at her coldly before nodding his head to Fin. Fin suddenly pulled the woman to her feet, grasped her head, and twisted it until there was a loud *pop!*. Ellie didn't have the energy to care that the woman was dead. All she could feel was the pain that was rapidly growing in her stomach. It kept growing, intensifying, until she was on the verge of passing out.

"Avery," she whispered weakly. "Something's wrong." He looked down at her worriedly.

"Ellie, what-? ELLIE!"

In her heart, she knew what was happening -- she knew the moment her body slammed into the wall. Tears pricked her eyes and her vision began to fade.

"I'm sorry, Aldred..."

The world around her erupted into chaos as she lost consciousness.