Bound by Chris Michaels, Reema Farra Page A

power, but it’s dangerous.”
    “I can handle dangerous.”
    “If you falter, even once, the power will be turned against you.”
    “I can keep control.”
    “Many have said that. I’ve never known anyone who has.”
    Cabbot narrowed her eyes. “Show me what to do.”
       
    The moment Hannah hit the water, a shudder exploded through her. The air in her body evaporated. Panic. She flailed her arms and legs in an attempt to rise to the surface. Jason had tried to teach her to swim once. She’d never learned.
    Why would Jason want me to jump in? He knows I can’t swim.
    She felt his voice, warm and calm. “Just relax. You’ll float if you relax.”
    She willed her arms to remain still and slowly, Hannah started to rise.
    Before she made it to the surface, something grabbed her. A slimy tentacle wrapped around her waist. Another tightened around her chest. She kicked wildly, but couldn’t fight it off. The monster dragged her down, deep into the black of the canal, twisting her so much that she lost track of which way was up. Tentacles squeezed tighter.
    She couldn’t see anything, could barely feel anything. Her energy failed. She stopped resisting. Hannah expected a light at the end of a tunnel or voices calling her to the Beyond. She had no idea what was supposed to happen after death. The Ilsans didn’t believe in an after life, just a decomposing body. Glory here was all that mattered. Of course, she had heard the barbarian myths about a thousand Heavens and Hells. Could Jason have lead her to her death so they could be together in the after life?
    That couldn’t be what he wanted. He had to be alive. He was going to save her. Right . . . ?
    Her arms and legs went numb. The last of her breath bubbled out.
    Then, just before she let go of everything, a deep amber light burned her eyelids.
    A foggy glow raced toward her.
    The water warmed. Amber light turned bright gold. A thousand tonnes of water pressed harder against her until she thought her skull would explode.
    Hannah was thrust from the canal and dumped on land.
    She coughed and sputtered. The monster had dropped her onto a muddy shore. Inhaling frantically, she dragged herself three or four stretches away from the terrifying canal. She rolled on her shoulder and retched more filthy water.
    Hannah lay on the beach for a long time, painfully stretched out. Her skin numb. Head pounding wildly.
    She didn’t care. She could breathe.
    Eventually, the cold became more than she could bear. She crawled toward an outcrop, using it to push herself up so she could look around. She stood on a dark, abandoned beach on the outskirt of the city. To her left, a river flowed into the canals. Waterways diverged and sidewalks snaked through the islands.
    Got to get moving. Somewhere warm. Have to find Jason.
    She inspected the beach more closely. Where would she be safe? None of the buildings looked inviting. There were no other people around. Just a small map standing next to the sidewalk leading into the city.
    Why did the map look so familiar?
    She shuffled towards it remembering her Taker of the Dead training. When she sorted the bodies, she had to decide which of the wounded could be saved and which were too far gone even though they all called for help. Often it was the smallest thing – the position of a cut or the amount of blood lost – that caused her to decide.
    Attention to detail, she constantly told herself. Every little thing matters.
    The Animate’s second image popped into her mind. The city map. Well, not quite. Some of the lines angled at different directions, some lines were missing altogether. The answer struck her like a fist.
    The differences formed a path.
    The squid had dragged her to the second clue.
    Her body warmed slightly. Jason really is alive. He’s guiding me.
    She set her feet to Jason’s path. Her clothes felt like they weighed a million pounds, her legs cried out for rest, her brain begged for sleep, the wind whispered