She Stole My Curse novel · Chapter 24 of 32

Chapter 24: The Bought Blessing

I woke Aurek and showed him the sealskin.

He read it twice, the way he always did.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"You swim like a drunk eel now."

"Then you'll have to tow me." He was already pulling the fish sweater on. "I'm not waiting at the cliff this time. She can tell her price to both of us."

We left before the old nurse was up.

It took us a day and a half to get north with Aurek swimming the slow way.

He didn't complain once.

He just held my hand in the strong currents and let me pull.

The grotto looked exactly the same.

The bones on threads, clicking. The green glow of rotting things. The eels in the walls.

This time they didn't hide when we swam in.

They came out of their holes and watched Aurek go past with their milky eyes.

The witch sat on her ledge at the back.

She looked Aurek up and down, from his dull gray scales to his kelp sweater.

Then she laughed so hard she had to hold on to the rock.

"Oh, look at you," she said. "The last dragon king. In a sweater."

"It has a fish on it," Aurek said. "Somebody made it for me."

← Chapter 23 · All chapters · Chapter 25 →

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