ARIANA
The lake was stunning. Glistening water reflected the sun’s rays, stretching out nearly as far as I could see. The surrounding forest was bright and warm despite the autumn air. I could not believe that Kole had not brought me sooner. I nearly felt giddy, capable of jumping for joy at the beauty of it all.
Kole cursed softly. “We should go.”
“What?” I looked at him in shock. “We just got here!” And the walk waslong. No way were we turning back already.
“Yes, but I didn’t know that Erik would—” His words cut off, and he looked out over the water at something. “You’re certain?” he asked someone I could not see.
Squinting, I searched for whatever it was he saw, but there was nothing. Just the sparkling lake and surrounding distant forest.
“Erik is fine with you remaining here.” He turned to me.
“Erik? He’s out there somewhere?” I looked even harder over the water, but nothing.
Kole nodded. “He likes to come here and swim sometimes.”
“At this time of the year?” Sure, it was warm inthe sun, but the water was undoubtedly frigid. Kneeling, I touched it with my fingertips to confirm.
Kole chuckled softly. “You already forget about his conjuring?”
That was something I could never forget. Being a conjuror of fire apparently also meant he never got cold.
I took a seat on a sizable flat stone that overlooked the lake. Kole joined me after a moment. It was tranquil. I could have stayed in that spot for eternity and never gotten bored.
Something glided through the water, and it took me a moment to realize that it was Erik. Powerful arms and legs propelled him across the lake at an unnatural speed. I thought fighting a Lysian on solid ground was challenging, but in water, it was possibly even more terrifying when they could move like that. A shiver ran down my spine.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here,” Kole stated once Erik came within several yards of us.
“It’s fine.” He didn’t sound the least bit out of breath, despite the distance he just covered. “You may go, if you wish. I’ll bring Ariana back after a while.”
“Well, if you’re certain,” Kole said, rising to his feet. His attention moved over the lake before landing on me. “See you later.” He nodded in farewell.
Erik swam closer till he was at the stone I sat on and turned, looking out over the view with me. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”
“I have seen nothing like it,” I murmured in agreement.
Sapphire eyes glanced at me, a slight smile playing on his lips. “You do not have lakes in your land?” Water dripped from his hair onto his face, a few droplets clinging to his jaw before falling. There was a brutal beauty to him.
I shook my head. “We have one, but it’s only used for sending off our dead. The water mostly flows through our land in rivers. We have nothing quite like this.”
Erik turned to me fully. “If I swim another lap, will you still behere when I return?” There was a sliver of a challenge there in his tone.
My mouth dried.Would I be left alone?
I nodded in agreement, afraid that he would see the uncertainty as it spread through me if I spoke.
Erik smiled, his gaze holding mine for a moment. Without another word, he dove back into the water, each powerful stroke carrying him further away. As he distanced himself, my heart raced with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
I could run.The thought entered my mind. Even if Erik took chase, I could conjure and drop him. But that was only if I heard or saw him approach. Something told me that even racing to catch me, he would be soundless. And once he got to me, what then?
No, I couldn’t run, at least not yet. I would keep my plans to leave once we were at the Bavadrin gates on our next trip home. There was less room for error that way.
Did Erik leave me as a sort of test to see what I would do? Curious to see if I would try to escape. If that were the case, then he believed that I would not be able to make it very far.
Picking up a nearby pebble, I tossed it into the water, watching it bounce before sinking. I imagined that my thoughts of Erik, running away, and all concerns were tied to that pebble, sinking with it.
It was a while before the Lysian King returned, his powerful strokes bringing him back to the shore where I sat waiting. He emerged from the water, droplets glistening on his skin.
