Climbing into the water, I submerge my body slowly, gripping the side with my hand tightly. Taking a deep breath and not letting the cold dark water get to me, I close my eyes and count to three.
I push off from the side and head straight for the hole.
I’m going to survive this too.
EIGHTEEN
UNDER DEPTHS AND DECEIT
Sabrina
I ditch my bag immediately,misjudging how much more weight it puts on me, dragging behind me and down into the water. Kicking vigorously, desperately, I can barely keep my head above the surface now that I’ve lost the momentum from pushing off the wall. My heavy boots tire out my legs, and by the time I make it to the back wall and grab hold of it, I’m panting. With adrenaline ratcheting up my pulse, the bottom of my feet find a large rock and I take a moment to breathe.
I reach down and yank off my boots and let them sink, shivering all over. The water is freezing.
Taking another fitful breath, I drift off the rock and use the wall to guide me above the hole. Feeling around the opening with my foot, I close my eyes and say a couple of small prayers.
I can always turn around.
I let my body slide into the water until I’m entirelysubmerged within it. Opening my eyes underneath, I blink out the immediate need to keep them closed and wait until they clear. Imagining I’m as long and lithe as Darolus and as brave as him, I curse under my breath, knowing I’m the opposite of him in nearly every way possible.
Once I’m able to see as best as I can, I sink lower and slide my hand into the hole, pushing slightly off the ground and swimming headfirst into the darkness. A small current pushes me to the left, similar to the current outside, and my body drifts into the rocky, jagged walls. Feeling something slimy slide across my bare arms along the wall, I jerk away and push against it with my feet and deeper into the darkness. Pressure and murky shadows surround me from every side.
When I can no longer see, my pulse skyrockets and I panic, opening my mouth and accidentally taking in a large gulp of water. Coughing, I accidentally take in more, exhausting the remaining oxygen in my body quickly.
Beginning to flail, searching for the end and being pushed into the deepening nooks of the wall, I grapple with my hands, hoping for anything to hold onto that I can use to lead me along and to the other side.
When I feel like I’m about to faint and my body is too heavy to keep moving, I push off the bottom one last time with my feet.
Emerging from the water with a gasp, something grabs me and hauls me out.
“Got you. Got you. You’re okay. Breathe.” It’s Weston’s voice and I crack open my eyes to see his furry bearded face sharply lit up in the darkness. “There. See? Breathe.” He turns to shout over his shoulder. “Mickie, get your ass over here! I’ve got her.”
I push Weston away and turn over, hacking out waterand spittle for the second time too soon, cursing vehemently from the pounding now in my head. He pulls back my hair as I cough out my lungs. “Mickie? Where are you!?” he shouts, grabbing my shoulder to steady me.
I push him away again. “I’m fine. Really.”
He releases me and stands, reaching out his hand afterward to help me up. I take it slowly, wiping the water off my chin. “It’s good to see you, Sabs.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I bark out, my throat feeling garbled and ticklish. I cough out some more.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I missed your attitude. I guess coming back for another look was lucky on our part. And yours.”
“Annora?” I ask. “I got the note.”
He chuckles and pats my back. “She’s got that bleeding heart of hers. If you got that note, then where have you been?” he asks, his brow furrowing.
“I—” I start to come up with a quick explanation as to why, but I get cut off.
“Boss, come see this!” Mickie abruptly calls out from somewhere deeper in the room.
“We’ll catch up in a bit,” he says before turning on his heel and walking into the darkness with his flashlight, and up a couple of stairs to the concrete landing above. His light fades as he walks out of sight and behind several large crates with an array of items on and around them. “This better be good because Sabrina is fucking drowning over here and we’ve already wasted enough goddamned time?—”
He goes silent.
Shaking the rest of the water off, I glance back at it and the dark pit behind me, hearing it though not seeing it in the deep gloom. Peering around, there are no cracks in the ceiling on this side, and the room is completely dark unlikeDarolus’s home on the other side. Shivering, I follow Weston up the stairs and into the room. “There’s something you guys need to know…”
My words fade away as I see what Mickie and Weston are gazing at.
