“We’ll be back soon.”
“Be careful.” Olivin had a gentle smile. There wasn’t a trace of jealousy or malice as Eira might have expected. If anything he looked…confident. As if his expression said,Go ahead, go with him. You’ll find out why I’m the one you’ll want to come back to.
She wasn’t sure how much of that was his intention and how much was her imposing her own thoughts on him. But Eira was once more hot all over. She looked back to Cullen and quickly said, “Ready?”
He nodded.
Eira dipped underneath the waves. As her head lowered, the water cratered. Her magic helped push the water away, creating a bubble in which she could breathe. Doing so required practically no effort on her part.
Cullen had much the same, but rather than pressing the water away, he was holding the air to him. Eira beamed at him. He nodded and headed farther down.
It was easy enough to maintain the air around her head that Eira could put a little current behind them as they descended to the opening. Sure enough, it was a craggy mouth of a little cave. Bracing herself, she followed behind Cullen, quickly swimming into a deep blue of filtered and fading light.
Just when the water was nearly as black as pitch—just when Eira was going to suggest they turn around—another speck of light lit up ahead of them. Cullen continued to swim on and, despite her better judgment, she continued to follow. Her heart was racing and the air in her bubble was beginning to grow thin. How long had they been down? A minute? Ten?
She inhaled slowly through her nose. Panic would use up her air faster and then require more magic to keep the water at bay. This was not a frozen lake with a madman trying to murder her. The tunnel—thankfully—hadn’t branched; so if the light aheadof them was a trick of the water, they knew exactly where to go to get back.
But the light was real.
The tunnel opened into a cavern. Opposite them was a small opening to the water beyond. A small, narrow strip of beach had been pushed up on the far side. Sunlight bounced in and off the water, painting beams of light on the stalactites.
“We must be on the other side of the bluff.” Cullen was breathless.
“Let’s rest there before heading back.” Eira pointed to the beach. He nodded and she drew the water around them just like Adela had done to transport Eira between the two boats. Holding Cullen in her watery grasp required a firm but delicate, giving yet confident touch—as if she were to try to hold sand in her palm and not lose a single granule. Difficult…but it worked.
“You’re not the only one with new tricks.” She grinned at his surprised expression.
Cullen chuckled, lying back on the sand. “I’m glad we both have used these weeks to our advantage.”
“It’ll be useful, being on ships. Developing that skill was good thinking,” she praised.
“I didn’t do it because we’re on ships,” he said with his eyes closed.
“Then—”
“I learned it for you, Eira. I thought, when this is all over, you might want to go swimming in the ocean together. Marcus told me how you and he would harpoon lobster in the late summer and cook it on the beach.”
“He told you that, did he?” Eira wore a slight smile as she stared out to the sea through the above-water opening of the cavern.
“He said to never get on your bad side when you had a harpoon in hand.”
“I never hurt him, I’ll have you know.”
“He never said you did, just that you threatened.”
As the fond memories faded, she brought her attention back to Cullen in the here and now to find him staring back at her. “What?”
“It’s been a long time since I heard you really laugh…since I saw you so easy and free.” He propped himself up on an elbow.
“I’ve never been an easy and free person.” Eira uncurled herself and lay back, hands behind her head.
“You should try it more often, it suits you.”
“Maybe…when all our enemies are in the ground, our families are tucked safely in their beds, and there is nothing more to be done for empires or kingdoms, I will be.” She gave him a tired smile.
Cullen reached over, gently pulling her wet hair to one side of her forehead. The pad of his finger on her slick skin was enough to give her a jolt. Eira was suddenly aware of how alone they were. How it was the first time they had truly been since the ball. They’d been around each other for months now…but it was always under the eyes of others. Always with pretense and concerns they couldn’t escape. With people who could hear or see or walk in. With the weight of the world crushing them.
But here…this little seaside cavern felt like it was made for just the two of them. As if everything could be let go of with a soft sigh.
