Romy didn’t make a comment about the dead this time; instead she began swimming towards them, shouting out a name. “Kai, I swear to god if you are dead I will find your ghost and kill you all over again!”
I swam after her, not wanting to leave her side. As I did, a dark shape rose up and out of the water. I’m not ashamed to admit I screamed a little, considering we were around so much death and the jump scare was ill-timed.
Arwyn thrust himself out of the water, dragging a body up with him. Kai’s eyes were closed; water trickled out of his parted mouth. Before either of us could make assumptions, Arwyn forced out three words. “He. Is. Alive.”
Kai didn’t stay in Arwyn’s arms for long, because Romy snatched him out, dragging him into her embrace. She tilted his body so he was on his back, her hands positioned behind his head. Her legs had to work double time just to keep them afloat, but nothing could break her focus.
Warm, steady hands grasped at my waist. With a great tug, I found my body crashing into Arwyn, where he held me in place. “Any luck… finding a way out?”
I shook my head, overly distracted by his touch once again. “You were barely gone a minute.”
“A lot can happen in a minute,” Arwyn added. “Where is my… Where is Tomin?”
I hadn’t noticed Tomin or Verena, or paid much attention to anyone else since the stadium flooded with water. “I would say that I hope he is drowning, but we both know that won’t kill him.”
Arwyn paled.
“Again, we have much to discuss when we get out of this,” Arwyn reminded, his intense gaze fixed on me. “Which… I give us roughly two minutes tops until the water fills up enough that we hit the ceiling.”
“He’s breathing,” Romy announced, her fingers motioning above Kai’s parted lips. A seed of water hung in the air, growing larger by the second as she guided more of it out of his lungs.
“Good,” I said, scanning the view again, searching for a clue as to how we could survive this. “But it won’t matter if we don’t pass this trial. Time to get out of here.”
“Any bright ideas?” Romy shot me a look full of hope.
A shiver of something evil itched deep in my gut. “I have one.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” Arwyn asked, fingers tightening his hold.
I ignored his justified concern, and got to explaining. “Bahmet creates these trials with his power, and I have a part of that power inside of me. Maybe I can use it… to find a clue, or a way out, or turn this fucking shithole against him. Either way, it is worth a go.”
The ceiling was gaining closer, the space for air running out.
“No, it’s too risky?—”
“Do it,” Romy said sharply, cutting Arwyn off. “Quickly.”
Arwyn refused to make another comment. Either because he knew it would be worthless to tell me no, or because he understood our relationship wasn’t what it had been.
“Just be careful,” Arwyn added, drawing his mouth close to my ear. “Bahmet’s power is all about intention. As much as it corrupts, if you think you can use it, focus on what you want.”
We were so close to one another I could see the tracks the water made down his face. How it clung to the faint promise of a beard, and danced across his high cheek bones. “I forgot you were an expert for a moment.”
“What can I say,” Arwyn replied, regret overspilling in his eyes. “I’ve had some practice.”
I nodded, gritting my teeth and focusing on my one clear intention.
Get us the fuck out of here… alive.
It was easy to open myself to the darkness, considering I’d become well acquainted to it in the past months.
The shadows inside of me spilled out like ink, poisoning the water around me and spreading with vigour.
I was so focused on what I wanted, I barely noticed the distant popping sounds of bodies slipping beneath the water. There was nothing that could distract me from searching for a crack in Bahmet’s trial, something to get us out.
One moment I was wading water as Bahmet’s dark power oozed out of me, the next I was being dragged into the abyss. Arwyn’s hold of me slipped free. I managed to get one last full breath in before I sank into the dark waters.
Squinting through the murky waters, I came face to face with the hateful sneer of a Hunter looking up at me.
