Empire of Night (Age of Legends 2)

She had to go up.

A wise idea, except as she flailed, she realized she had no idea which way that was. She'd been tumbling through the water and--

Whichever way you're falling? That's not up.

Which made perfect sense. As she turned her body, she could see the dim glow of moonlight overhead. So she started climbing--or what passed for climbing when one was submerged in water--pulling and kicking toward a surface that seemed to get no closer.

Because you're kicking and pushing through water. All you're doing is stopping yourself from falling farther.

She shushed that doubting voice, but the panic that came in its wake propelled her to fight harder. The water was so cold, so unbelievably cold, encasing her body like ice, heavy as lead, pulling her down. She'd been eating barely enough to stay alive, exercising barely enough to keep her muscles from atrophy. Then she'd run through the forest, climbed trees, raced from fiend dogs . . . She was exhausted, and she could not breathe. Most of all, she could not breathe.

So it's too much. You'll just give up. Sink to the bottom and die after escaping Alvar Kitsune and his fiend dogs. No one escapes fiend dogs, and you did.

But she hadn't, had she? Perhaps it truly was fated. She'd seen them and now--

Didn't I tell you not to leave, Keeper?

That voice sounded like Gavril's, whispered as if he stood behind her, bending to her ear. Her imagination, not sorcery.

I warned you, Keeper. You won't escape. You aren't strong enough. You aren't clever enough. You fancy yourself a warrior, but you're a foolish little girl.

She pushed her hands over her head, propelling herself up.

You jumped into the sea, Keeper. Knowing you cannot swim.

Because I had no choice. You didn't warn me of the fiend dogs.

I didn't see the point. It wasn't as if you were likely to escape anyway. And if you did? Well, you did not get far, did you?

She squeezed her eyes shut and kept going, past the pain and the exhaustion, pushing up through the water until she was certain--yes, certain--that the moon overhead was growing brighter. Then, suddenly, a black shape passed over it.

No! I need the light . . .

The shape dove lower and her panic sparked until a form grabbed her arm and started hauling her up, and when the moonlight pierced the water again, she could see dragon bands on the arm that pulled her and noticed another dark shape overhead--Daigo treading water.

Tyrus dragged her to the surface, and she broke through, sputtering and gasping. She struggled to fill her lungs, not noticing that he was still pulling her until her feet touched the bottom and the two of them stumbled from the sea onto the beach, and she collapsed there, heaving and shaking. Daigo huddled, soaked, beside her as Tyrus thumped her back, knocking water from her lungs and saying, "Can you speak? Moria?"

"I think . . ." she wheezed. "I think I need you to give me swimming lessons, too."

He whooped a laugh, coughing at the end of it. Then he gathered her up in a crushing hug, and she collapsed against him, thinking she'd never felt anything so wonderful. And warm. Especially warm. He was as soaking wet as she was, but all she felt was the heat of his body.

"You're all right?" he said.

She nodded against him and he brought her into a kiss, and if his embrace had been a warm blanket, this was a lick of fire, his mouth and his breath so incredibly hot that she wanted the kiss to last forever. And she would have let it, too, if she wasn't so short of breath that she had to break off, coughing slightly before kissing him again.

"So you're fine with this now, it seems," she said as they parted.

"Gavril had his chance to explain, and he did not. Even if he had . . ." He pulled back, holding her hands. "I decided there was a line between being honorable and being foolish. If you want to be with me, then that's your choice. Our choice. No one else's."

"Ah, so you've finally come to your senses."

He laughed and embraced her. "Yes. Now, since we don't dare start a fire still so close to Alvar's compound, we need to find a way back to Lord Okami's men, who will have dry clothing, before you freeze solid."

"You were doing a fine job of keeping me warm a moment ago."

"And I would love to continue that, but I fear it won't be enough. So I'll promise more later, if you want it."

"I might. You're rather good at it."