Page 6 of Guarded By the Vodnik

“Five miles to go!”

Agent Beck shouted, and still, I barely heard him over the crash of the waves and the roar of the engine. I wasn’t sure the weather was that great for a motorboat jaunt on the lake, but he didn’t seem to worry, so I did my best to stay calm, too.

I knew this was only the first, shortest part of the trip. After I dove about 30 feet down, my bodyguard would intercept me and keep me at that depth until my body adjusted. Then, we’d go gradually deeper.

My breathing gear was equipped with a filter that was supposed to prevent nitrogen necrosis that occurred at greater depths. According to the agent who gave me a crash course in human survival underwater, the gear would do all the heavy lifting. I was supposed to just breathe and let it happen.

As the motorboat cut through the waves, spraying my face with cold water, even breathing seemed like a challenge.

“You’ll be okay,” I muttered to myself, gripping the cold bench.

There was a silver lining to this madness. The longer we rode, the more I longed to finally submerge fully so my suit’s heat-generating powers would kick in. It was such an odd thing to want: dive into the freezing water so I could be warm.

But I held on to the prospect with all my might, because warmth was a positive thing to look forward to.

“Almost there!”

I nodded and pulled the top of my suit over my head. Next, I slipped on the upper face mask, which comprised light-filtering goggles that would make it possible to see in the dark and a nose cover, through which my air would flow. The tubing was sewn into the suit.

Once I pressed the clear plastic firmly to my face, suction turned on, fastening it seamlessly to my skin. I took an experimental breath through my nose, noting with relief the air flowed easily. My gear had been checked and rechecked multiple times, but I was still terrified something would fail.

And then my vodnik bodyguard would have to give me mouth to mouth. I giggled like a schoolgirl, loud enough that Agent Beck heard me. He looked at me with concern and I waved clumsily, almost hitting myself in the face.

“I’m fine,” I choked out, desperately trying to control my deviant brain.

God. Should I just lobotomize myself?

I had a separate piece to cover the lower half of my face. It was also connected to my air tank. For now, I didn’t put it on to conserve air, and I breathed through my mouth, the cold air freezing my gums and throat.

I normally didn’t get sick, my immunity supercharged from all the time I spent with infection-riddled five-year-olds, and yet I still felt like getting the flu was inevitable after freezing my ass off on this motorboat.

Though, I hoped not. I couldn’t imagine having a runny nose while breathing through the mask.

Beck killed the engine, braking gently until we stopped. The boat rocked on the waves. Another bout of panic hit me, and I opened my mouth wide to get as much air as I could.

One, two, three, four, hold.

I didn’t dare tap this time. My hands shook too much to aim properly, and I’d probably gauge my eye out at this rate if I tried to tap its outer corner.

“Well, this is it,” Beck said, coming over. “I checked with Vodyan. He’s waiting right below us, ready to get you once you dive. Are you ready?”

“No,” I said, my voice coming out muffled.

Cotton filled my ears, my senses cutting me off from the world to protect me. Beck crouched in front of me, his gray eyes filled with concern.

“What do you need right now, Zoe?” he asked, very in line with the agents’ practical approach.

From the start, they were all about immediate, optimal solutions to every problem. They moved me from safehouse to safehouse, considered multiple approaches to protecting me, and finally came up with the one that apparently guaranteed the best survival rates based on their calculations.

During all that, I’d been cut off from my family and friends, torn out of my life, and left without any emotional support whatsoever.

So what I needed the most was a hug, but I wouldn’t tell that to Agent Beck. He’d probably hug me if I told him the truth, and it would be as practical and brisk as everything the agents did.

“For this to be over,” I said instead, taking a bracing breath. “All right. Let’s do this.”

He nodded with satisfaction and got up. I followed him on unsteady legs, breathing deeply through my mouth to hold nausea at bay. The lake was impenetrably gray, stretching far and wide. I couldn’t help thinking I’d get lost forever once I dove in.

But I wouldn’t. My bodyguard waited for me down there. I would be fine.

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