Page 61 of Guarded By the Vodnik

We reached the end of the pier in no time, disappearing under the surface. But we didn’t go deeper. He swam right under the surface, tearing through the water at a breathtaking speed. When I heard a shriek from below, I understood why.

Lamias.

Whoever shot at us must have coordinated with them. A cold, slimy fear crawled into my stomach. If they caught us now, there would be no herding to trap us. No, they’d kill Vodyan and take me, and then Carver would put a bullet through my head.

Was there a way out? Could Vodyan outswim them and reach a safe place before they got us?

I wanted to ask him how far Yeseera was, but in the rush, I hadn’t put on the lower half of my mask, so all I could do was listen to the roar of blood in my ears and cling to him, trusting in his cunning and strength.

Vodyan swam fast, pressing me close, his body tense with coiled energy. We went gradually deeper, darkness setting around us. My suit turned on, keeping me warm while Vodyan focused on our escape.

“I can’t keep this up until Yeseera,” he said after a moment. The shrieks of pursuing lamias didn’t let up. “It’s over forty miles away.”

I nodded, my heart squeezing in terror that I quelled immediately, because my trust was stronger. He said nothing, tearing through water like a bullet.

“Saving your life is my priority,” he gritted out a moment later, his voice sack lighting up faintly. His voice was low and focused.

I nodded again, not understanding where he was going with that. Another moment passed. The lamias’ voices seemed to grow fainter as we tore into the darker depths.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding cold. “Please, trust me.”

I didn’t have time to nod this time. Vodyan let me go, ruthlessly dislodging my clingy arms and legs. I flailed, beginning to sink, my panicked movements making it worse.

I screamed his name in terror, frothing up the water, but he was already gone.

Panic welled, cold and sticky, as I spread my arms and legs, trying to get my bearings. All around me was the endless water, dark and uniform. The fear of being lost here forever burst in my stomach like it did that first time I dove.

But it was different this time. I knew Vodyan, and I knew he wouldn’t let me die.

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath through my nose. He would find me. If he let me go, that meant he had a good reason. He wanted to protect me. That was what he said.

On my next inhale, I counted to four, and then held my breath, counting again. I slowly sank deeper, and it had been years since I properly swam, so I decided to just let the lake do as it willed with me until I calmed down.

After my sixth controlled breath, I remembered my mouth mask and put it on. Silence surrounded me, pressing in thick. I tried to move my legs and arms to stay on one level instead of going deeper, and after a few tries, I got the hang of it.

“Okay,” I said under my breath. “You’re okay.”

And I was. When a huge shadow loomed under me, I smiled. Here was my warrior, coming back to take me to the underwater city.

But when a horrible face with white eyes and sharp, black teeth burst from the dark, I screamed and flailed, desperately trying to get away. A clawed hand closed around my ankle, tugging sharply.

Next thing I knew, the hand was still curled around me, but its owner disappeared in a roiling mass of tentacles and bubbles, shrieking as the water grew black. I stared, forgetting to breathe, as more body parts littered the water. Another hand floated gently by my side like an odd fish. Then, a piece of tail. A palmless forearm.

I choked when the black cloud surrounded me completely, and then screamed when Vodyan’s face emerged from the dark.

“Are you all right? Zoe! Did he hurt you?”

I shook my leg frantically, squeezing my eyes shut, but the fucking hand wouldn’t come off. A wail built in my throat, until suddenly, a tentacle closed around my calf, and the offending body part was removed.

“Zoe. Look at me.”

“Is it blood?” I choked out, so happy for my mouth mask. I just knew that I would have inhaled that bloody water if not for it.

“Yes.”

Vodyan’s arms closed around me and we swam away, leaving the carnage behind us. He stopped when not a trace of it was visible.

“Are you hurt?” he repeated, his voice hard and demanding.

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