Page 102 of Gothikana

The legend of the lake came to her, and she shuddered.

Fuck.

Do it. Do it. She will die if you don’t, Corvina.

Corvina nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and jumped over the railing.

The cold water engulfed her whole, her vision completely lost under it, no light infiltrating underneath. Flapping her arms, she somehow managed to break the surface, gasping as she gulped down air, letting her eyes settle for a moment.

The light hair floated away, and Corvina began to swim toward it, hoping to reach Roy before she drowned, hoping she was still alive.

She heard a splash from the side and saw Ajax jumping into the lake, swimming in hard strokes toward them. Emboldened by his presence, Corvina finally reached the girl, gripping her around the waist in the murky water, and brought her head out, holding her out of the water until Ajax reached them, her arms going numb with the heavy weight she was holding up while her legs began to get tired trying to keep them both afloat.

Ajax thankfully got there in a few minutes, taking Roy’s weight and dragging her out and Corvina began to follow.

And something moved in the water.

Corvina stilled, panicking, her heart beating a million beats as she took a deep breath, needing to get out, her dream coming to the forefront of her mind.

Something slid against her leg.

Just a fish,she muttered to herself.It’s just a fish. Get the hell out.

Adrenaline surging through her veins, she somehow started swimming harder, trying to outrun whatever was in the lake with her, her chest heaving with the exercise, her body exhausted but somehow barely hanging on.

She reached the edge of the lake just as something slid across her feet again, and got out of the water, cold, shivering, trying to grapple with the fact that she had just jumped in the dark lake and made it out.

Ajax was trying to give Roy mouth-to-mouth while alternating with chest compressions, going tirelessly. ‘C’mon!’

She didn’t respond, not until Corvina counted his twenty-third attempt. That’s when black water came out of her lungs, her chest heaving hard even as she remained unconscious.

‘We need to take her back,’ Ajax said, picking up the girl. ‘Run to the castle,’ he told Corvina. ‘Get a fire going, and get some blankets and dry clothes. Get the doctor from the medical room in the Main Hall. Go!’

Spurred into action, she ran to the castle as fast as her body would allow, emerging into the clearing where some students huddled together waiting for anykind of news.

She told Kaylin what had happened, changed into a borrowed set of clothes from the hall, and began to get everything ready, waiting for them to come out.

Minutes passed.

Some groups of search parties returned to the clearing with nothing to report. Some students left to go back to their rooms. Some stayed right where they were, worried about legend becoming real on the grounds of the castle.

Vad didn’t return even after what felt like hours, and a flutter of anxiety began to vibrate in her belly. He had to be searching in the tunnels, the tunnels only he knew about. She didn’t even know how many there were, much less where. It would obviously take time. There was nothing to worry about, not yet.

She kept trying to rationalise it, gripping her arms and rocking on her heels, hoping he came out of the woods soon.

Some movement from the front of the woods had her stepping forward, as finally, Ajax burst out of the thicket with Roy in his arms, his body shaking.

‘Hurry, get me a blanket!’ he yelled, and she noticed he was drenched from head to toe, his teeth chattering slightly as he ran with the bundle in his arms, taking her straight inside the Main Hall.

Some people ran away to bring blankets, and Corvina sprinted after Ajax, finally able to see Roy still unconscious in his hold. Kaylin had ordered the staff in the Main Hall to quickly build a fire which wasthankfully alight. Ajax put Roy down and changed into warm clothes while someone cut away Roy’s dress and covered her with blankets.

‘What happened?’ Kaylin asked, ushering people out of the hall. Corvina took a hold of Roy’s icy feet and began to rub them to get the circulation going, waiting for his answer.

‘I have no fucking idea,’ Ajax said gruffly, his teeth chattering. ‘I searched around the shack and found nothing. And then I heard Corvina shout. She was lit up like a fucking beacon in all that dark water. No idea how she even got in.’

Corvina looked at Roy’s golden hair. ‘I was at the bridge, and she was already there.’

Ajax looked up at her. ‘I saw you jumping in.’