At that point, I wasn’t sure which one was more likely. This wasn’t the moment to debate it, though. Hurrying to keep up with my spider, I watched as she turned a corner. The tunnel widened, and I speed-walked around it just as Sylvi scurried up and disappeared into a crack in the wall.
“Wait!” I cried out, running over to it. “Come back.”
I waited, but she never returned. Eventually, I knew I had to continue. A deep sense of sadness filled me, which only accentuated the fact that I was likely going insane. Who felt sad about a spider’s disappearance? Better this than hearing my dead father’s voice, though.
The only thing I could do was continue forward. Moving my staff to my other hand, I walked down the passageway, where the dripping was louder. My footsteps echoed off the stones, but soon, the sound was drowned out by the steady babbling of running water. My heart started to beat faster, especially when the scent of fresh water filled my nose.
By the time the small stream came into view, my throat was dry and scratchy. I ran to the shore, dropping to my knees in a rush. Tossing my staff to one side, I cupped my hands and drank.
The first cool sip was like applying ointment to a burn. It was exactly what I needed. Drinking until I couldn’t possibly have any more, I washed my face and arms in the stream. The water came away filthy, but my skin felt better than it had in days.
Feeling like a new, clean elf, I got to my feet and took in the space. The small, fast-moving stream fed into a lake. Long crystals dangled from the ceiling, each one a slightly different color than the next. Most of them were varying shades of blue, but one stood out from the rest.
As red as a drop of freshly spilled blood, the vibrant crystal hung in the middle of the cavern, dangling directly over the water. A quick perusal of the cave confirmed it was only accessible by walking over a thin ledge. The crystal pulsed as though it was alive, its light drawing me towards it, calling to some deep part of me.
Before I knew what was happening, my feet had carried me halfway across the ledge. I was standing on the precipice, reaching for the crystal with extended fingers, when a piercing scream hit my ears.
“Help!” someone cried.
I turned, my eyes widening. A young human flailed in the middle of the lake. Though mortal ages were difficult to ascertain, I knew him to be a child. No older than ten, the boy’s brown hair stuck to his face as he sputtered, “Please miss, help me! I can’t swim.”
Where did he come from? There was no one here a moment again.
Still, when the child’s head dipped beneath the water, I had to act.
“Help!” he yelled, resurfacing for a moment before slipping back under the liquid surface.
With one last glance at the crystal calling my name, I jumped off the ledge. The lake was frigid and for one long moment, my heart forgot how to beat. Then, my magic urged me forward. Letting red ribbons flood from me and light up my surroundings, I swam. Moving my arms and legs, I held my breath and dove. Keeping my eyes open, I searched for the nameless boy.
Every single second felt like it dragged on as I looked for him. I had almost completed a full circle when a flash of brown hair appeared in the corner of my vision. I would have cursed if I hadn’t been swimming. The boy’s eyes were shut and his arms were above his head as he drifted toward the floor of the lake. His back was arched, and there were more of those crystals at the bottom, pointing upwards.
Icy horror made a home in my stomach as I realized he would be impaled directly on them. Kicking my feet, I swam as fast as I could. Extending my hand, I reached for the child. His skin was cold, and he was so much smaller than me, but the moment I had his arm within my grasp, I pulled him away from his impending death.
Moving through the water with another body was hard, and it took all my strength to get us both to the surface. With a mixture of pushing and pulling and a lot of cursing, I dragged the sodden child onto the rocky cavern floor. His eyes were closed, his face as pale as a ghost, and he didn’t appear to be breathing.
Gods, I was not the right person for this. Praying to Kydona for strength, I placed my ear on his chest.
Nothing.
No one deserved to die like this. But what could I do? As I stared at the boy, running my hand down his cold face, a memory surfaced from long ago.
I had seen someone drown once, when I’d been out for a picnic on a warm day. The village children had been playing nearby, taking turns jumping into the pond. One of them didn’t resurface in time. The others had tried to save their friend by pushing on their chest and helping them breathe. My nursemaid had rushed over to help them, but it had been too late for that villager.
But maybe it wouldn’t be too late for this human. Placing a hand flat on the boy’s lungs, I covered it with the other before pushing, just as I’d seen the children do. At first, nothing happened. I pushed again and then I bent, breathing into the child’s mouth.
He was still pale and unmoving, and blue tinged his lips.
“No!” A curse Daegal would have been proud of slipped out of me. “Don’t die.”
I tried once more, this time with a little more force.
Push. Breathe. Push. Breathe.
I didn’t give up.
When the child coughed, joy bubbled up inside me. He turned his head, spewing water all over the rocks, before gasping for air.
“You’re alive,” I said.