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Ignoring her, Nathair pushed her away and released her, and Linh instantly began to sink. Her legs kicked outwards while her arms flailed, and her panicked breaths didn’t help when she let them out under the water.

Within seconds, his hands were on her hips. This time, she didn’t fight him. She clung onto his shoulders for dear life while shivering.

Opening her clenched eyes, her gaze landed on Nathair’s skull. He tapped against the side of his empty eye holes. “See?”

“O-okay, I get it. I can’t swim,” she answered, her teeth chattering as she spoke. “B-but it’s really cold.”

He pointed at her, then put his hand straight up and made it fall backwards. He cupped his throat and gurgled.

“I w-won’t fall in again, I promise.”

He rolled his head.

They both knew that wasn’t true. Linh had clumsy feet. She’d tripped, fallen, and stumbled multiple times.

Nathair pointed to himself. He put his hand up next to his skull with his fingers hooked and splayed, made his orbs white, then turned his hand back and forth with his claws pointing towards his temple.He’s saying if he goes into a trance...He pointed to her, cupped his throat, and then made his head fall to the side with his tongue out.I’ll drown and die.

He slipped in and out of trances at random, and Linh was always incapable of drawing him out of them. He never hurt her, although often brought her inside his wrappings like he wanted to hug her like a teddy bear.

A chattering sigh fell out of her.

“Okay. I get it, you’re right.” Annoyingly, she’d suffer the cold if it would put him at ease.

He pushed her back. Despite how much she clung onto him, he eventually ducked beneath the water. As soon as she was no longer supported, she tried to stay afloat.

She gasped when his hands shoved her legs together, but thankfully he pushed her up so her head stayed above the water. He let go, and she uselessly kicked like before. He shoved her thighs together.

Keep my legs together?She did that, and he released her.

She immediately found it easier to keep her head above the surface. He put her hands together near her chest, and then forced them outward underneath the surface. She tried to mimic him, although her mind told her that in order to breathe, she needed to claw at the surface of the water, rather than have her arms submerged.

Every time she kicked like a frog, he shoved her thighs together.

He’s been under there for ages.If he’d been human, or didn’t have gills, he would have drowned by now.

The moment she started to get the hang of it, she realised the chill of the water had started to fade. Her movements were warming her, and she wasn’t shivering so hard. It also stopped her from fretting.

I’m doing it!Thank goodness. Hopefully he’d let her get out now.

When she attempted to swim towards the shore, she put everything out of whack. She realised she’d only learned how to stay afloat, but not how to move. Even now, she was growing tired. If he went into a trance for hours, she’d give up and sink.

“Eeek,” she rasped when his hand pressed against her stomach.

Nathair finally breached the surface with his skull and forced her to lie on her stomach. When she just lay there, breathing, he tapped at the water. “Swim.”

She let out a false cry and kicked her stupid legs. He supported her abdomen with one hand and grabbed one of her wrists with the other. He made her do that arm swiping thing, but against the surface.

I hate you so much right now, you overgrown water snake.

Every time Linh made headway towards the land’s edge, the Duskwalker drifted her away from it against her will.

After what felt like an eternity, Linh considered just letting herself drown. She stopped moving – her arms and legs hanging while he held her up – and submerged her face.Put me out of my misery.She blew bubbles.

A chuckle sounded, and she lifted her head to glare at him.

“Don’t laugh at me. I’m tired and cold. I’m probably going to get sick after this.” She rudely pointed at his face. “If I do, your healing magic better fix me, or you’ll regret it.”

Nathair rolled his head, but did bring her to his body to hold her. He swam towards the rocky bank and placed her on it.