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She gasped as the cold enveloped her, disoriented by the sudden drop.

Webs formed between her fingers, and her gills emerged from her throat on instinct as she kicked her legs to swim upward.

Her head broke the surface and she sucked in deep breaths, treading to keep herself afloat in absolute darkness.

“Jak!” she called out, her voice echoing. “Ren! Riven!” But there was no answer, just the sound of splashing alongside her heavy breathing. “ Fuck !” she screeched as she began circling her surroundings.

With her eyes lighting the way, she swam toward the nearest edge, her fingers brushing against smooth stone. Pulling herself up, Esmyra climbed out of the water, soaked and shivering. Her ears strained, listening for any sign of the others.

Bubbles caught her attention in the center of the underground lake, and she remembered why she fell.

Her lip curled back, aggravation seeping into her every pore.

“This gods-damn prince,” she hissed before shoving out of her pants and long coat before diving back into the water, using her tail to propel herself deeper to grab the drowning man.

Again.

Esmyra swam through the lake, her senses on high alert. The Phoenix was near—she could feel the sharp pulse of his heart as he clung to this world, a trembling note that carried through the water. She followed that signal, diving deeper into the lake’s depths.

But now, as she moved through the eerie, undisturbed water, something far more sinister stirred.

Ahead, a dark shape flailed beneath the surface, a lone figure struggling against something unseen. Her sharp eyes focused on Draevyn—his limbs jerked violently, his mouth open in a scream that was drowned out by the water.

But it wasn't the current dragging him down.

Pale, twisted hands clutched his ankles, pulling him deeper, toward the bottom of the lake.

Grindylows .

The vile creatures swarmed around him like ghosts in the depths, their dark, sickly green bodies blending with the darkness of the cave’s water. Their hollow eyes glinted in the dim light cast from her own, and sharp teeth flashed as they tugged him deeper, where they would feast on his flesh.

Esmyra hissed as fury ignited through her. Grindylows were wicked creatures that haunted the darkest trenches of every sea, preying on anything their vile hands could latch onto. She swam toward them with powerful strokes, her tail slicing through the water as she closed the distance.

The sight was crafted from nightmares. Draevyn’s face was contorted in terror as he fought, but it looked nearly impossible with his hands bound together.

One of the grindylows clung to his neck, its bony fingers digging into his skin, while two more had wrapped themselves around his legs, pulling him even deeper.

Even beneath the surface, Esmyra’s battle cry was ear-piercing as she charged into them.

She grabbed one of the creatures by its scaly neck, yanking it off Draevyn with a forceful twist. It screeched, bubbles erupting from its mouth as it flailed in her grip, but she crushed its throat in her hold.

The creature dissolved a moment later, becoming nothing more than a wisp of shadowy bubbles.

Another grindylow lunged at her, its claws reaching for her face, but she spun, dodging it with ease, and slammed her tail into its chest. It flew backward, the water’s resistance barely slowing it before its body crashed into the rocky wall of the cave and burst into shadows alongside its kin.

The remaining two clung stubbornly to Draevyn, refusing to release their grip.

Esmyra charged once more, reaching for them.

She tore one off his leg, hurling it into the darkness, where it vanished with a hiss.

The last one, its fingers wrapped tightly around Draevyn’s neck, shrieked as she gripped its bony arms, prying it loose with a growl of effort.

She threw it aside, and it disappeared into the shadows of the lake, joining the others in retreat.

Draevyn’s body became lifeless, no longer fighting as he descended further into the murky water. Nausea crept in as her heart raced. Esmyra wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close. His head lolled against her shoulder, the icy water turning his lips blue.

Gods-dammit, Phoenix. Stay with me.

With a final surge, she broke through the surface, waiting for him to gasp for air, but he never did.

Aggravated, she huffed, “Don’t you fucking die on me. Your use hasn’t expired yet.”

She heaved him onto the rocky surface, sprawling him out next to the garments she tore off herself, and she didn’t hesitate before pressing her lips to his, breathing air into his lungs.

Esmyra repeated the motion, dread taking over her as the seconds dragged on.

Then, at last, a weak cough escaped him, and she dove out of the way.

Draevyn sputtered, choking as water spilled from his mouth.

The clattering of the chains binding his wrists echoed through the cavern.

Draevyn’s eyes opened slowly as his chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, his gaze fixed on her with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Her spine straightened, eyes roaming over the vast darkness that surrounded them as he worked to catch his breath.

Angrily huffing through her nostrils, she locked eyes with him. “What the fuck have you done?!”