Grayell's arms shifted to either side of him now and as sure hands clutched at the rope netting, he lifted from the waist up. He did not sit but simply propped himself up some, tugging at the hammock, smiling as he slightly swayed side to side with the gently motion of the boat.
His gaze was determined, resolute and unabashedly amused. He looked upon nothing but her eyes - but every suggestion lurked in his voice.
I have lived a long life, a good life.
If I am to die then let it be at the mercy of the water and the hands of a creature so rapturous as you.
Kiko's eyes twinkled at him, the curve of her mouth spoke the same amusement, that is, for one fleeting second.
In that instant, and before she had a chance to reply to him something latched on to her ankles and yanked her below the surface of the lake. She vanished with hardly a splash and the water was eerily silent in the heartbeat after.
The sun was up, shining brightly on the water, but of Kiko nothing could be seen.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell's blood magic was an incredible thing. Mastery over blood was most often seen as a grotesque battle tactic but the fact of the matter was, it had many applications - applications of such wild and astounding variety that more mundane mages might be left dumbfounded. It was not well understood by even those who spent countless hours researching and studying it's potential and whilst Grayell seemed destined to have an unnatural potency and mastery of it well... he knew less that most anyone who so much as dabbled.
No, instead he had intuition, the natural ability to coerce and control blood when he needed to. This was one of those moments.
Blood quickly rushed to fuel his muscles as he slipped like an eel into the water, quick to chase her being dragged beneath and into the cold. The accelerated use of muscle mass of course could burn more oxygen, oxygen he needed to feed his brain, but his mastery ignored such complications and instead had his body compromise and operate at peak efficiency in both regards. It was entirely superhuman.
None of this registered. No, without words or thoughts; Grayell was torn into the depths to follow as though she were tethered to him.
Kiko was pulled inexorably deeper. After the first shock, and the gurgle of surprise, she had clamped her mouth closed. But, this was not a controlled dive and the air in her lungs was rapidly degenerating into naught. Thrashing would be ineffective and it would squander whatever air she still had. Not that she had any adversary to fight.
Whatever it was lashed her feet securely together and it was too dark to see very quickly. Flashes of thought went by in Kiko’s head, sparks of sentience surrounded by the primitive need to survive. She had not heard of anything unusual happening at the lake. She had not been that far out from the beach, either. Surely if something was skulking below and attacking people they would know.
Wait.
Kiko tried to focus, but her head was fuzzy; bright white flashes were going off in front of her eyes. That pirate b**ch had vanished in the lake. They had recovered the Wolf’s boat. But of Charlotte nothing had been found except a hat.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell pushed himself harder but it took little concentration. His mind was solely preoccupied with the task of pursuing his lover, the only indication of her descent being the bubbles that brushed past his face in the ever fading light.
His pulse was slamming through his veins, his intuitive control being tested to extremes. The edges of his vision started to darken, forcing something of a tunnel vision but this effect was largely lost in the ever increasing gloom.
But his muscles did not fail and with almost flawless grace and strength he continued to swim lower, arms and legs propelling him deeper with each and every stroke.
He would drown before he gave up, he needn't even think about it.
Kiko's consciousness was slipping away. She could no longer keep her eyes open, her draining energy was no match for the pressure that sealed them shut. Whatever meager thrashing she had attempted earlier vanished, too.
She was unaware of the violet whirlpool beneath her feet. The whirlpool that sucked her in, and as a consequence, the man following her. Grayell could see the swirling trap, but there was not much he could do about it. When his feet touched the lurid color there was a vicious snap to his spine and then nothingness.
When he came to there was no indication of water. He was laying on the floor of an empty room. A room that could have been anywhere and nowhere at the same time. Kiko was curled on the floor a few inches from him and the only evidence of what had happened to her were ugly red welts about her ankles.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell gasped as air broke into his lungs, his eyes slamming open. Before he could so much as think of his own safety, situation or predicament, his mind screamed her name. The first thought was her. She was his first thought when he awoke every morning. She was his last thought before each night's slumber. And it was the same now.
He rolled, saw her and his body whipped from the floor, lunged over her with eyes frantic. His hand pressed to her face, looked for warmth or reaction.
Kiko?
He searched her face quickly, every motion was fast and automated now. His ear pressed to her chest to listen for her heart.
Kiko's eyelashes fluttered open, or attempted it anyway. Her eyelids just did not have the strength to remain open for long. She made a small sound, too. The only possible noise with what air had managed to filter back into her lungs.
She could feel his arms, she knew his worry, and she wanted, more than anything, to leap up and tell him she was fine. But, she had no energy to accomplish that currently. Her limbs felt like lead weights, her feet and hands pinned to the floor by more pressure than she could combat. Her chest was being crushed by invisible bricks that were stacked higher and higher as time passed.
Her heartbeat thudded erratically, but it was working for now.
...C... cchosen?
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell sighed in sudden relief and pressed his face to hers, hands holding her cheeks. His fingers and thumbs stroked wet hair from her face, eyes clamped shut and him swallowing the panic that had consumed him in that short period of time. She was fine, she was conscious, she was alive. The world stopped spinning and it faded, he only saw her.
The crushing weight on her chest had not abated. She was finally able to pull her eyes open, though, eyes that were dilated so much that her irises looked like black gemstones ringed in gold. Confusion was writing new questions in her mind with every second that passed, too.
...What happened?
Feeling was coming back to her hands and feet; sharp shocks that caused her limbs to jerk spastically. Kiko ran a hand over Grayell's jaw; he looked worried. His touch granted her some reprieve, or focus. She could breathe. It was short, shallow, and shaky, but possible.
Grayell scooped her from the waist up and clutched her in his arms, his lips pressing to her forehead. He smiled, wiped water and hair from her cheeks and then looked about quickly.
Something grabbed you, I gave chase. I have no idea what it was but we ended up here and I imagine it's about too.
Grayell looked back to her, it was obvious he was still gauging her condition.
I won't put you at risk though. If you're in no shape to defend yourself then our immediate priority is to get you out of here pronto.
Kiko frowned at him. Her mind was still fuzzy; trying to complete the mental image from the information he'd given her. It did not help that her head was pounding bad enough to wake up the dead, either. She was not dead. Not yet. Her eyes narrowed and she gave her skull stern instructions to behave.
It wasn't until Grayell wiped water from her hair that she remember her nudity, and the fact that she had left all her gear back at the fire. IDIOT. The internal shout went off and Kiko clutched at her head, pain hitting in a dozen spots all at once.
Yes lover, it's likely still in the area. You're a mess, we're getting you out of here.
Grayell wasn't taking no for an answer. He too had no gear, just his pants and his knife, his sash about his waist. He didn't need to be equipped to cruise the lake on his boat and having to chase whatever it was that lurked in these depths was certainly an unexpected turn of events.
But he wasn't about to dawdle. He scooped Kiko up into his arms with ease, holding her across his chest. He gave her a cheeky smile, a reassuring suggestion and then looked about for the nearest sign of what might be an exit. Swimming was the last thing on his mind.
Kiko frowned at him, but whatever resistance she put up was token at best. Her head felt like it was ready to split apart at any minute. Plus, she still did not seem to have much feeling in her hands and feet.
Investigation of the room gave little clue to what had happened. It seemed to be much like any other room; perhaps an audience chamber. There were several chairs lined up on one side of the place, and a raised dais in the exact center.
There were no tables, but sconces filled with lit candles decorated the walls just above the Wolf's head as he walked around. A set of doors was immediately across from the dais on the farthest wall; shaped in a half oval and bisected in the middle where the jam came together. They were massive, ornate, and taller than a man riding a horse, and possibly the only way out.
Kiko looked behind them. There was an shimmer on the floor where they had woken up, water maybe? She wasn't sure and it evaporated quickly.
... Wolf... I... I...
Her voice was stuck right there, as the doors burst open to a cavalcade of people... sort of.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”