Fated

Chapter 10

S o, it had been decided. Ash and I were going to the Lake of the Damned. To say I wasn’t thrilled would’ve been an understatement, but it was the only place Ash could think of that might hold the answers we both desperately needed. He wanted to leave right away before Agidius had time to realize we were missing and to send his army after us.

The flight was longer than our last, and no less terrifying.

But this time, instead of looking at the ground beneath us or squeezing my eyes shut in fear, I focused on the stars above, desperate to distract myself from the warmth of Ash’s breath dancing across my face or the way my body practically melted into his arms. When we finally landed, about twenty feet from the lake, the scenery had completely transformed.

The barren desert was long behind us. Now, we were surrounded by towering trees and thick brush. The area around the lake was wild and untamed, overgrown with tall grass and weeds.

But it was the lake itself that made my skin crawl. The water was murky brown, its surface swarming with flies. An odor, stagnant and foul, hung in the air.

Ash set me down on a squishy patch of ground, and only wearing socks, I cringed at the way my feet sank into the earth.

“This looks exactly like the kind of place where you’d find an evil lake monster,” I muttered.

Ash ignored me as he approached the water’s edge.

I stayed back, wrapping my arms tightly around myself for comfort, rubbing them for warmth as the cold breeze off the lake prickled my skin with an icy chill.

Ash crouched down, dipping his fingers into the murky water, swirling them around. He stayed like that for a moment, waiting. Then, picking up a nearby rock, he tossed it into the lake. I couldn’t decide whether I was more relieved or disappointed that nothing was happening.

Ash turned to say something to me, but I didn’t catch his words. My eyes were glued to something behind him, something dreadful. Ash snapped his head back toward the lake, instantly alert. A few feet in front of him, peeking just above the surface, was the top of a woman’s head. Her beady eyes stared at us through a curtain of slick, black hair. Ash didn’t move a muscle as the creature observed him, hovering a long moment before vanishing beneath the water again.

Every instinct was screaming at me to run, to flee from whatever danger lurked below. But I forced my feet to stay planted on the muddy earth.

Ash rose to his feet, his body shifting into a defensive stance, scanning the water with the sharp calculating gaze of a predator.

The fear I’d seen in him in the cave was long gone, replaced by a calm intensity.

Minutes ticked by, dragging on in agonizing silence, with nothing happening.

Slowly, I moved closer to the edge of the lake where Ash stood.

“What do we …” I started, but before being able to finish, something silvery bobbed up from the water. I leaned forward, squinting to make out the object.

Then, another identical silver item surfaced next to it.

“What the hell?” Ash muttered, crouching and grabbing a nearby stick. He fished out one of the objects, a metal tank, like the kind divers would use for oxygen.

He examined it, turning it over in his hands. Etched into the side of it was the phrase Enchanted O2 and attached to the tank was a large plastic bag.

Ash unzipped it and began pulling out various pieces of … scuba gear?

I watched, bewildered as he pulled out a breathing mask, goggles, and other items I couldn’t identify. Then, he pulled out a small black wetsuit, holding it up in the air with a questioning look. “I think this one’s for you.” He handed me the suit.

I didn’t like where this was going.

Ash pulled one last item out of the bag, a folded piece of paper. He opened it to reveal a diagram of a smiling man wearing scuba gear, each part neatly labeled.

I stared at it, struggling to process the sight of it.

Ash then retrieved the second tank from the water, finding similar gear in its bag, except this wetsuit was much larger. “I think it wants us to put this stuff on.” Ash looked up at me.

“And are we going to do it?” I asked in disbelief.

He looked toward the horizon; the sun was beginning to peek over the treetops, casting a pale light on the murky water. “Unless you have any other ideas, I don’t think we have a choice.”

Swallowing hard, my throat tightened as anxiety crept in. I shook my hands at my sides as if I could shake away the nerves buzzing beneath my skin.

“It didn’t try to attack us,” he said quietly. “It didn’t feel threatening.”

I gaped at him, unable to believe my ears.

“That swamp demon—the one poking its head out of the water, the one that looked like it was about to crawl backward on its hands and feet and eat us … You think it’s nice ?”

“I didn’t say it was nice.”

Just lovely.

Ash’s eyes flicked back to the horizon, and he exhaled slowly. “In a few minutes, Agidius will arrive at that cabin and discover a missing healer and chief commander. We need to move.”

“Ok,” I said, and then Ash pulled his shirt off over his head.

“Oh.” I spun around quickly, staring straight ahead, my face heating up.

Behind me, there was the faintest chuckle. A few minutes went by, with no clue whether he was dressed or still half-naked, he was so damn quiet. So, I waited a bit longer.

Suddenly, without warning, his warm breath tickled my ear.

Then came his voice, low and playful. “Boo.”

I jumped, my soul nearly leaving my body. “Oh, my God! What. Is. Your. Problem?” I shouted in between smacking him with the wetsuit in my hand.

He doubled over, one hand flying to his chest as he tipped his head back in laughter.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips.

His laughter, genuine and infectious, was the same beautiful sound I’d heard in the vision and for the first time, Ash seemed almost … well, almost human.

I crossed my arms. “It’s not funny,” I muttered, but there was a small laugh in my voice, one I couldn’t hide.

“Actually, I think it was pretty funny,” he said with a smirk before pointing to the wetsuit in my hand. “Your turn.”

I swallowed nervously, my gaze trailing over him.

The wetsuit clung to him, highlighting every defined muscle, every hard line of his body. Then my eyes drifted further down than I intended, and I quickly looked away, cheeks flaming. He was still smiling, standing there like some kind of swimsuit model.

I chewed on my lip, glancing at the wetsuit in my hand.

“Would it make you feel better if I turned around?” That damn grin.

My head nodded, watching carefully as he turned fully away from me. Yet, even with his back to me, it seemed impossible to move.

“Areya, I’m not going to look,” he called over his shoulder.

“Promise?” I squeaked.

“Pinky promise.”

Quickly and clumsily, lacking all of Ash’s skill and grace, I stripped off my clothes and wiggled my way into the wetsuit. The tight material clung awkwardly to my skin as I zipped up the front, feeling far more ridiculous than anticipated. I folded my clothes and stuffed them inside the waterproof bag, trying my best not to think about how absurd the situation was.

“Ok,” I said, signaling I was dressed.

Ash turned to face me, scanning my body with the same assessing gaze I’d given him earlier, making me suddenly very self-conscious. A hint of a smile still played on his lips as he folded his clothes and packed them in the large plastic bag, along with his small duffel bag.

Then he began to put on and attach his scuba gear, leaving me cluelessly staring down at my own. Without hesitation—after finishing his, he walked over to me and picked up my vest, motioning for me to put my arms through. I slid my arms through the weighted vest, and when I turned around, he zipped me up. Again, I felt ridiculous. After securing my clothes bag to a hook on my vest, he proceeded to attach the other pieces of gear, showing me how to use the mouthpiece before twisting some knobs and handing me my goggles.

Now, I felt like a penguin, and Ash—Ash looked like a damn model out of a scuba divers’ catalog. Once we were both ready, he reached his hand out for mine.

“No gloves?” I motioned to my bare hands.

He smirked, an almost playful glint in his eyes.

“What else could you possibly do to me?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes, hesitating for just a moment before slipping my hand into his. As Ash’s fingers wrapped around mine, an unexpected wave of shyness swept over me, but I quickly pushed it aside.

Were we really about to do this? Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined myself here, geared up and about to go scuba diving with a vampire in a magical lake full of monsters.

I snorted to myself, drawing a curious glance from Ash.

But I only shook my head.

The moment my eyes fell back on the lake, I suddenly felt as though I might be sick. Ash, of course, seemed completely unfazed. Doing my best to mirror his confidence, I somehow swallowed down the knot of fear building in my throat.

But as hard as I tried, my pulse raced, my body betraying the panic clawing at the edges of my mind. I focused on the one thing anchoring me—Ash’s hand in mine, clinging to it like a lifeline. Together, we stepped into the lake. Mud squished between my toes, cold and slimy and with each step, the icy water crept higher, sending chills racing through my body.

My teeth began to chatter uncontrollably as we waded deeper, the water so murky, nothing was visible beneath the surface, a fact which terrified me more than anything.

A few more steps in, I froze. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my chest tightened with panic. Ash turned to me and squeezed my hand.

“I won’t let anything hurt you.”

I looked at him, focusing on his eyes, until slowly, my panicked state began to settle.

Despite everything, I trusted he’d keep me safe.

Was I crazy for trusting the man who had turned my life upside down?

“We’re both in this together now, Areya,” he added.

I nodded, taking another tentative step forward.

Together. That one word meant everything to me, meaning I was no longer alone.

As we continued to wade deeper, I had to make a conscious effort to breathe through my mouth to avoid gagging at the stench of the water. The smell was a vile mix of rotten eggs and sewage and the thought of completely submerging myself in it was beyond horrifying.

We walked until the water reached our waists, stopping just before a steep drop off where the lake floor disappeared. Ash pulled me back just before I stepped over that ledge.

“The water gets deep here. Are you ready?” he asked.

No, I wasn’t ready. I was absolutely not ready to plunge into the dark abyss, doubtful I would be able to see anything in the murky water, and the idea of blindly diving into whatever horrors awaited below utterly terrified me.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” I lied.

Ash gave me one more look before pulling his mask over his eyes and inserting the mouthpiece. I mimicked him, my hands shaking as I adjusted the gear. With a final deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and together, we dropped beneath the surface.

The first thing that struck me was the temperature of the water. Despite the chill upon walking in, once fully submerged, it felt like being bathed in a gentle warmth.

The moment I opened my eyes, I knew this was no ordinary lake.

What met my gaze was nothing short of breathtaking, the water so crystal clear that it felt like looking through a glass window. By now, the sun had risen fully, casting beams of light that pierced the water, scattering in brilliant rays. A school of fish swam into view, their scales glittering with every imaginable color. They shimmered like jewels, creating tiny ripples of rainbow light as they moved past. I watched in wonder as they swam closer, their bright eyes observing me with a curiosity that felt almost human.

Then, in a flash of color, they darted away.

Ash squeezed my hand, pulling my attention to something below.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw her, the figure who had watched us from the surface, but she was no ordinary woman.

Her black hair drifted above her head like a veil, and her skin was a smooth porcelain white, glowing faintly in the water.

She smiled at us, a gentle expression softening her already delicate features.

She wore a turquoise bikini top that glistened as she moved, then I noticed the fine gills set right above her ribs. Slowly, they opened and closed, allowing her to breathe in the water.

Just below her navel, her skin transitioned into something even more mesmerizing—a tail of radiant, metallic scales shimmering and shifting in the light with every movement.

On her waist, she wore a thick black belt with two straps attached, the ends fastened with metal latches. She swam toward us.

When she reached us, she offered one strap to me and the other to Ash. I watched as Ash attached the strap to a ring on his vest. I took the other, attaching it to my own.

Once we were secured, she turned, her powerful tail propelling her forward with ease, pulling us along with her through the water. And then, we were gliding. The sensation was exhilarating, like flying in a dream and I felt myself smiling, all fear and anxiety melting away.

I couldn’t move my eyes fast enough to take in all the extraordinary life around me.

To my right were two enormous jellyfish, their translucent bodies glowing with a soft luminescence. Each one was larger than my entire body, pulsing like living lanterns drifting through the deep.

Squeezing Ash’s hand, I pointed at them, and when he looked, his eyes widened.

We were drawn deeper into the lake, where the light began to fade, casting everything in a soft dreamlike darkness. Ash squeezed my hand this time, pointing to a school of glowing neon seahorses, their tiny bodies flickering like fireflies in the water. Just beyond them, an electric eel swam by, its undulating body crackling with tiny bursts of lightning.

We passed a turtle nearly the size of a school bus and a catfish so massive, it could have swallowed a small boat whole.

Everywhere I looked, new and extraordinary creatures appeared, some familiar and some I had no words to describe, their existence beyond anything I had ever read or imagined.

Like last night, soaring through the sandy dunes of the desert, this felt magical, as if stepping into an entire new world, one that no book could ever capture. It was like living inside of a dream and as I looked at Ash, it appeared that even he was filled with a sense of wonder.

We swam for what felt like hours, though time seemed to lose all meaning here. Eventually, we finally descended toward the lake floor, and just before reaching the bottom, the woman guided us into an underwater cave. Here, the walls were covered in a glowing moss, casting a soft bluish light to illuminate the narrow passageways.

We twisted and turned through the cave’s winding tunnels until finally, she pulled upward, and we broke the surface together into a small pool within a dome-shaped cavern.