Chapter 115
We were searching the last lake that met all the criteria in the clue.
We had reached the lake by midday.
It was much larger than I had expected, stretching between the dark forest and the distant cliffs until the opposite shore was little more than a hazy line.
We had searched every nook and corner of its surface, checked the surrounding banks, and even followed the compass around the perimeter, but nothing had changed.
Eventually, I gave up and sat on the bank, holding the map in my lap while the Star Compass rested beside me.
I stared at the markings for what felt like the hundredth time before looking at Rhaevan.
"Are you sure we are at the right location?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted, studying the lake. "But we will search here anyway."
I glanced back at the water. It was dark enough that I could barely see beneath the surface. The sunlight reached only a short distance before disappearing into the depths.
"What if the fragment is inside the lake?"
Rhaevan followed my gaze.
"Then I'll look for it."
I turned towards him.
"Are you planning on exploring all the way to the bottom of this lake?"
"If required, yes."
Wait, didn't the novel mention that he was terrified of water?
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Do you know how to swim?"
He looked at me as though I had asked him whether he knew how to breathe.
"Yes. Very well."
"Are you sure?"
"Cassiane, I swam across a turbulent river when I was four."
He said it with such conviction that I almost laughed.
"At four?"
"Yes."
Apparently, Rhaevan had been an unusually ambitious child.
He turned his attention back towards the lake and, without another word, removed his cloak. Then he slipped off his outer robe, leaving him in a thin white shirt and dark trousers.
I watched him step towards the water.
Then he jumped.
The splash broke the stillness of the lake, and I stared at the ripples spreading across the surface before sighing and settling back onto the bank.
Fine.
He could search the bottom of an enormous lake for a magical fragment.
I would sit here and play with pebbles like a completely normal person.
For a while, I did exactly that.
I picked up one pebble, turned it between my fingers, and tossed it into the water. Then another. Then another.
Minutes passed.
I looked towards the lake.
Nothing.
I looked away.
A few more minutes passed.
I looked again.
Still nothing.
I was beginning to wonder whether he had actually found the bottom of the lake.
Wait, did he drown? Should I go looking for him?
Right on cue, something moved beneath the surface and a dark shape rose through the water.
Rhaevan broke through the surface, drawing in a breath as he pushed his wet hair away from his face. He remained there for a moment, water running down his forehead and temples before he swam towards the shore.
Even from where I sat, I could see the droplets clinging to his lashes.
He moved through the water with an effortless grace that seemed almost unfair. Every stroke was controlled and smooth, his body cutting cleanly through the dark surface before he reached the shallows.
Then he stood.
And that was when I realised that watching him swim had been the easy part.
His white shirt was completely soaked, the thin fabric clinging to his chest and shoulders as he walked out of the lake. It traced every line of his body instead of hiding it, outlining the broadness of his shoulders, the solid planes of his chest and the lean muscle running down his abdomen.
Water streamed from his dark hair as he pushed both hands through it, slicking it away from his face. A droplet travelled slowly from his temple, along his cheekbone, and down the sharp line of his jaw before falling onto his collar.
Another remained suspended from the tip of one of his lashes.
I forgot how to blink.
He stepped onto the bank, water running from his trousers and dripping from the hem of his shirt. He lifted a hand, snapped his fingers, and a faint shimmer of magic passed over him.
The water evaporated from his clothes almost instantly.
Unfortunately, the spell did absolutely nothing to conceal what had been underneath them.
He shook his head, sending a fine spray of droplets from his damp hair, a few catching the sunlight before falling over his shoulders while others clung stubbornly to his lashes and the sharp line of his jaw.
By the time he straightened, completely dry except for his hair, his white shirt still moulded to his body, his sleeves pushed back just enough to reveal his forearms, I had to admit that the spell had somehow made the situation worse.
I stared.
There was no other word for it.
I was staring.
And Rhaevan, completely oblivious to the internal catastrophe occurring three feet away from him, crouched beside the compass.
He picked it up and examined the needle.
"There is nothing underneath. I dont think the fragment lies here. We have to recheck the clu-"
His voice brought me back to reality.
He placed the compass beside the map and looked at me, his eyebrows drawing together slightly.
"Cassiane? What's wrong? Your face is unusually warm."
My soul left my body.
"I am sitting in the sun."
He glanced up at the sky.
"We have been sitting in the shade for the last hour. And it's almost evening."
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
There was genuine concern in his eyes, not even the slightest hint of teasing.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Before I could answer, he rested the back of his palm against my forehead, checking my temperature.
Crap.
My insides felt even hotter.
Am I ovulating?
"You don't feel feverish," he said gently.
"Can we go back?" I asked him.
He looked bewildered.
"Uh... Cassiane, are you feeling sick?"
"No. I mean..." I cleared my throat. "Yes. I think... I feel dizzy. Must be the walking. Can we go back to the camp?"
"Do you want to rest for a while?" he asked.
"Yes. No. I mean, I'll lie down in the tent."
He searched my face for a moment, and then drew a deep breath. Without questioning me further, he swiftly packed the map and compass and hung the satchel over his shoulder.
He got to his feet, and before I could rise on my own, he gently caught me by the shoulder.
"Careful. Allow me to help you up."
Not helping the situation, Rhaevan.
I managed to get to my feet, trying very hard to ignore the warmth of his hand on my shoulder.
"Are you fine with teleporting to the camp?"
"Huh?"
He looked at me expectantly.
"Ah... yes. I'll manage," I said quickly.
Anything to keep me far away from you.
"All right."
His hand slipped from my shoulder and settled around my waist instead, pulling me closer so that he could steady me properly.
That was a terrible idea.
Before I could reconsider my life choices, familiar teleportation runes formed beneath our feet, glowing across the ground as the world around us dissolved into light.
And just like that, I was pulled back to camp with Rhaevan's arm still firmly around my waist.
The familiar shimmer of teleportation faded, and the camp came back into focus around us.
I waited for Rhaevan to step away.
He didn't.
His hand remained firmly around my waist, holding me steady as the last traces of the teleportation magic faded beneath our feet.
"I can stand," I assured him.
"I know."
He still didn't let go.
Apparently, he had decided that my tendency to stumble after teleportation was sufficient reason to keep me within his reach. He guided me towards the tent, his hand firm but gentle at my waist, and only released me once I was safely sitting on the bedding.
"Lie down."
"I can-"
"Cassiane."
There was something about the quiet firmness in his voice that made arguing feel pointless.
I sighed and lowered myself onto the bedding.
He watched until I was settled before straightening.
"You can continue with the expedition," I said. "I don't want to hold you up."
His expression changed immediately.
"I can't leave you alone here."
"I'm not dying."
"I didn't say you were."
"But you're acting like I am."
"You said you were dizzy."
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
Fair point.
He studied me for another moment before asking, "Should I get you some water?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
He reached for my flask and stepped outside the tent.
For the first time since returning, I could breathe properly.
Or at least, I thought I could.
A few minutes later, Rhaevan returned with the flask filled and a small handful of dried fruits in his other hand.
He placed them beside me.
"You need to eat."
I looked at the dried fruit.
"I am not hungry."
"You haven't eaten properly since noon."
I looked up at him.
He was completely serious.
Of course he had noticed.
Why did he have to notice everything?
"I was busy."
"Which is precisely why you need to eat."
He handed me the flask.
I took it, suddenly very interested in the water inside it.
"Thank you."
"You should eat those as well."
I glanced at the dried fruits again.
"You're being unusually attentive."
"I'm being practical."
Of course.
Practical.
I took a piece of fruit and put it into my mouth, mostly because refusing now would only make him worry more.
Rhaevan seemed satisfied.
"I'll be outside. You need to sleep."
"I can-"
He gave me a look.
I sighed.
"Fine. I'll lie down."
I shifted further onto the bedding, and he reached for the blanket. He pulled it gently over me, making sure it covered my shoulders before stepping back.
"Rest."
I nodded.
He left the tent, and a moment later I heard him settle somewhere outside.
I stared at the ceiling.
For several seconds, I said nothing.
Then I covered my face with both hands.
What was wrong with me?
After surviving cursed dragons, ancient relics and enough magical disasters to fill an entire novel, I had finally discovered my greatest weakness.
A wet Rhaevan.
And now he had brought me water.
And food.
And tucked me into bed.
Because he thought I was sick.
I groaned quietly and pulled the blanket higher.
This was getting ridiculous.
I had to get myself together before he came back inside.
Because if looking at him while he was wet had been dangerous, being looked after by him was apparently fatal.