Chapter 158: Lake tour

Nyx’s POV

I stopped at the edge of the trees. The clearing was not large but it was perfectly circular, too carved to have happened by accident and knowing Rydstrom. I suspected it had been that way for longer than any of us had been alive.

The water filled almost the entire clearing, blue in a shade I couldn’t quite name, deeper than the sky but lighter than the sea and so clear that I could see pale stones scattered across the bottom even in the center where the water disappeared into depth.

The silver-green leaves of the surrounding trees reflected across the surface, barely disturbed by the breeze, while sunlight slipped through the branches and broke into shifting patterns over the water. For a few seconds, I simply stood there.

“This is why you brought us the long way,” I said, turning toward Rydstrom with a knowing look.

He stood a few steps behind us, his hands tucked loosely into his pockets as he looked over the lake. “The short path doesn’t have the transition.”

I frowned. “The transition?”

“You need the forest first.” He gestured vaguely toward the trees behind us. “Otherwise it’s just a lake.”

“You’ve thought about this.”

Rydstrom’s expression remained perfectly composed. “I’ve had time.”

Caelan’s mouth twitched beside me. I caught it immediately. “Don’t encourage him.”

His eyes met mine and there was that quiet amusement again, the one I had become increasingly good at finding even when he tried to hide it. “You were going to swim regardless.”

“Obviously.” I bent down and started pulling off my shoes.

“The water is cold,” Rydstrom warned.

I glanced up at him while working one sneaker loose. “How cold?”

“Cold enough that humans wouldn’t swim in it.” He eyed me like I was a wild creature. Imagine!

“I’m fae.” I deadpanned and continued.

“Cold enough that fae would hesitate.” I know he is trying to annoy me now. I realized the Moravia are just big ancient sarcastic primordials.

I pulled off the second shoe and tossed it beside the first. “Good thing I don’t hesitate.”

Caelan folded his arms. “That’s becoming increasingly obvious.”

I smiled at him as I stepped into the water. “You’re learning.”

The cold hit my ankles immediately and travelled straight through me. It was cold enough to steal my breath for a second. I sucked in a breath then laughed because it was exactly the sort of cold that made you want to complain about it while going deeper anyway.

“Oh, that’s cold.” I said turninb to them and Rydstrom looked entirely unsurprised. I continued forward.

The water reached my knees then my waist, the strange blue darkening around me as the bottom disappeared beneath my feet. I pushed off and began to swim and within seconds the cold stopped mattering. There was something almost intoxicating about it.

The water was clear beneath me, the pale stones visible whenever I looked down while above me the same impossible blue stretched toward the silver-green canopy. I’m not afraid of water anymore. Especially not beautiful one like this.

I surfaced near the middle of the lake and pushed my wet hair away from my face. Rydstrom had settled at the edge of the water, watching with the patience of someone who had probably known this place longer than anyone else alive.

Caelan was still standing where I had left him. I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Come in!”

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “The water is cold.”

“You have excellent observational skills.” I rolled my eyes.

“I’ve noticed.”

I laughed then pouted. “It’s incredible. Come on.”

“I can see it perfectly well from here.”

“That isn’t the point.”