Gothicana

Vad stood still, just watching the fire take up the instrument he loved. Corvina slid her hand into his in silent support, not understanding why anyone would burn this in the ruins, not unless they had something against Vad or his grandfather. 

A scream from somewhere in the woods broke them all from their silent consideration, spurring them into action. All of it seemed to be happening so fast, a night that had been beautiful suddenly spiraling into one of horror with each passing minute.

“Where did it come from?” Corvina ran towards the sound, her heart pounding both with the pace and with the anxiety.

They stopped at a point in the woods, looking all around before Ajax groaned in frustration. “Let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Vad declared clearly, and Corvina appreciated that. She didn’t want to be left alone. But there was one of the girls, hopefully both of the girls, somewhere in the woods, and they could find them better if they did split up. Ajax was right.

She touched Vad’s shoulder.

“He’s right. Go check the tu

Vad looked around, frustrated, reluctant.

Ajax nodded, already taking off in a hurry. “Just yell if anything goes wrong.”

Vad turned to her, giving her a hard kiss. “I don’t care if a bat frightens you. You fucking scream, got me?”

“I will,” she promised. “Be careful.”

He nodded, gave her another kiss, and ran in the other direction.

Corvina jogged down to the lake, the woods flying by at her pace, and emerged into the clearing by the bridge. Under the pale moonlight, the water shimmered, a reflection of the moon bright on its surface.

Corvina ran up the bridge, breathing hard, and turned in a circle, looking to see anything untoward. All she saw was a lake placid and dark, and woods eerie and silent. Too silent, even the nocturnal creatures weren’t making sounds at the moment.

Corvina shook off a shiver and stilled herself, trying to see anything.

Something light drifted on the surface of the dark water, shimmering just like in her dream. Corvina gripped the edge of the railing, identifying Roy’s hair in the water.

“Vad!” she screamed as loudly as she could. “Ajax! Down here!”

“Corvina?” she heard Ajax’s shout from far away, possibly from the shack.

“By the lake!” she shouted back, her heart sinking as she saw Roy begin to drift down.

Corvina looked down at the water, the dark, reflective water. She wasn’t the best of swimmers, but she just had to go in long enough to keep Roy afloat while Ajax got there.

The legend of the lake came to her and she shuddered.

Fuck.

Do it. Do it. She will die if you don’t, Corvina.

Corvina nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and jumped over the railing.

The cold water engulfed her whole, her vision completely lost under it, no light infiltrating underneath. Flapping her arms, she somehow managed to break the surface, gasping as she gulped down air, letting her eyes settle for a moment.

The light hair floated away, and Corvina began to swim towards it, hoping to reach Roy before she drowned, hoping she was still alive.

She heard a splash from the side and saw Ajax jumping into the lake, swimming in hard strokes towards them. Emboldened by his presence, Corvina finally reached the girl, gripping her around the waist in the murky water, and brought her head out, holding her out of the water until Ajax reached them, her arms going numb with the heavy weight she was holding up while her legs began to get tired trying to keep them both afloat. 

Ajax thankfully got there in a few minutes, taking Roy’s weight and dragging her out and Corvina began to follow.

And something moved in the water.

Corvina stilled, panicking, her heart beating a million beats as she took a deep breath, needing to get out, her dream coming to the forefront of her mind.

Something slid against her leg.

Just a fish, she muttered to herself. It’s just a fish. Get the hell out.

Adrenaline surging through her veins, she somehow started swimming harder, trying to outrun whatever was in the lake with her, her chest heaving with the exercise, her body exhausted but somehow barely hanging on.

She reached the edge of the lake just as something slid across her feet again, and got out of the water, cold, shivering, trying to grapple with the fact that she had just jumped in the dark lake and made it out.

Ajax was trying to give Roy mouth-to-mouth while alternating with chest compressions, going tirelessly. “C’mon!”

She didn’t respond, not until Corvina counted his twenty-third attempt. That’s when black water came out of her lungs, her chest heaving hard even as she remained unconscious.

“We need to take her back,” Ajax said, picking up the girl. “Run to the castle,” he told Corvina. “Get some fire and blankets and dry clothes going. Get the doctor from the medical room in the Main Hall. Go!”

Spurred into action, she ran as fast as her body would allow to the castle, emerging into the clearing where some students huddled together waiting for any kind of news.

She told Kaylin what had happened, changed into borrowed pair of clothes from the hall, and began to get everything ready, waiting for them to come out.

Minutes passed.

Some groups of searching parties returned to the clearing with nothing to report. Some students left to go back to their rooms. Some stayed right where they were, worried about legend becoming real on the grounds of the castle.

Vad didn’t return even after what felt like hours, and a flutter of anxiety began to vibrate in her belly. He had to be searching in the tu

She kept trying to rationalize it, gripping her arms and rocking on her heels, hoping he came out of the woods soon. 

Some movement from the front of the woods had her stepping forward, as finally, Ajax burst out of the thicket with Roy in his arms, his body shaking.

“Hurry, get me a blanket!” he yelled, and she noticed he was drenched from head to toe, his teeth chattering slightly as he ran with the bundle in his arms, taking her straight inside the Main Hall.

Some people ran away to bring blankets, and Corvina sprinted after Ajax, finally able to see Roy still unconscious in his hold. Kaylin had ordered the staff in the Main Hall to quickly build a fire which was thankfully going. Ajax put Roy down and changed into warm clothes while someone cut Roy’s dress and covered her with blankets.

“What happened?” Kaylin asked, ushering people out of the hall. Corvina took a hold of Roy’s icy feet and began to rub them to get the circulation going, waiting for his answer.

“I have no fucking idea,” Ajax said gruffly, his teeth chattering. “I searched around the shack and found nothing. And then I heard you shout. She was lit up like a fucking beacon in all that dark water. No idea how she even got in.”

Corvina looked at Roy’s golden hair. “I was at the bridge and she was already there.”

Ajax looked up at her. “I saw you jumping in.”

Corvina shuddered, remembering the dark water, not understanding any of it.

The fire crackled, finally warming the room. Ajax sat still, looking into the flames. “I went into the fucking water to get her out, and I don’t know if it’s Deverell’s fable or fucking fish, but I felt things… moving around me in that water. Nothing touched me, but something moved. For a moment, I thought we wouldn’t get out.”