A court of water and worlds

Chapter #23

Gwyn, Nesta and Emrie had all followed Layla into the cave on the side of the mountain.
Gwyn had absolutely no clue what was happening.
She didn't know what a shadow piège was or what it did and she certainly didn't know how to use it.
"We are here," Gwyn heard Layla say.
"Where is it?" Nesta asked, looking around.
They were currently in a dark cave with a lake in the middle.
And the lake had the blackest water Gwyn had ever seen.
Gwyn could hear the water droplets dropping off of the cave ceiling.
"In the middle," Layla said, pointing to the lake.
"Of the lake?" Emrie asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Layla said, "there is a rock in the middle."
"Wait," Gwyn said, "the shadow piège is a rock?"
"No," Layla said, "it is what is inside the rock."
"What is inside the rock?" Nesta asked, hands on her hips.
"I don't know, Az never told me, but he always said that it was a last resort," Layla said looking towards the lake.
"How are we meant to get to it?" Emrie asked, looking out at the lake.
"It was meant to be flown to," Layla said, "but seeing as that is not an option we will have to swim."
Gwyn had no idea how Layla knew that Emrie's wings didn't work.
Nesta looked absolutely petrified.
Gwyn would not make Nesta go in that water; she would not make her relive the time they dipped her in the cauldron.
"I can do it," said Gwyn walking to the edge of the lake.
She took off her shoes and stepped onto the water.
"Gwyn, what are you doing?" she heard Nesta ask.
"remember when I told you I was part water nymph?"
"Yeah"
"Well I have powers and one of them is water walking," Gwyn said, taking a step onto the black water.
She shut out everything else and focused on the water tension.
She heard someone mutter a curse and unsheath their blade.
Gwyn was about to look back.
"No, don't look at us. Focus Gwyn. Keep going."
She didn't know who said it but she didn't look to see.
Gwyn kept going but flinched every time she heard a grunt or curse.
Something was happening but if she looked back she would lose focus and fall through.
So Gwyn kept walking and walking across the dark water beneath her feet.
Gwyn kept going until she hit a rock.
The rock had veins of obsidian in it.
What the hell was inside this rock?
She looked harder and saw an Indent in it, as if there was once a blade in the rock?
Azriel said she would know what to do but Gwyn didn't have the faintest clue.
Then she saw one of Azriel's shadows swirling around her finger.
It went off of her finger and onto the rock and there was a blinding flash.
—
Azriel knew that Gwyn had done it when he felt the darkness hit him.
He felt it all throughout his veins.
He focused and channeled that power with his shadows.
And he unleashed himself on the battlefield.
—
When Gwyn looked back to the rock, all of the obsidian veins were gone and it was just a normal rock.
What the hell?
Just then she heard screaming and a clashing of swords.
She turned around to chaos.
Nesta, Emrie and Layla were all fighting something.
What they were fighting Gwyn had no clue.
They were tall and black and had no face, but had legs and arms.
They were the most terrifying things Gwyn had ever seen.
There were two of them.
One was fighting Emrie and Layla and Nesta was left to fight the other one all by herself.
"Nes, I'm coming " Gwyn yelled and stepped off the rock and into the water.
But her foot fell through the water and she held onto the rock to steady herself.
What little power she had left was gone because of fear.
Gwyn could never reach her power when she was afraid.
She cleared her mind and tuned out everything else and focused.
She put her foot on the water and it did not fall through.
She tried to hold her focus and started to walk back across the lake.
She didn't open her eyes, if she did she would see the things and fear would have a hold on her and she would fall through the water.
So she kept walking and walking—
"Gwyn!" She heard Nesta scream.
Gwyn opened her eyes and saw Nesta over one of the thing's shoulders.
No, it was trying to take her.
Emrie and Layla had killed the other one but it was too late.
Gwyn fell into the water just as the thing took Nesta and disappeared in darkness.
Gwyn's scream was muffled by water.
She swam to the surface and saw Azriel's shadow.
"Go," she said crying, "please go get him!" She said to the shadow.
Then something pulled her under the water and all she could see was black.