A Slip Of Darkness

Chapter XII

I watch as Celio kicks off his shoes and socks, rolls up his pants and dips his feet into the Moving Lake, beckoning for Severina and I to do the same. Triton is already lying on the edge of the bank, drowsing in the sun with one arm strewn across his face and a leg lazily dangling into the water.

True to their word, Severina and Triton met Celio and I on the steps of the palace doors almost exactly 15 minutes after our encounter, dressed and ready to go. In one hand, Severina held a wicker basket full to the top, presumably with food.

When we started to make our way towards the Moving Lake, she leaned in close to me, making sure that Triton and Celio were out of earshot.

"Just in case they don't catch any crullon." she whispered, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

Now, I followed suit, kicking off my shoes and dipping my feet into the crystal clear water of the Moving Lake, and basking in the soft sunlight streaming through the sparse tree branches.

The Moving Lake was christened after its vagrant tendencies, never being found in the same place twice. I remember studying it during the month of training I had in Eoria, and being particularly fascinated with it. Every night, once everyone is asleep, the Moving Lake, which is much closer to a pond, changes locations, moving all around Xeoria without a single soul ever seeing it in motion. With it always comes the same few trees and bushes that surround us right now, and all the creatures that live in its depths. Crullon, a small, grey shrimp-like fish, is the most popular among Xeorians, but catching them is difficult since they dart back and forth quicker than our hands can catch them. But if you do, the effort is worth it, because they're supposed to taste amazing.

Today, the lake is right next to The Estate, which is the Xeorian school building where all the children of the gentry go to study, including Caelinus, Triton, Severina, and now me. The building is much, much larger than the Eorian school building, which is merely a small tower where we occasionally take classes. Tomorrow will be my first day of classes here, and the academic structure in Xeoria is much stricter, making me anxious that I'll somehow slip up. But for now, I lean back into the soft grass and try to enjoy the warm sunlight and cool waters without worrying about anything.

After an hour of sleeping, Triton sticks straight up and announces that he's starving. Roping Celio into it too, the two of them make futile attempts to catch the infamous crullon. Severina and I watch in amusement as Celio and Triton attempt to catch them, frantically sticking their hands into the waters to grab the darting silver fish. They wade in the shallow waters, their pants rolled up to their knees, and turn in circles as the fish swim away with surprising alacrity. Together, they look like some rag-tag team of amateur hunters, and soon, Severina finds a way to mess with them.

"There!" she shouts. "There's a whole school of them right there!"

Of course, there aren't any crullon there, but Triton and Celio run through the water to the spot Severina is pointing to, and plunge their hands right into the water, grabbing at absolutely nothing. It takes them a moment to realize that there's nothing there, but that moment of utter confusion on their faces is absolutely worth it.