Raven of Water

Chapter 16: Remembering Death

I was floating, reclining in love and bliss until I felt something drag me down. I gasped, sucking in a mouthful not of air but of water. I was underwater. I opened my eyes and saw swirling, cloudy liquid which was frigid enough that it sent needles of pain through my body. But, above me was light. A way out?

Panicking, I tried to kick my way to the surface only to find myself being pulled down by my clothing and something else. A weight. As horror clawed at my chest, I reached down, and felt a rough rope tied tightly around my ankle, and in the murky depths below me, I could see the rope tied to a rock that was dragging me down.

Down.

My hands tore at the rope, my fingernails scraping the rough organic material then snapping and ripping off, blood clouding the water as I tried to get myself free. I was trapped. Useless. When I looked up at the surface, I now saw the edge of the water. People. Some of whom were holding torches stood stock still, watching my struggle. The shimmering water distorted their faces, and although I couldn't see their expressions, they were all... hate. I knew that the people watching were hate because they didn't understand. They didn't understand what I was. What he was. What we were to each other.

I should have listened to Kai.

Humans couldn't be trusted, but...

Kids.

The kids were there, and they were crying.

Poor girls. This wasn't their fault, although I was sure they'd blame themselves.

I cried, too, my tears slipping out of me and into the water, the salt from my tears getting swallowed up by the pond they'd tossed me into. When I tried to call on my powers, it didn't work. They'd done something to me, the hate-filled ones, something to break my powers. My mouth opened, and I screamed, but it only filled my lungs with more water.

Then I saw him.

Kai was on the bank struggling against the hold of the worst one.

The most evil one.

But they'd done something to him, too. He couldn't use his magic either, and the last thing I heard was a distorted scream of agony from the elemental who I loved as my soul mate while the hate-filled one balled up his fist and punched him squarely in the jaw.

Then I was dragged all the way down.

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

I cried out in grief, the sound waking me and making me bolt upright. I coughed, sputtering and clearing water from my lungs before I began taking great, greedy gulps of sweet air.

Wet and cold. I was wet and cold and—

"Darling?"

I coughed and shivered, my wet hair plastered to my cheek as my head whipped around to find him standing there beside the couch I was lying on.

The raven.

"They... you... you're alive?" I was full-blown bawling now, and Kai sighed before sitting and wrapping me in his arms then holding me, brushing my wet hair from my face as I sobbed into his already-soaked shirt.

"I... demon what happened? She was dry. Now she's soaked, but she hasn't moved at all from that couch. How is that possible?"

Clem was speaking, but I didn't dare pull myself away from Kai to look at her. Besides, the plants told me where I was. They were reaching out to comfort me. I was in the guest room of the mansion, although how I'd gotten here, I had no idea.

"You were right," I said, pulling back as my teeth chattered. He was the same. Different haircut from the dream. Or was it a memory? Regardless, he was the same raven. "You were right, Kia. I was a fool to trust them... but I can't remember what happened. I can't... but I know I was wrong and—"

"Don't worry about that now, darling." He whispered, kissing my forehead before pulling my body against his and cradling my head to his chest. "You don't need to worry about anything right now."

"Sir, might I ask—"

"No," The menacing growl that thundered from Kia's chest when he cut off my grandfather sounded even more menacing now that my ear was pressed against Kai's peck and I could feel the rumble against my cheek. I hadn't even known my grandfather was in here.

Kai spoke again. "I need everyone to leave this room."

"My lord, Clem can watch over my granddaughter. You and I can chat over tea or whiskey or—"

"I believe I made myself clear, Jacaro." Silence stretched on, and I found myself wanting to look at everyone in the room but not daring to move any farther from Kai. "Yes, sir."

The sound of footsteps leaving the room had me leaning more heavily into the demon.

"Lexi," The gentle voice of my cousin made me jump, and I turned to find the woman placing a hand on my shoulder, earning her a worried glare from Kai, "Are you OK with this, staying in here with the demon?"

I sniffed and nodded and wiped my eyes with the sodden sleeve of Kai's suit jacket wrapped around me, feeling for all the world like a sniveling crybaby of a child. "Yes. I... when I'm feeling better, I'll tell you what I know. I... I know Kai. He's a good person. I want to be here. In here. With him."

"The demon's a good man?" My cousin's skepticism made Kai tense, and I shrugged, resting my forehead against his shoulder.

"He wasn't always a demon."

Clem looked like she wanted to argue, to ask for explanation and clarification, but instead, she sighed and began making her way towards the door. "Alright. I'll trust you. Just... I'm down the hall if you need me. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Clem."

She nodded, and I listened to the sound her her slippers shuffling on the wood while until she made her way out of the bedroom and closed the door behind herself. I was in the guest room of the mansion. I didn't like it here. I wasn't supposed to be here.

But Kai was with me, so it would be fine.

Maybe.

He sighed, sending a breath of air against the top of my head as he kissed it. Confused. I was confused. And the demon had answers. It was time for the two of us to talk.