Soul Bound

Chapter 36

Eva woke up to an intense heat burning into the flesh of her arm. Yelping, she rolled into the safety of the lake.

The sun was back to its merciless ways again; it lit up the entire cavern, allowing her to see Arkon's shadow deep in the water. He swam up to the surface with a mouthful of fish then unceremoniously dumped them on the shore.

"Breakfast," he explained, rather pleased with himself for being able to provide for her.

He was heaven sent. Eva's stomach hurt, she was so hungry. She could--and would--have eaten the fish raw had he not zapped them first. While she contently plucked the fried flesh off the bones, she watched Arkon swim around with ease, and found herself fascinated.

"Arkon," she murmured behind a mouthful of fish, "how big is this lake?" He was one of the bigger dragons back at the base, yet he seemed to have plenty of space to swim. She'd been so driven by thirst before, that she hadn't checked to see how deep it went.

He scanned the cavern, taking in the sheer size of it while also keeping out of sight from the sun. "I suspect it runs throughout the continent. I haven't found an end in my explorations."

With a lake this big, there must be all sorts of life--as proven by the fish--and possibly people. This would be the perfect place to hide from the sun. It'd explain why they barely saw anybody on the surface; she'd thought they were in the mountains, but what if they were underneath? There were probably many entrances. She was lucky enough to find one.

"Do you think Sasha is in here? She has to keep Syran cool during the day somehow. You love this water, don't you?" He hadn't left since they arrived.

He regarded her for a moment, thinking as he adjusted himself in the shallow end of the pool, so only his feet and tail were submerged; the rest of his body dripped and glistened, making him look all the more the majestic creature she fantasised about as a child. "Storm dragons have an affinity to water. If we do not have lightning to give us strength, water is a fair substitute."

"Lightning is very powerful in water," she thought aloud, remembering the time he'd zapped fish in the water when she was first starting to know him. "Can you sense anyone, though?" While she had slept like a rock last night, she was still drained from their excursions yesterday and her magic especially felt depleted. Having not practised much magic with Anna, she hadn't experienced this yet, but Anna had warned her that exhaustion was a side effect to using magic.

Arkon gestured towards the deeper part of the cavern. "There is a large colony in the far eastern side of the cavern."

That sounded promising. "Can we get to them from here?"

He studied the layout of the cavern; she felt his magic circle around her then stretch beyond their cave, scanning every nook and cranny far further than she ever could with her magic. "Once we pass this underwater tunnel, the river will take us straight there."

Decided, Eva stood and tossed the fish bones into the water. "I don't know about you, but I'm thinking we follow the river instead of flying in that heat."

His mouth quirked into a scaly smile. "I agree." He moved into position for her to climb into the saddle. "Take deep breaths. This tunnel is not short, but I believe you can make it."

She did as he suggested and steadied her breathing. Once she felt her heart slow, she gave Arkon the go-ahead. He dipped into the water seamlessly, tucking his wings tight against his back. He used his claws and tail to propel him forward. Once he got into a rhythm, water undulated through her clothes and threatened to tear her off his back, he was so fast.

She gripped the handles harder. Her heart quickened. The urge to open her mouth and breathe became stronger, the burn in her lungs growing more intense.