Hungry is the heart

Chapter 16. Water & blood

Eleanor had always known Daveny was strong, but only when the world around them turned white, she realized the extent of his power. A cold fog brushed across her skin as he dragged her along. The world turned blurry, and then it disappeared.

She was no longer sitting on his desk, but now stood at the edge of a large lake. The water was veiled with a thin layer of fog. Water lilies rested on the unmoving surface.
Trees without leaves surrounded the place. Their dark branches blocking the sky into small grey squares.

Daveny walked to the water's edge. His reflection looked darker than it had before. He seemed to fit in perfectly in the dark shadows the clouds were casting over the landscape.

'Where are we?' she whispered.

'This is my world,' he said, gesturing for her to walk up.

She made her way closer to the water. The ground under her was soft. Her feet slipped in the mud.

'Take your shoes off.'

'Why.'

'Trussst me, it'sss better.' His lips curled up. 'Do you know how to ssswim?'

'I do.' But she would never have the strength to cross this lake. Would there be any sense in running? Would she be safe if she ran into the dark forest? Or did she accept this, like Renna had.
Eleanor removed her shoes and placed them in the grass. She looked at Daveny from the corner of her eyes. He already had stepped into the water and waited there impatiently. Could she trust the being she had called a monster? Did it mater if she did? She would always be dependent on his grace, whether she fought him or not. If his powers rivalled Soliste's, how was she supposed to win this?

She stepped into the water. It was so cold that it seemed to cut into her skin. The air escaped her lungs. She gasped for air.

'Keep going.' Daveny stared at her.

She took a second step and a third. The cold was so overwhelming that she started to lose feeling in her legs. 'Are you going to kill me?'

The lack of an answer scared her. Daveny placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward. Forcing her to decent deeper into the lake. The water rose up to past her waist. Watterlilies brushed against her fingertips. Slowly the cold became less intense. Despite the water covering her belly, she could breathe better. The chaos in her head, was replaced by the sound of a fast beating heart.

'Swim,' Daveny commanded when the water reached her chin.

So she did. She leaned into the water and let go of the ground under her feet. She pulled herself forward. The other side wasn't visible from her position and when she looked back, Daveny was gone too. It was as if the fog had grown more dense, making her world small. How long would it take before it would take her to? What did drowning feel like?

She wasn't going to find out. She could just swim back. A minute ago, she still was standing on the waterfront. Eleanor turned around, ignoring her quickening heartbeat. Her wings dragged behind her while she swam back in the direction she came from. Daveny didn't tell her to turn back.

The water lilly leaves were thorn apart by her nails. Green particles covered her arms. She pulled herself forward, fighting a heavy feeling pressing against her body. It was like she was swimming against the current, but the surface remained smooth like a mirror.

Slowly Eleanor moved forward, but she still couldn't see the forest. Everywhere she looked was water. Behind her, she had dragged a trail though the lilies, but that was the only sign that she actually moved forward. There was no sign of solid ground or other life. Not even Daveny.

Had he abandoned her? In the middle of a magical lake without a beginning or end. Had he used her just to get rid of her when it was convenient? Why hadn't she told Soliste the truth? That he knew everything. That he was the only one who could have killed them. Why had she just gone along with it?

She didn't know what was worse. The overwhelming cold dragging down, or the sea of thoughts that washed over her. Eleanor tried to fight the heavy current. This wasn't how she wanted to end. Not after everything she had survived already. She couldn't be stuck here. That was not an ending she could accept.

Tears found their way to her eyes. She kicked the water, trying to push forward. Eleanor moved, but the landscape didn't change. Water pressed against her lips and found its way into her nose. She coughed and pulled herself up. She just needed to keep swimming. If she just held on for long enough, she would reach the shore. This was a weird nightmare that would go over, right?
Everything ended, not always in a good way, but nothing lasted forever. She couldn't be stuck here. This would end too. Eleanor took a deep breath and kept swimming. There seemed to be waves in her head. She had no idea how long she was going, but it didn't seem to matter. Time had stopped, still she sank deeper.

She barely managed to keep her lips above the cloudy water. The taste of mud had filled her mouth, and the roots of water plants had wound themselves around her legs and wings. They pulled her back. Eleanor no longer fought them. With tired eyes, she looked forward. A dark shadow with large wings stood in the fog.

Daveny.