From Darkness Won - Jill Williamson [161]
Peripaso chuckled. “Oh, no, Lady Vrell. Your body only thinks the water’s warm compared to the air. It’s a lie the water tells you so it can keep devouring you.”
The men set her on a stone floor. She straightened her soggy skirt around her legs and hugged her knees to her armored chest. Sir Eagan draped a warm fur around her shoulders. She took in her surroundings.
A mushroom-like cavern arched above, the ceiling and walls covered in icy dripstones, icicles, or a combination. The torchlight reflected off the pool of water that still had waves from Averella’s swim. A thin layer of ice circled the pool as if it had tried to freeze over but could not manage to. She saw the tunnel now. It ended at half her height above the water’s surface. Icicles hung off the ledge like a goat’s beard.
The men jumped back into the water and positioned themselves to catch Gren.
“Tell her to come on down,” Peripaso said to Sir Eagan.
“But do not tell Gren that thing about the water wanting to eat you,” Averella said. “In fact, do not tell anyone that. It is a horrible thing to say. We shall all have nightmares.”
“As you wish, Lady Vrell.” Then Peripaso said to Sir Eagan, “She was less bossy as a lad, you know.”
“I rather like her bossy,” Sir Eagan said. “And she makes a good point about not frightening Madam Hoff.”
Sir Eagan’s reply kindled a warmth in Averella’s chest. Hoping to keep it in, she drew the fur around her shoulders, wondering how Peripaso had managed to keep it dry. Her stiff, cold fingers felt for the twine around her neck. Achan’s ring was still there.
A distant whistle pulled Averella’s attention to the tunnel. The whistle increased in volume until it became a high-pitched scream. Gren flew off the ledge, arms circling. Her brown skirt flew up to her knees, revealing her bare legs.
Averella hoped Sir Eagan and Peripaso had not seen her legs bared. Her gown was heavier than Gren’s. Still, her cheeks burned at the very idea.
Going underwater silenced Gren. But when her face broke the surface of the water, she went on screaming. The men closed in and grabbed her.
They carried her to the stone ledge and sat her beside Averella. Sir Eagan wrapped a second fur cloak around Gren’s shaking form, then went back into the water.
She and Gren sat a long while. As each newcomer joined them on the wet stone, they had to trade off the furs, for Peripaso had brought along only two. Averella shivered long and hard. By the time Jax splashed into the water, her body ached from shivering.
“We can’t stay here without dry clothing,” Gren said, “we’ll f-freeze.”
“We’re not staying here.” Peripaso walked to a dark opening in the wall. “The tunnel continues on—”
“Ohh, no!” Gren wailed. “I don’t want to go again.”
Averella put her arm around Gren’s shoulders and pulled her close. “It will be all right. Let us at least hear the plan before we refuse.”
Gren frowned and laid her head on Averella’s shoulder.
“The tunnel’s only coated with ice about halfway,” Peripaso said. “There’s a river overhead. We’ll slide down, as we did before, and meet the stream, which will carry us the rest of the way. We’ll pass through several sprays of water, until at last, we come out at Mowtsa Falls and into the plunge pool.”
“Is it snowmelt?” Sir Rigil’s usually perfect hair looked painted over his scalp. His lips were blue.
Peripaso’s tunic clung to his skeletal, hunched form. “Some is. But some is from the Mowtsa River, which wends its way from Mount Bamah. And some is from the hot springs. So it’ll feel warmer.”
“Is it deep?” Gren asked.
“Aye, but we’ll be there to catch you again. In fact, Jax, why don’t you go after Sir Eagan so there’ll be three of us to tow people to shore.”
“I can do that,” Jax said.
“And I think those of you wearing armor should take it off and hold it, just so it won’t pull you to the bottom. The plunge pool is a ways deeper than this one.”
“How did you keep the furs dry?” Averella asked. “And the torch?”
“I bundled them around the torch before sliding down and