Page 32 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

“Close your eyes. Just trust me,” the dark-eyed girl in front of me whispered as she pulled a ribbon from her dress and lifted it to my face, masking my eyes. I was unaware of where it had come from, but I felt so safe around Gwyn that I allowed her to do it, knowing she understood what was happening in some way and was trying to help me through it by shielding my vision from all the bad.

I was so careless. All I needed was somewhere to hide.

We were runningthrough the forest, the ribbon covering my eyes allowing me to take breaths without feeling sick for just another moment. I tried not to think about what might be in these woods…or who…

But they couldn’t hurt me while I couldn’t see them, and over the sound of my friend’s voice, which could have come straight out of a fairytale, I couldn’t hear them either. Gwyneth’s voice was melodic, even as we ran, and I could hear the smile in it.

The air was icy tonight, and the tiny raindrops felt like a thousand needles poking at my skin as we ran.

“I’m going to stop soon, just a heads-up, so you don’t run into me,” Gwyn chuckled softly.

I already knew where we were headed. We were going to the enchanted lake. It was Gwyneth’s safe place, and if she truly believed that I’d be protected there, then I trusted her with my life. There was nothing left for me to lose.

The ground beneath us was becoming bumpier, which told me we were nearing the bridge.

“Slow down,” she warned, and we both eased our pace.

“Can I take the ribbon off?” I asked, though part of me hoped to keep the fabric over my eyes for the rest of the night.

“Not yet, my friend.” Gwyn took both my hands, and I felt the ground crack beneath us. She led me onto the bridge. I felt calmer here than I had at school.

The cold air made it easier to breathe, and Gwyn’s presence around me felt like a home I never knew I had. There was a special connection with her that I couldn’t explain. Her very existence brought a strange sense of comfort.

Her hands were freezing when she lifted them to my face, gently unfastening the ribbon. I couldn’t stop myself from keeping my eyes closed for another moment. Gwyneth lightly brushed her fingers over my eyelids before I finally opened them.

I had expected the world around us to be dark, but it wasn’t. The water of the lake shimmered in a soft green glow. I gasped, and despite the fear knotted in my chest, a smile tugged at my lips. “This is beautiful,” I whispered.

Gwyn smiled beside me, her gaze fixed on the glowing water. She reached for my hand and squeezed my fingers tightly. “I wish more people could see that these waters aren’t haunted. She’s just a sad soul,” her voice softened, and the smile that had been there turned into a wistful, longing expression.

“The tale is true, right? That’s her doing.”

Gwyneth looked at me, nodding. “She’s one of the few spirits that will keep you safe at Aquila Hall. She found peace in these waters. I like to call it the lake of the lost fox.”

“I love that.” Tonight’s events were already blurring my vision, and even now I could feel the world slowing down morethan it should. It was as though my mind had been captured in some kind of trance.

“Her waters are lovely. I like to float in them. Everything feels so peaceful.” Gwyn let go of my hand and walked to the edge where the water met the rocks. I noticed for the first time that she wasn’t wearing shoes, or even socks. She must be freezing cold.

The fourteen-year-old girl lifted her dress and stepped into the water, sinking fully into the glowing lake.

“Gwyn, get out, the water must be ice-cold!” I called out, but my head was spinning so much I could barely manage a whispered warning. I grabbed the railing and moved toward the water’s edge where Gwyn had disappeared.

Gwyneth laughed, a sound full of pure joy. “It’s warm, Dottie. Come in, we can swim together.”

In my dress, the air alone was almost freezing me to death. How could these waters possibly be warm… probably the same way they glowed at night.

Spirits.

Could things get worse?

I removed my shoes and dipped my toes into the water. I was surprised to find it was, indeed, warm.

I took another step, then another, until I was chin-deep in the lake. I laughed, delirious from everything that had happened. How my laugh even made it out tonight was a mystery, but I couldn’t complain.

Gwyn watched me, her eyes soft, as I twirled around in the water, laughing like a madwoman.

“I need to show you something, Dottie.”

I stopped, turning to face her. “It can’t get more beautiful than this, can it?”

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