Page 4 of Song of the Shadow Prince
I hardly registered his words. I handed my phone to one of the assistants and walked over to Marty and the rest of the crew. He was briefing the team, his arms flailing like a conductor leading an unruly orchestra. I was listening, but also, I wasn’t. I was so angry, it felt as if I was having an out of body experience.
The director turned to me, his eyes shining. “When you hit the water, I want chaos, but beautiful chaos. Think… mermaid meets Michael Bay,” Marty said as he clapped his hands.
“Cat, did you wrap up your new tattoo?” Trish pointed to her forearm.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s tightly wrapped. It’ll be fine for the shoot.” I’d gotten a new tattoo last night, not knowing I had a water stunt today. But it should be fine. I had a whole sleeve of tattoos, so I was a pro at taking care of them at this point.
Trish patted my shoulder. “Okay, good.”
I adjusted my gear, the earlier lightness replaced by a slight edge of concentration. I was wearing a long sleeved, black wet suit that was practically super glued to my skin, filled with all sorts of gadgets to make the costume look futuristic. No matter what was happening with my personal life, I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. Not now. Diving was second nature to me, but every stunt had its risks.
Beside me, Jake was checking the small explosive devices designed to go off just after I entered the water, adding to the drama of the scene. “Ready for a swim?” he asked, giving me a thumbs up after his checks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Just no blenders or toasters this time, please,” I quipped, peering into the water.
It looked a bit more ominous than your average lake, dark and seemingly bottomless, but I shrugged off the unease. Learning you’d been cheated on didn’t feel good, especially when your job involved dangerous stunt work. But that asshole didn’t deserve my attention right now.
I climbed to the designated jumping spot, which was a high ledge that overlooked the lake. Below, the crew was in position, cameras aimed at the water to catch every angle of my descent.
Trish’s voice came through the walkie-talkie, clear and professional. “On my mark in three… two… one…jump!”
I took a deep breath and leapt. The air rushed past me, a thrilling whisper against my exposed skin. I hit the water with perfect precision and the coolness enveloped me in an instant, a welcome respite from the simmering California heat. Underwater, all was calm and quiet. My thoughts were no longer overpowering, and I felt as if I could relax. Thoughts of Fernando filtered away and the tension bled away from my shoulders.
But when I plunged deeper and spun to start swimming back toward the surface, I felt a sudden, sharp tug on my ankle. The initial rush of the dive was quickly overtaken by panic clawing at my chest. I flailed, trying to understand what had ensnared me. My costume, perhaps too intricate for such a stunt, seemed to have snagged on something unseen beneath the water's surface. Despite my attempts to free myself, the grip was unyielding, pulling me deeper into the murky depths.
The water pressed in on me from all sides, cold and unyielding, as my lungs burned for air. My mind raced with training protocols and emergency procedures, but my body couldn't respond effectively against the relentless pull. My eyes stung when I forced them open, desperate to find something, anything, that could offer a clue or aid.
That's when I saw it—an almost ethereal glow emanating from below. As my eyes adjusted, I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the underside of the water's surface. But it was different—startlingly so. Instead of the tangled mess of my stunt gear and my increasingly panicked expression, there was a calm, almost serene version of myself staring back. This other 'me' wore a flowing dress that shimmered with the dark hues of the lake, untouched by the chaos of my current predicament. Her face was composed, but something about it made me uneasy.
The sight was surreal, a stark contrast to my frantic desperation. A mix of wonder and fear washed over me. As my consciousness waned, the edges of my vision began to darken and the mysterious reflection faded into a void. The last thing I felt was a gentle warmth, as if the water itself was comforting me, embracing me in its depths. Then, everything went black.
The cold grip of the lake released me not into death, but into an entirely different existence altogether.
2
CAT
Iwas hurled onto an unforgiving surface and I choked on water. Desperate to expel the liquid from my lungs, I turned onto my side, violently coughing and sputtering. Battling for each gasp, my stomach threatened to revolt at any moment.
Rain pelted down with relentless fury, each frigid drop stinging my skin. My vision swam, blurry and unfocused, as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. Shapes moved around me, but they were indistinct, hazy silhouettes in the storm.
“Lady Arya!” A woman's voice pierced the din of a storm, shrill and urgent. She clung to me, her fingers digging into my arm.
Thunder roared across the sky, a deafening crack that made me flinch. “Marty?” I rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper. “Jake? Trish?”
“Lady Arya?” the woman repeated, this time with a note of confusion.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I fought to control my breathing and take in the chaotic scene. This place was unfamiliar, alien. I was nowhere near the lake.
“Who are you?” I croaked, my throat raw.
“Lady Arya, it’s me, Maeve!” she cried, her wet hair plastered to her face like a drenched poodle. Her bottom lip quivered as she gazed at me, her eyes wide with concern.
My gaze darted around, struggling to focus through the sheets of rain. We were surrounded by people, their faces obscured by the deluge. Ignoring Maeve, I stumbled to my feet and pushed past her, making my way to the edge of what I now saw was a boat.
I was on a boat.
A flash of lightning split the sky, casting the scene in stark relief for a brief moment. It illuminated the swirling waters below, revealing we were on a river, not a lake. I didn’t know where I was, but I was certain it wasn't Los Angeles.
