Page 35 of The Call of Crimson
“I’ve got you, Ophelia. I’ll always have you.”
Of course, he will. Layne is the one person I trust most in this world. He’s never let me down. I take a hesitant step into the ocean and am pleasantly surprised at the warmth of the water. Growing more confident, I take another step, then another, until it’s up to my waist.
“That’s it, O. You’ve got this. Come to me.”
He’s only a few feet away, the water up to his chest. I take a few more steps and I’m right in front of him. The water reaches my chin now and I can barely touch. I feel panic rising in me, my arms searching for him under the water.
“You’re okay, Ophelia. Just breathe.”
The air is heavy, humid. It feels like I’m sucking in water, not oxygen. “I’m trying, but I can’t feel the bottom, Layne.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Take my hand,” he says, finally offering me something to hold onto.
I do as he says, feeling instant relief at the contact.
“Now, lean back and let your body float to the top.”
I look at him skeptically.
“Just do it, O. Trust me,” he urges again.
Steeling myself, I do as he says. My head tips back and my body follows, leaving me floating on the surface of the water. I turn my head to look at him, a bright smile on both our faces.
“See, Ophelia. I told you?—”
“Dammit, Ophelia, breathe!”
“—I would take care of you. Always.”
My chest tightens looking at him. He’s vibrant, so full of life. My one constant in this world.
“I swear to the gods, Ophelia. If you don’t breathe, I will find a way?—”
My lungs burn and spasm as I cough, water spilling out of my mouth. I try to breathe in, but the air just irritates my lungsfurther, and the coughing continues. Slowly, I open my eyes to find Jade staring down at me.
Concern is etched on her face, but it’s followed by relief when our eyes finally meet. Taking a look around me, I find that I’m lying on the bank of the river that runs behind the palace. I’m fully clothed and soaking wet.
“What happened?” I croak.
“I don’t know, Ophelia, you tell me. I came out here for some solitude and found you floating in the river, face down, not breathing.”
I sit up cautiously, trying to piece it together. “I… I don’t know how I got here.”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Going to bed last night. I dreamt about Layne. We were swimming in Amara.” A sob catches in my throat, and my chest tightens. “Oh gods, he’s dead,” I whisper.
Immediately, I want to go back to the dream, to where my brother is still alive. Logically, I know he’s dead, but every day I have to wake up and be reminded of that fact. We burned him next to the queen and my bastard of a father, but I still have to adjust to my new reality each time I open my eyes.
My tears have been frequent since his death, but they never seem to run dry. Even now, they pool in my eyes, threatening to run over. “He’s gone, Jade. And I feel like he took part of me with him when he left.”
“That’s because he did.” She drops to the ground next to me and picks at the sparse grass that grows around the river.
“Does it ever lessen?” I whisper. “This feeling of missing part of myself?”
