The current was a beast made of ice and hatred.
It grabbed them the moment they hit the water, spinning them like ragdolls in a washing tub. The cold was instantaneous, piercing through Ciro's adrenaline and seizing his muscles.
He kicked blindly, his arm locked around Elara's waist like an iron band. He couldn't see anything. The underground river was a void.
Don't let go, his mind screamed. If you let go, she dies.
Debris from the destroyed boat slammed into them. A plank of wood struck Ciro's shoulder, sending a jolt of pain down his numb arm, but he didn't loosen his grip.
They were dragged under, the roar of the water filling his ears, drowning out his own thoughts. He felt Elara trashing against him, panic taking over. He pulled her closer, pressing her face into his chest, shielding her from the jagged rocks that lined the tunnel walls.
Time lost its meaning. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours.
Just as Ciro's lungs were about to burst, the darkness gave way to grey.
They shot out of the drainage pipe like a cannonball, plummeting into the wider, slower river outside the castle walls. The moon was waiting for them, reflecting on the surface of the black water.
Ciro gasped, breaking the surface. The air tasted sweet and sharp.
"Kick!" he rasped, water spilling from his mouth. "Elara, kick!"
She was limp against him, her heavy dress pulling her down.
Panic, colder than the river, seized Ciro's heart. He ignored the burning in his bruised ribs and swam with the desperation of a madman. He dragged them toward the muddy bank, his boots sinking into the silt.
He hauled her onto the grass, collapsing beside her.
"Elara?"
He scrambled over to her. She was pale, her lips blue, her midnight dress ruined by mud and slime. She wasn't breathing.
"No, no, no..." Ciro whispered. His hands, usually so steady with a blade, were shaking uncontrollably.
He pressed his hands to her chest, pushing down in a rhythmic motion. "Breathe. Damn you, breathe!"
Push. Push. Push.
Nothing.
"Don't you dare leave me here alone!" Ciro screamed at her, his voice cracking. "Wake up!"
He breathed air into her mouth, tasting river water and fear. He pumped her chest again.
Cough.
Elara's body convulsed. She rolled onto her side, retching water onto the grass. She gasped, sucking in air in ragged, weeping breaths.
Ciro fell back onto the mud, staring up at the sky. Tears he didn't know he was holding streamed down his face, mixing with the river water. He laughed. A broken, hysterical sound.
She was alive.
After a long moment, Elara pushed herself up. She looked at Ciro.
The river had washed away the last of his paint. There was no white grease, no red smile. Just a man with dark circles under his eyes, shivering in the cold night air.
"We... we made it," she whispered, her voice raw.
Ciro sat up. He looked back across the river.
Looming in the distance, atop the black cliffs, was the Castle of Morvath. It looked impenetrable, a fortress of lights and music where the Masquerade was likely still going on, unaware that the guest of honor had vanished.
But Ciro saw the torches moving along the walls. He heard the faint, distant horn blast.
They knew.
"We made it out," Ciro corrected her, standing up and offering her his hand. "But we are not safe."
He looked at their surroundings. They were on the edge of the Blackwood Forest. They had no food. No horse. No money. No boat. Ciro had lost one of his daggers in the river.
They were wet, freezing, and hunted by an entire kingdom.
Elara took his hand. She shivered, but she didn't let go. She looked at the castle one last time, then turned her back on it.
"Where do we go?" she asked.
Ciro looked into the darkness of the forest. The path ahead was unknown. It would be filled with wolves, bandits, and soldiers.
"Forward," Ciro said. "We go forward."
He squeezed her hand.
"The King's Dog drowned in that river, Elara. From tonight on..."
His eyes hardened, the cold steel returning to his gaze.
"...I am the Wolf."
They walked into the tree line, swallowed by the shadows, leaving no footprints behind.
[END OF VOLUME 1]