“You didn’t have to do that,” she murmured, taken aback by his kindness.
“I don’t mind,” he said softly, then in the same voice, his eyes boring into her soul, he said, “Now go on. Get in the water.”
All goodwill between them evaporated in a single second. Her insides shrivelled at the thought of actually stepping foot into the water.
Emmery wrapped his cloak tighter around herself as if it could swaddle her in its protection, and barricade her from his irritating order. Mostly how he hadcommandedher. “You could ask nicely.”
“I did. You wanted to learn to swim, remember? I’m a very busy man.”
“Ordering me into the water isn’t asking nicely.” Weariness sank into her bones. She swallowed hard, trying to mask her fear. “Give me a damn minute. I’m not ready yet.”
He took a bold step toward her and her stomach plummeted. “Are you saying no?” He cocked his head at her, a predatory stillness in his eyes accompanied by a spark of mysterious anticipation.
“So you do understand the word. I assumed you’d never heard it before. With your spoon-fed life and all.” She took a step back to retreat from both him and the pond like she could outrun this whole situation. Not because she didn’t want to swim, but because of his arrogant, condescending tone. The way he already pushed her too hard.
Destonne narrowed his eyes, though he didn’t appear annoyed. No, he contemplated how to sway this in his favour. How to bend Emmery to his will. Well, she was a fucking statue. And again, he played his games, even though terror rattled her bones.
“I could always toss you into the water,” he said, his voice low.
So hewastesting her boundaries, seeing how far he could push her before she snapped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He took another step toward her. “Are you sure about that?”
“My magic is uncaged, remember? Flames at the ready. I could set your trousers on fire before you even register it.”
Destonne held her stare. “I could jump into the water to put them out.”
“Then I’d boil it and turn you into King-flavoured soup.”
“While that sounds like a rare delicacy, I’m unsure if the flesh-eating fish would look too kindly on that. I did promise them they could feast on your toes and they would be rather disappointed if they went belly up.”
Emmery’s eyes flared but he met her flustered stare.Bastard. Fuck, the thought of fish nibbling on her toes unlocked a new fear. “I’ll scorch your pretty mop of hair,” she snapped.
A glimmer of a smile twitched his lips. “You think I’m pretty?”
Not even her exasperated sigh and pressing her palms against her eyes could curb her frustration. “I’m not getting into that damn water if you speak to me that way. And if you toss me in there, mark my words, I’ll make you pay.”
“Very well,” he hummed. Like the dowsing pinch of a candlewick, he switched tactics and sauntered to a nearby boulder, then balanced his ankle on his knee as he unlaced his boots. After he removed his socks, he rolled his trousers to his knees and made a show of placing his feet into the water. He splashed gingerly to prove his point.
“See? Not made of lava. No fatal wounds. No flesh-eating fish. It’s harmless. And it’s warm. So deliciously warm.” The indecent groan in the back of his throat raised colour in her cheeks. “Come. Dip your toe in.”
Emmery glowered at the water. This was what she’d come here for. The need to learn to swim had weighed her down since far before everything occurred with Maela. It stayed with her, lingered like a tormented phantom, and no longer would she allow fear to keep her hostage.
So, she held her breath as she trudged to the same boulder, yanked off her boots with more gusto than necessary, and rolled Destonne’s cloak so it wouldn’t get wet. Then she padded over to the water’s edge. Emmery stared at her feet still scarred from those damn boots Vesper had bought her. The water’s shimmering border stretched for her toes and she buried them into the dirt, wishing she could disappear into it. Escape to somewhere easier, into another dimension where she’d learned to swim as a child. But she wouldn’t be here then. Wouldn’t be who she was today.
And it was just a toe. How bad could it be?
Destonne’s insistent stare followed her as she inched forward. The tepid water welcomed her, and she shuffled in until her feet were submerged, until the water circled or, rather, shackled her ankles. A deep sigh left her soul as if she’d exhaled decades of fear. Like this moment resembled a purging, the mountainous feat of taking the first step. It wassomething.
As Emmery studied the rippling surface, Destonne watched her in the same way. Maybe he debated if hauling her over his shoulder and plunging her into the water would be worth it, or if she would make good on her promise and light his hair on fire. Gods forbid she ruin those perfect curls.
You think I’m pretty?She held back a snort at the ridiculousness of it.
He waded in further and threw challenging glances over his shoulder, but Emmery decided not to take the bait. This was enough for today. She’d done something big already, whether he recognized it or not. It was enough for her.
The rolled cuffs of his trousers quickly saturated, but the King surprisingly didn’t seem bothered.
She studied his back to distract herself, because if she leaned into the water’s touch, focussed on its weighted hold, images surfaced in her mind.