rain, water kissed my skin. Matt leaned down to graze his lips along mine. The waterfall gushed forward, completely soaking me.
Matt stepped out of the way.
“What the hell, Matt?” I yelped.
Water ebbed and I stood dripping wet in the cave. I crossed my arms over my chest and hugged myself. I glared at Matt who remained completely dry.
“I knew it.” He pointed to the water. “It’s Vane.”
My heart thumping, I whipped around. I saw nothing but water. “You’ve been in here too long. You’re having delusions.”
Matt grabbed my elbow. “He has Poseidon’s powers, Ryan. He’s in the water. The Ella Falls must lead back to a river which attaches to the ocean.”
I yanked my elbow away from him. “Not surprising, since we are on an island.”
“I knew he’d react if I tried to kiss you.”
“You kissed me to needle Vane?”
“I—” Matt smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry?”
I gave his back a hard shove. With a grunt, he fell into the pool. Sputtering, he flailed in the water. I smiled in triumph. “Still sorry?”
Matt sank into the water. After he didn’t come up for a few minutes, I moved closer to peer into the water.
Matt’s head popped back up. He was treading water. “It’s deep under here.”
I sighed. “A passage?”
“Let’s find out.” He dove underneath.
Muttering, “Crap,” I jumped in.
The orb shot into the water. I sank into the pool. I wasn’t a particularly strong swimmer, but a current, like a dorsal fin in the water, caught me and sped me through. Vane’s hand, I suspected. Inside a blanket of warmth, the current wrapped around me and sent me twirling and twisting until it spat me up and out at the other end. I landed gently in another rocky cavern, exhilarated by the wild whirlwind ride and disappointed that it was over. The orb floated up and out of the pool just before the water threw up Matt next to me.
He lay facedown on his stomach, vomiting water. “That b-bastard.”
I thumped his back and found it icy to the touch. I had to suppress a smile. Vane must have tortured him, it seemed. At the moment, I wasn’t feeling too sympathetic.
Matt grabbed my hand. Rolling over onto his back, he pulled me on top of him. Every inch of my body pressed against his. Thin, wet layers of clothing did nothing to hide that we fit together perfectly. He said huskily, “You’re warm.”
Behind us, the water grumbled. Matt’s eyes went to the pond.
I scrambled off him and sat down by his side. “I am not the pawn between the two of you.”
Matt sat up, shivering still. “All you have to do is pick a side.”
I stood up. “What if I don’t want to?”
“Then we may all lose,” he said quietly.
“Give me the Dragon’s Eye.”
“Why?”
“To get dry. Otherwise, you’re going to catch pneumonia down here.” I held out my hand and wiggled my fingers. “He already knows we’re here.”
“You don’t need to keep going to him to get rescued,” Matt ground out. He took out the handkerchief with the amulet. Instead of handing it over, though, he took my outstretched hand in his while holding the necklace himself. “Zusyati.”
Green magic floated over us. We were dry in seconds.
I arched a brow at Matt.
He shrugged. “This way, I don’t have to talk to him.”
Issues with a capital I. A sense of foreboding went through me. I had to stop this. I had to find a way to stop them from tearing each other apart and taking the rest of us with them. I asked, “Does this mean you can leech off him to do magic?”
“Yes and no. A drying spell takes very little energy. I can’t do anything big without his help.”
The orb zoomed ahead of me as I moved to step into the darkness. The cavern curved at the top, dotted with stalactites that pointed down at us like sharp fangs. At ground level, neat rows of stalagmites led up to another cliff. The orb danced out over the edge. Light shone down on a valley of nothing but rock, like a miniature Grand Canyon.
“There is nothing here!” I said.
“Are you sure?” Matt took the guidebook out of his pocket. He threw it down at the canyon. Instead of dropping like a stone, the book zigzagged in the air like a kite, descending slowly into the valley.
I stared up at it. “You want to go down?”
Matt went to the edge of the cliff. “These tests were given to the knights to prove themselves worthy. The