“Yes,” she expressed but then again glanced at the water swirl and then back at him. “No…” Her stomach sank.
A brazen smirk slanted Dante’s mouth.
“No, don't tell me it's our portal,” she repeated, disappointed.
“What, never heard about a water portal?” He stepped with his boots into the water.
Violette cowered. “Weren't they closed because a lot of people drowned using them?”
“Stupid folks just kept confusing portals with real swirls, their fault,” he said simply. Everything he was saying to her, no matter if it was about the people drowning or about legends, sounded from his mouth like ordinary daily conversation, not really involving any emotions.
She opened her mouth, her brows pulled closer.
“Are you coming?” Dante called her over the shoulder.
Her nails clasped the neckline of her cloak. “Don't tell me all of it just to drown me.”
“Hm,” he said thoughtfully, “As much as this idea sounds tempting, I still need you. But remind me about it later for sure.”
Violette's face became stony in a split second and she finally moved forward right in the water. The chill went down her spine as it finally covered the edges of her boots and touched her knees. The sound of rippling water cut through the air as they moved deeper. When the water reached her waist, she stopped, unsure if this was a good idea. Of course it wasn’t, she already knew the answer. And nonetheless, here she was.
The sharp low voice broke through the silence.
“What? I can hold you by the hand if you are scared.” The faint smirk conveying the baleful look appeared on Dante's face.
She scrunched her nose and huffed, stepping further, feeling her boots sinking in the sand.
Finally the swirl showed up in front of her eyes. She perfectly knew the rules – you just need to dive. Now that she knows how portal transportation feels, she wasn't really pleased with using one. Her gaze once again dropped down to the swirl as she bit her lip.
“Just dive in, it's not so bad,” Dante spoke.
“You first.” She raised her eyes to him.
He looked like he couldn't care less, he clearly used it before, perhaps more than just one time. The water swayed and without spare words his head disappeared under, but not before he shot her a glance.
Violette stared at the spot where he vanished for a solid minute as if waiting for him to jump out of the water and scare her, but after it didn't happen, she gathered all her resolve together, took a deep breath and finally dived.
Chapter 5
THE LANDS OF MYSTERIES AND GREAT TALES
The strange feeling consumed her body as she caught in a whirlwind, everything spun as if on a carousel and then it suddenly stopped.
The fresh air burst into her lungs as her head emerged from the lake. She opened her eyes, her vision remained blurry. She swam to the edge and her hand pressed into the hard stone surface as she wiped the water from her face. All she saw was the lonely dark walls of a cave. It didn't look like the place they dived in, not even close. There were no lights, trees or pretty archways. It was just an ordinary empty cave.
Her eyes found Dante in front of her as he leaned down and offered her a hand of help. Violette frowned, something in his moves had seemed tricky to her, all of him seemed this way.
“Don't worry, I won't bite,” Dante sneered.
“Only because you are in the mask.” She pouted.
He converted his gaze to the side with a mysterious smile. “Perhaps.”
And yet, she put her hand in his and got out of the water. Her dress and cape all sodden, the layers of the skirt weighed her down. As she found her balance, Dante was already walking up the path.
Her fingersreached to the magic wand on her waist. The water was still dripping from her forehead and her dark, shoulder-length hair to the neck. She definitely wasn't planning to stay wet so she shook her wand and with an elegant move her clothes dried up in a beat. Her eyes darted to Dante's back and she cast the spell once again. The warm wind wrapped him, making him turn his head.
“I didn't ask for it,” he let out the words in the air with an impassive tone.
