400 Dark lake

Abigail's lips parted in shock as she looked at Zeke with wide eyes.

"This place… isn't this the palace where Alex… where Alex was…"

"Yes. This is the palace that he burned that night he left you," Zeke responded, causing Abi's heart to pound harder against her chest.

She looked around again, looking for Alex. Did he remember? He must have, right? That was why he came here!

Hope surged inside Abi as she walked towards the debris. She was glad the moon was shining down so brightly that night and she was able to clearly see everything. There was almost nothing left of the once formidable looking castle. It was desolate and empty and Abigail knew that many bodies had been burned here that night because the scene that she saw was vividly flashing in her mind again.

But Abigail was not afraid. She didn't have time to think about ghosts in this haunted looking ruin because she was busy thinking about Alex and looking for him.

"Where is he?" Abi turned to Zeke who didn't move from his spot when she still couldn't find Alex. "He came here, right?"

Zeke didn't respond, his gaze just zeroed down the lake. The ruined palace was situated by the legendary Dark lake which was the black dragon's favorite place.

Abi followed Zeke's line of sight, thinking that he had spotted Alex, but she saw nothing there but a calm body of water reflecting the moonlight.

Thinking that Zeke must be still trying to spot him, Abi decided to find Alex by activating her hearing power but what she heard first were a number of vampire's heartbeats. Her heart thumped even faster inside her chest but the panic subsided when she remembered the shadows of the vampires that left the palace.

"Your highness, he jumped into the lake," a voice echoed and Abi snapped her head back to Zeke. That Raven guy was standing right next to Zeke and both men were looking in the direction of the lake.

"What? He jumped in the lake?!" Abi's eyes stretched. "W-why?!" The worry and fear in her eyes burned as she approached them, seeking answers.

Raven looked at her and politely nodded at her. "We followed him all the way here when all of a sudden, he jumped into the water."

"Don't worry, even if he stays underwater for years, he will not drown," Zeke butted in, casually walking towards a tree and leaning on it, seemingly ready to wait for who knew how long it took for Alex to appear again. "Vampires that went through that type of craving reportedly described that what they felt was akin to burning. He must have just wanted to quench the heat."

"Are you saying we are just doing to stand here and wait for him to come out?"

"Yes, Abigail, that's what we are going to do."

Abi swallowed as she silently clenched her fists. How could she just stand there and wait when Alex must be suffering underwater?

The water looked calm, so calm that no one would think there was somebody underwater. Not even a ripple could be seen. There definitely was no sign of anyone having actually jumped into it. Did this mean that Alex had been underwater for quite a long while now? For a quick second, her mind reminded her of that time in the snow where she had looked for Alex in the pool and she saw no ripples or movement in the water. She had thought then that it was strange and had even briefly wondered how long he had been underwater for. She didn't really stop to think about it in more detail but now it all made sense.

However, it didn't stop the worry that cloaked her heart. She started to call out his name.

"Alex!! Come out!! I'm here!" she called out as she walked along the edge of the lake. "Alex! It's fine. I'm right here. I can help you."

She stopped and waited for a response but there was none. The water remained still like an untouched well.

"Please, come out now! Alex?"

She continued calling out, her voice echoing in the dead silent and eerie forest.

Time went by and Abi couldn't handle it anymore. Even though Zeke said he couldn't drown, Abi couldn't help but think about those moments where he suddenly lost his strength. What if something like that happened while he was underwater?

She turned towards Zeke and his men who were standing around just meters away from her. They remained there, unmoving. They looked like they really planned to just wait for Alex even if it took the entire night!

Biting her lips, Abi didn't call for them anymore. Instead, she started to remove her shoes and socks and placed them neatly on the grass.

Seeing her preparing herself to jump in the water, Zeke just sighed while Raven looked at him with a troubled face.

"Your highness," Raven spoke, his head darting back and forth between Zeke and the woman by the lake. "I think she is actually going to really jump in there. We should stop her."

"Tch!" Zeke's lips twitched. "This troublesome creature," he mumbled lazily before he finally leapt towards Abigail, causing Raven to sigh in relief.

He landed right next to her, grabbing her arm just before her feet could reach the water.

"Don't even dare. You'll just hurt yourself," Zeke told as he pulled her back, still holding on to her arm.

Abi grimaced at him. "Please let go. I can't just wait here. He might be unconscious down there!"

"You can't just go and jump in there. This lake is dangerous, not just for you. It is even dangerous for us. Add in the fact that it is dark and the lake is extremely cold, you would be seeking certain death. Don't believe me?" Zeke squatted down, dipped his hand into the dark water and when he lifted it back up, a human skull was in his hand.