Chapter 65: No Path to Escape
After that, Ondine the Rivernyx had slipped back beneath the surface, but not before summoning Élisa forward into the water... and without a word, the elf had obeyed — stepping in without even bothering to undress.
The water rippled around her like a whirlpool, wrapping her in a silent embrace, then pulled her toward the creature who waited, motionless.
The Rivernyx gently touched the elf’s shaved head and did something neither Dylan nor Maggie could quite make out — but whatever it was, it made Élisa shudder.
Then the creature removed a large silver bracelet from her own arm and handed it to the elf.
"I wanted to offer you at least some encouragement," she said, her voice a dying ripple, before turning away and vanishing once more into the depths.
"Wait! Lady Ondine..." cried Élisa, trying to dive after her.
But the current pushed her back — hard — ejecting her from the water like an invisible hand. And just as suddenly, the Rivernyx emerged again, her presence as smooth and cold as a blade drawn from dark water.
"What is it, young one?" she asked, her voice calm but coiled.
"Please... bless our weapons," Élisa pleaded, hands trembling. "They’re just... metal. They might not survive the next fight."
The Rivernyx remained still, half-submerged, the murky water lapping at her throat. Her eyes narrowed—not in irritation, but as if weighing something ancient. Something sacred. Something she hadn’t done in a very, very long time.
"You ask a lot," she murmured.