Page 13 of Henrikk’s Secret

Now where?

He could swim, left, or right, or forwards… Pretty much any direction (except behind him) was all open sea. If he swam in those directions, he would be free of the reef, and this would allow him to surface beneath a blue sky and collect his breath.

In ordinary circumstances, that was exactly what Henrikk would have done before contemplating a long underwater dive. He needed to calm his rapid heart rate and spend at least a minute breathing slowly to oxygenate his blood.

That would have been a wise thing to do because otherwise, he risked blacking out.

A human had once asked him whether vampires actually needed oxygen, or if they simply breathed out of habit or for show. That particular human was no longer breathing for his impertinence.

Yes, vampires needed oxygen, desperately so. His chest was already contracting in protest, compelling him to swim to the surface. He glanced up at the undulating surface above, which beckoned him, promising sweet, sweet air.

It would be a shame to drown now, but it was not his life he was concerned about: he did not consider his life to be worth very much. But Asher was the best kind of person, and his life depended on Henrikk succeeding.

The dive would be dangerous and painful, but that didn’t matter much, either.

As long as I don’t black out. As long as Asher lives.

Instead of surfacing, Henrikk twisted in the water to face the mass of volcanic rock that bore the colourful reef. The corals resembled ancient citadels, but it was the dark underbelly that interested him. There, in the underside of a slanted wall, was a narrow crevice.

Pulling himself through the water, he swam towards the tunnel entrance, wishing fiercely that he’d removed his clothes as they hindered his progress. The tunnel was dark, and the dim light that had filtered in was blocked by his body, making the already precarious situation worse. He wasted precious time waiting for his night vision to adjust before pulling himself deeper into the twisting tunnel.

The space was tight, and the friendly-looking coral reef was incredibly abrasive and had a nasty bite. Despite his efforts to be careful, the skin on his hands and face was soon scratched.

The dark tunnel stretched endlessly, twisting left and right as it took him deeper and deeper into the rocky foundation of the large reef. He mentally recalled his map of the tunnel system. A younger Henrikk had nearly died while charting it, a process that had taken weeks and several close calls.

He was grateful for that experience now as he confidently chose the correct path, the only one that would lead to a dark, inner cavern of fresh air.

The pressure mounted in his chest, his throat, and his cheeks as his supply of air dwindled. Every part of him longed to breathe.

This had been a bad idea—an outrageous idea. How had he thought to attempt this deathtrap of a dive without preparation? Even in his best form, it was a dangerous undertaking.

Love had made him reckless. It was an uncomfortable thought. He had not planned to die for love.

He reached an intersection and went right, taking care to avoid the sharp, rigid fingers of coral stretching towards him as he navigated the tight turns. At the next intersection, he turned right again.

A series of disorientating turns followed, made more difficult by his distorted underwater vision and the dark depths of the cavern system. The occasional ray of light trickled in through a porosity to guide his way, but otherwise, it was pitch black.

Left, then a sharp left again. Down. Pulling himself down. Now, a hairpin right.

Yes. Nearly there.

His burning lungs rejoiced.

However, ten seconds later, he reached a dead end: a rough, rocky wall, illuminated by a tiny sliver of daylight that filtered in from above.

He patted the wall desperately. His way was blocked by a solid, impenetrable wall, and to the right, a large, mushroom-shaped coral tinted pink.

Fuck!

Several panicked bubbles escaped his mouth as he pushed against the wall in desperation.

His mind went into overdrive. He must have taken a wrong turn, but how? He’d been so careful to recite the path in his head.

It was his lack of oxygen compounded by his emotional turmoil. He wasn’t thinking clearly.

I have to go back…

But where did I go wrong?