“The ballroom is now underwater,” he told them with a completely serious expression.
They both cracked up at the same time, dissolving into laughter, and Chamis let his stern face fall and grinned at the two of them. He had two younger sisters, Perian suddenly remembered.
Oh, this made Perian so happy.
After that, it was a free-for-all, with Simiala getting in on it, too.
“What’s that?” she demanded suddenly.
They all looked over at the window, where water was now leaking down the wall.
“I think the water level has reached us!” she exclaimed.
Perian and Renny both gaped, and then he realized that, obviously, Simiala could control water. There seemed always to be someone who could control water around Renny, just in case the wraiths somehow found their way back into the castle.
“Quick!” Perian shouted. “Onto the furniture!”
He pushed his chair over to Renny’s, and she tucked up her legs so that he could push them right together, front to front, so it was like they were almost in a little boat, high backs behind them and the arms of the chairs almost touching.
“It’ll float, right?” Perian demanded of Renny. “You made sure to get furniture that would float when your room was decorated, didn’t you?”
“Well, I’ll certainly think of that for next time!” Renny yelled, even as a grin lit up her face. “No one told me I needed furniture that floats!”
Simiala made the water come twisting into the room, flying off the wall and then circling them, which Perian was duly impressed with. He and Renny exchanged theatrical nervous glances.
“Can you swim, Renny?” Perian asked as the water circled closer and closer. “I think we might need to make an, er, dive for it.”
Chamis, standing beside them, said bravely, “I can swim, Your Highness, and I can carry you while I swim!”
“Yes, that will work,” Perian agreed. “Save yourself!”
She turned to him. “Don’t tell me you can’t swim!”
“Oh no, I can swim, too, but I’m not made of muscle like Chamis is. I think I’d drown if I tried to carry you.”
She stuck out her tongue at him, he grinned, and then she stood up on the chair, and Chamis carefully scooped her into his arms. He was so broad and well-muscled that he could easily hold her half-seated with just one arm.
Then Chamis ran around the room, swimming with one arm, Renny clinging to him as she perched on the other, while Perian theatrically leaped off the chair boat and then made ridiculous swimming motions while the water chased after him.
“I think it’s going to get me!” Perian shouted.
By this point, Chamis and Renny had taken refuge on a low table. Perian was impressed with how sturdy it was.
“Save yourself!” Perian cried.
“You can make it!” Renny was yelling. “Perian, you can do it!”
They were all cheering him on, and he was pretending to flounder, which perhaps explained why none of them heard the door open.
“Whatis going on here?”
Chapter Six
The water splashed to the floor and then disappeared, and everyone looked to the door at the sound of the frigid voice and froze.
Well.
At least it wasn’tjustCormal?
