He grunted. “Both.”
“I’m standing in a pond with water up to my waist, and I’m not panicking. I think that’s good progress.”
Christian nodded solemnly and moved closer to her. His gaze softened as he took in the fear in her eyes. “It is.” He eased her hand from Mercy’s mane.
Willow’s grin vanished, and she swallowed with trepidation.
“Here. Hold onto my shoulders.” He offered an encouraging smile. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She quickly placed her hand on Christian’s shoulders.
“It’s kind of like dancing,” he said.
“I’ve only danced once, and it wasn’t in the water.”
“It was with me,” Christian replied, his eyes lidded. “We were in a meadow. Beneath a bright moon, much like this one.”
She nodded, and her eyes twinkled in the light.
Christian’s hands slid to her waist.
She nervously glanced at the water rippling around his hands.
Christian cupped her chin gently in his hands and gazed into her eyes. His voice was steady and calm as he said, “Look at me. I know you’re scared, but you’re safe with me. I’d die before I would let anything happen to you.” He felt her hands tighten on his shoulders, her heart beating faster. “Remember when you sang?”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “It was horrible.”
“It was lovely. Do you think you can sing the same song?”
“Maybe I could hum it,” she said. “I don’t think I know the words.”
Christian grinned, his gaze instinctively dropping to her lips. He started to hum a familiar tune and swayed slightly from side to side. The water swished around them. As Willow looked down and tensed, Christian tilted her chin back up. “Keep your eyes on me,” he advised. “I don’t hear you humming.”
Terror edged the corners of her eyes. “I don’t feel like humming.”
“It will help take your mind off the water. Just as Mercy did,” he said softly.
“Don’t go any farther. I don’t want to go in the water,” she pleaded.
He felt helpless, knowing she was so afraid. He wished he could do something to save her from her fear. “I know,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I know you don’t. The water won’t hurt you if you respect it. Can you put your face in the water?”
Willow nodded. “I don’t like it. But I can hold my breath and put my face in.”
“Show me.”
She kept her hands on his shoulders and took a breath before dipping her face into the water. She lifted it back up quickly.
“Good!” Christian exclaimed.
She grinned and rubbed her face with her hand. “I have to splash my face with water when I bathe. That’s not what I’m afraid of.”
“I know. But if you can do that, you can swim.”
She gazed at him with hope. “Do you think so?”
He grinned and wiped a strand of wet golden hair from her cheek. “I know so.”
Pons lifted a piece of bread to his lips. The tunnel seemed darker. Perhaps a torch had been extinguished. He would check after he ate. Some knights had departed with the girl Hawkes, while others chose to remain.
