Raine lounged against the sodden cushion she had carried to the cavern’s entrance and lazily caressed Cidaris’ cheek. “Do you have to go?” She closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder as a bird sang in the gardens. “I promise you, that’s still the nightingale and not a lark. Trust me, you don’t know birds as well as I do.”

She felt his cool fingers trace her jawline, before his lips followed them down. “I might not know birds, but I do know the sound off the tide as it ebbs and flows.

She opened her eyes and tried to memorize him as he pointed to the remains of the candles that were melted to the rocks around them.

“Besides,” he continued, “the flickering lights you brought to help us keep track of time have all but gone out.” He leaned over and kissed her lips as he gently wove his fingers through her tangled locks. “I have to go now if I want to live. If I stay any longer, I’ll be trapped in here when the tide is all gone or if I manage to escape the confines of this cave, I’ll be a dead man as I swim through the waters that are no longer mine to call home.”

Raine’s bottom lip pouted outwards as she snuggled even tighter against him. “You’re wrong. The candles must have gotten splashed. It can’t be daylight yet.” She traced his jaw with her kisses until he pulled back and kissed her lips. “Please don’t go yet,” she pleaded.

He sighed and cupped her cheek. “Let me be taken then. I don’t want to leave either. Let me stay here until someone finds me, or let me leave when the tide returns and my kin kill me. Death will be worth it to spend more time with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat as his words sank in and she pulled away from as though he had zapped her as firmly as an electric eel might. “No, please don’t die. You’re right.” Tears began to bloom in her eyes. “You’re right. It’s the day and you must go.” Her hands fluttered to her mouth and eyes as she scrambled up the rocks towards the cavern entrance. Pausing, she turned and ran back towards him, throwing herself on him. He caught her in an embrace and they kissed once more.

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“I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Raine!” The nurse’s shrill and panicked voice hissed from the entrance of the cave as the older woman waddled inside. “Raine!”

“What is it nurse?”

“Your mother is coming to your rooms to speak with you. I’ll try to slow her down. But be careful, everyone is starting to wake up.”

The woman grunted as she walked back up the rocky ground towards the manor. As her body disappeared from sight, Raine turned back towards Cidaris. “I guess that’s it then. We can’t pretend anymore.”

“Goodbye my love.” Cidaris leaned up and gave her one last longing kiss before he pushed himself off into the waters below. The water in the cave was so far gone, that he had to scramble across the rocks towards the deeper pool. As he disappeared under the dark surface, Raine half-turned and slowly walked towards the entrance.

As her vision blurred, Raine turned and focused on the steps before her. “Oh Cidaris,” she mumbled. “My love. My friend. I wish I could hear from you once more. I can’t imagine how long time will pass before I see you again, Cidaris.”

She heard a splash and turned around. In the dim morning light, she saw Cidaris against the far wall near a black hole. “Goodbye. I will find a way to speak with you again. I promise.”

“Do you think we will ever see each other again?”

“Yes. Yes I do. And then, when we are together at last, all the things that have happened in the mean time, will just make it that much sweeter to see you.”

She wiped her eyes and smiled. “You’re right. I’m just…” she laughed self-deprecatingly, “I’m just being stupidly depressing. You’re right. We will see each other again.”

“Trust me, love, I will be back. Goodbye.” Turning, he slipped into the tunnel and disappeared into it with a final flick of his tail.

Sighing heavily, Raine lifted her soggy skirts and ran through the garden to the servants’ entrance. Slowly she opened it and peered inside. Seeing no one, she raced through the halls to her room. The main door was still shut as she came in the back way. “Whatever gods may be listening, I pray that you will bring him back soon.”

In the hall she heard her mother’s footsteps approach. Frantically, she grabbed a sleeping cap and threw the covers over her as the latch turned.