My heart nigh stopped when I shattered a thin layer of ice and plunged into the black lake below the keep. The water was cold and I sank so low that I thought I might never find the surface again.
But I am a strong swimmer and instinct did not fail me. I lunged for the surface, straining for air and life. I broke the surface with a gasp, then took a deep gulp of air so cold that a thousand knives seemed to stab from the inside of my chest.
The laughter of rough men carried through the darkness, but I ignored their petty glee. There was the more critical matter of survival before me. The shore was not far, though the shadows of the forest came directly to the edge of the lake.
I shook back my hair, then broke the ice between myself and the shore with my fist. It shattered easily around m
