A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(8)

You have got to be kidding me?

I stared wide-eyed at the Druid. Was this some kind of joke? He wanted to deliberately put us into a state of severe hypothermia?

“That seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Aida asked, her tone sarcastic—but her golden eyes betrayed her fear.

“Perhaps,” the Druid replied. “But this water has also been infused with an herb—a highly oxidized plant that will ensure your respiratory system continues to function under the water.”

“We’ll be able to breathe under the water?” I asked, confused. I’d never heard of an herb that could accomplish anything close to that.

“Exactly.”

“But that still doesn’t prevent them freezing to death, does it?” Jovi questioned the Druid. I could see his body growing tense, ready to argue, and get physical if need be.

“I promise you, they will be able to withstand it,” the Druid replied. “The better question is whether you will be able to withstand it. I need you to hold them under till they reach a state of unconsciousness, and then drag them out when I ask you to. Can you handle that?” he asked Jovi, his expression intense—I felt like it was a challenge, rather than a request, and I knew Jovi wouldn’t let the Druid gain the upper hand.

“I can handle it,” Jovi retorted. “I just don’t know if I trust you. This method is extreme—you’re basically asking me to drown my sister.”

I looked down at the ice baths. I could only imagine what it was like to be submerged in them—painful beyond belief, and then later, much later, my body would heat itself as I went into hypothermic shock. I didn’t relish the idea one little bit—but if this was what it was going to take to get out of here, to get back home and see our families, then it was a small price to pay.

“Jovi, it’s okay,” I muttered reluctantly. “We can do this.”

“I hope you realize we’re placing our trust in you,” Aida bit out in the direction of the Druid. “Big time. And I hope for your sake nothing goes wrong.”

Jovi shook his head, muttering expletives under his breath. Neither Field nor Phoenix looked happy with the situation, but they had obviously come to the same conclusion as I had—that it would be worth it to get home.

“And there’s not another way?” Serena asked, looking pleadingly at the Druid.

“Nothing as effective,” he confirmed.

“Have you done this before?” she asked.

He nodded. “Many times with my father. Please just try to trust me. We’re wasting time. Believe me when I say this is the best way, and not nearly as dangerous as you think.”

Serena looked skeptical but kept quiet. We all eyed the baths anxiously, until Aida, clearly tired of deliberating, took a step forward and placed her fingers in the tub closest to her. She drew them back out quickly, shaking the water off. I could tell by her expression that the water was colder than she’d initially thought it would be. From experiences of swimming in the sea in winter, I knew there was no point trying to ease ourselves in. We’d have to submerge ourselves fully in one go, or it would never happen.

“Let’s get this done then,” I announced, sounding way braver than I actually felt. To the sharp intakes of breath and a shocked gasp from Serena, I stepped over the side of the tub as quickly as I could and completely submerged my body into the water—with only my head above it.

Oh, my God!

My mind instantly became hysterical as my body registered the freezing temperatures. My teeth started chattering loudly in my skull. All I could do not to leap back out again was to hold onto my own body, literally freezing myself into submission. Quickly, not wanting me to be in the water any longer than I had to, Phoenix and Aida followed suit.

Phoenix gritted his teeth, exhaling his breath in a hiss as he sank into the tub. Aida wasn’t so stoic—she hurled a couple of lines of abuse at the Druid, at the water, at life itself, and then sat shivering like the rest of us.

“Good. Now, the rest of you, hold them under. Their bodies will react, but you need to keep them still and completely submerged till the muscles release, and you feel them going limp.”

I barely heard the instructions of the Druid, but the next moment I felt the pressure of Serena’s hands on my shoulders.

“God, I’m so sorry, Vita,” she whispered with a tremor in her tone as she pushed me down—my mouth, my nose, my eyes slowly sinking into the sharp freeze of the water. I struggled, my body twitching uncontrollably and fighting to get free. She held me still, and I opened my eyes, seeing her agonized expression. I couldn’t hold my breath a moment longer, and my mouth yawned open in a scream, my lungs filling with water, cold cascades freezing my insides. Bubbles rose to the surface, and I thought that I was drowning.