Auren froze at the lake's edge, his body still bent forward, ready to enter the water. He blinked once, then twice.
He couldn't step in. Not because the water repelled him, but because two figures had just risen from the lake's edge to his left.
The first had silver hair cascading down her shoulders, glistening like mercury under the pale moonlight. Her face, though rough and darkened with grime, couldn't hide the beauty that pierced through like sunbeams through storm clouds.
The second looked even more haggard, his once-blonde hair now almost black. Filth clung to him as though he'd been rolling in soot for an eternity.
"What in the world happened to you two? Did you swim in a mud pit for ten years?"
Auren asked, his voice cracking with disbelief.
Jasper's lips curled into a weary smile.
"I could say the same about you, Master Auren."
