Dallan did not see Hazel in his chambers or anywhere around the house. In alarm, he asked the guard outside the house where she'd gone.

After the guard said that she went behind the house, Dallan sprinted in that direction.

He didn't find her in the backyard or garden. Just as he passed through the curtain of leaves leading to the river, he heard a faint splash of water...

Stealthily, he walked on the mushy side of the shore, frowning when he didn't see anyone.

As he got closer, he saw a figure. It was more like a faint glint of light moving beneath the surface of the river. When...