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The morning had dawned bright and clear, giving way to an azure expanse as the sun rose closer to its apex. Summer sunlight turned the water of the lake that stretched out before them crystalline, its gentle ripples glittering like a blanket of diamonds, almost blinding in its brilliance. The weather, too, seemed to have ordered itself into perfect conditions: warm, breezy, with just a whisper of spring still clinging to the southernly winds.
It was a beautiful day for sailing.
One could easily imagine themselves at the helm of a ship in such weather, white sails billowing as they made headway across waves of turquoise.
If one were to be romantic about it.
Illario Dellamorte was no such romantic, but he'd been willing to indulge in the vision for his cousin's sake.
His cousin for whom he was currently stealing a boat.
"Do you think we left them enough gold?" The very same cousin asked as they heaved against the hull of the wooden vessel.
A relatively small fishing boat, it would have been dwarfed by their family's yacht, but was more than enough for the two of them to haul from the cabin at the top of the bluff overlooking the lake. There had been no one at the residence to request use of the boat from—and no sign anyone had been there in ages—but Lucanis had insisted on leaving them something. They were planning on returning the boat, Illario had argued, but Lucanis had left the better portion of his allowance on their doorstep all the same.
Illario didn't think that really altered the reality that, without permission, they were, in point of fact, still stealing it. A point he hadn't been willing to argue further when he wanted to be out on the water as much as his cousin did.
After spending the last week holed up at the vineyard, doing nothing but training per their grandmother's orders, he was itching to do something. Illario almost envied his cousin's ability to run away into books as a means of entertaining himself. He didn't take to the country as easily as Lucanis. It was too quiet—too dull—for a man of sixteen. The reins Caterina had on the pair of them were short, but not so short he could not find something to divert his attention. In Treviso there was always something to do, artists and performers, the markets and the cafes. In the country, no such thing existed. Now here he was seeking diversion in thievery.
He supposed it wasn't entirely Lucanis' fault. The idea had initially been his with his fatal remark about sailing weather. He'd been sighing imagining sun bathing on the yacht as it sailed closed to the coast, sipping wine at his leisure, no trainers—or grandmothers—in sight. That was when Lucanis had mentioned the lake. When exactly his cousin had had time to find a whole lake when they had both equally been required to train, Illario couldn't begin to guess. Such things were rather typical of Lucanis. That he'd gone and dumped enough gold for three boats on the doorstep of, by all appearances, an abandoned cottage was yet another.
Illario huffed as he shoved a shoulder against the stern of the boat and shot a glare at his cousin. "You're worried about that now?"
Lucanis' mouth flattened into a line, refusing the bait as he similarly pressed against the boat, pushing it along the rocky sand toward the water. Getting it down the slope had been far easier than dragging it to the shore, the sand adding resistance as they pushed and shoved at the boat with little reward for their efforts. Twin spots of color rose to Lucanis' face, whether from exertion or some unspent emotion Illario didn't know.
Illario rolled his eyes upward, Maker preserve me.
"You gave them plenty enough gold," he said to his cousin, his tone mollifying. "We're only borrowing it for an hour or two. We'll probably be back before they even notice it missing." If anyone even lives there at all, but he kept that part to himself.
For a moment of sullen silence, he thought Lucanis wouldn't respond. When Illario cast a glance at him, he saw his expression was troubled. "We didn't even ask."
"It was your idea to take it anyway!" Illario shot back in exasperation, pausing to stand to his full height. Which, thanks to a growth spurt in recent months, meant he now stood nearly a head taller than Lucanis. A difference of several inches he hoped was imposing enough to get the other boy to listen to reason. Planting a hand on his hip, he tried for imperiousness. "If you're having second thoughts, cousin, let's go collect your gold and forget this whole thing now."
"Who said anything about second thoughts?" Lucanis huffed, straightening. He placed his fists on his hips in a mirror of Illario's, a thick brow arching at the challenge. His mouth twisted to one side. "I think you're just afraid of ruining your boots."
"And if I am?" Illario scoffed. He didn't bother defending himself from the accusation. It was often easier, he'd found, simply to play along than try explaining himself. Tossing a lock of dark hair out of his eyes, he smirked. "They're my best pair."
It was Lucanis' turn to roll his eyes. "Come on. Shove."
Something sickly curled in his stomach at the dismissal but Illario ignored it, instead doing as a directed. He put a shoulder to the stern again, shoving with his full weight, his boots (which were finely made of Antivan leather and had cost a small fortune) sinking into the sand from the effort. They were almost certainly going to be ruined by this little escapade, but then, it wouldn't be the first time he'd ruined something of his because of Lucanis. He doubted it would be the last, either. Lucanis was always hying off somewhere on some adventurous idea whenever their grandmother gave them any slack and, for some reason, Illario would always follow no matter how foolhardy.
Still, he mourned the boots a little as they pushed the boat closer to the lake. A wave brought the water up to their ankles, but it wasn't enough to set the vessel afloat. It did, however, make it somewhat easier to move. The water was up to his hip by the time they got the boat rocking gently on its surface.
As the taller of the two, he held the boat steady enough for Lucanis to scramble in. The boat listed sharply to one side as he did, before nearly knocking Illario on the chin as it swung back. Swearing, he almost let it go as he got himself out of the way. For a moment, he couldn't see Lucanis at all, certain his cousin had hurried to take the oars. But, instead, the boat dipped again, this time in his direction, as Lucanis leaned over the side, offering him a hand.
With the sun at his back,his cousin was cast in shadow. Illario squinted, uncertain for a moment, and not sure why he hesitated. Then, Lucanis grinned, and the breath he'd been holding whooshed out of him unexpectedly. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding it, to be frank, but his heart thrummed in his ears, his lungs aching from the lack of air.
"Get in, you idiot," Lucanis admonished.
Grabbing him by the wrist, Illario let him tug him into the boat, water sloshing over the edge as he did. Righting himself, he took up the seat opposite Lucanis, who was, now, slotting the oars into place.
"Have you ever piloted a boat before?" Illario thought to ask, already suspecting he knew the answer.
"Sure, I have," was Lucanis unbothered reply.
Illario's mouth dropped open in incredulity. "When?"
"That's none of your business."
"Which translates to never."
"I have!"
"Liar!"
"The man who captains our yacht," Lucanis said, settling the oars in the water. "He taught me a little last time we went sailing."
Illario stared at him. For a moment he said nothing as his cousin began to row, the boat smoothly gliding away from the shore. Then, "You can't be serious."
Lucanis gave him a shrug.
"I claim no expertise in sailing vessels, cousin," Illario tried to maintain an even tone. "Yet, even I know there is a great difference between a yacht," he held up his hands parallel to each other with a large gap between them before shrinking the distance. "And a rowboat."
"Eh, it's not that different from a gondola and I've ridden in plenty of those," Lucanis countered, rotating the oars again. "Relax, Illario."
He crossed his arms with a glower. Now that they were out on the water, the breeze was rather nice and the sun warming his quickly drying clothes was pleasant. If he closed his eyes, he could maybe pretend they were out on the bay and not a lake in Seleny. The gentle lapping of water against the sides of the boat lulled him.
That was, until he happed to look down.
For his part, Lucanis had his face turned upward toward the sun, soaking in the light like a damnable cat, oblivious to their situation.
"Cousin," he began, voice light, "how deep is this lake?"
"How should I know?" Lucanis asked, opening his eyes. As soon as he did, they widened comically. "I think we're about to find out."
Illario lifted a boot and water dripped off it in a steady stream to join the inch or so gathering in the bottom of the boat. In deciding whether to take the boat, neither of them had stopped to wonder why the boat hadn't been docked in the water.
And now the reason was apparent.
"I'd prefer not to find out, if it's all the same to you." Illario grimaced, twisting on the wooden seat to seat how far they were from shore. Somehow, between Lucanis' rowing and the wind, they were at the very center. "Do you think we can make it?"
He didn't wait for his cousin to answer before he reached for the oars—but Lucanis was faster. Their hands closed around the oars at the same time.
"Let me—"
"No, let me—"
"It'll be faster if—"
"You take one," Lucanis huffed, "and I'll take the other."
Illario was, in fact, the faster rower, his longer arms assisting. However, it sent the boat spiraling to the left while Lucanis fought to right it and no progress toward the shore was made. They carried on like this for several minutes, desperately trying to find some sort of pace.
"Let me row!" Illario shouted after the boat turned a full circle in the water. The water in the bottom of the boat had slipped up over his toes now.
"I got us out here," Lucanis insisted, "I will get us back."
"Oh, how honorable of you," he spat.
They scrapped over the other oars, slapping the other's hand away as soon as it gained purchase. Illario was certain at one point Lucanis had bitten him. Closing the other boy in a headlock, he dragged him away from the oars, but Lucanis, having anticipated him, elbowed him hard in the ribs. Gasping for breath, he fell back in the boat just as his cousin went for the oars again. Only this time, the boat shuddered to a stop.
Illario levered himself back up onto the seat, looking around frantically, certain they had made it to shore. Of course, their luck was not so accommodating.
"A sandbar," Lucanis announced as he tried, and failed, to push them off it.
At least they weren't going to sink, Illario thought quietly to himself, squinting at the shore. "We're going to have to swim for it," he said aloud.
"Guess we're going to find out how deep the lake is after all, cousin."
That was when Illario Dellamorte dumped his cousin and the favorite of their grandmother unceremoniously into the lake.
"Well?" He demanded when Lucanis surfaced, sputtering.
Illario watched as his cousin struggled to stay afloat, his arms slapping the water as he gasped for air.
"Something," Lucanis managed between gasps. "Something's down there. It—"
Then he was pulled under.
The boat rocked as Illario rushed to the side. "Lucanis!"
Nothing, not even a ripple of water indicated where his cousin had gone. His gut twisted. Surely this was some kind of a trick. He knew his cousin well enough to know Lucanis would seek vengeance for what Illario had done. But as more time passed and still Lucanis did not surface again, fear trickled like ice down his spine. Surely… there was nothing in the lake itself. What could even be in there aside from a few fish?
A big fish, his mind readily supplied.
"Maker's breath," Illario swore under his breath.
Taking a moment to remove his boots—though they were certainly ruined by now, he couldn't help but hope to spare them—he dove into the lake. The water was colder than he expected, all things considered, and, as it closed over his head, so did the dark. He shut his eyes against it, using his arms to feel around, and terrified he'd find his cousin's body tangled in weeds.
His lungs were burning by the time he surfaced, determined to try again, but as he did he heard laughter.
There was his cousin, standing with the water up to his chin, face red from amusement.
"The answer is about five feet," Lucanis said after a moment.
Illario blinked, already feeling the self-indignant rage welling up in his chest before he put his feet down and stood. He took one breath, then two, and a third before he lunged. But Lucanis was too quick, darting away from him in the water and swimming to shore. Illairo followed, swiping out at the other boy's ankles as he tried to propel himself forward.
"When I catch you," he panted, "I'm going to kill you myself."
"Ah, but you have to catch me first!"
Illario growled, using his feet to leap in the water until he was nearly abreast with his cousin. As he did, Lucanis sent a wave of water crashing into his face. He sputtered, cursing as Lucanis pulled away again. They were nearly to the beach now and Illario chased him up the bank, the sand harsh beneath his feet.
Stopping to catch his breath, he bent forward, his hands on his knees.
"My boots," he lamented, collapsing onto the beach as he stared out at the boat still stuck on the sand bar.
Lucanis fell back in a burst of laughter so infectious, Illario's mouth twitched despite himself.
"My boots," Lucanis imitated him between peals.
Illario tossed a fistful of sand at him, the pebbly mixture rough against his palms as he did. Water dripped off the end of his nose as he sat in the sun, feeling lighter despite his soggy clothes and missing boots. The breeze picked up the ends of his damp hair, cooling in the bright sunlight. He caught Lucanis grinning and smiled back, finding he didn't regret taking the boat. Who knew when or even if they'd escape long enough to do something like this again?
It really was beautiful sailing weather.