"Why would I bring you to a place like this?" Nyrielle said as she firmly gripped Ashlynn's delicate hand and guided her toward the waiting boat. "Because you have never been here before. Because there is nothing here that can hurt you," she promised, pulling her young lover close. "And because you have learned to swim, at least well enough to make it back to the boat if something happens," she teased as they arrived beside the boat.
"That's not," Ashlynn started, frowning at Nyrielle. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. You're testing me," she said. But as she spoke, a frown formed on her lips and her brow crumpled in thought while she stared at the boat and listened to the soft sound of gentle waves lapping at the shore.
