Chapter 9 Chilled to the bone
Raoul pulled himself to his feet, and began wringing the freezing water from his clothing. It was an effort in futility he knew, but every ounce of weight would make him move more slowly, and send the chill down deeper into his bones. He descended once more, being careful to stay close to the edge of the wall where he was certain that he could grasp something if he encountered another trap in the floor. As he ran down the winding stairs, he could feel a cold wind circling around his feet. No doubt he was coming to where the caves met and flowed with air. He had heard that there was a hidden lake that lay beneath the Opera, but none had seen it since the days the walls were erected.
At last he was on flat ground. Although still very difficult to see, he could hear the movement of water and wondered how far he was from it. Would there be a way to move over it? Coming to what he believed was the edge, he felt with his hand the water, cold and foreboding. He was already wet, and the water felt no more frigid than what he had just been in. He decided to swim it in order to find where it led. Shuddering as he lowered himself into the water, unsure how deep or turbulent it might be.
To his surprise he could actually touch the bottom with his feet, and the water came only to his chest. Testing the theory by carefully putting one foot in front of the other with slight certainty that the entire canal would be that same depth. He began to move quickly as he knew that the chill of the water would claim him if he stayed in it for long. He could feel with his hand what seemed to be a ledge that was formed, not of natural rock, but perhaps of chiseled stone, confirming in his mind that this was indeed a passageway. No doubt one that monster had used often.
Raoul hesitated, thinking he saw a faint hint of light. Deciding to move in that direction, being cautious to check every few steps before he committed his body weight fully to it. He felt a sudden rush of hope as the light began to grow ever so slightly. Maybe he had found his hide-out, he only hoped he was not too late, that no harm had befallen her.