The River Maid by Gemma Holden

where a jagged horizontal crack split the rock like a gaping mouth. It looked like the jaws of some terrible beast. Inside, a narrow tunnel led into darkness. There was barely enough room for her to squeeze through. How did she know this was the right entrance? If she was wrong and it led nowhere, she would have no way to turn around. She would be trapped.
    Trying to be brave, she pulled herself in and felt her way through the tunnel. She had to squeeze through the passageway as it curved round; her hips were not as narrow as Lorelei ’s. Twice she got stuck and had to wriggle and pull herself through, the rough stone scrapping her skin. Panic threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced herself on. Finally, she saw light up ahead. Her head broke the surface of the water and she gulped in air.
    Light blinded her. She put her hand up to shield her eyes. Sunlight streamed through tiny cracks in the rocks and made the walls sparkle. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. The space was narrow, two paces wide and the same across if she had still been able to walk, and shelves had been carved into the rock all the way around the cave, from water level, up until it curved to form a ceiling. Jewels and gold and other treasures filled the shelves.
    There was a golden goblet studded with rubies, strings of pearls, golden combs, a pile of gold coins with faces of kings that Adrianna didn’t recognise, rings and heavy bracelets. She hauled herself up onto a ledge. The water reached just past her waist, leaving her tail in the water. There was a fortune here. On the top shelf was a pile of clothes neatly folded; dresses that hadn’t been in fashion for centuries, petticoats and nightdresses, even a bonnet and a pair of green silk dancing shoes. A chill raced down her arms as she realised Lorelei had probably taken them from the drowned.
    Amongst all the jewels were less valuable things; a set of wooden teeth, dozens of wine bottles arranged by size, a dented fork and a wooden doll with her face worn away. They had all been thrown away or lost to the river. The most ornate bowl, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds, was filled with tiny pebbles. The stones were unremarkable next to the jewels and yet Lorelei must have valued them.
    Water started to drip through the cracks and run down the walls of the cave. Adrianna held a golden goblet under the crack to catch the rainwater. The water stung her sore lips as she drank it. She set a golden bowl and a silver goblet to catch more. There were a few jars and two bruised apples on the shelves so she wouldn’t starve.
    Lying back against the rock, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to curl up as best she could. She wondered if they were still looking for her or if they had given up by now that she was still alive. Had no one thought it strange that Lorelei should appear just as Adrianna disappeared?
    It felt awkward and uncomfortable lying like this. She couldn’t tuck her legs under like she usually slept and the rocks dug into her back. The water came up to her chest and lapped against her cheek. She would never be able to sleep she thought, but soon, exhausted from holding on to the cliff all night, her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep. 
     
    ~~~~~
     
    Christian rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness in his back from spending the last several hours in the saddle. It had been a long day. They had been up late last night searching for the missing girl until the rain had made it too dangerous on the cliffs to continue, and then they had been up at dawn to continue the search for her.
    Next to him, Gaspard looked just as weary, his usual cheerful face grave and lined with worry. For once, he hadn’t complained about being on a horse, but Christian knew the missing girl meant something to him. Gaspard reached into his coat and pulled out a silver flask. He unscrewed the lid and took a swallow before offering it to Christian. Christian accepted