The cat and the unicorn flew together through the night sky. At one moment, a powerful feeling of suffocation made Flora Winslet open her eyes. She struggled instinctively a few times before realizing that Shade was pulling her along while she maintained human form, slowly swimming up from the lakebed toward the surface.
A voice sounded in both their ears at once:
Flora/Outlander, you have sensed Blasphemy and gained insight into "Temperance."
A warm yellow glow was rapidly restoring her body, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly the tail of the cat perched atop Shade's head that was glowing.
The ascent was not long. The people on shore pulling the chain were using considerable force, to the extent that when Shade led the witch out of the water, they briefly felt as though they had flown out.
"They're back! Shade succeeded!"
Silver torches were raised high overhead, followed by Iluna's excited shout and a series of footsteps approaching the lakeshore.
"We're fine! Go back to camp first. Don't come near the lake!"
Shade shouted at the same time.
Eyes accustomed to the darkness beneath the water could not immediately adapt to the torchlight gathering around them. Thus, the Great Witch of Death closed her eyes and curled up, allowing the drenched Shade to carry her in a princess carry as they returned to camp with the others.
The elements and spirits by the lake were still in disarray. After Shade went into the water, the young ladies on shore had clearly gone through an intense battle as well. But with a Thirteenth Order Great Witch present, the battle here seemed to have cost them nothing.
As soon as they returned to camp, someone handed them towels. The warm campfire gradually brought Flora Winslet back to her senses after everything