Chapters (35)
Soren nodded and approached the head of the line, where the stake was firmly planted into the ground. He glanced uneasily at the metal before taking a step from the solid riverbank to the muddy mix of the two and then right into the water. He gasped as the water quickly rose up to meet his chest, and for a terrifying moment, his lack of breath suffocated me in my own lungs, gasping for air that wouldn’t come. But as quick as it hit, he shook it off and continued, holding tightly onto the rope Diaval planted for us and using it to maneuver his way through the cold water and icy floes.
He gasped, spluttering in the icy water as he pulled himself forward one strong tug at a time. When he was halfway across, Diaval signaled for Rosamund to go in, then Seppo. Both had similar reactions to the cold and the veins stood against their skin as if they were going to pop. Every one of them, even Seppo, was having a hard time not morphing into their true forms, which would include claws and sharp teeth that would undoubtedly shred the rope to bits.
My heart rose into my throat as Soren lost his footing and was thrusted underneath a sheet of ice. I could barely make out his shadow under the water, twisting and turning as he tried to find a way to break through to the surface again. His body was wrapped around the rope like it was his lifeline, which, to be fair, it was. I stood anchored in my spot, knowing I had to wait for Diaval’s say, but all that changed when I got a good look at the thing in the water. Made from the river foam and broken chunks of ice was a face, a hand, a body. Person or creature, I didn’t know, but their fingers were like claws pulling on Soren to keep him down and underneath the ice. He struggled to get a breath and fight off the creatures, and both Rose and Seppo were too far away and too busy fighting the icy current themselves to be of any help.
So that left me. Diaval shouted something at me—a warning or a word of concern—I wasn’t entirely sure what was said because her words were wind in my ears. There was only one thing important here, one thing that mattered, and it was Soren. Soren. Soren. Soren.
All that mattered was Soren.
Pale hands grabbed him and pulled him under, and he was yanked free of his grip on the rope.
I plunged into the icy water.