She prayed it was another small waterfall, but judging by the forest far below . . . Growling, she kicked and dug with her arms, battling against the relentless swells and not gaining an inch. She kept pushing until her arms burned and her breath was ragged, and still, she only moved backward. Each attempt shoved her back again as water pummeled into her like a wall of bricks.

Bri kept fighting, her muscles beginning to fail her. A snarl escaped her mouth as she pushed harder, even as a bud of doubt bloomed in her mind. This might be it. Of all the ways she thought she’d die . . .

She would miss seeing it all—Rua’s celebration, the competition for the Eastern Crown. She wished she had said goodbye to her brother. She hoped he’d find that ring she still kept in her pack for these many years, waiting for him. She knew Talhan would blame himself somehow for her death. Of all the mistakes in her life, this was the one she wished most she could change.

As the rapids readied to swallow her whole, Bri prayed that they would all be well—Rua, Remy, Hale, Carys, Talhan, and Lina—the ones who mattered most. More than anything else, she wished she hadn’t been such a coward when it came to one person in particular. She should have known time was never a given—it stole from everyone. She shouldn’t have waited.

She released her tight grip on reality, fading her mind to those important things as she stopped fighting the river.

A body collided into hers, seconds from the edge, grabbing her around the torso and hauling her to the side. The force of that arm around her waist sparked new life into Bri. Her body sprung back into action, kicking in the same direction. Lina’s wrist circled around the loop of her belt, the other end tethered to a tree protruding from the precipice of the waterfall. The gnarled roots clung to the ledge, its trunk bowing under the weight of Lina’s tugging. Bri grasped a sharp rock that protruded like a tooth from the gaping maw of the waterfall, pulling herself further out of the current. The feeling of that grip sent a thrum of relief through her.

Lina pushed off from the rock to the shore, her fingers digging into Bri so hard she knew she’d have bruises. Each inch forward, Lina circled her wrist again, tightening the belt around her wrist until she pulled them onto the muddied shore. They collapsed in a breathless heap, lying side by side as they stared up at the swaying green canopy. The mist of the waterfall swirled around them and the warm air revived Bri’s numb limbs.

Bri turned her head to Lina and spoke between gasping breaths. “You saved me, you bloody idiot. You could have died.”

Lina panted even as she feigned nonchalance. “A simple thank-you will suffice.”