Zepharos’s jaw was set, his eyes scanning for every danger. “Yes, for now. But here comes the tricky bit.”
“Don’t jinx it?—”
It was too late. No sooner had he spoken those fateful words than they struck a submerged tree stump, spinning the raft and sending Maria flying into the rapids. Zepharos didn’t hesitate so much as a second, diving in after her in an instant.
Maria was pulled under by a shift in the current. She felt the power of the river fully now and realized she was utterly helpless against it. How had she been foolish enough to take this so lightly? And now she was going to die because of it. Of all the ways to go, this?—
Strong hands grabbed her arm, nearly pulling it out of its socket as she was dragged to the surface. Maria sputtered, gasping for air as Zepharos somehow pushed her onto the remnants of the overturned raft.
“Hang on!” he shouted, kicking and paddling as best he could, his pack weighing him down but the handhold on the remains of the raft keeping his head above water.
He kicked and kicked, pulling hard, making sure Maria stayed safely aboard while he did his best to get her out of this mess. The raft stopped abruptly, smashing into the fallen tree, though not quite as planned. For one, it had been intended to remain upright. It was also not supposed to pin Zepharos between itself and the tree.
To his credit, Zepharos didn’t cry out. He merely absorbed the impact and pushed hard, shifting the raft and freeing himself then scurrying atop the partially submerged tree and hauling Maria onto his back.
“Hold as tight as you can,” he commanded in a strong voice, not that she needed any urging.
Slowly he crawled along the fallen tree, using snapped branches as handholds anchoring him against the rushing water. It was hard work, especially with the woman clinging to him, but he persevered, moving steadily with purpose until they finally reached the shore. He crouched, letting the drenched woman slide from her perch, then shed the pack from his back, breathing heavy from the effort.
Maria was cold, the water giving her goose flesh over her entire body, and her nipples were like diamonds jutting through her top. She looked at Zepharos, unable to avoid the sight of his impressive manhood now clearly visible against his thigh through his soaked clothes. If this was how big he was after a dunk in cold water, well, her mind went somewhere unintended for a moment, her attention only snapping back when shenoticed something else. A streak of crimson running down his side.
“You’re hurt!”
“I’m fine,” he said stoically, but it was clear he wasnotfine.
“We need to stop that bleeding.”
“And here I was planning on continuing for a while longer,” he joked.
“Stop kidding around. We need to take care of that, and quickly. Where’s your med kit?”
“I don’t have one.”
“You what? Why would you go on a rescue mission and not pack a first aid kit?”
“Because I was not planning on rescuing anyone when I went to the games. And once there it would draw alotof attention if someone was asking around for more than the most basic medical supplies.”
“So where are those, then? The basic ones.”
“Those were in the small pouch strapped to the side of the pack,” he said, pointing to the place where the pouch used to be. “A tribute to the river gods, it would seem.”
Maria looked around, desperately searching for any sign of the pouch. It was hopeless, and she knew it, but she had to do something. Then movement caught her attention.
“Hang on. I’m gonna try something.”
“Knock yourself out,” he replied. “I’m just going to sit on that rock for a minute and catch my breath.”
“Don’t pass out on me.”
“Do not worry, I’m not passing out. Just bleeding a bit, is all.”
Maria set to work, grabbing a large, waxy leaf and making a makeshift bowl. She then began digging through the vegetation for something. A few minutes later she returned to Zepharos’s side.
“Okay, I heard about this once, but never tried it.”
“Tried what?”
“This.”
