“How’d you find me?”
A long pause. Then, “We ran down to the bottom. Rydon and I jumped in. Croak ran at us like a lunatic. It was chaos. I don’t know about the others, but I went under and swam. Saw there was an entrance behind the falls and went in. Found the hole.”
“And the handsome hero jumped in to save the lady fair,” Terena said, her voice rough as she grimaced against a fresh stab of pain down her leg.
Daris looked down at her with a smile. “You think I’m handsome?”
She twisted her lips at him. He winked.
“Fucking Rivermen,” she said into the dark. His only response was a grunt.
“Hey,” he said after a few minutes of silence. Terena looked up. “It’s lighter up ahead.”
As if his words conjured the light, the corridor became brighter as it narrowed. Terena sensed the decline and her feet faltered. Daris turned and stepped closer, pulling his hand—and hers—closer to his side as they stepped slowly down and into another large cave.
“What happens if we find Bethana?” Terena asked, slightly lightheaded from holding her breath to navigate the last few steps into the opening.
“Hopefully, the others will find us before then,” he said roughly. She looked up and yelped when he wrapped his arm around her waist, swinging her up and over some uneven flooring. Terena mumbled her thanks. He slipped his hand down until he had hold of her hand again. She sucked in her lips to hide the smile blooming.
“Or, we find a way out.”
“Right,” Terena replied softly.
The sound of the river surrounded them as they moved through the cave. Daris stopped to get his bearings. “This way,” he muttered.
Terena followed, her stilted steps annoyingly slow. “Do you mind—ohgods!”
Daris whipped around as she gasped, biting down hard on her lip as another wave of pain tore through her leg when she’d stepped on a rock and her ankle gave.
His hands grasped her waist, digging in until she was steadied.
“Thank you.”
“Are you all right?”
Terena nodded, her hands on his forearms. She let out a half sob, half laugh. “Fucking pathetic.”
“Why don’t you use your powers to heal yourself?”
Terena scowled at him. “We’re doing that now?”
He arched an eyebrow.
“What?” Terena asked.
“Can you?”
“Can I what?”
“Heal yourself.”
“Aye! Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Thank thegodsyou’re here to remind me to heal myself!”
He pulled back with a smirk as he shook his head. “Who knows? Maybe you like faking injuries to get my attention.”
Terena’s eyes threatened to bulge out of her face. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Daris’s grin was so disarming, her lips opened, momentarily forgetting she was angry with him.
