Were those wolves?
She urged her horse to pick up the pace, glancing behind them heart pounding.
Her eyes widened. There was a river up ahead. It was big, but if they could jump it, she could get away from them and be safe.
The horse sailed through the air.
But mid jump, her grip faltered and she slipped from the saddle, plunging into the icy water below.
Her head cut through the surface as she gasped for air. The current carried her down and further from the horse, which bolted into the forest on the other side.
If she didn’t do something soon, she would be swept under again. The current tumbled her ruthlessly beneath the surface, then into a mass of rock and white water. She latched desperately onto the stone, fighting for a handhold. Thankfully a rock came along and she was able to latch on.
The water pounded around her, threatening to sweep her away any moment.
This would be so much easier if she could just swim.
Violet’s face flashed in her mind.
Not the bright face full of life she best loved to remember, but the cold, blue face of the body they had pulled her from the river that fateful day.
Then, a voice called out to her.
“Veronica!”
She looked to the shore to see Christopher diving into the river. He started making his way towards her but the current was making it difficult.
“Veronica, can you move somewhere easier for me to reach you?”
“Where?”
“Just a little closer to me.”
She moved to just that.
The second she tries, the current seizes her skirts, pulling her under once more.
Just before she falls beneath the surface, she hears Crhistopher call out to her once more.
The water pressed in on her, filling her lungs. She cough and sputtered as she struggled towards the surface.
Then a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her to the surface. The second her head broke the surface, she gasped for air. Veronica clung to Christopers as he swam them to shore.
“Are you alright?” he asked, setting her gently on the shore.
She looked up at him, but found herself unable to speak. She wanted to scream. To demand to know why he had done that.
Didn’t he understand she had already taken far too much from him?
“It seems like you are going into shock. It’s too cold for us to stay here much longer.” Christopher glanced around, but it was far too late, both their horses were long gone. “We can’t just stay here. We need to get somewhere warm and dry. Can you walk?”
Veronica still couldn’t find her voice, but she tried to push to her feet. Still, it was hard on her wobbly legs. It felt like every part of her was shaking.
She had hardly taken a single step when she felt herself start to fall.
But before she could hit the ground, Christopher caught her in his arms. “That’s alright. I probably can’t carry you all the way there, but if you lean on me, I can take some of your weight.”
“How far do we need to go?” she gasped, finally finding her voice.
