I hold tighter.
We’re being dragged downstream. Fast. Too fast.
I can’t stop us.
A tree groans ahead—chaos magic sparking wild along its bark.
Finn.
It tilts. Cracks. Then crashes across the river, slamming into the water with enough force to send spray into the air.
A barrier.
A place to stop.
“Finally,” I snarl, using it for leverage.
I angle us toward it, kicking with everything I have left.
We hit the log so hard I know my ribs are bruised. Pain explodes across my chest but I don’t let go.
Kaia’s weight sags against me. Her breathing is shallow. Rattling.
“Torric—”
Malrik’s voice cuts through the roar of water.
He’s already in the river, wading toward us. Shadows lash through the current, stabilizing the surface around us like he’s forcing the water to obey.
He grabs Kaia’s arms. “I’ve got her—Torric, let go—”
“LikefuckI’m letting go.”
His silver eyes flash. “Then push while I pull.”
I adjust anyway. Not because I want to—but because Malrik’s right.
We move together.
Malrik pulling from the front. Me pushing from behind, one arm locked around her waist, the other gripping the log for leverage.
Aspen’s frost spreads further, slowing the current.
Finn’s chaos magic holds the tree steady, trembling but solid.
Revna circles overhead, phoenix wings blazing, ready to strike again if the creature resurfaces.
Teamwork.
We drag her onto the bank.
Malrik helps me lay her down gently. Her chest rising with shallow breaths. She’s unconscious.
Because I didn’t get to her fast enough.
Aspen flicks a glance behind us. “Kieran’s breathing,” he says. “Unconscious, not gone.”
Mouse is shrieking somewhere behind us—high, furious, terrified.
