Wiggles and nudges continued pushing us until I found purchase on the sloped rock that’d started this mess.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”I couldn’t help the gratitude pouring from my mind as I hauled Alba’s body out of the water.
Mumbled responses beneath the surface came until flipping tails splashed when they headed back down. Alba’s face eerily lacked color, so I began chest compressions. I counted to thirty before stopping and blowing two breaths into her mouth. Her cheeks momentarily puffed, but there was no other movement. Then I did another thirty thrusts, elbows locked as I pushed into her still body.
A sense of panic crept like sickly vines under my skin with every passing moment she didn’t stir. Was it just my swelling fear, or did her pale skin look paler?
“Is she going to be alright?!”Braxius buzzed around our heads.
“I don’t know. Come on, Alba, stay with me.” No, I wasn’t ready to accept this reality. She had to come back. There were too many things I’d already done wrong to lead us here, I wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of this.
My thrusts strengthened. Was that thirty? I’d lost track as my eyes heated and blurred. Close enough. I pinched her nose, tilting her head back, and blew into her mouth with two solid breaths. With more force than before, I returned to her chest, administering a nearly rib cracking compression. It paid off when a stream of water spewed from her mouth like a geyser, and she began coughing. Quickly rolling her onto her side, I repeatedly smacked her back.
“Oh gods,” I breathed, the fatigue setting into all of my muscles almost instantaneously. Sprawling my exhausted limbs, I lay on my back, staring at the blue sky above as half our bodies remained in the cool water.
“That was close,”Braxius said, landing on my chest.
“You’re telling me.”
Alba gasped and continued lurching up water until her breathing smoothed. She joined me on the ground in utter defeat.
“Ro, I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her throat sounding shredded and raw.
Any fight remaining in me dissipated, dissolving from the honest realization that I’d been in the wrong. “No, Alba, I’m sorry. I’ve been so hostile toward you. Not to say it wasn’t warranted, what you did was super shitty.” We sat in silence for a beat. She didn’t deny it. “But what were you to do? The king sent his lackeys to our home. The choice of sacrificing one person to save everyone else was the logical choice to make.” I swallowed the lump that lodged in my throat. I’d painted a target on my own back years ago, and this was the consequence.
“I wanted to figure out a way to spare you, but I was just so scared,” she admitted, her voice soft and strained.
I reached over, grabbing the cold, wet hand of a friend I’d almost lost because of my anger. “We’ll get through this. We’ll get the king the information he wants, and figure out a way to save everyone back at Rahana. And ourselves.” I squeezed.
Her hand barely pulsed around mine. She’d been in that water for a long time, it would be awhile before her strength came back.
“We can set up camp around here for the night. Take advantage of the water source.”
“I never want to even look at a body of water ever again,” she rasped.
Releasing a breathy laugh through my nose, I replied, “Understandable.”
With a stroke of luck, Braxius had discovered a cabin tucked in the woods not too far from the quarry. Once we confirmed it was abandoned, we let ourselves in. I lit a fire, the weak flame crackling in the small hearth of the little log home, a simple cauldron hanging over it filled with boiling quarry water.
Based on the thin layer of dust accumulated on most items in the one room structure, it hadn’t been used in a while. Alba rested on the cot under an aged quilt. Her body begged for rest, and within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, she’d drifted off.
Braxius curled up like a cat in the chair next to mine, nuzzling into the warmth from the fire. My clothes were mostly dry, and given that I’d been traveling in the same set for days, perhaps an impromptu bath in the quarry had been a blessing. Sunset wasstill hours away, and despite it being my suggestion to rest, I couldn’t fight off the itch under my skin. I removed the cauldron from the fire, setting it aside to cool before leaving the cabin.
Nothing but the rustling leaves from the subtle wind made any noise. It hadn’t become easier, adjusting to a forest with no sound. I used the tie I kept around my wrist to pull my straight, copper hair into a ponytail. Though my chances were slim, I strapped my quiver to my back and went to explore the woods, bow in hand.
I doubted I’d find anything out here that would hint at how close we were to our destination. Still, I stalked among the trees, keenly intent on any movement or sounds. The road resumed not far from the cabin, but I kept a healthy distance away while it remained in view.
We had to be close. A day, maybe two from where the king’s army had instructed us to go. Then again, I didn’t see any of them trekking this far north, so perhaps they were misinformed.
It played no small role in my mind, the fact that I had no idea how I was going to pull this off. I lost myself to the sound of leaves beneath my feet, to the soft breeze drifting through the otherwise solitary forest. Sweat dotted my skin, but knowing I would have plenty of drinking water when I returned took away my worry. It allowed me to move freely in the woods, clearing my mind of any whisper of a thought, falling into the familiarity of my instincts.
Until I heard something.
I stopped short, tilting my head in an animalistic fashion, questioning if the eerie silence was playing tricks on me. For a few breaths, I waited. It was confirmed when I heard the mumbling of voices. A man and a woman. I dropped to the ground, crouching low as I attempted to decipher which direction they were coming from.
Panic mingled with hope, and fear coiled in my gut as I strained to listen. The voices grew louder, and eventually I spotted the two culprits walking along the main road.
Whatever they were saying could provide vital intel I desperately needed regarding who resided this far north. Were they part of the group I needed to infiltrate? What were they doing out here? Was their base camp close? Answers wouldn’t be found hiding with me in the bushes, so I moved. As gingerly as I could, I kept low whilst stalking toward them, pausing intermittently to ensure they hadn’t noticed. Eventually, their words became clear.
