“A day. A day and a half.”
“Shit,” I say, pushing the loose strands of hair from my eyes.
Ashavee sits next to where Greer squats, her ears perked and tail swaying behind her. We stare into the distance as despair settles in. I’m so tired of everything working against us—the Allaji, the weather, time. Just this once, I want to outsmart it all.
“How thick do you think the ice is?” I ask.
Greer taps a knuckle to the frozen surface, and Ashavee steps forward until her front paws are on it. It doesn’t crack or even groan under the weight.
“It’s solid,” Greer says.
“Do you think it can handle the horses?”
She tips her head side to side, and I can practically see her listing the pros and cons in her head. “If we walk them across and spread out, it should be all right.”
I jump off Nortus and guide him onto the ice. We take several careful steps before I look back at the others and wave for themto follow. They caught up with me and we spread into a line across the lake.
Our journey to the other side is painfully slow and slippery. My legs burn from trying to keep upright and my ass aches from falling on it hard. I can’t help but wonder if riding around the lake would have gotten us to the other side sooner. I don’t have time to contemplate it for long. My feet slide out from beneath me for a second time and I hit the ice with a thud. The air rushes from my lungs, leaving me gasping for my next breath. I lie on my back looking up at the sky. I silently curse the Statera. Why me? Why was this the only way I could redeem myself?
Nortus nudges me with his nose, and I inhale the cold air, taking several deep breaths before glaring at him from the corner of my eye. I’m too tired to keep going. Every bone aches and each muscle burns. I’ve never wanted to take a nap on a hard, cold surface as much as I do now.
“You can’t force me to keep going. If I want to lie here until the ice melts and I sink to the bottom of this lake, that’s what I’m going to do,” I tell Nortus.
He snorts and rams his head into my shoulder.
“Ouch! I thought you were different from all the other men in my life. You’re just as annoying, pushing me to keep going when I want to give up.”
He nods like a proud steed who has done the evil bidding of his master. But I know it’s not true. The damn horse has been with me through all my adventures. He made sure I got to where I needed to go, never wanting to turn around and head home. He has been a good companion on some of my loneliest nights. He won’t let me down now.
“All right. You win,” I say with a grunt, getting to my feet.
No sooner do I take a step and a scream fills the quiet. I search my right and find Ashavee frozen in place with her gaze locked on me. I snap my head the other way and my heart stops.Through the haze, Greer’s horse stands alone. Its reins swaying in the wind, and at its feet is a hole in the ice where his rider once stood.
“Greer!” I scream, racing across the frozen lake. My feet slip from under me, and I slide toward the hole on my stomach. The desperation building inside me urges me on. I kick and claw until my fingers wrap around the cavity’s edge. With one mighty yank, I try to plunge into the freezing water. The bite of sharp teeth scrapes along my lower back as Ashavee grabs the waist of my trousers.
Our eyes lock, and she growls at me in warning. The second of pause allows clarity to invade my frantic thoughts. I rip off my shoes, cloak, and jacket. The last thing I need is something holding me down when Greer might need my help to the surface. Ashavee yanks a rope from the saddle of Greer’s horse and brings it to me. My hands shake as I tie it around my waist and throw the end at her. The jaguar clenches it in her teeth and tips her head, letting me know I’m free to go.
I dive into the water headfirst. It takes all my self-control not to release my breath and scream. The lake is beyond freezing. Pain like a knife driven into the top of my head spreads through me. I want to press my palms to it, apply some pressure to calm the ache, but if I do, it will be at Greer’s expense. I push through the agony, swimming hard and fast. With every stroke forward, I spread my fingers, hoping that I brush against her body. My path is erratic through the murky water. Up. Down. Out. In. I swim and swim.
The burning in my chest grows the longer I go without air. Instinct tells me to go back to the hole and take a breath, but my heart won’t let me give up on finding my friend. My skin is numb, and my muscles scream as I push them to keep moving. The urge to breathe is so intense that I’m struggling not to open my mouth and see if the water will substitute pure oxygen.
The rope pulls, yanking me backward. Panic takes over just as a harsh reality sets in. Ashavee is signaling for me to return. If she believes it is time to bring me back to the surface, Greer is gone. I fight against each tug, begging for just another second to search for her. My chest constricts, squeezing my breaking heart. I can’t bear the thought of filling my lungs with air while Greer sinks to the bottom of the lake.
My fingers rake through the water, grasping at nothing. Pull. Nothing. Pull. Nothing. I give up the flight, letting my arms and legs dangle beneath me in defeat. Pull. Pull. Something thick and twisted brushes my fingers. I reach for it and also meet what feels like fabric. I grip it and feel what might be the curve of a shoulder beneath. My surprise overwhelms me, and I suck in. Liquid floods my mouth and throat, choking me. I try to cough but only manage to take in more water.
Pull.
Pull.
Pull.
My head hits something hard, and I snap it up. Cold wind brushes my face. I gasp and choke, needing the water out and the air in at equal measure. Ashavee grabs the back of my tunic with her teeth and hoists me out of the lake. My arm remains in the water, and I use all my might to pull the fabric. Relief rushes through me when Greer’s head rises above the water. Ashavee takes over hoisting her from the lake as I vomit up everything that doesn’t belong in my airway. When the first drag of oxygen fills me, I lift my head to see Greer lifeless on her back.
“No, you don’t,” I say, panting for breath. I crawl to her side and cross my hands over her chest, pressing down repeatedly. “You don’t get to leave me now. Breathe!”
She takes each hard compression without so much as batting an eye, but I don’t stop. If leaving her chest covered in bruises is what it takes, I will do it until she is black and blue. We set off onthis journey together and may the Statera damn me if we don’t finish it together.
Water bubbles between her blue lips. I push my relief to the back of my mind and continue my efforts. Ashavee and I roll her to her side. My hand slaps her back until she is coughing and gasping. I want to hug her, cry, and laugh all at once, but my chattering teeth remind me that we are not safe. We need to get warm.
