Vivienne released a shaky breath, "Well, that's... new."
Lewis dusted off his trousers. "Let's stop finding and experiencingnewthings, shall we? I don't know about you all, but I've had my fill of 'new' these past few days."
Enyo's sailors returned to their threatening stances, taking a few steps forward before a sound reached their ears. A strange, high-pitched hum filled the air, getting louder. Vivienne had never heard anything like the droning tone as it seemed to move closer to the clearing behind where Billy Goat and his knaves stood.
Lewis’ spine went rigid, staring toward the noise, "What the everdark are those?"
"Not good, we need to move," Thorne declared, fear creeping into his voice.
Through the trees, shadows wound around branches and vines, moving together like a school of fish. As they neared the clearing, the cold rush of adrenaline poured into Vivienne’s body. Hundreds of creatures burst from the trees, a grotesque mix of wasps and dragonflies with dark, chitinous scales changing color in the light. Four transparent, membranous wings flapped in a blur of buzzing vibration. They dwarfed any insect she had ever seen, each five or six inches long, with abdomens tapering into sharp stingers dripping with venom.
"Apocrita!" Cirrus yelled. "Run!"
The swarm descended on Enyo's sailors as they sprinted in the opposite direction. The agony-filled screaming permeated the rainforest. Vivienne glanced back once and her terror intensified. Three bodies of Enyo's sailors were unrecognizable, covered in melon-sized stings oozing bright yellow venom. The Apocrita darted through the trees like arrows, with their stingers poised to strike. One of the insects swooped by Vivienne's head, brushing her hair as she ducked, avoiding its attack.
"They're gaining on us!" The commander shouted.
Cirrus cursed. "Keep running! We need to find cover!"
They dodged branches and twisted vines, the heat of the swarm pulsing behind them. Another chorus of screams rang out, the Apocrita overcoming what sounded like the remaining pair of Enyo's men. Another wave of the beasts swept in from the left, and a stinger connected with Vivienne's shoulder.
The initial pain of the needle-like barb was nothing compared to the intense burning sensation spreading down her arm and across the left side of her chest. She had the sensation of flames being injected into her veins, burning from the inside out. Her left arm went limp as the fire of the venom raged. Panic swept through her.They immobilize you and then kill you.It took everything in her burning body to keep running, to push forward when everything was screaming at her to stop.
"They're too fast!" Lewis gasped.
Cirrus pointed ahead, his voice booming over the droning of the Apocrita. "The river! Head for the water!"
Vivienne's thundering heart leaped as she spotted the gleaming, silver surface of the river ahead. The ground sloped downward toward the dangerous, fast-moving water, but it was their only chance at survival. From how Lewis limped, she assumed he had been stung at least once. Owen held his wrist, and Cirrus had a massive swelling wound on his neck.We need to get to the water.
"We'll have to jump!" Cirrus called out.
Owen led the charge, dashing to the river's edge and leaping over the embankment. Cirrus and Lewis followed as Vivienne pushed herself harder, digging for any ounce of strength and speed she had left. Another Apocrita grazed her arm, its stinger leaving a burning welt across her skin. She cried out in pain as she plummeted into the water.
The shock of the cold water stole her breath as she was pulled under by the current. Vivienne kicked and struggled, trying to swim with one immobilized arm. Finally, she broke the water's surface with a desperate gasp before resubmerging herself. The droning of the Apocrita was muffled, but she still heard their buzzing as their stingers skimmed the river's surface. Cirrus and Owen swam a few feet in front of her, cutting through the water with strong, sure strokes toward the river's far bank. Vivienne's strength was waning, the venom and exertion claiming her muscles as she fought to avoid being pulled further downstream.
"Lewis!" she panicked, realizing she couldn't see him.
A few moments later, Lewis surfaced, sputtering and gasping. They fought the current as they made their way to the bank's shore, each stroke and kick taking monumental effort.
Cirrus was already climbing out, his clothes soaked as he called out to her. "Vivienne!"
Several yards from the river's edge, Vivienne was fading fast. The venom frayed the edges of her consciousness, threatening to break her resolve and pull her into the river's depths. I can’t do this. I’m not going to make it. A strong arm wrapped around her waist.
"I'm here, Vivienne," Thorne said, tightening his grip.
She wasn't sure how the commander was swimming with his injury, let alone keeping her above water.
"Take my hand!" Cirrus shouted, his arm outstretched toward her and Owen. Vivienne grabbed hold with her functioning right arm, and Cirrus hauled her out of the river with a firm pull. She crumpled onto the rocky bank, her chest heaving with every breath. Lewis and Thorne stumbled out of the water behind her, collapsing, their breath as labored as hers. The Apocrita circled upriver, their transparent wings buzzing in an angry drone as they retreated.
Cirrus knelt next to her, concern in every part of his expression. "You're hurt."
Vivienne eyed the venom's yellow tint in the veins around the sting while it oozed out of the puncture site.
"So are you," she said. "I don't think any of us made it out unscathed."
Aside from the agonizing Apocrita stings, they all had been scraped up by rocks and branches in their path as they stayed a step ahead of the murderous insects.
"None of Enyo's five sailors made it out," Owen scanned the other side of the river for signs of life.
