Klyde let out a long breath, softly cursing. When he spoke again, the amusement was gone. “I am so sorry, Lucenna...”
“Why did you do that?”
Because it was no accident. He intentionally kicked the orb.
He sighed again. “I?—”
A loud rumble shook the earth, and she backed into him. He caught her waist.
“Did you feel something?” she whispered.
He chuckled. “Aye, I did.”
“Ugh, pig.” Lucenna elbowed him back.
The rumble came again, and she whipped around to see the trees break away from the hills, and the ground sunk in on itself. Water and mud rushed down like a wave. Cries broke out, and everyone fled. Cassiel snatched Dyna into the air with the Valkyrie. The Rangers ran for their horses, rushing Lady Aerina and Raiden to safety. Some elves tried to cast magic to obstruct the deluge, but it swept them away.
“No,” Klyde breathed. “Tavin.”
He sprinted toward the camp.
“Klyde, wait!” Lucenna ran after him.
Water flooded the camp as everyone ran. A large black wolf landed in a crouch beside her, skidding over the mud.
“Zev!” Lucenna shouted as she ran alongside him. “Find Keena.”
He sprinted off.
She spotted Klyde ahead, quickly strapping on Tavin’s grappling harness. “He’s not here,” he said urgently when she caught up to him. “The horses are gone.”
Lucenna searched the running crowd and pointed. “There!”
Tavin was riding a horse and holding the reins of Onyx as he also desperately searched the chaos.
“Tavin!” Klyde ran for him.
The boy’s face lit up with relief when he saw him. And in a blink, a rogue wave of mud swept him away from view. Before Lucenna could scream, another wave hit them next. She choked on muddy water,blinded and disoriented as she tried to breathe. She fought desperately to kick and flail, but the rogue current pulled her beneath the surface. A firm grip on her arm yanked her back up, and she coughed violently, sucking in air.
“I got you,” Klyde said, his arm like a vice around her back. “Move with the current?—”
A tree slammed into them. The force tore her from his hold at the same time pain shot up her arm. She bit back a scream. The wild current rushed everything toward the cliff, including her.
“Klyde!” she cried, choking on water. She flailed desperately, panic and fear smothering her.
His frightened voice yelled her name. He was several feet away, trying to swim toward her, but she was still too far.
Lucenna’s scream echoed in the sky as she went over the cliff. Klyde leaped after her and caught her with a grunt. He twisted his body and shot grappling hooks out of his harness. They pierced the rock wall, and their fall down the ravine halted midway down.
“Hold on!” Klyde slung her onto his back without breaking a stride.
He scaled down the length of the cliff as the endless deluge poured over them. Lucenna fought to breathe. Her heart pounded wildly, and she dug her nails into him. They were several feet from the rushing river below.
The metal cables snapped.
She screamed as they dropped into the icy current. Klyde didn’t let go. His bruising grip dug into her as waves and debris crashed into them. She choked on water. Branches and rocks sliced at her skin. Lucenna clung to him for her very life, but the harness weighed them down. Klyde yanked it off and grabbed onto her, keeping her head above water. But he was struggling to swim. The current was too strong, and he was growing tired.
“Head to land!” he told her.
