“Theo!” Gris screamed, scanning the water.
With the pace of the current, he had to be farther downstream. Amaris slid from the saddle, biting back the pain in her hand. She shoved it away and headed toward Gris’s cries of distress.
“Theo!” Gris yelled again.
“Can you swim?” Amaris asked.
She turned to Amaris, the whites of her eyes growing into porcelain saucers. “I…I can’t.”
Amaris stepped closer to the edge. It was a five-foot drop, but the water had to be deep without a single sign of Theodoric floating above the surface. Her boots kicked off with ease. She only wished she could be jumping into her bunker pants instead of a river. Amaris stepped back a few paces, released a breath, and jumped.
The cold water shocked her.Shit!What the hell am I doing?Her legskicked furiously as she treaded water, and the river washed over her face.Did I just jump in for this asshole?She choked out a breath, refusing to swallow the nasty river water. The current swept her downstream before she could even assess how deep it was.
“Theo!” Gris screamed from the edge of the river.
Amaris righted herself, getting her feet behind her to propel herself forward. Apparently, someone cared for the prick. He had to be here somewhere, but a hard lump in her throat formed. She didn’t see his head or any part of his clothing poking out.
“Ride farther down and let me know if you see him!” she shouted to Gris.
Gris jumped on her horse and forced the creature to a sprint.
I’ll find him. Amaris swam faster, kicking her feet and dragging her arms over her head one after the other. It was entirely too natural for her body to adjust to the water again. She’d begged Gran to put her in swim classes as a child, fearful what happened to her parents in the shipwreck would repeat itself. Her hand sliced through the water’s surface, but a river was different than a swimming pool.
“He’s down here!” Gris shouted.
All Amaris could see along the river’s edge were trees as they extended over the water. She swam faster, her legs burning with each kick.
“Over here!” Gris pointed across the river.
A moss-covered tree had fallen across the water. Her eyes peered closer, and hanging along the edge of a branch, looking like it could break any second, was a belt.
Amaris fought against the current, trying to veer toward him, but it swept her up and smacked her into the tree. It shifted, and the branch creaked with the thud. Her nails dug against the tree, trying to gain leverage. The bark bit into her fingertips as she inched toward him.
Lucky bastard. If it hadn’t been for his belt, they never would’ve found him. Unfortunately for him though, his belt was also holding him beneath the tree.
Amaris reached out, a cry of agony escaping her lips as the current snapped her hand back. She needed to push through. She couldn’t move her fingers, but she could feel for his head and cradle it around her wrist. Her legs were leaden, threatening to get sucked underneath.
She reached again, feeling down his shirt until his hair was brushing against her hand. Her fingers tried to open to grab him, but they wouldn’t move. She fought the tears of pain surging through her. Wrapping her wrist around his head, she tried again to pull him back, but the current was too strong against the weakness growing in her hand.
She forced a breath, frustration overcoming her. She needed a different strategy. The belt caught her eye, and she instead slung her arm around it, wedging it into the crook of her elbow. Painfully, her swollen hand wound around the leather. She slid her other hand down the slippery surface of the tree, feeling for his head again. She was so damn close but couldn’t reach him.
She knew what she needed to do but she didn’t like it.Why did I have to punch that stupid mirror?Holding her breath, she dove under the water. The current tried to take hold of her, dragging her under.
She further twisted her hand around the belt, hooking her wrist. She opened her eyes, fighting the sting of the murky water and the tunneling vision from the pain radiating up her arm. She couldn’t pass out. Her lungs burned, but she wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled his body closer to hers. She reached into the murky darkness, feeling for something to pull his head up. She wiggled her fingers, and her hand slid to the back of his head.
Theodoric’s face breached the surface, but there wasn’t a gasp for air. Amaris shifted herself behind him, allowing his head to cradle against her shoulder.
“Theo!” Gris shouted as she came running down the tree. The weight of her feet caused it to shift. They almost slipped from the branch, but Amaris held Theodoric tightly with her legs wrapped around his waist and his back pressing against her chest.
She placed a finger on his neck as she waited for Gris to reach them. A pulse beat beneath her fingers—thank God.His head rolled toward her neck, but she didn’t feel a shallow breath or even see the rise of his chest. She pinched his nose and forced a breath into his lungs—gross! She’d never done actual mouth-to-mouth since they carried masks, but if she didn’t, he was going to die.
Gris dropped into a crouch and leaned over. Her feet shifted, keeping her balance as she tried grabbing underneath Theodoric’s arms. She couldn’t possibly pull him up herself. He was too big.
“Get his belt off the branch, and I’ll grab him,” Gris said, readying herself.
“Can you—”
“Yes,” Gris insisted, and Amaris unwound her hand and jimmied the belt off the branch. “Let go of him. I’ve got it from here.”
