But they respond.
“Long enough,” I say finally, my voice quieter.
“For what?” Skot asks.
I don’t look at him.
“For them to stop expecting us to break,” I reply.
Another impact hits.
Harder.
Closer.
The line bends again, but this time it doesn’t collapse.
It holds.
Barely.
I exhale slowly, steadying my breathing as the pressure settles into something constant instead of overwhelming.
We’re not winning.
27
LYRIA
The sacks dig into my shoulder harder than they should, the rough weave biting through fabric as I shift the weight higher to keep it from slipping. It isn’t the grain that’s wrong—it’s the air. It sits too heavy against my skin, pressing in instead of moving through, the usual sounds of the river flattened into something dull and distant like they’ve been pushed under water.
I slow without meaning to, my boots sinking slightly into the soft ground near the bank before I correct my footing. Ahead of me, Jarek keeps moving, the rope in his hand creaking under tension as he drags the second sack behind him, his breath coming short and irritated.
“Next run we take half,” he mutters, not looking back, his voice edged with strain. He jerks the rope again like the sack has personally offended him. “This is stupid weight for one trip.”
“It’s stupid if we stop,” I reply, keeping my voice even as my eyes move past him to the tree line. “We don’t stop.”
He exhales hard through his nose, shoulders tightening, but he doesn’t argue again. That’s how it works now. We don’t waste time disagreeing when something feels wrong.
And something?—
Feels wrong.
I tilt my head slightly, listening without stopping. The river should be louder here. The insects should be constant, filling the space between steps with that familiar hum that never fully disappears.
There’s nothing.
I let the sack slide from my shoulder before I consciously decide to, the weight hitting the ground with a heavy thud that draws both their attention.
“What are you—” Jarek starts, turning halfway toward me.
“Stop,” I say quietly.
The tone does it.
Not loud.
Not sharp.
