He felt a hand on his head and, a moment later, a glorious trickle of cool water poured into his mouth.
Instinctively, he swallowed it. The water soothed his throat. He greedily lifted his head further from the ground so he could swallow better, and his hands reached forward to ensure the water poured faster.
“He’s alive.” The voice was closer this time.
Erich didn’t feel alive. But he was thankful the water had cleansed the salty flavor from his lips, even if he could still feel it in the back of his throat.
Maybe he was alive.
His eyes burned. If he was alive, why was everything so dark?
Oh. Probably because he hadn’t opened them yet. He attempted to lift his eyelids but it resulted in more burning pain.
Sitting fully up, he grabbed the water skin someone was still holding to his mouth.
“Don’t gulp it all down at once,” a woman’s voice admonished. It sounded strangely familiar.
He ignored her, focused as he was on getting his eyes open—and free of pain. He poured some water on his hands instead of into his mouth. He felt a pang of regret as it was a shame to waste such delicious water.
Splashing the water onto his eyes, he slowly rubbed them open.
He was sitting on a beach, which explained the dryness, sand, and sunburnt skin. His entire body was exhausted and aching, as though he were covered in bruises.
Someone was with him. His mind was slowly catching up with his body. Or was it the other way around?
Turning his head, he came face to face with someone he never thought he’d see again.
Her face was shadowed under a green hood, but he recognized her blue eyes instantly. It seemed she no longer had the face of the young girl he once knew, when she had been like an older sister to him. No, this powerful young woman, dressed in the tactical clothing of a woodsman, had a new confidence and edge about her.
Erich saw the moment she recognized him as well. He was a few years younger than she was, and he’d probably changed more significantly. But after taking in his face, her eyes opened wide and her expression softened into the barest hint of a smile.
“Ro—” he started to form her name, but she quickly cut him off with a swift shake of her head.
“Will. John!” Two men stepped into Erich’s peripheral vision. “Get him closer to the monastery to ensure he’s found before he passes out again.” She stood somewhere out of his sight. “Everyone else, continue combing the shoreline for any other survivors. They are clearly not looking this far out, which is probably intentional.”
Erich twisted his head to watch her leave, but a shooting pain in his neck hampered the motion. He wasn’t confused by her rejection, but he was sad to see her walk away. He wanted to know what she had been doing all these years—and how she had been.
“Thank you...” he attempted to call after her, but his voice came out in a quiet croak easily muted by the sound of the sea.
Chapter 9
Murky ocean water assaulted Erich’s face. He could feel the cold wetness spread over his skin.
It pressed against his nose and mouth, forcing itself inside his body and taking control of him.
Erich batted his hands against it, trying to push it away or swim himself out. But the water was too sticky. It had become thick like tar, grabbing onto him and pulling him to itself. The harder Erich fought, the stronger its grip became.
The liquid in his nose and mouth solidified, blocking his breath and filling his throat. It dried out his mouth, leaving his lips cracked and tasting of salt.
He was sinking, sinking, sinking, and he couldn’t break free.
Erich jolted up.
His heart was pounding and his body was covered in a layer of sweat.
He wasn’t underwater.
Looking around him, he tried to convince his brain that everything was fine.
