Yet before I can move, Benny clamps his arms around me, holding me in place. ‘We’re clear!’ he hollers to Kyor. ‘Do it! Now!’
Kyor hesitates, just a beat, but then he looks upwards and calls to the clouds boiling in the sky above.
Lightning tears down, striking the thick tree at the base of its trunk with a crack that splits the air. The tree groans, wood screaming as it begins to topple.
I see what Kyor’s doing.
The ancient falling tree becomes a lever, dragging the vines with its huge weight. Fen’s body lurches free as the mud finally loses its grip, and for the first time since this began, Mortidem loosens his hold on the wolf.
Fen takes in a ragged, relieved breath as his paws are freed from the sucking mud, and on the shoreline, Elska drops to her stomach in pure relief.
He’s free!
I smile, even as a surge of water slams into me, knocking me sideways. Strong hands catch me before I can go under.
‘I’ve got you,’ Benny says tightly. ‘I’ve got you, Rose.’
‘Is he out?’ I gasp, my vision blurring as I let the cold finally win. ‘Is he out? Is he okay?’
My teeth stop chattering, and I actually feel warm. Having lived in the cold my whole life, I know what that means.
I’m in trouble, real trouble. But at least Fen will live.
Not without you, Little Raven. His voice is rueful in my head, but I can feel his nearness and know he is coming closer.
I look up from Benny’s shoulder to see Fen next to me, swimming. He climbs out of the riverbed very carefully, paws touching naught but rocks. He’s a smart wolf; he’s learned his lesson. That’s good.
I didn’t learn mine.
I’m out of the water and everyone is shouting, everything blurring into motion and noise – voices, hands, the rush of the river. They’re fussing over me, but all I can think about is Fen.
‘Is he out? Is he safe?’
We’ll both be fine, a now-familiar voice murmurs, close and steady.Thanks to you, stubborn Little Raven.
The cold is everywhere now – creeping into my bones, my thoughts – and my eyelids are suddenly too heavy to lift. I need to rest. I deserve rest now. Rest for as long as it takes. The last thing I see before sleep claims me is a pair of olive-green eyes ringed with white – steady and alive.
Chapter 47
Ican hear them talking. Talking about me, I think, but I don’t have the strength or energy to even open my eyes, let alone respond.
‘She’s shaking. Her skin is as cold as ice.’ Stide’s voice quivers with … worry?
Worry for me?
Huh.
The Sanning likesme. That’s nice.
My thoughts drift.
‘It’s not just cold,’ Benny says urgently. ‘I told you she was draining herself.’ His teeth chatter as he talks. ‘Her magic … she’s?—’
‘Do something,’ Kyor’s voice cuts through the rest. ‘That’s what you do. You warm people, right? Do it!’
‘Yeah, but …’ Ruben’s voice is hesitant. ‘Her clothes are soaked. It’ll take forever to warm her like this, and she doesn’t have time to wait.’
‘Then we take them off her!’ Kyor snaps.
