Page 11 of Black Sea

With a dirty look, I reached out my hand to him. He glared at me the same way, but with a slight flicker of amusement in his eyes, then squeezed my fingers. Using my strength, I pulled him up just before the lower waves forcefully broke at the tree’s base.

We barely had time to climb a bit higher before all the tons of water from Lake Caran hit us hard, shaking the tree.

The branches grew slick under my fingers. The lush leaves started falling off and sticking to my face. The other trees began to sink into the rushing waters.

That’s when I realized the flooding wasn’t invading the part of the plain within the Kingdom of the Elves but was limited to the Kingdom of Men, almost as if an invisible barrier was blocking the water from reaching my land.

Was it the work of the witch still standing next to my brother? The water splashes, stabbing my eyes like countless pins, made it difficult for me to see clearly if he was casting a spell.

And then, amidst the roaring waters that flowed with ever-increasing fury, rather than slowing, I began to sense vibrations inside the tree.

The roots were being pulled out of the ground.

I glanced at the man beside me, who returned my look with an expression that was both questioning and worried. Then I turned toward Araton.

“ Nauriel”, he whispered in terror.

His stallion reared.

And the tree fell down.

4

We hit the water so hard that I lost my grip on the branches. The soldier quickly grabbed me by the armor before I fell and pulled me back onto the tree, now lying horizontally. I looked at him with a mixture of gratitude and hostility, and he shot me a taunting look in return.

The oddly strong water current started pulling us toward the cliff.

Through the tree branches, I saw my brother riding at full gallop on the other side of the Glawar, following us. The echo of his shouts was lost in the roar of the waters and the wind whistling in my ears.

Suddenly, the human and I found ourselves in the river, whose course had turned into a rapid-filled path. The tree began to spin. We tried to hold onto the strongest branches and helped each other multiple times to avoid falling into the water.

Water making the bark viscous.

Water bouncing us around.

Water entering our noses, mouths, and eyes.

Water demanding our lives.

Why wasn’t I just jumping off this damn tree to reach my kingdom’s shore? My kind’s strength and endurance should let me swim against the current.

Save myself.

Then why wasn’t I doing so? Why was I ignoring Araton’s screams? Why did I keep staying with the human?

Why couldn’t I leave him?

Maybe I didn’t want him to die alone, as all those poor wounded boys Lake Caran had just swept away without them being able to do anything. Maybe I wanted to show him compassion and let him see that elves weren’t selfish monsters, contrary to what his king likely depicted us as.

We were nearly at the waterfall when sharp rocks started to appear from the riverbed. The tree roots slammed against one, making the trunk spin. The branch the soldier was gripping broke, but I caught his hand just before a sudden slope caught us, and the water temporarily submerged us.

The rocks increased in number, and the rapids became more turbulent.

A salty scent drifted into my nostrils, and I realized we had reached the end of the river. The man looked at me, breathless, and when he saw the farewell in my eyes, he released my hand with a small smile.

The swollen Glawar River plunged from the cliff, and our tree fell off the tall and huge waterfall.

When we were young and reckless, Araton and I had jumped from the cliffs south of the Lands of the East many times. So, just like back then, I timed it right, took a deep breath, and prepared myself for the crash into the sea.