Page 27

RAUF

I was about to watch my mate die.

Water rushed in from somewhere upstream and even with my solid frame, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to fight against the current and avoid getting swept away.

But I wouldn’t let her die.

“Teresa!”

“I’m okay.”

Her voice was faint, but steady.

My feet were already in the water when Drev put a hand on my shoulder.

“There’s a rope in the truck. I’ll go get it.”

“Run.”

He took off up the trail, leaving me on the bank across from the cave. The rocks Teresa had used to cross were gone beneath the water. I tried to pick out her path anyway, looking for the boulder she’d caught herself against when she’d slipped. If I could get a hand on that, I might be able to reach the opening.

A branch swept past and struck the rock hard enough to break.

Fuck.

I looked upstream. There’d been a bang before the water came, but I couldn’t see what had happened beyond the bend. Had something collapsed? I needed to know if it was going to get worse, and there was no way to find out without leaving her.

Where the fuck was Drev?

I knew how far we’d walked from the truck. He couldn’t be back yet, but I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting him. Then I’d turn toward the cave again, afraid I’d miss Teresa calling for me. I could go in without the rope. I wanted to badly enough that I had to step back from the water before I did something stupid.

By the time Drev came crashing through the brush, I was ready to tear the rope out of his hands. He let me take the end and get it around myself, then pulled the knot tight beneath my arms.

“I’ll anchor you.”

“Don’t let go.”

He took the line around a tree and braced his feet on the bank. I waded in while he fed it out.

The current hit harder than I’d expected. I managed a few steps before my foot slipped between two rocks and the water knocked me sideways. For a moment I couldn’t get it free. I shoved against the bottom, twisted, and came loose just as the rope caught me across the chest.

I got my head up and spat out a mouthful of water. Drev had the line tight. I couldn’t hear him over the rush, but I could see him leaning back against my weight. I fought my way toward the opposite bank, catching whatever I could with my free hand, until the current carried me through the cave’s mouth.

I slammed into the wall.

For a second I couldn’t breathe. I clung to the rock until I could get my feet down, then pushed away from it. The cave opened into a wider hollow, and the water spread out enough that I could stand. It was still above my waist, but I could move without having to fight for every step.

Teresa was crouched on a ledge with three goats pressed around her. There was a good stretch of dry rock between her boots and the water. I’d been imagining her struggling to keep her head above it, and seeing her up there almost made me angry with her for frightening me.

That was hardly her fault.

“Jump down. I’ve got you.”

She looked from me to the entrance. “How bad is the current?”

“Pretty bad.”

Her attention went back to the goats.