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“Tight. I mean it.”
“I know.”
They had to get out of here. Soon. “Okay, on my signal. Three, two, one!” Jax grabbed onto the lower trunk. “We’re gonna have to duck under the trunk,” he rasped. “Are you holding on tight?” Jax could feel her holding onto his belt, making the nausea worse. He hoped her hands held on tight enough.
“Rrreaddy!” she called out.
Together, they ducked under the trunk, the water swirling around their heads, partway submerged under the water. Jax raised his arm to prevent them from being swept past the second trunk and slammed the stick in between the two, wedging it in place perpendicular to the wood. “Yes!” He hugged her, heard her attempt to force a relieved laugh through frozen lips.
Now for the hard part. Convincing her to go along with the next step. “Now, climb up me and use the trunks to stabilize yourself.”
The ability to form words required more and more effort. His lips felt thick, his jaw tight as hypothermia took its toll.
“No! I’m nnot leaving you hhhere,” she ground out.
“I can get myself out, but I have to make sure you can get out. I need you to do this, or nnneither of us are gonna make it out of these rrrapids alive. Can you do that?”
“Are you sssure you can make it?”
“The log won’t hhhold us both at the same time. Go!” Jax wasn’t sure he could, in fact, lift himself onto the trunk. He could help Seyla get onto it, though. He had to get her to safety before he worked on getting himself out.
“Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced.
“Once you’re on top of the trunk, hhold tight and inch your way forward to land. Gggot it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, go!” Jax felt Seyla scramble up onto his shoulders and step onto the lower trunk. “Now, get onto the upper trunk.” The throbbing pain in his head, mixed with the nausea and the current beating against him, further weakened him. He shut his eyes in agony for a few precious seconds, then pried them open again to watch her inch along the trunk until she made it onto what resembled dry land. “Now get away from the mud ssso you don’t sslide in again!”
Jax blew out a breath, his diaphragm straining with the effort. Each breath got shallower, reminding him he was only human. His body couldn’t fight much longer, no matter how determined he was to survive.
He grabbed onto the stick with the other hand to switch, allowing that hand to grab onto the lower trunk and boost himself up. The moss on the wood was slick from the rain, though. Before he could hike a leg over the trunk, his arm slid off, knocking him into the water. One hand clung to the stick with a death-grip, leaving him dangling from it against therushing current. He heard Seyla scream his name and hoped she didn’t endanger herself in order to help him. “Don’t come out here! I’m okay.”
Actually, his left shoulder and forearm were on fire, overstretched during the fall and scratched up.
“Jax?”
“Yeah! Stay there! I-I need a mminute and then I’ll tttry again.” He thanked God that he’d been able to hold onto the stick, which remained wedged between the trees, and leaned his head against his arm.
The world spun, pain racking his body. His fingers were going numb, and his body was becoming too sluggish from the cold. The temptation to quit fighting built until it reached an overwhelming, relentless roar. That said, it was a sensation he’d grown accustomed to over the years. A feeling he’d once again overcome, like all the other times. He was no stranger to pushing himself past his limits, and it would benefit him now.
As long as his hands worked.
With a growl, Jax tried again. Slid off again and slipped back into the water. On the third attempt, he got a leg over the lower trunk and crawled onto the upper trunk. He inched his way across it. Without warning, the wood twisted under his weight. He dug his hands into grooves along the bark, hoping it would help. Almost there.
He looked up and saw no sign of Seyla on the shore. Where was she?
He inched forward. The tree beneath him twisted again, knocking his hand off and sending him crashing into the water with nothing to hold onto. Jax went under, the rush of water roaring in his ears. He bobbed to the surface, disoriented. Something yanked on his shirt, snagging it. He jerked his head up to see Seyla, hanging onto a partly submerged, forked tree with one arm and him with the other.
“Grab my hand!” she cried. “Hurry!”
Jax grabbed it, hoping she’d be able to hold his weight, knowing she’d put herself at further risk if he didn’t comply.
No time to ponder the question. The determination in her voice and on her face convinced him she had that strength. She could do it.
Seyla hauled him closer to her until he could get a grip on the trunk itself. Once he did, she held onto the other fork of the trunk to give him room to shimmy up beyond the reach of the rushing water. They hung there for a few moments, allowing him time to rally his strength. Afterward, she crawled up the trunk and grabbed hold of a limb. Hand over hand, she inched along the limb, legs dangling over the water.
He’d be proud to call her a teammate. A tough woman disguised by delicate features and form. Jax smiled at the thought.
