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I can’t be hopeful. Not when I have so much that’s still unknown.
Savannah, old and mossy, begins to form around us. I’ve always loved it here; the old oaks that are covered in moss make every part of the city feel haunted. I rouse from my reverie when we park in a public lot on River Street.
“The portal is here?” I ask skeptically. I’ve been here a handful of times, and nothing has ever stuck out as unusual in my head. Certainly nothing that would tip me off to the fact that there’s a magic portal to another world nearby.
“It is,” he replies as he gets out of the car, strapping on his backpack. Following his lead, I throw mine on and grab Bobble in my arms. I push to keep up with his quick pace, letting the area map fall into my head again. Where could the portal be?
As we walk to the riverfront, shops and restaurants line one side of the red brick path. The river lies on the other side. It’s wider than I remember. Plenty of people mill about as I take in the large container ship floating down the river.
“Where is it?” I ask him.
“In the river.”
I let out a soft laugh as he turns to give me a questioning look.
“You’re serious?”
“Always.”
“What do you mean, it’s in the river?”
Instead of responding to my apparently stupid question, he walks straight onto a wooden pier full of confidence and swagger that no one would dare question, despite the ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ sign. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me along after him.
“Hold my hand and try to jump discreetly with me when I tell you to.”
Pause.
“Jump into a freezing river from a pier surrounded by people discreetly?”
He yanks me again, pulling me to fall in step with him.
“They’ll search for us, but you’ll be presumed dead, eventually. It’s better than going missing during your ‘world travels’. We can figure out a story if you ever decide to come back. For now, don’t let go of my hand.”
My breath catches in my throat. Dead?
He looks into my eyes before whispering, “It has to be now, Mira.”
“What? But… "
“Now!”
Sunder shuffles to the edge of the dock. I scramble up next to him, squeezing his hand as tight as I can and holding Bobble with the other.
I don’t think.
I just jump.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mira
We leap into the freezing cold water. My scream bubbles around me as the shock permeates my skin. My head breaks the surface as I splash frantically. Sunder’s warm hand still grips mine, pulling me with the current away from the bank and downstream. The chill of the river is almost unbearable, but I hold on tightly to Sunder’s hand. People are shouting from the sidewalk, but he doesn’t seem bothered by any of it.
“Down!” He commands me.
Sunder dives underwater, pulling me with him back beneath the chilly surface. I don’t even try to open my eyes in the murky water. I feel myself being dragged deeper and deeper until, finally; he stops.
My lungs burn as I struggle to hold my breath. He gives my hand three quick, tight squeezes, and suddenly the river water is gone.
