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From this viewpoint, I couldn’t see the bottom of the massive falls.
“Wait here for a moment,” I said to the man who was walking beside me. He nodded and nearly collapsed when he sat down. I set the boy beside him, then watched as he wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and nuzzled into him. I left them and headed towards the front of the group—finding Ryker and the pugilist brothers, Thadius and Dante, conversing.
“I’m guessing we need to cross somehow,” I stated, surveying the snow-covered land on the other side.
“The river bisects the lands for miles,” Ryker stated, gesturing ahead. “There is a place further down where the current isn’t as strong, and we might be able to pass throughthere. The only thing is that it’s going to add another four days of walking.”
“I don’t know how many will be able to make it an extra four days,” I replied, not liking that idea.
“Agreed,” Dante said, his heavy arms crossed over his chest. Thadius nodded.
“If we got enough of the Water Cursed together, do you think you could dam up the one side of the river long enough for the group to pass through?” Ryker asked, looking at me.
“It’s possible. I used to manipulate the waters in the lake back home, but that was a small lake. This is a huge river with a strong current, and I don’t know how deep it is. If we do manage it, the longer we hold the dam, the more the river will bank up against it, increasing the weight with each passing minute.”
“So then, what if we move the group in batches?” Ryker suggested, thoughtfully tipping his head to the side. “Once a group is across, remove the dam and let the water return to normal. When the next group is ready, make another dam.”
“That might work,” I said, nodding, thinking it over. “The only thing that worries me is that it’s going to take a lot toliftthe water on one side to create the dam. Doing that over and over again is going to deplete our energy stores fairly quickly.”
“Okay, so then what if you lift the water from the riverbed, just enough for people to walk underneath it? That way some water will bank against it, but the rest of it will flow over,” Ryker said, tossing out another thought.
Thadius cleared his throat. “That seems rather risky, no? Having everyone pass through together at the same time?”
I nodded in agreement. “If we can’t hold it. . .” I trailed off, my mind imagining our powers giving out and the river swallowing . . . everyone. I recoiled at the thought. “It’s too risky.”
“Then we play it safe and have people go in batches,” Ryker cut in. “The first group that goes will be our test group—those who are strong enough to cross to the other side quickly. From there, we’ll gauge the exertion on you and the rest of the Water Cursed. If everything goes well, the next group should be those who are weak and struggling. That way if you are unable to lift the water back up, at least they will have a fighting chance at making the rest of the walk to the Cursed Lands. And those who are more able-bodied can take the long way around.”
I thought about it for a moment. “I think this is the best plan we have.”
“Agreed,” Thadius said, scratching his dark beard.
“Now we just need some Water Cursed willing to help,” I said, glancing around, my gaze jumping from weary face to weary face. People were exhausted, hungry, and tired. Finding able bodies might be harder than expected.
“We’ll start spreading the word,” Dante said, gesturing to himself and his brother.
“Alright then,” I replied, setting my sights on the wide, angry river thrashing before me.
If we failed?
No—I shoved the thought out.
We would not fail.
We would not fail because there were too many lives depending on us.
Sage
Twenty-three.
That was how many of us there were.
Twenty-three tasked with controlling trillions of gallons of water.
Twenty-three. . . who, if we succeeded, would save the lives of hundreds.
We stood together, shoulder to shoulder, watching the thrashing beast roaring before us.
The river was unfathomably wide, the gradient steep, creating rapids unlike anything I had ever seen before—not even winter’s frigid temperature could tame it into submission. It swallowed whatever was in its path. I did not doubt that the rocks that lined the riverbank used to be boulders, but by themight of the violent, ferocious waters, they had been worn down into small stones.
