Chapter 30 Chapter 30: Water Snipes
Senna’s POV
We all gathered at the foot of the ravine wall. It was steep, so steep, that I wasn’t sure we could make it up. But then Verity went to work.
We watched thick, green vines grew from the side of the wall. They grew in such a way that some of them were clear foot holds and others hand grabs. It only took a few minutes. Before long, the entire ravine wall was covered in vines.
“Holy shit,” Korrigan whispered. He turned to me. “You really have a flora wolf.”
“Yup,” I replied. I thanked Verity. Korrigan’s people were stunned. “Well come on,” I told them. “Let’s get out of this ravine.”
“The wisps are still at the top,” Thor said. We all looked up. Sure enough, there were a dozen of them circling around the top of the ravine.
“Just keep your distance,” I said. “Their goal is to herd us to the beach. We’re going that way anyway.”
Korrigan gave a curt nod, and we all began climbing up the wall. It was physically strenuous, but not that hard, thanks to the vines.
Once we’d all made it to the top, we started for the forest. The wisps were close behind. I kept Thistle close to me, protectively guiding him through the forest.
Soon we came to a river. I hadn’t seen this part of the island, since our truce with Korrigan had bound us to the Western side. The current seemed pretty fast, the river wide.
“We cross here,” Korrigan said. “Move fast. No stopping mid-current.” Korrigan’s people did as they were instructed and stepped into the river. Water surged around their legs immediately.
I stepped in last. The water was ice cold. The current hit hard. It was stronger than it looked.
“Move fast!” Korrigan said again. Thistle clung to Thor, his teeth chattering. He wasn’t strong enough to cross on his own. With his small frame, the current would sweep him away.
I almost lost my footing several times. My eyes stayed locked on the other side. I was at the rear. One foot after the other. Steady.
Halfway across the river though, the water exploded. A water snipe lunged up from beneath the surface, jaws snapping.
Water snipes were another engineering masterpiece of the games. They lurked under the water and attacked whenever they sensed moving, they sharks from hell.
We froze.
Another shape moved under the water. Then another. Judging by the shadows under the water, the river was full of them.
“They’re in the river!” Isolde shouted.
“Everyone stop,” Korrigan ordered. “Don’t move. They sense movement. We need to see where they are so we can kill them.”
I lifted my bow and sent an arrow through the feral who had broken out of the water. His body went limp and the current took him away.
My heart hammered in my chest.
One of Korrigan’s men lost his footing, pushed by the current. He stumbled. Before we could even process, a water snipe lunged from the water. It clamped down on his waist and dragged him under. Moments later, we watched, horrified, as blood spread fast, dark against the current.
“What do we do?” Isolde called out, panic in her eyes.
“Can you shoot them?” Korrigan called to me. “In the water?”
“I can,” I swallowed hard. “I can make out their shadows.”
“Good,” Korrigan said. “No one move.”
Carefully, with as little movement as possible, I drew my bow. I let an arrow go, directed at a dark shadow five feet away from me. The arrow hit. The water snipe was washed away by the current.
I took inventory. There were roughly seven left. I had enough arrows. I could take them all down. As long as no one…
Isolde let out a scream. The current had caught her. She stumbled forward, her eyes wide. Within seconds, a water snipe lunged from the surface.
I acted on pure instinct. I let the arrow go. It hit the water snipe right before it clamped down on Isolde. With its jaws still open, it fell into the water.
Isolde stayed perfectly still, but her face was wet with tears. She stared into the water, unsure of whether or not she was alive.
“Hurry,” Korrigan said. “The wisps are getting close.”
Glancing behind me, I saw that the wisps were approaching the bank of the river.
“There’s no enough time,” I said. “I can’t get them all before the wisps come. It’s too hard to see them.”
“Do we run?” Thor asked.
“We won’t make it,” Korrigan said. “Senna. Your wolf. Can she help us?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Verity?”
She answered. But I could feel her growing weak. The vines had taken a lot out of her. She was still young and new and lacked her complete strength.
“I’ll try,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
The riverbank shuddered. Roots tore up from the mud, twisting out into the current. They anchored on two sides, slowing the water down the middle.
“It’s a path,” I said. “Go. Now. Quick. Verity can’t hold it long.”
We moved down the path, between the two rows of roots The water snipes lunged out of the water, but the roots were in their way. We all made it to the other side and collapsed onto the bank. The roots shuddered and then broke from their holding. They were washed away by the current.
Breathing hard, I pushed up to my knees. Korrigan sat a few paces away, soaked, breathing hard. He’d lost one of his people.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him. His eyes were sharp.
“You saved Isolde,” he replied. “Your wolf saved us all. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
“I need to rest,” Verity said. She was shaking. She collapsed onto her hunches then laid her head down.
Verity was spent.
Which meant, from here on out, we couldn’t rely on her help anymore.
“The wisps,” Thistle said. We all looked. They were crossing the water.
We didn’t even have time to catch our breath before we were back on our feet again.