Chapter 141
Elara's POV
The impact of the water shattered the memory of my jump, and Cole's shout as he dove after me was swallowed by the roar.
The current ripped me under before I could take a proper breath.
Cold. So cold it felt like knives slicing through every nerve. The water twisted around me, pulling me down into darkness so complete I couldn't tell up from down. My lungs screamed for air but I forced myself to stay calm. Panic killed people faster than drowning.
I caught a glimpse of Cole's dark shape being dragged in a different direction. The underground river system had split us apart the moment we hit the water.
He'll make it. He has to.
I couldn't afford to worry about him right now. Lynette was out here somewhere. That was all that mattered.
The current slammed me against something hard. Rock. I twisted, using the impact to push myself toward what I hoped was the surface. My hand broke through and I gasped, sucking in precious air before the water pulled me under again.
The river carried me through absolute darkness. I stopped fighting it and focused on surviving. When the current pushed me up, I breathed. When it dragged me down, I made myself small and protected my head. Every muscle in my body burned from the cold and the constant struggle.
Time stopped meaning anything. It could have been minutes or hours. The vertical drop gradually leveled out into a more horizontal flow. The water was still fast but not as violent. I was moving away from the forest's heart toward the outer regions.
My limbs were going numb. The cold was winning. I could feel my thoughts slowing down, becoming sluggish. Hypothermia. I recognized the signs from my training in the northern territories.
Just hold on. Just a little longer.
Light. Faint at first, then growing stronger. The river was bringing me to the surface.
I forced my frozen muscles to work, angling myself toward the light. The current pushed me forward and suddenly I was out, blinking in the sudden brightness of daylight.
Trees. Sky. The sound of voices.
My body had nothing left. I grabbed at a rock near the shore, my fingers barely responding to my commands. The current released me and I crawled onto the muddy bank, collapsing onto the grass. I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Could barely breathe.
"Mama! There's someone in the river!"
A child's voice. High and excited. Running footsteps.
I tried to push myself up but my arms gave out. Everything was spinning.
More voices now. Adult. Concerned. Hands touching my shoulder, rolling me onto my back.
"Dear God, she's still alive! Quick, get the doctor!"
Someone draped rough cloth over me. I forced my eyes open and saw a middle-aged woman kneeling beside me, her face weathered and kind.
"Easy, child. Don't try to move. You're safe now."
Safe. The word felt foreign.
I was lying near what looked like a washing area by the river. Several women and children had gathered around me, staring with wide eyes. Behind them I could see simple houses made of stone and mud. The kind of village that existed far from any modern town.
The woman helped me sit up slowly. My body protested every movement but I made myself do it. I needed to assess the situation. Figure out where I was.
"Where did you come from?" the woman asked gently, wrapping the cloth tighter around my shoulders. "How did you end up in the river?"
I opened my mouth but no sound came out at first. My throat was raw from swallowing river water. I tried again.
"I... fell upstream."
Not exactly a lie.
An old woman pushed through the small crowd, squinting at me with sharp eyes. "We've pulled plenty of bodies from that river over the years. Not many come out alive."
"Hush, Elena," the first woman scolded. "Can't you see she's in shock?"
But the old woman's words sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the cold water.
Bodies. They'd pulled bodies from this river.
My hand went to my jacket pocket. Still there. I pulled out the piece of plaid fabric, now soaked and dark. The scrap I'd been following for days.
"Have you..." My voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. "Have you seen anyone else? A girl, wearing clothes like this?"
I held up the fabric with shaking fingers.
The women leaned in to look. Most shook their heads. But one younger woman in the back suddenly spoke up.
"Wait. I remember something. Armo pulled someone from the river just recently. They were wearing plaid like that."
My heart stopped. Then started hammering so hard I thought it might break through my ribs.
"Where?" I grabbed the woman's arm, probably too hard based on her wince. "Where is she?"
The woman's face fell. She glanced at the others before looking back at me with pity.
"I'm sorry. The person was already gone when Armo pulled them out. The body was badly... the river isn't kind. We buried them in the cemetery by the forest edge. It's where we put all the people who come down the river."
No.
No, that couldn't be right.
"You're sure?" My voice didn't sound like my own. "You're absolutely sure?"
"I saw it myself," an older man said, stepping forward. "Helped Armo carry the body to the cemetery. It was too damaged to identify properly, but the clothes matched what you're holding."
The fabric slipped from my numb fingers.
I'd been too late.
I'd jumped off that cliff, fought through that river, pushed my body past every limit, and I was too late.
Lynette was dead.
My sister was dead and I'd never even known her. Never heard her voice.
Something wet hit the cloth in my lap. Then another drop. I realized distantly that I was crying. The liquid falling from my chin onto the plaid fabric, mixing with the river water already soaking it through.
The kind woman put her arm around my shoulders. "I'm so sorry, dear. Was she family?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe.
All I could do was stare at that piece of plaid and feel everything inside me shatter.