Page 22 of Forgotten Fate

“Are you telling me we have to cross the river?” I asked in shock. I wasn’t expecting to go swimming today.

“Yes,” he replied.

I stared at him as he stood there and surveyed the river. “Is there any way we can go around it?” I asked.

“Not unless we want to add a few days, or more, to our journey,” he asserted.

That certainly was not something I wanted to do. I walked up and put my pack down next to his. I took a step closer to the water and observed it with him. It looked like it could be a quarter-mile wide. The trees on the other end looked small from this distance. I looked towards the center of the river and thought I could see the rocky bottom. “It doesn’t look too high,” I shrugged.

“I agree,” he replied. “We haven’t seen rain in days, so it can’t be more than a few feet high in this section. But the current…” he trailed off. We both watched as a hollow log floated past us at a high speed. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to run as fast as it was going. “We will need to be very careful,” he finished.

I scratched my head, and quickly remembered what was in my pack. “Can we get across without getting our packs wet?” I asked.

“If we carry the entire packs over our shoulders, they should be safe.”

I let out a sigh of relief and Elias gave me a quizzical look. “I just have some things in there I would like to keep dry,” I said truthfully.Like the book.

“Alright then,” he started. “Let’s get moving. You do know how to swim, right?”

I glared at him, feeling offended. “Of course,” I replied.

He shrugged and bent down to untie his boots. He looked up at me, waiting for me to do the same. I cringed, really not wanting to feel whatever was lurking at the bottom of this river swimming around my ankles. But I supposed it was better than walking in wet boots for the rest of the day.

I took my boots and stockings off as well and placed them in my pack. I watched Elias haul his pack over one of his shoulders, then walk over and do the same with mine.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “I can carry my own things.”

“I’m taller,” was all he said before walking towards the river and taking his first step into the water.

I reluctantly followed suit. As my bare feet plunged into the water, I stifled a shriek. It was much colder than I was expecting. I took my second step, and held my balance. The weight of the current felt like that of someone leaning against me, trying to get me to fall over.

Elias continued to wade through the water, but looked back at me every so often to ensure he wasn’t more than a few feet away. I took each step carefully, making sure my footing was stable before moving forward.

“If you don’t speed it up, we’ll be in this river all day,” Elias beckoned. I shot him a nasty look and he grinned before turning forward and continuing.

Even though we moved slowly, I began to feel out of breath. Thebitter cold of the water, now that it was up to my chest, made it feel like my airways were closing. Elias glanced back as if sensing my distress. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Fine,” I shouted back to him, feeling like he wouldn’t be able to hear me over the rushing water. “Stop staring at me, and keep going.” I swear I heard him laugh, a charming and fascinating sound. I chuckled a little in response.

I nervously trudged along for twenty minutes, each step was slow and careful. As I continued to push against the current, my legs were starting to feel sore. When I looked up, relief struck as I noticed we weren’t far from reaching the other side. Elias turned back to look at me for the hundredth time, both packs still slung over his shoulders. “Almost there, Princess,” he confirmed.

“I can see that,” I replied loudly, the rushing water still erupting in my ears. I picked up my speed slightly, eager now to reach warm, dry land. Elias was maybe twenty feet from the edge, and I was only a body’s length behind him. As he turned back to say something, I suddenly felt my foot land on a slippery rock that slid out from under me. I cried out as the abrupt shift in my balance caused the powerful current to take me off my feet.

Within a split second, my head was under the water’s surface, and my body was being pulled in multiple directions. Suddenly, I didn’t know which way was up or down. I felt myself tossing and tumbling – a victim to the river’s power. When my head bobbed above water for only a mere moment, I swore I heard Elias screaming my name. Then the current violently pulled me under once more before I could even take a breath.

I desperately needed air, but I could not tell where to find it. After moments of panic, I felt my arm scrape against the hard rocks at the bottom of the river, and this gave me a chance to shoot myself up in the opposite direction.

My head finally broke the surface of the river and I gasped for air, filling my lungs as quickly as I could before I was forced under by the current yet again. No matter how hard I tried to swim towards shore, I continued to toss and flip, wondering when my next chance for air would return. It came sooner this time, as I reached the surface for another breath. I tried my best to scan my surroundings for as long as I could, looking for anything I could grab onto. I saw Elias, now just a spec in the distance, climbing onto land from the river’s edge. At least he was safe, I thought before the river pulled me under again.

I don’t know how many minutes went by while the river tossed me around like a ragdoll. I had no concept of time, focused only on gasping for air any chance I could. Every second under the surface became more excruciating as my lungs were on fire, and my bruised body slammed into the rocks again and again.

Breaking through the surface once more, I took another breath, refusing to give up the fight. I glanced towards the forest and saw a large, dark shape darting through the woods behind the tree line. A horse? A bear, maybe? The river crashed over me again, but I bobbed back up quickly this time. I peered back at the forest, and saw the figure more clearly. It was very large and kept pace with me as the river pulled me at speeds I couldn’t fathom.

It was a wolf. Awolf. Like the one from my dream. Was I dreaming now as I was losing consciousness? Were the gods toying with me with visions as I approached my death?

Eyes wide, I was once again knocked under the surface. I remained underwater for long, excruciating moments, as my body tossed and flipped with the current. My lungs began screaming for air, and my body reacted. I opened my mouth and breathed in nothing but water. Things seemed to slow down in that moment, and I assumed the worst. This was my end. Killed by the very river that connected all four kingdoms together. Killed before I could find my answers.Killed before I could speak to my father again. Perhaps this journey was a grave mistake after all.

Before I could black out and succumb to my fate, I felt a pair of strong arms grab hold of me. I recognized the static sensation of his touch, and knew it was Elias. He quickly pulled me above the surface, and I gasped and coughed, unable to take a stable breath. Elias trudged towards the water’s edge, fighting against the current, and hauled the both of us onto land. I rolled over onto my stomach and began coughing and vomiting river water.