Aeron's povI floated on the calm river, feeling the atmosphere, but a single impact broke my peace. Thwat!Someone had fallen.I dove toward the current. The water pulled hard, cold enough to steal breath, but the body was easy to find.I caught her arm, rolled her against me, and kicked upward. She was limp but alive, her pulse vibrated once under my thumb.We broke through the surface. She coughed, choking, fighting to breathe.“Hold still,” I said.But she didn’t.Her hands pushed weakly at my shoulders. I tightened my grip and swam for the shallows. When we reached the bank, I lifted her out, set her on the wet sand, and leaned over her until she dragged in a full breath.Her eyes opened.They were sharp, gray-green, going through the haze like steel through mud. For a second neither of us moved. The river thundered behind us, but everything else felt strangely quiet.“You fell from that cliff?” I asked.She nodded once, small, dazed. “Guess so.”“You guess?”“Wasn’t planning on
Last Updated : 2025-11-01 Read more