A Legacy of Serpents

Chapter 9

Frigid ice water engulfed Ominis as he crashed into the river, shocking his body from his head to his feet. The fall stunned him, and his limbs refused to move, even as the current of the river sucked him downward and thrashed him about as if he found himself caught beneath the unforgiving waves of the ocean.

But then the shock wore off in favor of panic and desperation. He clawed at the water, trying to break the surface. However, he didn't know which way was up and which was down.

And...

He didn't know how to swim.

He's always avoided the water when it was cold and dark and terrifying. But now he wished he'd taken Sebastian up on his offer to teach him how to swim years ago. He could not see where he was going nor hear the path ahead. Surely, he was going to drown.

Sticks and boulders scraped against his palms as he struggled to latch onto anything to stop himself from getting pulled farther down the river. His lungs burned with the need for oxygen. His chest hurt from holding his breath.

Finally, his fingers latched around a soggy root jutting out from the side of the river. He grabbed a tight hold of it, but the current proved too strong. The branch ripped away from the bank, and he spun aimlessly through the water, losing all sense of direction once more.

Raging water crashed into his ears, deafening him. Blinding him entirely, especially without his sight to aid him. He attempted to dig his feet into the bottom of the river. His heels slid against slick mud, preventing him from gaining enough traction to kick himself to the surface.

Fire seemed to build up in his lungs with each passing moment until he could no longer resist the urge to attempt to take a breath.

But just as his body prepared to breathe in the water of the river, a pair of hands latched onto his cloak and pulled him upward.

His head broke the surface, and he took in a deep, gasping breath. Water dripped into his mouth, and he spluttered and gasped and choked. But he was still alive.

"Hold on!" Anne cried near his ear, and he felt as she slipped her arms more securely around him, keeping him afloat. She released a pained grunt, telling him she still suffered from the bout of pain from her curse. But she kept a firm hold on him, never letting go even if just to relieve herself from the smallest bit of agony.

"We're going to die," he lamented between choking gasps. "We're going to drown, and then we're going to die."

"We're not going to die!" she spluttered near his ear, followed by another gasp of pain. "Lift your hand above your head. You can reach these vines."

Although difficult when his body felt numb from the chill, and the river rapidly continued to drag him forward, he did as instructed. His fingers brushed against vines overhead, and he closed his fist around one of them and pulled.

This time, the vine held steady. Their bodies snagged against the current, both fighting against getting dragged away. Little by little, he was able to pull himself toward the bank until he wrapped his free arm around what felt like a fallen log.

With immense effort, he dragged himself and Anne out of the river, and the sheer weight of his damp clothing collapsed him to the ground.

He heaved in each breath into his aching, tired lungs. But despite his desire to flop onto his back and rest from the terrifying ordeal, Anne whimpered in pain beside him.

He rolled over and placed one hand on the grassy dirt beside her waist, and the other one next to her hair, if the damp strands against his wrist was any indication. Very little warmth emanated from her body beneath him. But she still breathed. They were alive.