Black Sea [English Edition]

CHAPTER 4

The impact on the water was so violent that I lost my grip on the branches. The soldier quickly caught me by the armor and lifted me back up on the trunk—now in a horizontal position—before I fell. I gave him a look halfway between thankful and hostile, and he shot me back a provocative one.

The water current, inexplicably strong, began to drag us toward the cliff.

Through the tree branches, I saw my brother riding at full gallop on the other side of the Glawar, following us, the echo of his cries lost in the roar of the waters, the wind whistling in my ears.

Suddenly the human and I found ourselves in the river, whose course had changed into a path of rapids. The tree trunk started to rotate. We attempted to secure ourselves to the sturdiest branches and helped each other multiple times to avoid ending up in the water.

Water that made the bark viscous.

Water that was bouncing us around.

Water that was entering into our nose, mouth, and eyes.

Water that demanded our lives.

Why wasn't I jumping off this damn tree to reach the shore of the Elven Kingdom? The strength and endurance of my kind would allow me to swim against the current.

To save myself.

Then why wasn't I doing it? Why was I ignoring Araton's screams? Why did I keep staying with the human?

Why couldn't I leave him?

Perhaps I did not want him to die alone, as had happened to all those poor wounded boys whom Lake Caran had just swept away without them being able to do anything. Perhaps I wanted to show him compassion and let him see that elves were not selfish monsters, as his king had no doubt painted us.

We were almost at the overhang, and sharp rocks began to emerge from the riverbed; the tree roots pounded against one of them, causing the trunk to spin. The branch the soldier was holding on to broke, but I grabbed his hand before a sudden slope caught us and the water submerged us for a moment.

After that, the number of rocks began to rise, and the rapids became more turbulent.

A saline scent wafted into my nostrils, and I understood that we had come to the end of the river. The man looked at me, breathlessly, and when he read the goodbye in my eyes he let go of my hand with a little smile.

The Glawar River, in full flow, threw itself from the cliff, and our tree fell off the large and very high waterfall.

Many times, when we were young and reckless, Araton and I had jumped from the cliffs south of the Eastern Lands. So, as I did then, I timed it right, took a deep breath, and prepared myself for the crash into the sea.

I felt a strange heat just before impact.

Then, the dark.