Far from the Sea

The Escape

Bran muttered a sharp curse. The brush shushed with movement.

A few more steps and they'd discover her and know she'd had been listening. Liesel imagined that the news would not be taken lightly. Plans were a luxury she could not afford. She picked up her skirts and tore through the forest with no other thought except putting distance between herself and her captors. Her skin stung as it snagged against jagged twigs, but she ignored the pain. When she reached the stream, she turned and sprinted down its banks. The boys' footsteps crashed behind her. They were getting closer. She drove her feet faster, increasing speed until her muscles burned and pain stabbed through her lungs. Her heart thudded so rapidly she thought it might burst.

She couldn't maintain such a grueling pace. Her legs would give out, and Bran and Simon would have little trouble subduing her then. If they caught her - if they took her - there would be no mercy shown, she was sure of it. She needed an advantage. Somewhere to go where they could not follow. The stream widened. Recognition flashed through her mind. She'd been there before with Kai, and knew it was deep, and the current, fast moving. Her father's words fluttered through her mind: "My little porpoise."

She shifted her path abruptly, veering toward the stream and wading in a few steps before flinging herself into the water. A sharp gasp escaped her throat when biting cold greeted her. Her breaths came fast as she fought against it. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Bran and Simon hovering on the shore. They gaped at her, making small frantic steps as they watched her float farther away.

They couldn't swim. Her gamble had paid off. The panic left her, but she held tight to her resolve. The danger had not gone. They could follow her easily down the bank. She had to go somewhere they couldn't follow. Or wouldn't want to.

She knew where the stream led. Was she brave enough to follow it until its end? There was only one way to find out. She steeled herself, laying her body flat with her head pointed in the direction of the current. Doggedly, she propelled herself downstream. She could hear it - vibrations in the water. Like distant thunder.

The current pushed her along easily, but staying afloat proved a challenge. The same water that had healed the cut on her arm and ransomed her from fever was now trying to extinguish her life by sucking her under. She fought her way back to the surface over and over, but the effort was tiring. The riverbed beneath her rose up, the silt becoming rocks that grew in number and size as the water roared louder. Submerged again, her knee struck a rock and sent white-hot pain running through her leg. She clutched it instinctively before battling her way upward to desperately gasp for air.

Just ahead was the cliff where the stream ended. She studied the shore for signs of Bran and Simon but saw none. Kicking and paddling, she aimed for the water's edge. She'd been in the water long enough for her limbs to numb. With great effort, she made it to the shore and collapsed in exhaustion. Relief was short-lived. Movement amongst the trees drew her attention. She watched as the flickering colors became forms. Human forms.

She looked from the boys to the falls. Peril awaited her no matter which choice she made. At least if the water took her, she'd go out on her own terms.

Liesel forced herself to stand. She waded until the water swept her feet out from under her and carried her away. There was no use in attempting to steer, so she worried only about filling her lungs with air each time they were depleted. The current's strong pull rolled her over and over until she was thoroughly disoriented. Her body bashed against rocks, leaving more bruises and cuts than she cared to count. Just when she thought she couldn't endure a single second longer of the torture, the rushing water pitched her over the edge of the rocks.

Her stomach flew into her throat. She was weightless. Flying. The thrill was only temporary, replaced by panic as she plummeted and broke the surface of the pool with alarming force.

Liesel sunk like a stone. She forced open her eyes and was met by dark haze all around. The scene was eerily familiar. She'd dreamt it. Another dream come to fruition. Likely her last.

Before, she'd thought little of death. She knew it would happen eventually but was untroubled by her distant future. Since coming to Arcadia, she'd met with it twice. Now that it seemed imminent, she was surprised by how calm she felt. Her skirts and hair billowed around her, doing nothing to stop her sinking. Minutes ticked by, slow and elongated, until the last dregs of air in her lungs were used up. Spasms tore through her chest as her body scavenged for breath. Soon they ceased, replaced by a pleasant euphoria.

She'd been under so long - she had to be dead. A glimmer shone in the distance. Was it heaven? She reached for it, the motion of her arms stopping her descent. The light floated near the edge of her fingertips. When it came near enough, she closed it in her hands. Regarding it, she noticed images in its sheen. Tricks of her dying mind, no doubt, but they were there all the same. Faces of those she had loved - her mother, father, and Gretchen. Kai's handsome smile.

The ball of light expanded out in every direction until it took the form of a girl floating in the blackness. Though she'd never met her, Liesel was certain of her identity: Ilsa Ermentrude, her shipwrecked great grandmother.

The original Ilsa opened her mouth and spoke. Liesel shook her head, unable to hear what she said. Undeterred, Ilsa spoke again. This time, in a voice so loud and clear that it resounded inside of Liesel's head: "Swim."

"I can't," she spoke back to her using her mind. "It's over for me. I'm dead."

Ilsa smiled. Her pale hair floated about her head like a halo and a soft glow radiated from her body. Her mind spoke to Liesel. "You're not dead. Not yet. But you will be soon if you don't get moving."

"How?"

She glanced upward before meeting Liesel's gaze again. The smile persisted. "Do as I said. Swim." With a great flourish, she pushed her arms down by her side and shot through the water.

Liesel watched her swim away. Her body returned to life. Strength flooded through her limbs.Not dead. No, not yet. She kicked her feet and followed in her great-grandmother's wake.

~***~

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