Eternal Discovery

Chapter 8: Doubts

 The sky was still and calm with only a couple of clouds dotting its great expanse. The field had deer and small animals grazing  with birds flying across the bright orange sky while the pale sun began moving down over the distance as if being swallowed by the land. In the field Tema and Nikistatia were travelling through a short, green field as they made their way toward the shimmering cave. They had to locate the legendary Falconian before it left and Tema was determined to do that.

They were approaching a large river which looked to be raging its way along as it separated the field and a rocky plain from each other, they scanned the environment for a way to cross but nothing could be seen. Tema had remembered the map President Skyla had given him and looked the map "well we got no choice but to cross. Although there is a bridge...here it would take us hours to get there which is time we don't have" Said Tema

"But we don't know how deep it is" replied Nikistatia, Tema wondered how to test the depth of the water "hey what about using your Sacred beam on the river? Fire it to the bottom"  Tema nodded and focused his power in to his right arm and fired the silver beam of energy into the water making a small fissure in the water, they quickly saw the depth of the water to be very deep before the water joined back and continued coursing its way down the land. "well...it's deep enough to drown us but...we don't have much of a choice. Nikita hand me your backpack I'm going to throw them over the river okay"

"Are you strong enough?"

"I don't know...do you know of any wind magic?" she nodded "in case I don't make him you can blow them the rest of the way over" she handed him his pack and one at time with a mighty throw chucked them over the river, although his strength couldn't quite make it Nikita blew them the rest of the way.

 "Tema...I've just thought do you know how to swim?"

"I don't really know"

"just try in the shallow bit of the river" 

Tema stepped into the shallows but as soon as he stepped "Ah...the water's freezing...grin and bear it...grin and bear it"  he went in till the water hit his chest and managed to do a paddle "Well I can stay afloat. It should be alright. Right I'll go across first alright"  Tema continued until his feet couldn't reach the ground. The water rushed and gushed against his body as he swam while the freezing water seemed to grip and choke his body. He could slowly feel the cold tighten its grip on his body weakening his strength against the current but eventually  he could feel ground under his feet. He waded out, chilled to the bone panting from exhaustion.

Once he got out of the water he waved over to Nikistasia shouting but still panting "Nikita...your turn. How well...can you swim?" she waved and began to wade into the water, then she dived into the water. "wow...it's like she's flying across the water. I guess they teach you a lot as a noble...wait" Nikitstasia soon stopped and thrashed a bit in place "she's stopped...I think she's stuck on something" Tema waded back into the wate "What's wrong?

"Tema my leg is caught on something and it seems to be pulling me i..." and then she was dragged under the water. 

Tema swam over to where she was and swam under the water with every fibre of his body feeling the cold like a shard of glass. He swam down enough to see that a weed had caught her leg, he took out his sword and sliced the weed freeing her so they could both swim up to the surface. They both surfaced coughing and rapidly breathing, "thanks for that Tema" said Nikistasia panting

"it's..no...problem" as he replied the world seem to grow dark as Tema faded out of consciousness into the black.