Chapter 21: Starting Over
SOMETHING rammed into Unen’s stomach within seconds of her realizing she had fallen into the raging river. The impact knocked the air right out of her mouth, leaving her gasping as water rushed around her.
Remembering Hereh’s warning to never let water into your lungs, Unen barely stopped herself from breathing in. Relentless force continued to shove something long and flat into her abdomen—or more accurately, the surging current was pushing her into the object. Wrapping her arms around it, she clung for dear life to the log-like object.
Getting close to the limit for holding her breath, the back of her throat started convulsing for air. Knowing it’d be the end of her if she opened her mouth, Unen thrashed her legs and arms, clambering her way inch by inch up the log toward the light.
Before long, her face broke through the water’s surface. Fresh air rushed into her chest in a massive wave, causing her to wheeze. Tightening her arms against the pressure of the water, she swung her head around while sucking in shuddery breaths.
Unen was clinging to one of the bridge piers that had been carved out of a log. The bridge girder was right above her head and the whitecaps of the muddy stream were rushing all around her.
I have to let everyone know I’m safe and where I am immediately! Unen raised her voice over the torrent to shout the names of Irena, Mouru, and Ori in order.
“She’s below us!”
She heard Ori’s voice at a slight distance over the flurry of footsteps.
Unen looked up at the backside of the bridge girder and strained her voice to inform them of her situation, “I was able to grab hold of a bridge pier somehow!”
“Stay put! I’ll save you right now.”
“Oka—”
Something hard slammed into Unen’s shoulder before she could finish the syllable. Taken by surprise, her grip on the girder loosened. By the time she realized a piece of driftwood hit her, she had been peeled away from the pier by the surging current.
Instantly, muddy water blotted out the boundless blue sky. She managed to inhale one last deep breath a second before her head was pushed under water again, but, jostled by the rushing water current, she couldn’t tell which direction was up. Rocks, sticks, and other solid objects incessantly crashed into her body from all directions. For a mere second, she felt her feet touch the sand on the river bottom, but the sensation disappeared faster than it had come. She raked her hands through the water for something to cling to, but only hit a rock, breaking her nails and cutting up her fingers instead.
Am I going to die here? Unen clenched her fists and almost simultaneously felt the Murmur reverberate in her chest.
The water current steadily lost its surging force and the light shining through her tightly shut eyes gradually grew brighter.
Unen’s knees hit the riverbed just as her sense of up and down reoriented itself. Right when she thought the waves were rolling over the top of her hair, the water’s surface sunk lower and her head popped out above it.
There was a tremendous howl of wind, and small splashes were smacking Unen in the face. Nervously opening her eyes, Unen found a wall of muddy water right in front of her.
Her chest, followed by her waist, appeared above the murky water from where she sat disconcerted on the riverbed. Then, the riverbed of algae and sand was entirely exposed to air.
The river water had split to the left and right, slightly above where Unen sat as if held back by an invisible wall. The wall of muddy water had created a spindle-shaped space around Unen, dividing the river in half.
Unen choked and choked again on the spurts of splashes pouring down on her from above, getting water into her mouth and nose. As she gagged, the reality of her situation came to her. The ridiculous wall of water standing at one meter in height all around her—had been created by the fearsome power hidden within wind.
Just as she was wondering why the wall to her right suddenly lost its shape, she noticed Ori dive into the water and kick hard to reach her. He pulled on Unen faster than the water could close in on her, swiftly put a looped rope around her waist, and held her to his chest with his left arm.
Muddy billows swallowed Unen from her head down. The water current swept the ground out from beneath her feet, and she was washed away by it again.
But this time, her face surfaced right away. Ori’s arm around her waist was keeping her head above water.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ori swam for shore with Unen in one arm. She realized another rope was attached to hers, tied around his waist and stretching toward the shore. At the other end of the rope pulled taut under the waves was Irena and a tree at the bottom of the bridge. Several unfamiliar people were also there assisting her.
Finally, Ori arrived at the shore. Rising from the water, he laid Unen on the ground and flopped face-up on the grass panting.
Cheers erupted from where Irena stood.
Unable to wait for her coughing to stop, Unen squeezed out through gasps for air, “Thank…you…for…saving…me.”
“Save…your…thanks…for Mouru…” Chest heaving under his chaotic breathing, Ori shakily raised his arm and pointed a shriveled finger at the bridge. “I couldn’t have…done anything to help…if not for his…spell.”
Unen searched for Mouru with strained eyes.
Irena was holding hands with unfamiliar men under the tree rejoicing over their success. Yet another man was holding the reins of their pack horse. And beside him, Unen watched Mouru limply collapse onto the ground.