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A ledge in the rocky walls stood out to her, and she swam to it. It took every ounce of strength to haul herself up, water pouring from her clothes, threatening to pull her back into the swell. But Thea dug her fingers into the rock, finding purchase with her wet boots as well. Pressing herself against the jagged surface, she inched towards the ledge, heart in her throat. She didn’t take her eyes off her friends. How long had they been here? How much suffering had they endured? Thea pushed the thoughts from her mind. Her sole purpose was to get them out of this torture chamber – to make sure they survived.

Unsheathing her sword, she crept along the shelf, realising too late that the ropes were too far out for her to reach.

‘You’ll have to jump,’ Hawthorne called. ‘And fast - the water’s getting higher!’

Both ropes that held her friends hung a few feet out from the ledge. She would have to slice through Kipp’s rope and then Cal’s on the way down.

One shot, she realised.That’s all I have. If I miss, the cave might be flooded by the time I get back up here again.

A vision of Cal and Kipp’s drowned bodies drifting beneath the water flashed before her.

‘You can do this,’ came Hawthorne’s voice, strong and sturdy.

Thea shoved the fear down and eyed the two lengths of taut rope before her, gripping her sword.

One shot, she told herself, backing up a few paces.

She ran and leapt.

Time slowed as her feet left solid ground, her sword slicing through the air with her. For a moment it felt as though she wasn’t falling, instead suspended above her dying friends, her weapon poised to strike —

But suddenly wind rushed beneath her and her blade carved through one rope, then two, and she was plunging back towards the water below.

She heard two distinct splashes before she hit the surface.

Thea went under.

Icy water swallowed her, dragging her down. She hadn’t realised how deep it was, her feet yet to touch the bottom. Still gripping her sword, she kicked and kicked hard. Cal and Kipp were up there. She had to see them home, see them safe and well. Her lungs were burning as she fought her way to the top, at last breaking through with a ragged gasp.

In the lone torchlight, she could see Hawthorne hauling her friends from the water with his formidable strength, neither of them conscious. When her boots met the rising incline, she staggered towards them, her waterlogged clothes weighing her down with every step.

‘Alchemist,’ Hawthorne’s voice commanded, and her head whipped around to face him.

‘It’s getting worse,’ he told her, motioning to the water still rising at their feet and the roar of the waves outside. ‘We have to get out of here before we all go under.’

As if in response, a brilliant flash of light lit up the cave and the rumble of the storm outside shook the walls.

Hawthorne hauled Cal over his shoulder and supported Kipp as Thea looped his limp arm around her, struggling beneath his tall frame.

‘Hurry.’

Together, Thea and Hawthorne carried the shieldbearers from the depths of the flooded cave, water sloshing at their knees, hiding the obstacles in the terrain until they were stumbling over them.

Every muscle in Thea’s body burned as she helped drag Kipp through the cavern, his soaked, unconscious body heavier with each desperate step.

‘Come on, Kipp,’ she muttered. ‘I’ve got you. We’re gonna get out of here.’

A wave surged into the cave, nearly knocking Thea off her feet, but Hawthorne braced himself behind her, preventing her from being swept away. She steeled herself against the impact, as hard as any blow, salt water stinging her eyes and filling her nose and mouth.

Coughing and spluttering, she gritted her teeth and took another step forward. ‘We’ve got you, Kipp,’ she rasped as Hawthorne took more of his weight.

At last, the entrance came into view, and Thea prayed the horses were still there. If they weren’t… If they weren’t, Cal and Kipp were done for.

Hawthorne waited for her to right herself; with Cal draped over his shoulder, his feet dangling and Kipp braced againsthis other side, the Warsword was the image of strength and endurance.

‘Horses?’ Thea gasped, scanning the dark cliffs wildly. ‘Are the —’

A bolt of lightning split the black sky in two, shooting down to the storm-ravaged earth, to Thea.