Page 98 of Blood Fist

A fireball exploded inches from Corric’s feet, knocking him to the sand below. Catching himself on his elbows, he rolled to his feet just in time to dodge a second attack. Schok was advancing on him, face blank, fire rolling in his palms.

Scrambling through the sand, Corric’s sleeve caught fire in the next attack. Cursing, he swung his arm into the water, hissing as the cold bit into him. The splash sent an arc of water towards Schok. He jumped out of the way; the fire dying in his palms as he lost concentration.

Corric glanced down at his soaking arm.The water.Thrall Schok didn’t like it. Corric didn’t know why, but he wasn’t about to second guess a reprieve. Rolling, he crawled into the water just as a fire ball left a crater where he’d been laying. Flailing in the shallows, he pulled himself along the sand until the cold water lapped at his chin.

He was far enough into the lake that the fireballsstruggled to reach him. Turning, he looked back to see Schok pacing the waterline like a caged animal. Flames roared along his arms, but his face was eerily calm. Like the rage was only in his hands.

Keeping his head above water, Corric resumed swimming. Perhaps he could get to the other side? He didn’t know if that was the right thing to do, but he had no other option.

The water was so cold it stung. It made breathing difficult, like a vice tightening around his chest with every ragged inhale. Corric’s clothes and boots were heavy, dragging through the water and heavier with every stroke. He was a good swimmer—but he rarely swam in the cold and dark like this. With every stroke, his fingers were harder to feel, the numbness creeping up his hands and legs until his strokes were uneven with shivers.

By the time he got far enough from the bank that Schok and his glowing hands were nothing more than a blur, he stopped and tried to catch his breath. It was difficult when every time he relaxed his head dipped below the surface.

On one of these occasions, he let himself sink, giving his leaden limbs a chance to rest. Sinking a few feet, he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by blackness. There was nothing to make out save a faint glow coming from…beneath him?

Spinning around, he saw something on the bottom of the lake. Blinking a few times, he realized he was too far to see any detail. Kicking, he breached the surface to take several deep breaths before diving back down.

Kicking as hard as his waterlogged boots and pants would let him, he swam until his ears ached with the pressure. When the pain became unbearable, he finally saw where the glow was coming from.

Alarge pink crystal was anchored to the bottom with a thick chain. It pulsated with an inner glow. As he swam closer, he felt a tingling in his nose.Magic.

Several feet from the crystal lay Schok. Attached to the same chains, he was locked to the sandy bottom. His eyes were closed, red hair drifting around his serene face with unseen currents. Even through watery vision, he could see that Schok’s skin was healed. There were no burns or runes to mar his complexion. In fact, he looked healthy. Dressed in fine clothes with a good weight on him.

Is this the real Schok?The one they locked away to make the thrall? The young man under all the pain and abuse? Chained below frigid waters, unable to free himself.

Corric’s lungs squeezed, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t leave his brother here. Despite the panic creeping in, he swam forward. The chains were huge, thicker than his wrist. There was no way to break them. Hand over hand, he traced the chains back to the crystal.Was this what was keeping him alive?

Sand and silt billowed around him as he got his fingers around the jagged edges of pink. It sliced into his skin, but the pain only made Corric grip harder. He wriggled it back and forth, trying to unseat it from its base.

It broke free after a moment, sending him reeling backwards. The crystal was heavy. It dragged him down the moment he stopped kicking. Thick too. There was no way he could swim a considerable distance with it. And he didn’t know if that would work. The chains were still binding Schok even though he’d removed the crystal.

A mossy boulder caught his eye. Half sunk below the sand, it looked primordial. And strong. Draggingthe crystal with him, he scissor kicked until he could put a knee on either side of the boulder. Clinging to it with his legs, he brought the crystal down as hard as he could through the water.

The water made it difficult, but he couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he’d think about the pain in his chest, the numbness in his limbs, or the black creeping up his vision. No, instead he clenched down and lifted the crystal up again and again, wincing at the sound of it cracking against the slick surface of the rock.

Finally, it snapped. A jagged crack raced along the length of pink, slicing through Corric’s palms and collapsing into three uneven sections. The light coming from the crystal flickered once, twice, and then faded out.

In pitch blackness, with panicky, uneven strokes, Corric made his way back to Schok. He was floating, hair billowing around his face. The chains were gone. Wrapping his arms around his brother, Corric made a mad dash for the surface.

Just as his lungs were about to pop, they crashed through the surface. Inhaling that first burst of oxygen was almost too much. He wanted to stop. Just for a moment. But he couldn’t. Not when Schok was counting on him.

Slowly, he began dragging them back toward the rocky shore. How he managed, he’ll never know. Eventually Corric pulled them both through the shallows. Schok was bigger than him on a good day, but heavy with water and with his exhaustion, he only managed to get him enough out of the water so his head was above the rippling waves.

Hacking and coughing, Corric crawled the last few feet on all fours. Unconsciousness crept at the edges of his mind, begging him to drop. To let sleep take over.He had to bite his cheek until he tasted blood to keep himself awake. Just a few moments. He just needed to rest a few moments and then he’d get them both home.

Arms shaking, he collapsed to his side as water and spit drained from his heaving lips. Wet hair clothes clung to his back. He was still shivering, but the cold felt far away. Not as acute.

As he heaved, a warm hand slid across his jaw. Corric closed his eyes and leaned into it. The soft touch felt so good, so strong. He could even feel the callouses and misshapen knuckles.Jonen.He came for him.

With the last vestiges of his strength, he looked up only for the hand to tighten into claws. The points dug into his skin, drawing blood as they slipped down to the bone. Corric shouted, grabbing at the hands that held him only for his fingers to slip through nothing.

“Found you.”

He screamed, kicking and flailing with everything he had. Someone caught his fists, holding them tight. Twisting in the grip, it was only when he heard his name cried that he finally opened his eyes.

Corric was back in the tent. Soaking wet, he was lying on his back in a puddle, staring up at the concerned faces of his pack. Ridan was holding his shoulders, and Jonen had his hands, eyes filled with concern. He let himself cling to those eyes, lips wobbling as he tried to calm himself.

When he stopped flailing, Ridan let go of his hands. Brune knelt beside him with a thick blanket, helping him sit up so he could wrap him up. Jonen pulled him into a hug, heedless of the water sluicing off his body. Big hands rubbed his back as Corric peered into the pit beside him.