Page 7

Maria squinted and surveyed the area. Her eyesight was nowhere near as sharp as his enhanced vision, but she soon picked out the shape of a tree laying in the water to about the halfway point maybe two hundred meters downstream.

“I see it.”

“Good. That’s what we’re going to aim for.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look at the far side. The water is much faster near the far shore and would likely wash us away. But this tree can be accessed where the flow is slower.”

“It’s still plenty fast.”

“I know. But it is still better than the alternative. We just need to reach it. And that’s where the raft comes in. Now help me find more branches. The sooner we’re across the better.”

Maria couldn’t argue that, and she set to work in a hurry, surveying the area for suitable specimens.

“Ow! Fucker!”

Zepharos dropped the branch in his arms and hurried to her side. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Maria plucked a small insect with a nasty set of pincers from her leg. “Little bastard bit me!”

Zepharos’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s just a Formikan. Nasty bite but harmless.”

“Tell that to the welt on my leg.”

He bent over and gently touched the red spot. “You may hurt, but you are harmless. ”

“Ha, ha. Funny.”

“I thought so. Now help me bind these. I think we have enough for our purposes.”

They worked well together, Maria holding the branches close while Zepharos cinched them together with one of the many knots he apparently knew.

Whether it was from his youth as an outdoorsman or some kinkier games in his adulthood she didn’t know, but all that mattered was they had fashioned a crude raft in no time.

Now all that remained was the risky part.

“Grab hold here. I had enough extra cordage to make a loop for you to put your hand through.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. Now lay here and I’ll get us underway.”

She did as he said and lay down on the raft which he then pushed out into the water wading after it until he was waist deep.

With a powerful push of his legs he guided them out into the current, jumping aboard and paddling with makeshift oars of wood and bark.

They weren’t great, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, especially not in this situation.

“It’s working!” Maria cheered as they slipped into the fast-moving water.

Zepharos’s jaw was set, his eyes scanning for every danger. “Yes, for now. But here comes the tricky bit.”

“Don’t jinx it?—”

It was too late. No sooner had he spoken those fateful words than they struck a submerged tree stump, spinning the raft and sending Maria flying into the rapids. Zepharos didn’t hesitate so much as a second, diving in after her in an instant.

Maria was pulled under by a shift in the current. She felt the power of the river fully now and realized she was utterly helpless against it. How had she been foolish enough to take this so lightly? And now she was going to die because of it. Of all the ways to go, this? —

Strong hands grabbed her arm, nearly pulling it out of its socket as she was dragged to the surface. Maria sputtered, gasping for air as Zepharos somehow pushed her onto the remnants of the overturned raft.

“Hang on!” he shouted, kicking and paddling as best he could, his pack weighing him down but the handhold on the remains of the raft keeping his head above water.

He kicked and kicked, pulling hard, making sure Maria stayed safely aboard while he did his best to get her out of this mess.

The raft stopped abruptly, smashing into the fallen tree, though not quite as planned.

For one, it had been intended to remain upright.

It was also not supposed to pin Zepharos between itself and the tree.

To his credit, Zepharos didn’t cry out. He merely absorbed the impact and pushed hard, shifting the raft and freeing himself then scurrying atop the partially submerged tree and hauling Maria onto his back.

“Hold as tight as you can,” he commanded in a strong voice, not that she needed any urging.

Slowly he crawled along the fallen tree, using snapped branches as handholds anchoring him against the rushing water.

It was hard work, especially with the woman clinging to him, but he persevered, moving steadily with purpose until they finally reached the shore.

He crouched, letting the drenched woman slide from her perch, then shed the pack from his back, breathing heavy from the effort.

Maria was cold, the water giving her goose flesh over her entire body, and her nipples were like diamonds jutting through her top.

She looked at Zepharos, unable to avoid the sight of his impressive manhood now clearly visible against his thigh through his soaked clothes.

If this was how big he was after a dunk in cold water, well, her mind went somewhere unintended for a moment, her attention only snapping back when she noticed something else.

A streak of crimson running down his side.

“You’re hurt!”

“I’m fine,” he said stoically, but it was clear he was not fine.

“We need to stop that bleeding.”

“And here I was planning on continuing for a while longer,” he joked.

“Stop kidding around. We need to take care of that, and quickly. Where’s your med kit?”

“I don’t have one.”

“You what? Why would you go on a rescue mission and not pack a first aid kit?”

“Because I was not planning on rescuing anyone when I went to the games. And once there it would draw a lot of attention if someone was asking around for more than the most basic medical supplies.”

“So where are those, then? The basic ones.”

“Those were in the small pouch strapped to the side of the pack,” he said, pointing to the place where the pouch used to be. “A tribute to the river gods, it would seem.”

Maria looked around, desperately searching for any sign of the pouch. It was hopeless, and she knew it, but she had to do something. Then movement caught her attention.

“Hang on. I’m gonna try something.”

“Knock yourself out,” he replied. “I’m just going to sit on that rock for a minute and catch my breath.”

“Don’t pass out on me.”

“Do not worry, I’m not passing out. Just bleeding a bit, is all.”

Maria set to work, grabbing a large, waxy leaf and making a makeshift bowl. She then began digging through the vegetation for something. A few minutes later she returned to Zepharos’s side.

“Okay, I heard about this once, but never tried it. ”

“Tried what?”

“ This .”

“Shit!” he hissed as the Formikan bit his flesh where she’d pinched the wound together.

With a quick twist she snapped its head off and gently moved back. The insect’s powerful pincers stayed locked firm.

“Sweet. It works.”

“You’re going to stitch me up with bugs?”

“Yes. And no bitching about it,” she said as he winced from the next bite. “We don’t have any other option, and these seem to be holding just fine.”

He took a deep breath and focused on relaxing, the effort disrupted repeatedly as she sealed up the wound quite tight with the angry little insects. A few minutes later she was done, the bleeding completely stopped.

“There. That’ll do. At least for now.”

Zepharos looked down, and despite the pain he couldn’t help but admire both her handiwork and ingenuity.

“Nicely done. Very nicely done, indeed.”

“Thank you. Now, are you up to walking?”

“And here I thought that was supposed to be my line,” he said with a chuckle.

Maria grinned. “Tell you what. You can have it back later. But for now?—”

“For now, we must keep moving, yes.” He rose to his feet, moving his body this way and that, testing the firmness of the unusual field dressing. Amazingly, the Formikan heads were holding. “Okay, one foot in front of the other. Pain is all in your mind,” he reminded himself.

“So, you’re good?”

“Yes. And you are right. We have a lot of ground to cover. Your absence will undoubtedly be noted by now, and soon they will come looking. But rest assured, I have no intention of making it easy for them. Come on. This way.”

He started walking, his human charge following close.

They had been cold and wet, but at least the former was changing the more they moved.

As for the wet part, it would take several hours for them to fully dry out, and by then the thought of a dip in cool water would sound delightful.

But they pressed on, working hard knowing someone or someones would be coming for her. When and how were the only questions.