What the hell's this kid thinking? Elias boot-kicked the bags Midge was scrambling to save. "Life or junk? Ditch it! Run!" No time for chit-chat—he spun and bolted deeper into the mountains. Road-back was suicide central.
"Ditch it!" Willem bellowed, snatching Midge's arm and yanking him along.
The kid, total newbie on this jagged mess of terrain, tripped hard and face-planted. Willem freaked, fumbling to haul him up like a sack of potatoes.
Elias shot a quick glance back. Couldn't ghost 'em—if they got nabbed, his cover blew sky-high. He zipped reverse, sheathed his sword in one smooth flick, and scooped Midge up like yesterday's laundry, slinging the boy over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
Midge let out a tiny gasp—half shock, half mortified—knowing full well he was dead weight. But he latched on anyway, arms locked around Elias's neck as the powerhouse mage bounded through the underbrush, leaving Willem huffing to keep pace.
Not even a heartbeat later, a white blur ghosted through the branches. Snow leopard form—White Orchid—landed without a whisper. The Rat Tide surged around her like she was radioactive, carving a wide berth. Her belly? Soaked crimson, a ragged mess.
She padded to the double-doornail. One: headless scout. The other: mega black leopard, once-majestic frame now a hacked-up ruin, neck-stump gaping. Her man.
Nose-nudge to the still-warm corpse. "Oooowwwwhh," a low, gut-wrenching keen ripped from her throat, raw as an open wound. Cruel words echoed in her head, the shove she'd given him into this meat grinder. Regret hit like acid—sharp, burning, no mercy.
She curled tight beside the body, death-welcome. Let the Guild hounds roll in. No more bolt. Done running.
"Dead end."
Trio skid-halt cliff-lip. Below? River-roar whitewater fury. Far-shore? Eternity-away impossible.
Backwoods? Inferno-rage, black-smoke sky-choke.
"Brother Blackwood!" Willem upstream-jab yell. "Spot! Bridge!"
Elias had clocked it ages ago—sharper peepers. No bridge; mini crag, river cave-burst side-gash. Too damn far. No dice.
Rat-chitter swell thunder-loud. Explain-window slammed. Elias sword-unsheathe, cliff-edge tree-slice single-whip. Drag-precip rough.
"Grab-cling death-grip!" Duo-yell. "Jump-hour!"
"What?" Willem edge-lean churn-madness. "Straight plummet!"
"Your funeral. Beasts'll love the snack." Elias Midge-snag, waist-arm wrap trunk-other, leap-off.
Midge clamp-iron. Kid zero-cult; water-smash tree-rip risk. Terror-shut-eye, Elias power-hold secure-weird wash over.
Willem abandon-panic, run-sprint canopy-dive, life-cling leaf-tangle.
SPLASH!
Tree water-thud earthquake-boom.
Willem branch-crash breath-steal. Surface-sputter ache-whole. Elias self-shield Midge worst-hit. Boy trunk-main shove, branch-handle straddle-grip.
"Brother Blackwood!" Willem paddle-sync call.
Tree-duo Midge-real. Elias? Drop-eat cliff-claw easy-spot. Beast-clear first-grind.
Current turbo-downstream drag. Mile-few, Elias off-sniff. River amp-speed. Front... water ghost.
Airborne-next know. River waterfall sheer-nightmare six-hundo-plus plunge.
Below? No-river flow. Turf solid.
"Kidding gotta," Elias terror-mutter peep-wide. Leg-trunk vise. Height-plunge cult-no snuff. Midge scream limpet-lock. Willem canopy-low? Whimper-terror.
Bottom-near, Elias spot. No-turf. Water-pool, height-pinhole puddle-mock.
Impact fear-no-crush. Tree-canopy chute-brake, trunk vert-plow shock-suck bulk.
BOOM! Dark-swallow.
Elias surface? Black-void total. Tick-dead muse. Cough-hear then. Willem-Midge. Live-sync.
Self-scan. Bone-no-snap. Freak. Back-strap grain-sack pat. Lock-there.
Back-glance. Faint-light shimmer far—waterfall. Sub-river tumble.
"Midge? Spot-hold?" Willem shaky-whis.
"Yes, m'lord," kid cough-rasp.
"Brother Blackwood?"
"Here," Elias. "No-ghost."
Willem shaky-relief exhale. "We where?"
"Under-river," Elias. Midge waist-cling feel. "Let-loose now, kid. Skin near-peel."
Midge quick-retract. "Sorry, m'lord! Scared... full."
"Out-plunge?" Willem probe.
"Entry-in? Exit-out sure," Elias confident-try feel-no.
Waterfall-light dim. Perfect-suffocate dark-plunge.
Fire-fade. Fog-clear.
Snow-leopard White Orchid stir. Die-hang, no-hunter crash.
Husband-body gaze, head-gape wound. Sudden cold-fury grief-replace. Who? This-who?
Wound-sniff start. Fatal-duo: head-pierce arrow, neck-clean lop. Killer-blade gone, arrow? Maybe linger. Scent-lock firer-man sure.