She tumbled. Unable to control the act of breathing, Reeve waited in terror until her first involuntary breath revealed that she could still draw air through the protective magic that shielded her from the water. Water, air, river stones, and the bodies of her companions churned around her as though in a giant washing machine. Once the initial turmoil of the river’s collapse into the room lessened, Reeve could see farther, and her spinning view gave her glimpses of Dawn struggling to raise Thomanji'yheri to the surface, Dusk’s rag doll body spinning toward the wall, Bunce paddling past trailing pink plumes, and her mother, blade still clenched in her hand, floating, limp.

One of Leaf’s boots caught Reeve across the cheek and she flinched.

I can move, she thought.

Testing her limbs, she found them leaden but again functional. Fighting the turbulence, she dove toward the floor of the room. She found her naginata first and then had to remind herself that she could breathe without surfacing. Swimming along the floor, casting her gaze about, it took another half minute to find Thomanji'yheri’s dropped broadsword. A weapon in each hand, she kicked back to the surface, taking a deep breath as soon as she found air.

“Reeve!” Dawn called to her from a dozen yards downstream.

Reeve let the current carry her until she was past the collapsed room and could drop her feet to find purchase on the river bottom. Dawn clutched Dusk in one arm and Wanda’s huge form in the other. The half-elf was fighting to keep them from being swept away. Thomanji'yheri, though already pale from blood loss, stood steadfast, holding Leaf in his arms. Walter was floating behind the dwarf, holding tightly to Thomanji'yheri’s belt with both hands. A bobbing white and black patch beyond the group indicated to Reeve where Bunce was, and the honey badger appeared to be using its front paws to grip Walter’s huge foot where it was held aloft by the current.

“They have sentinels,” Dawn said, motioning over her shoulder with her chin. “They’ll soon know we’re here, if they don’t already.”

“Yeah, let’s book,” Reeve gestured to the bank to the north.

“We wouldn’t make it,” Dawn said, glancing down at the still paralyzed party members she held.

“Then what? Float until we go over the falls downstream? Fight? We could barely take out two of those things. If more come—“

“No, we don’t fight. Take my sister and this ill-favored fighter. I can create a path they cannot follow.”

Reeve sloshed toward Dawn. “How?”

“Here.” Dawn thrust Dusk toward Reeve, who caught her in the crook of the arm which held the naginata, and then did the same with the broadsword-bearing arm as Wanda was pushed toward her.

“The elf who leads the camp, Helia,” Dawn said, “she showed us a place she cannot reach.” She began to cast an intricate spell.

“But you can?”

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“Get ready.” Dawn pushed the spell downstream, and it expanded into a spinning ring of smoke through which Reeve could see the river rushing on.

“They’re here,” Thomanji'yheri said, then coughed, and frothy blood spilled into his beard and onto Leaf’s robe.

“Through, now!” Dawn shouted.

Reeve glanced over her shoulder and saw at least a dozen whitewater-robbed guards striding through the river. They were still fifty yards away, but they were moving quickly with the aid of the current.

Reeve eased her broad stance and let the current begin to push her and her passengers toward the ring. Thomanji'yheri sidestepped to follow her.

“We do not want to go there,” Dusk said weakly in Reeve’s arm.

“What?” Reeve said.

“I have seen this place. It looked an accursed one.”

“That’s a problem for Future Us because Present Uses are about to get killed by those creepy undead elf goons.”

A sizzling sound behind her caused Reeve to look back. A spell was burning through a mana shield Dawn had erected behind them.

“Quickly!” Dawn called.

“Come, Sister,” Dusk said, trying to raise her voice. Reeve could also feel Dusk starting to try to stand under her own strength.

They reached the ring where it spun above the water. Reeve turned and used her shoulder to shove Wanda through. The fighter toppled forward to splash head-first into the water on the other side. Reeve turned the other way.

“No,” Dusk said.

“Too late,” Reeve said, shoving Dusk through to narrowly miss Wanda, who was starting to float downstream.

Thomanji'yheri reached her and Reeve took from him her father, whom she hoisted through.

“Whoawhaa!” Walter shouted in surprise.

Bunce lost her grip on Walter but quickly turned and paddled to the ring, pulled herself through, and then continued to paddle after Walter.

“A hand, Ranger?” Thomanji'yheri said.

Reeve offered his sword, and, once the dwarf took it, lifted Leaf from his arms and lay her in the water on the other side of the ring then swung Thomanji'yheri’s arm over her shoulder and lifted him off his feet as she stepped up and over the bottom rim of the ring.

The others hadn’t yet floated far, Reeve saw. She’d be able to get them if Dusk was too weak to catch them.

“Come through, and then close it!” Reeve called back to Dawn.

“I can’t,” Dawn said, turning from the crumbling mana shield to look through the ring at Reeve and the rest of the party.

“Shut up! Come on!” Reeve waved for the half-elf to hurry up.

“Sister,” Dusk called.

“I can’t,” Dawn said. “I have to stay.”

“Ohmagod, seriously, what is your deal?” Reeve waved increasingly frantically. “Cut the drama and just get through and close this thing.” Reeve took a slow step against the current toward the ring.

Dawn shook her head and looked toward Dusk. “Helia is our mother. I cannot leave. I stay.” The half-elf began drawing the spell back toward her, and the ring that had been within Reeve’s reach glided away, shrinking as it went.

Reeve watched the guards close on Dawn until the ring ceased to be. She turned and looked downstream to where Dusk stood gripping Leaf’s floating body by one arm, the half-elf’s expression full of sorrow.

“For real?” Reeve said.

“We cannot choose our parents, half-orc,” Dusk said.

Three chimes sounded in quick succession.

Reavyr (II) has died. Respawn in 30 seconds.

Fighter (human) has died. Respawn in 30 seconds.

Bunce has died. Respawn in 30 seconds.

Reeve dismissed her UI and looked at Dusk. “No…no we cannot.” She stared at the weary half-elf. “Are they all just going to respawn right back in the room we just spent so much time trying to escape?”

Dusk gave one slow half-shake of the head. “I do not think so, for we are in a different world.”

Reeve frowned, uncertain what Dusk meant, and looked around. Her expression fell slack and her eyes widened as she took in the barren plain, desolate burning town, and dark, acrid clouds that seemed poised to descend to the earth and suffocate everything upon it. The humid air that blew down the river stank of rotting flesh. “The heck?” She said and shook her head slowly, then buckled into the water as Walter, Wanda, and Bunce spawned upriver from her and were immediately carried by the current into the backs of Reeve’s knees.