The terror hit me afterwards. Shivers shook me from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes and not just because I was soaked through during the cold season. I had nearly been eaten after willingly leaping into a giant snake’s mouth. I didn’t know where the others were or if the Lady Blue had another large beast to send after us when we were separated and hurting. During the fight I could think solely in actions and consequences, but now that it was over the fear I had ruthlessly ignored set back in.

I curled up weakly on my boulder and tried to force my gasping breaths back under control. In and out. In and out. Slowly. It took longer than I liked, but the knowledge that I was little more than bait down here in the new ravine if even so much as an enemy fish came perversely helped. The potential threat helped me focus on my options.

Staying where I was wasn’t much of one. I’d be trapped by the steep walls without a quick escape or a good place to hide. The only cover was the occasional cluster of rocks that broke the surface of the water, the snake’s body, or further up where the sea snake hadn’t managed to fully collapse the ceiling and the new cave entrance began. Either way though everything was surrounded by briny sea water which gave the home advantage to any sea creature that came swimming in here next.

Getting out of the ravine was my best bet, but between the deep bruise forming on my leg and the cut on my arm it wasn’t going to be an easy task. I knew better than to count on reinforcements to show up to somehow help me out. Things were never that easy or convenient.

The walls of what had been the main outlet of the cave were higher than where the others had fallen through, but there wasn’t a partial ceiling to contend with and there were some less than smooth patches. I wouldn’t be surprised if those areas were the remains of walls the fish had broken through to get this oddly straight path toward the forest.

The snake hadn’t died stretched out flat either. It’s long body sprawled out past me, forming arches and curling around itself. I could use one of the arches to get higher up before I needed to climb the wall—not that the snake would be easy to clamber up.

And all that was supposing that I could climb, if I wanted to. Exhaustion pulled at my limbs, made the boulder feel closer to a sleeping pallet than hard stone. Not that I was so far gone that I’d fall asleep, but the temptation was there. It was also annoying that I had managed to hurt my leg again. I was getting tired of sustaining injuries that made it difficult to walk.

That and falling and sea snakes I could all do without for the foreseeable future.

This time, at least, I thought I could put weight on my leg even if doing so sent teeth grinding pain flaring through my calf. Especially now that the rush from the fight was fading. The bruise had likely gone down to the bone.

I forced myself up into a sitting position and started to undo the hook clasps on my protective coat with fumbling fingers. Now that it was soaked through with water and stained yellow in most places from the snake’s blood, its bloated weight outweighed its protective benefits. I wasn’t going to be able to wear it and still have the energy to swim and climb my way out this mess.

Once I shrugged off the coat I instantly felt twice as light, though the exhaustion still pulled at me. I really hoped the Lady Blue had run out of minions or was distracted with another part of the coast.

My cloak was more dead weight so I took that off too. It was a bit annoying to lose it so soon after loosing my last one, but survival was more important than sentiments. I got my belt and supplies resituated now that the coat was out of the way. My sling was still soaked. I’d likely have make myself a new one. It might be able to withstand getting damp from rain, but getting repeatedly dunked in salt water was another thing entirely. My water proofing on my pouches had saved most of my other supplies though some water had slipped in where the pouches cinched closed. A ceramic jar in my poisoner’s pouch had shattered into pieces and two others were cracked, but overall the damage was manageable. I even still had my eating knife, though that would also need maintenance because of the water.

I didn’t want to get in the water again. It was cold and felt odd and anything that wanted to attack me would likely be able to out swim me despite my years of growing up in a waterhole tribe. More water might slip into my pouches and damage more of my herbs or other supplies.

But I also didn’t have much of a choice. My boulder didn’t butt up against a rough stretch of wall and water lay between me and any other options. Besides, I was already cold and wet as I was going to get. The water couldn’t hurt me more that way.

I was about to slip into the dark water when noise came from above the ravine. I froze. Caught between the hope that more whisper women had arrived and the need to hide just in case it was somehow a squad of fish or new enemy.

A face with black lips appeared over the lip of the opposite wall farther down the ravine. I let out an involuntary shout of surprised relief and the whisper woman turned to look at me. I didn’t recognize her, but she acknowledged me with a raised hand before turning back as if to speak to someone and stepping out of view.

Not long after another whisper woman appeared at the edge of the ravine across from me. She yelled, “Pick up your things and then stand with your arms outstretched from your sides. Tasha will get you out.”

I couldn’t help but glaring a little before I nodded. I had just gotten everything off. I didn’t bother fitting the coat under my belt again or buttoning it closed. Instead, I shoved my arms through the sopping sleeves and called it good. If I had to undo all my hard work, then Tasha, whoever she was, could deal with it. The cloak went back around my neck and I stood with my arms idiotically outstretched, putting as little weight as possible on my injured leg.

The whisper woman checked on my progress before speaking and nodding to someone out of sight. Next thing I knew, a giant black and gray hawk trailing dark smoke or…shadows appeared over the ridge and dived for me. There was no way the thing could ever be misconstrued as something natural. I stared, too shocked and tired to do more than stand there like an idiot while the hawk caught itself and slowed its dive with several beats of its wings.

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Then, positioned above me, the hawk encased my arms with its talons before wrenching me away from my boulder. My shoulders wrenched too and my cloak dragged at my throat, but there wasn’t much I could do about either dangling between the hawk’s feet. It was at least the size of two elk put together and had to maneuver carefully so that it didn’t clip its wings on the walls.

We rose above the lip of the ravine and my stomach roiled a little. I couldn’t decide if I liked the feeling of so much space around me, above and below, or if I really just needed the ground beneath my feet again. The hawk set me down as gently as it could about two dozen paces from the edge of the ravine and I collapsed to my knees. There was a rush of movement behind me before I heard a pair of feet thump down into the snow and the weighty presence of the hawk disappeared.

I twisted to find that a young whisper woman had appeared behind me. She looked like she could have been the same age as Hana, the whisper woman who had excellent control over the shadow paths and set Fellen and me on our trial in Flickermark. However, this whisper woman didn’t have the same dismissive attitude and she was striking in a way the other woman never could have managed.

Fine, straight black hair fell to her hips and was braided back in a half up-do to keep it out of her oddly kind gray eyes. Other thin plaits and beads decorated the rest of her hair. She had warm, tanned skin and her mark peaked out from her robe from where it swirled along her collar bones. No bulky protective coat for her. Her robe and dress highlighted her slight curves well.

I ducked my head, cheeks burning.

Normally, I would never be caught dead staring. It invited silent rejection or conversation and I didn’t need or want either. It had been a long, trying day. I was exhausted. She had just displayed a great blessing. In any other circumstances, I would have had control of myself.

I resolved to have control of myself in all circumstances.

Tasha crouched down in front of me and spoke, sweet but intently curious, “What happened here?”

I choked through a few incoherent words before taking a deep breath and breaking down events as if I was reporting to Mishtaw or the commander. I kept my gaze on the snow near her knee before I forgot myself as I asked a question of my own. “Has any—has anyone—” I swallowed before steeling myself and making myself meet her concerned gaze. “Has anyone else been found?”

She let my odd behavior pass without comment and nodded. “We found Hattie and two other seedlings near here on the cliffs. They were hurt, though their injuries didn’t seem fatal, and they’ve already been brought back to the camp.” She hesitated, gaze casting back to the ravine. “Did you really kill that sea snake?”

That pricked my pride enough to return me closer to my normal demeanor. “The spear’s still in its mouth if you want to check.”

I turned to look back at the ravine as well and felt a shiver run up my spine. The snake had come much closer than I liked to the edge of the goddess’s forest. Another full body slam or a handful of head butts and the goddess’s trees would have fallen.

Tasha shifted as something else caught her attention and stood. “It seems two more have been found.”

I followed her gaze to where another whisper woman was lowering herself down a rope into the ravine. From what I could tell at least seven whisper women had come to our aid. I didn’t recognize any of them, but that didn’t mean much when I’d personally met little over two dozen whisper women so far between Hana, the Dark Night Celebrations, my time in the Seedling Palace, and now here at the battle front. And most of those I didn’t know by name.

She glanced down at me, caught somewhere between shock at my tone and concern. “Rest here. Someone will take you back to camp soon.”

The whisper woman hurried over to where the others were working on rescuing whoever had been found. Based on the pairing I assumed it was Melka and Beet, but that also raised my worry about Mishtaw. She was resilient. She would be found and be fine.

Tasha didn’t swoop down to get them. Presumably, they weren’t in a good spot for her to get her talons around them. Instead my suspicions were confirmed and Melka was carried up awkwardly between two other whisper women. Beet climbed up on her own once she no longer had to support Melka’s weight though she looked as exhausted as I felt when she dragged herself over the edge.

Tasha chatted with her while the two who had carried Melka up promptly got to work carrying her towards the outpost camp with the help of a third. I dragged myself up and over to them. They weren’t moving as fast as they clearly wanted to.

“What’s wrong with her?”

They didn’t stop shuffling forward though the whisper woman holding Melka’s feet answered, “She’s not breathing. Beet was having trouble holding her out of the water near the end and she said Melka might have taken in water.”

It’d be too long if they tried to take her all the way back to the healers in the main camp. I knew this. Half-drowned patients weren’t that uncommon in a water hole tribe. People got reckless or stupid and she and I would have to bring them back from the brink. There wasn’t any herbs or salves involved either. Perhaps not healing as most tended to think of it.

I didn’t want to risk the goddess’s wrath but I had just saved Her forest. I thought of Hattie and her easy interactions with her second in command. I tried to tell myself the healers in camp might know exactly what to do and would make it in time.

One part of me knew what I was going to do was insanely stupid, another part tried to argue against it, and the third, overwhelming part simply couldn’t leave Melka to die. Not when I had the knowledge and skill.

“Put her down. Flat on her back. Gently.”

The whisper women actually paused at the orders before two scoffed and one gave me a suspicious look. “Wait your turn.”

I crossed my arms, gritting my teeth through the pain radiating from my leg, and kept pace with them. “She won’t make it until you reach camp. Do you want her to live?” I paused to let the possibilities sink in. “Then put her down.”

The talkative whisper woman snapped at me, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I felt the anger swell in me, the pressure, and then I was holding out the shortened piece of hair near my temple, a challenge. “I do.”

They stopped and stared at me for several long moments before one collected herself. “You can’t do anything anyways then.”

I glared back at her. “What I’m going to do isn’t healing. No herbs. But I was part of a waterhole tribe and I know how to help her.”

They hesitated again before I prompted, “Hurry!”

They set her down and the one who had been supporting Melka’s head backed away. “This is on you.”

I nodded and they moved away.

I pinched her ear first, just to see if that would be enough to wake her up, but she didn’t stir, so then I followed the saying she would say bitterly: your breath for theirs. I pressed my lips to Melka’s and prepared to breathe five deep breaths down her throat. After the fifth she still didn’t stir so I moved to try to press the liquid out of her chest before returning to give her breath. On the fourth breath of the second round, she spluttered. I hurried to help her roll onto her side and water splattered out onto the snow. She coughed out more water and breathed on her own as I felt both dread and elation twist around in my chest.

Would the goddess strike me down where I knelt or had I skirted around Her notice?