Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) (18 page)

***

We were almost halfway across the frozen lake when I heard the distinct sound of cracking. But it wasn’t the crack itself that worried me. It was the reverberations that ran through my feet and up the bones of my leg. Instinct told me to run, but common sense said stay where you are.

I stopped in my tracks and turned my head to look over my shoulder at Anjelo. He was strutting toward me, head down, paying little attention to what I was doing. “Anjelo, stop.”

It must’ve been something in the sound of my voice, but Anjelo’s head jerked up and he halted instantly. He stared at me, eyes wide, and said, “Please don’t tell me…” He didn’t bother to finish the sentence, seeing as the expression on my face already confirmed his suspicion. Over his shoulder, I could see Cassandra staring at us, fear filling her eyes. She looked like a frightened rabbit, but she knew, much like we knew, that right here right now there was nowhere to run.

Up ahead, the line continued to snake away, widening the distance between us and the soldiers in front. We had no choice but to get their attention, and as Anjelo shouted for them, I heard another crack. This one was louder and nearer. My heart thudded so hard against my ribs that it hurt.

The column in front of us came to a slow halt. From the shuffling up ahead, I knew Wren’do was coming back to check on the delay. The closer he came, the clearer it was that he was furious. But I couldn’t care less for his anger. If I had been one of his men in danger, he certainly would not be reacting this way. His first duty would be to do whatever necessary to save the man. But because it was me, the silly, weak human female, he came strolling in like a thundering storm cloud.

“What is it now?” he growled, his dark eyes flashing, his posture stiff and angry.

As if to answer his question, another crack sounded, reverberating ominously across the ice. I stayed as stiff as I could and tried not to move. The expression on his face told me he had heard the crack as well.

He looked down at the ice at my feet, and I followed his gaze.

Beneath my boots, the ice was thick and white, what should have been comparatively safe to walk on. But around the area of solid ice, the dark shadows indicated the more dangerous, warmer areas.

It was clear I had stepped in the right place, having followed the trail of the men in front of me. The problem was the area around me had been weakened by the soldiers who’d gone through before us. It was only by chance that I was the one to step on it at its weakest moment. When I looked up and met the general’s eyes, it was clear too that he could see the fault did not lie with me. There was a softening in his demeanor that should’ve made me happy. But at this point, I didn’t have time to bask in the knowledge that I was faultless. My only need right now was to get out of this mess before I too sank into the dark waters and disappeared forever.

“Whatever you do, do not move,” said Wren as he scanned the area around me. He glanced over his shoulder and snapped, “Get me the equipment.” To the team behind me, he said, “Find another route out to the left and keep moving. I don’t want anyone else sitting there weighing down this area and causing more stress on the ice. That means you too, Anjelo.”

Despite the concern for the dangerous ice beneath my feet, I still bristled. The commander hadn’t bothered to address Cassandra.

Although I felt movement behind me, I knew neither Cassandra nor Anjelo had moved. The look on the general’s face as he glared over my shoulder confirmed it. I didn’t wait for the Wraith leader to demand that Anjelo leave. I tipped my head to the right and said, “Go, Anjelo. I’m sure the general has things under control here.”

“Are you sure?” asked Anjelo, his voice still hesitant despite my request.

“Yes,” I snapped, feeling all the more impatient, what with the general staring me down. “Go now, before you bring down this entire piece of ice and kill all of us in the process.” It was probably unfair to bite his head off, but Anjelo should have heeded the general’s command in the first place. I just hoped his stubbornness hadn’t put me in more trouble.

At last, I heard Anjelo and Cassandra back away from me. Wren snorted as he watched them with disdain. I could see he had very little respect for Anjelo, especially now that my young friend had proved I was boss as far as he was concerned. It was a strange thing considering the general himself also answered to a female. I honestly did not understand him.

As Wren studied the ice again, another crack reverberated along the surface and through my legs. Suddenly I felt a little weak, as if my limbs were refusing to carry me any longer.

“Try not to move,” said the general. He turned around and held out his hand. The Wraith who stood behind him handed him a coil of rope. The general took it and wrapped it around his waist. Then he nodded at the soldier who uncoiled another stack of rope. One end of it was tied around a hook, which he now fastened onto the rope around the general’s waist. He then proceeded to walk away until the rope was straight but not taut. Then he tied the end around his own waist. Behind him, another Wraith repeated the whole process until the weight of three individual soldiers was evenly distributed across the safe area of the ice to support the weight of both Wren and myself.

“I have to be quite honest with you,” he said to me. “It is quite likely that as we try to save you, you may fall into the water. Should that happen, the only thing I can suggest is that you close your eyes, nose, and mouth. Do not breathe in any of the water. Most non-Wraiths die almost immediately once they enter the water. The poisons enter through the skin itself, and death comes quickly.”

I nodded and said, “I understand.”

I couldn’t decipher the look he gave me, but at this point, I didn’t care. I just remained very, very still. Another sharp snapping emanated from the ice. I knew there was little time left for them to save me. I hoped they would get on with it before it was too late.

The general tossed the end of the rope at me. I held up my hand and grabbed it as it flew in my direction. I knew I couldn’t step forward or lean in any direction to assist me in catching the rope. Fortunately, it landed safely in the middle of my palm and I grabbed ahold of. “Tie that tightly around your waist,” the general said.

He stood very still, as if waiting patiently for me to complete his instructions, but knowing the general, he would have little patience for me. I ignored my thoughts and tied the rope around my waist, knotting it as tightly as I could.

As soon as I was done, he said, “Hold on to the rope in front of you. I’m going to walk back until it is taut. When I say so, you need to begin to walk across the ice. It will most likely be shaky beneath your feet, but try to keep your balance as long as possible.” He stared at my face as if waiting for an answer.

“Okay,” was all I was capable of saying. I cleared my throat as an idea occurred to me. “Would it help if I took off my cloak?” I asked.

The general merely nodded, his expression inscrutable.

A gust of wind slammed into me and I was aware that the chill of it had no effect on me. Strange the things you are aware of when you face the possibility of imminent death. I slowly untied the straps at my neck. As I prepared to remove the cloak, the general waved a hand behind him. A Wraith came running and halted beside him, awaiting instructions. “As soon as she removes her cloak and drops it to the ice, grab it and pull it toward you. Use one of the small grappling hooks. And work fast.”

Immediately, the soldier felt for something inside the bag at his waist. He removed a small grappling hook and tied it to a piece of rope. He stood at the ready, his eyes on me, waiting for me to make my move. I had to admit it was a smart idea. They were being careful not to lose the cloak, and the method they used would not endanger them in any way.

It was a good thing too, because I preferred to have my cloak back when all this was done.

The general nodded, and I dropped the cloak slowly to the ice. As soon as it fell into a soft heap at my feet, the soldier beside him sank to his knees and threw the grappling hook. When the claws snagged securely among the voluminous folds of the fabric, he began to pull it slowly toward him. It was slow going, and I wondered if the general would, in the end, blame me for delaying the whole process. I tried to calm my breathing and remain still.

At last, the cloak moved off the small shelf of ice on which I waited. By now I could see a clear break, a crack that ran around me in a jagged circle. I didn’t need to look behind me to know the circle would have completed at some point. The instability of the piece of ice was enough to confirm it was free-floating.

The soldier bundled the cloak in his arms and got to his feet slowly. The general waved him off, and he moved backward until he stood at least fifty feet away.

“Get onto your stomach. It will be a less precarious position and require less balance on your part.”

I frowned but did as I was told. My first instinct would have been to make a running leap for the solid ice and hope for the best. But the way the general spoke, I sensed he had more than sufficient experience with black water ice rescues, and my common sense said I should trust him. I lowered myself to my knees, then spread out on the ice, keeping as still and straight as I could. I’d instinctively reached out in front of me, fingers forward. A part of me assumed that would be the best position in case I needed to grab for the stable ice shelf if mine tipped over.

Then Wren spoke and his voice echoed strangely on the quiet ice. “I will begin to pull you now. Try not to move. And remember, if you do fall in, we will pull you out as fast as we are able. Just don’t breathe in any of that water. I’d suggest you shut your eyes as well. I believe you humans have very sensitive skin covering your eyes.” I didn’t bother to confirm that his species assumption was incorrect and that he was not conversing with a human.

Now was not the time.

He began to pull and I felt myself slide a foot across the ice. It creaked strangely and my heart twisted, but nothing happened. The general repeated the move. Another foot and still safe. My breathing was ragged with fear and nerves, and the entire front of my body began to ache with cold. Another pull, another slide a foot forward, and still I remained on the ice.

I was beginning to believe things would go well and that I would get out of this predicament without a dunking in poisonous water, when I heard another sharp crack, loud enough that even the general gasped. My heart began to race and I sucked in air way too fast. If I didn’t control it, I wouldn’t have the lungs to hold my breath underwater. So I calmed myself, forcing my breathing to slow down, forcing my heart to stop its rapid pace.

The general’s voice echoed toward me, and I was surprised to hear the nervous timbre. “One more time. Are you ready?” His tone could almost be described as gentle.

Almost.

“Ready,” I said, speaking as loudly as I could without raising my head.

He pulled slowly and I slid another foot. I chided myself when I discovered I was holding my breath again. Stupid.

But before I could do anything else but admonish myself for my own stupidity, the ice began to tilt.

And I knew one thing with absolute certainty.

I was going head first into the poisonous waters of the Black Lake.

***

The ice shelf tilted, the end behind me rising high. It didn’t stop until the entire section was almost vertical. I stared at the black, sludgy water in front of me, knowing it was inevitable I would soon sink into the dangerous icy liquid. I slid forward, listening to the shouts around me. Someone tugged at the rope and I was pulled farther. But this time all it did was move me dangerously closer to the water.

The soldiers were relentless. Another pull and I went sliding straight into the inky black sludge. The icy cold water hit me like a blow to the gut. I forced myself to take a deep breath before the surface of the water closed over my head and the lake claimed me. Although I wanted to open my eyes, I remembered the general’s warning. Now sightless and breathless and slowly freezing to death, the experience was more terrifying than I had ever experienced. My heart threatened to stop, my lungs to explode. My mind was screaming at me. I was going slowly crazy.

I hung in the water, suspended in darkness, with my breath slowly running out, when I felt a tug on the ropes. I wanted to scream at them to hurry, but that would be another chalk up on my list of stupid. My chest hurt with the effort to hold in my breath. I knew I could expel it slowly to remain comfortable, but I was terrified that letting go of one breath might open my nose to the liquid poison around me. So I continued to hold it.

My lungs rebelled, pulsing hard against my ribs, screaming for air. I ignored them. Someone tugged on the ropes, pulling me upward. With my eyes shut, I had no sense of direction and I hoped I wouldn’t slam head first into the stable ice shelf above me. More pulling and I rose a little farther.

Now lightheaded, I saw tiny specks of light behind my eyelids. My instinct made me want to blink, but I tamped down the urge. Another tug and I was lifted a little farther. My chest hurt like the blazes, my neck muscles throbbed, and my head pounded worse than my usual headaches ever did.

I was suspended in the water, but something drifted to my ears. It sounded like a shout.
Dear Ailuros, let that mean I am close to the surface
. I spread my hands out, trying to push myself farther upward through the icy water. Another shout above me confirmed I was very close to the surface. And the next moment, my head popped out of the water. The rope was taut and I felt myself being pulled farther along. I wiped at my face with my hands, felt no burning sensations, and was relieved.