Bow and Sparrow

CH 9

The weather was taking a turn. The trees had regained some of their fullness and the grass gleamed a bright green in the morning sun. When the wind blew, it wasn't bitterly cold anymore but a refreshing breeze. And I had finally gathered up the courage to ask Rylan if I could bathe in the river.

I flexed my back muscles, Knox had said that my back was healing quickly much to his surprise, and it barely hurt anymore unless I twisted my body the wrong way. They had started scabbing over in places, but I still avoided looking at them in the mirror.

Rylan seemed reluctant about taking me and he led me far down the riverbank until I couldn't see the camp through the trees anymore. We stopped at a small pond the river emptied into. "It should be private here."

I inched closer to the pond. It was wide here and the other side of the bank looked so far away. The water seemed calm, but I couldn't see the bottom from here. I gulped. The last time I had been in a body of water so large, I had been small and I had barely put a toe in before I ran back squealing to shore. "Is it very deep here?"

"It's pretty shallow until you get to about the middle of the pond." Rylan shrugged, handing me a towel. It was the roughest piece of fabric I had ever held and there were a few small holes in it. I nervously glanced back at the pond. I steeled my nerves, pushing my childish worries from my thoughts. As long as I stayed in the shallow part, I would be fine.

"I'll make sure nobody comes." Rylan walked a few paces away, his back turned as he leaned up against a tree.

I walked to the edge of the pond where the grass gave way for mud and broken rocks. I slipped off my boots -I had left my knife under the pillow- and let the cool water run between my toes. The sun hadn't yet warmed and there was a chilly breeze that blew off the water. I took a calming breath as I untied my trousers and tunic, setting them safely on the bank. I quickly submerged myself in the water, keeping one eye turned towards the trees, but Rylan's back stayed turned.

The water was cold and goosebumps erupted all over my body, but it was a welcoming cold as I could feel all the dirt and grime washing itself away. As my body got used to the temperature, I wadded further until the water lapped at my shoulders and my hair flared out around me. I set to undoing the tangles in my hair, hoping the water would help ease them, but they stayed firmly knotted. I glanced behind me again. Rylan was still leaning against the tree.

Just as I was working the dirt from beneath my fingernails, something slithered against my bare calf. I cried out, kicking my legs around in the water. I stared into the depths but I couldn't see much past my shoulders. "Something just touched me!"

"It's probably just a pondfish." Rylan called over his shoulder.

"A what-"

I lost my footing in the water, slipping on a slimy rock when I turned around, and my head plunged beneath the water. I let out a yelp under the water and it bubbled to the top. I tried to stand back up but my feet kept slipping on the mossy stone. My arms thrashed wildly around me as I struggled to find anything to grab hold of. I sucked in a mouthful of water. Then I teetered off a drop off and I couldn't touch the bottom anymore.

Panic set in. My arms flailed wildly as I tried to claw my way to the surface. I seemed to float in the same spot no matter how hard I thrashed. My eyes were wide open but I couldn't see anything but murky pond water around me and nothing to grab hold of. Fantastic. I was going to drown, naked, in the middle of the pond.

After about the third gulp of water and just as I had made peace with death -I'd lived through enough already I thought- a strong pair of arms wrapped under my armpits and around my chest. They pulled me upward and we broke through the surface of the water. Rylan dragged us to the edge of the pond as I gasped for air, spitting up pond water. Once my toes finally brushed against the bottom of the pond, I realized that Rylan's arms were still around me. I pushed away from him, making sure to stay below the water so he couldn't see anything.