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“Almost there,” he gasped when they surfaced again, his breath scorching against her frozen ear. Her water-logged clothes tried to drag her down, each stroke a battle against their weight. Her muscles burned with effort, already stiffening from the cold. Every splash of water felt like tiny daggers against her face.

Her numb fingers scraped stone, sending jolts of pain through her frozen hands. The rough surface scraped her palms raw as he boosted her up. Her waterlogged clothes felt like they were made of lead as she dragged herself onto the rocky shore. Each breath burned in her lungs, tasting of cave dust and mineral-laden water.

Kal hauled himself up beside her, his usual grace gone, replaced by desperate urgency. His hand closed around her upper arm—blazing hot against her chilled skin—and he pulled her away from the edge. More rocks crashed into the pool, sending up sprays that felt like ice shards against her face. Her feet slipped on the wet stone as they scrambled back, sharp edges cutting into her palms as she caught herself.

They pressed against the cavern wall, his chest heaving against her back. The heat of him made her frozen muscles ache with the contrast. Water trickled down her spine in icy rivulets, each drop making her twitch. Her clothes clung to every inch of her like a second, freezing skin.

The impacts slowly ceased, leaving behind a silence that pressed against her ears like cotton wool. Her own breathing sounded harsh and ragged, echoing off unseen walls. Every inch of her shook—violent tremors that started in her core and radiated outward. Her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, the sound sharp and painful in her jaw. Water dripped from her hair onto her shoulders, each drop a fresh shock of cold that made her flinch.

She pushed her hair back with fingers that felt like icicles, the strands tangling and pulling painfully against her scalp. The darkness wasn’t complete here. A weird, directionless light let her make out vague shapes. Her shoes squelched with every tiny movement, the sound obscenely loud in the quiet as water squeezed between her toes with each step.

The reality of their survival hit her like another wave of icy water. They should be dead. If Kal hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t wrapped himself around her… Her breath hitched, catching on the raw spots in her throat where she’d screamed and swallowed cave water.

“Where’s Tor?” The words scraped past her raw throat. They bounced around the cavern, multiplying and distorting until a dozen voices called his name, each echo more desperate than the last. His silence hit harder than the fall had. When she looked up at him, water dripping into her eyes, his face was tight with fear. He shook his head, droplets flying from his hair.

“We have to go back.”

“We can’t.”

She turned toward where they’d fallen, but the walls stretched up into darkness, smooth and impossible. The faint light that filtered down from above barely reached them, turning the wet stone into a slick, gleaming barrier.

She tilted her head back, trying to see the top. “There has to be a way.”

“I’ve never been in this part of the tunnels before.” His voice was rough, like he’d swallowed gravel. “These walls…” He ran his free hand over the stone, and she heard his nails scrape against the surface.

The cold was settling into her bones now, making her muscles clench and spasm. Each shiver sent new aches through her body. She pressed closer to his warmth without thinking, feeling the heat radiating off him even through his soaked clothes. His arm slipped around her shoulders, but the comfort of his touch couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering.

“Let me try something.” His voice rumbled through his chest. He turned her to face him, water dripping between them. “Get on my back.”

The stone was treacherously slick under her feet as she climbed onto him, her numb fingers struggling to find purchase on his shoulders. Her waterlogged clothes made every movement a battle. When she finally locked her arms around his neck, she could feel his pulse racing against her forearm.

His muscles bunched under her as he approached the wall. The first leap took her breath away. One moment they were on the ground, and the next they were flying upward. Her stomach dropped as his fingers scrabbled against the wet stone. His nails scraped loudly, seeking any crack or crevice. They slid back down, landing with a wet slap that echoed through the cavern.

“Again,” he growled and launched them upward once more. This time he found a tiny ledge. They hung there for a heartbeat, her pulse thundering in her ears. Water trickled down her back as he tensed, preparing for another jump. His skin burned hot against her frozen limbs.

They made it perhaps twenty feet up before disaster struck. His fingers slipped on the wet stone, and suddenly they were falling again. Her scream stuck in her throat as her stomach lurched into her mouth. They hit the ground hard, his body twisting to take the impact. The landing knocked the air from her lungs and sent pain shooting through her legs.

“The walls are too smooth, too wet.” His voice was tight with frustration as he helped her up. Her legs trembled beneath her, her muscles burning from the impact. “We’ll have to find another way out.”

She stared up at the impossible walls, at the distant promise of escape above them. Her chest felt too tight, like the weight of all that rock was pressing down on her. Water dripped steadily somewhere in the darkness, each splash a reminder of how deep underground they were. Of how alone they were.

And somewhere up there was Tor.

The thought made her throat close up. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the sodden fabric of her shirt squish unpleasantly. Every breath tasted of damp stone and copper, the mineral tang of the cave water still coating her tongue. Her hair hung in heavy ropes against her neck, sending rivulets of water down her spine that made her shudder.

“This way.” His hand found hers in the gloom, and he tugged her gently away from the pool, deeper into the tunnels. Their shoes squelched against the stone, the sound echoing back at them like mocking laughter. “We need to keep moving. It’s the only way we’ll stay warm.”

The darkness ahead seemed to swallow their silhouettes as they walked, and she found herself pressing closer to his side.

“Tor!” His name tore from her raw throat, bouncing off the tunnel walls.

“Tor!” Kal’s voice cracked beside her, higher than usual, almost frantic. When the echoes died away, she felt him take a shuddering breath. “Come on, you stubborn draanthic. Answer us!”

The wet clothes sucked the warmth from her body with every step. Her teeth chattered so hard her jaw ached, the sound clicking in her skull like tiny bones breaking.He must be just as cold, she thought,if he’s still?—

No. She couldn’t finish that thought.

But her mind betrayed her, conjuring images of Tor’s body crushed beneath the rockfall, of him drowning alone in some other underground pool. She’d never seen Kal without his strange shadow, always lurking at the edges of her vision. Now the thought of Tor gone felt wrong, like missing a step in the dark.

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