Page 50 of Blood and Fate

Sir. He was back to addressing Kais as his general.

Kais reached out, touched Satori’s arm, and then moved away from her toward Teague. She could still feel the place where his touch had connected, but she wondered if he had even noticed he’d done it. And had he done it to reassure her or to soak up some sort of comfort?

Kais walked to Teague, and she watched as they had an animated conversation, gesturing to the river, the ropes, and that accursed bridge. No, she wouldn’t think of the bridge like that. It was their lifeline, and she would revere it.

Finally, Kais held out an arm in front of him, and Teague reached out, clasping his forearm in his hand. The men pulled each other in for an embrace, slapping each other’s backs. Then, just before pulling away, Kais rested his forehead against Teague’s, and Satori could feel, even from a distance, the torrent of emotions inside Kais. Love, fear, admiration, terror. All of them churning inside him like a storm as he stepped back.

Then he was shouting orders.

“Princess!” He waved her toward him, and she joined them. “When he’s across, you’ll be next. The rope goes around your waist so you aren’t swept away.”

Her heart thumped and thudded, but besides that, she could feel a second pounding, like an echo, and she knew it was Kais. He had entered General mode on the outside, but inside, his heart threatened to burst from his chest. She was filled with admiration for how he could shoulder such stress and not show it.

Kais had turned away, but suddenly he ceased all movements, stilling completely. She watched from behind him as his chin lifted slightly and his shoulders rose on a deep inhale, as though he were soaking something in. He turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze for only a moment before he resumed his task.

Teague tied the pulley rope around his waist, securing it tightly and pulling again to double check that it was sure. The end of the new guide rope was draped in coils over his shoulder, allowing it to unroll easily as he made his way across the river.

Satori studied the setup. Ropes tied to trees, ropes tied to Teague, and a half-swept away bridge.

Teague gave one last massive tug on the rope overhead, and the knots at his waist, then shouted, “Going!”

Absolutely everyone froze, stopping what they were doing to watch him pull himself across the raging river.

Teague wrapped his hands around the pulley rope above him and stepped carefully onto the bridge. Satori gasped as immediately his feet were swept out from beneath him. He would have already been taken with the flow if not for the ropes.

He regained his footing quickly, taking his next steps more carefully. The water rushed around him, covering his feet and, in some places, coming to his waist. How he could see where to place his feet was beyond Satori. She found herself drifting closer to Kais, closer to where Teague struggled across the water.

Kais paid absolutely no attention to her and at times she wondered if he was even breathing as he watched his friend maneuver the questionable bridge. Finally, Teague made it to the island. Satori held her breath as this was where Teague would essentially have to untie himself briefly to remove the pulley rope from one side and move it to the other. He would also be wrapping the new guide rope around the tree.

The first thing Teague did was shake off the large coil of rope. Holding it in one hand, he tucked his foot into a root and stretched his arms around the tree, catching the coil in his other hand. He repeated this process a few times, looping the guide rope.

Finally, he tossed what was left of the coil back over his shoulder and began to work on the knots at his waist. When half the rope was untied, he held tight to the coil around his shoulder and, with his free hand, pulled the pulley rope off the guide rope on one side of the tree and tossed it over the guide rope on the other side. When it was over, he retied it at his waist and began moving again.

With only ten feet to go to the opposite shore, the old guide rope that stretched from island to shore snapped.

Teague’s shout rang out over the sound of the water, and Kais dove for the rope as though he would go after him.

Without thinking, Satori leaped from where she stood to catch Kais’ arm. “No! Wait!”

Thank Shala Teague had been replacing the guide rope because he still had its remaining coils securely in his grip. When Satori tore her attention from Kais and looked again, Teague was chest deep in the raging rapids, fighting to keep the foam out of his face and mouth as he clawed his way along the broken bridge.

More than once, his head disappeared under the rapids, and each time, Kais went stiff in her arms, his panic threatening to send her to her knees. He twitched in her grasp but never pulled away. A good thing because had he wanted to break free of her hold, she could have done nothing to stop him. Teague disappeared again, and Kais’ hand came to her arm, where she held him. He gripped her so tightly she thought it might leave a bruise. She said nothing.

Then Teague was back up, his hands in fists around the bits of the bridge that remained. Thankfully, the closer to the shore, the more pieces of bridge survived. Then he was out. Out of the water and collapsing onto his back. His knees were drawn up, his feet planted on the ground, his arms splayed above his head, and his chest heaving, but he was out of the water. A moment later, Teague raised his hand, waving toward them before letting it flop back to the ground.

Beside Satori, Kais dropped to his knees, air blasting from his lungs. She had no choice but to go down with him as he still had a hold on her arm. She was watching Teague and didn’t see Kais move, but in a moment, his arms were around her, his head buried in her neck. She thought he let out a sob, but it was only once, and the sound was drowned out by the raging waters. She brought a hand up to run it over his back, and at her touch, he seemed to come to his senses, looking at her.

“Forgive me, Princess,” he said as he released her, moving slightly away.

All the warmth his body had enveloped her with went with his touch. And then fear took hold again as she realized she was next. Her heart began to pound and skip as she looked at the water. Across the river, Teague was up on his feet and tying off the new rope, pulling and tugging to ensure it was secure. But the sound of the rapids pounded in her ears, seeming to grow too loud to concentrate on anything else.

Then a hand closed gently around her forearm, and heat radiated from the contact point. She looked up to find Kais, his chocolate brown eyes intent on her, waiting for her to give him her attention.

She heaved another breath as he spoke, “I won’t let you go.” He emphasized each word, the hand on her arm tightening just a hair.

She took two more long breaths and nodded.

“Come on. Let’s get it over with.” he said as his hand slid down her arm, and he caught her fingers in his own, squeezing them gently. He pulled her toward where the ropes waited.

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