Daughters of Mara - Book 1: Revelations

Chapter 3

Koko's grip on her wrist never loosened for even a second. It made it difficult for Saph to swim back up to the surface, gasping and spluttering while the swift current swept them away, but it was a lifeline. A tether of hope.

They sped past several boulders, narrowly missing them. Somehow, Koko was propelling the two of them toward the far shore, slowly but surely.

It was all Saph could do to keep her head above water. Swimming in the swamp was one thing; this was an entirely different story and she was sure she would've drowned if not for Koko. Even kicking as hard as she could to stay afloat, hardly caring when her feet hit underwater rocks, it was impossible to make any headway on her own. Koko was literally dragging her along with a look of fierce concentration on her face.

Finally, Saph's shoes touched rocky mud and they scrambled up the bank on hands and knees. Both flopped over on their backs and lay there for several minutes, though Koko seemed to recover much more quickly.

"How did— you swim— so much?" Saph managed when she could speak again.

"Firebending."

"...Underwater? I didn't— even know— that was possible!"

"It doesn't actually make fire, just energy."

"Oh," was all she could say, not understanding at all.

They lay there for another minute or so until Koko got up. "Well..." she began, looking around with her hands on her hips. "There's good news and bad news. Good news is now we don't have to go out of our way to reach the bridge."

She paused long enough for Saph to get impatient.

"What's the bad news?"

"...We'll have to pass uncomfortably close to another blue sage facility."

Saph quailed at those dire words, shrinking in on herself. "Can't– Can't we just go another way?"

"There is no 'other way'." Koko gestured around her in various directions as she spoke. "The river is here. That way is ravines and mountains. That way is the facility, right between us and the road, which we need to reach to pass through the mountains."

"Why can't we just go a different way over the mountains?"

"Right. Just walk over a mountain. Easy."

Her derisive tone made Saph bristle with indignation. "It was just a question. I don't know everything."

"Exactly. And that's why you should trust that I know what I'm doing."

After the fear of being attacked and then nearly drowning, Saph's nerves were ragged and frayed. This minor argument was just enough to push her emotions over the edge. She felt her face begin to twist and contort against her will and she covered it with her hands out of shame as tears leaked from her eyes.

"Wh– Why are you crying?"

Saph sunk to her knees and tried hard to take deep breaths, but she felt like she was suffocating. Like something was pressing on her chest, waterlogged clothes weighing her down. It was all just too much—everything she'd been through, the uncertainty that it might happen again, the unanswered questions in her mind...

It was humiliating, kneeling there in the dirt, blubbering like a child. But she couldn't stop. In this moment, she felt like a little kid who wanted her mommy or daddy to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

But she didn't have them. All she had was Koko, who just stood there impassively and waited.

Finally, Saph felt herself begin to empty of the turbulent emotions coursing through her. She felt much lighter, despite the awkwardness of making a scene in front of this woman she barely knew. Without saying a word, she wiped her face and got to her feet. Koko turned and started walking, and Saph followed. Several minutes passed until the tense silence became unbearable.