Round 20

The river's relentless pull threatened to tear them apart as surely as any magical trap. Jeane fought against the current with every ounce of her strength, wings beating futilely against the water's resistance. The magical interference was total—her spells fizzled in her hands like wet fireworks, leaving her utterly dependent on physical strength she didn't possess in abundance. She could feel the structure of the cavern groaning around them, ancient stone complaining under the weight of centuries and the river's insistent pressure.

Varrika had a point—the passage could be a trap, but staying here was suicide. The current would eventually wash them deeper into this hellhole or separate them completely. They needed to move before either happened. Seraphine clung to the rock formation nearby, her face pale with exhaustion and barely contained panic. The elf woman was clearly terrified of drowning again after their near-miss in the underground river.

"Seraphine has the map—good thinking," Jeane gasped between strokes. "But we can't afford to waste time debating this. The current's only getting stronger, and I don't know how much longer I can hold on." She glanced around, trying to spot any sign of Merrin or Halie in the churning water. Where were they? Had the current already separated them?