Round 462

Merrin’s fingers found the narrow edge of stone just as the water reached her knees. She hauled herself upward with desperate strength, boots leaving the submerged floor behind. The ledge was barely wide enough for her compact frame, but it offered precious inches above the rising tide. She twisted to offer a hand down to Varikka, face tight with urgency.

“Come on!” Merrin hissed through clenched teeth. “We don’t have seconds to waste!”

Varikka’s expression showed both gratitude and frustration as she reached up. Her movements were clumsy due to the sprained ankle, every shift sending pain lancing through her leg. She grabbed Merrin’s offered hand but couldn’t support her own weight properly.

“I can’t,” Varikka grunted, face contorting with effort. “The ankle won’t take it!”

Merrin redoubled her grip, muscles straining as she tried to pull her friend up. The water was now lapping at the lowest points of the ledge, mere inches away from submerging them both.

“You have to try!” Merrin snarled, desperation coloring her voice. “We’ll drown if you don’t move!”

Varikka let out a cry of pain as she heaved herself upward using sheer willpower. Merrin’s arms screamed with the strain, but she managed to haul Varikka onto the ledge just as the water reached its highest point. They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs, gasping for breath.

“That was too close,” Varikka panted, rolling onto her back and clutching her throbbing ankle. “We need to get out of this damn tower before it collapses completely.”

Merrin nodded, pushing herself upright and scanning their surroundings. The newly revealed passage beckoned, dark and foreboding, but it was their only option.

“We’ll have to move fast,” Merrin said grimly. “The water’s already starting to recede, which means this chamber might not stay stable much longer.”

Varikka struggled to her feet using the wall for support, face set in a determined expression despite the pain. “Then let’s go. Help me through this damn tunnel before we end up as drowning victims.”