Round 819

The water was relentless, lapping higher with each passing moment. Merrin had to tilt her head back to keep her face clear of the rising liquid, cold and insistent against her skin. She clung to Varikka's shoulder, using the other hand to push herself up on their narrow stone shelf. The dwarf woman's face was pale in the gloom, jaw clenched against the pain of her injured ankle, but her eyes were clear and focused. "We're not going to make it," Merrin gasped, her voice barely audible over the roar of water filling the chamber below them. "The ledge is too small, we can't stay here much longer." Varikka nodded grimly, shifting her weight in a way that made Merrin wince on her behalf.