Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3) by A. Lombardo (intellectual books to read .TXT) 📗

It was late in the day when Ryker finally stopped near a grove of trees. The sun’s heat had soaked everyone with sweat. Rayna handed Ryker and Kai water, and they drank greedily. “We should eat,” she suggested, giving them both a chunk of dried bread and fruit.

The wind blew through the shady trees, drying Kai’s shirt. It felt good to sit still. Even though he’d spent days in the saddle traveling around Baden Lake, riding a shuk seemed harder. Ryker ran faster, and it was less than comfortable without a saddle. But he had to be thankful for his friend’s fortitude.

Unsure how long the man could continue this pace, Kai wanted to consider walking a bit. Sitting in silence, he studied Ryker. He was a quiet man like his uncle Haygan. “Any chance we could walk for a while? I want to catch Lucca, but not at the price of you giving out.”

“I can make it, although we should probably stop more often,” Ryker admitted.

Rayna chucked her apple core. “Hand me your water pouch. I can refill all three from the river before we get moving.”

Ryker drained his and tossed it to her. “Thank you, Rayna.”

Kai watched her head towards the river. Exhausted from the day, he closed his eyes and released the tension from his shoulders. The air smelled of wet earth and decaying leaves. Birds chirped in the trees and flitted about.

“KAI! RYKER!” Rayna shouted. “Come quick!”

They hopped to their feet and darted through the trees toward the river. “What’s wrong?” they shouted in unison.

When they reached the water, they saw Rayna pointing downriver. “There, it’s Basil’s raft! I am sure of it!”

Ryker waded into the slow-moving water and removed the large branches covering the raft. “She’s right. It is his raft—this is your bag, Rayna. No more walking. Grab our food, we take the river.”

Piling onto Basil’s raft, Kai looked to Ryker. “Why would he leave this behind?”

“I don’t much care.” Ryker pushed them out into the rolling water. “Maybe he caught up with Lucca. But we will make better time, and we will not need to stop until nightfall.”

Pleased they would get several hours on the river, Kai angled his paddle to straighten them out. In the center of the river, they moved into the flow. The splash of each wave felt refreshing after the heat they had endured all morning and afternoon. Each stroke of their paddles increased their speed.

The rise and fall of the water made for speedy travel. Each time the rapids eased and the water became smooth, Kai craned his neck to search for travelers on the road. He feared they would sail right by Liam and Yulia without even knowing. Around the next bend, he spotted a few riders. Two men—not them. Feeling brave, he stretched his leg out in front of himself and glanced at Rayna. She smiled and splashed him with her paddle. Before he could retaliate, Ryker poked him with his paddle. “Don’t get careless, Kai.”

After the stern glare from Ryker, Kai focused dead ahead. His back stiffened, and he paddled hard through the water. When a wave of water splashed him in the back, he turned to see the corner of Ryker’s mouth curl into a smirk. “Seriously, Kai, this is no time for fun.”

Rayna laughed and splashed Kai again.

“Very funny,” Kai said, returning the favor drenching her.

Before he could splash Ryker, the river dipped and the rushing water bounced them along. The surge of water increased their speed, and everyone paddled to avoid a downed tree on their right. Large rocks near the center pushed them farther and farther left. The black rock median came dangerously close. Ryker used his paddle to angle them away.

A man and woman waved to them from the other side. Kai watched their raft sail in the opposite direction. They looked totally at ease on the river. It made him wish Basil was with them. He had been so helpful knowing when and where to traverse the rapids.

As the sun began to sink on the horizon, the river carved deeper into the landscape and the ground rose higher. Barely rested from their last set of rapids, Kai took a breath and paddled. Navigating the cascades, Ryker barked out orders to keep them angled in the right direction.

Kai and Rayna sat on either side, paddling with or against the waves to avoid rocks. “A few yards ahead,” Ryker called. “There is a split in the rocks dividing the river and switching the flow, stay to the right!” he yelled.

Kai dug into the water with his paddle. He could already feel the pull of the crossing. “Harder, paddle harder!” he hollered.

Everyone paddled as hard and as fast as they could. As they neared the crossing, the rush threatened to pull them into what was best described as a vortex churning in the center of the roaring rapids. With Basil, crossing these spots seemed simple—now they fought for their lives. The cold water splashed over the sides of their raft and seeped through the timbers.

In the hopes of veering them to the right, Kai leaned away from the curling vortex that begged them to come closer. The speed of the craft slowed, and the whirling water sucked at their raft. They were losing control. No amount of paddling was going to stop them. The churning vortex pulled them into the crossing.

“Paddle!” Ryker ordered.

When they hit the center, Kai expected them to shoot out the other side as he’d seen another rafter do the day before. Instead, they bounced off the rocks and spun back into the churning whirlpool. Their angle was all wrong. As they bounced and turned in the center, water swamped them from all sides. Rayna fell into the center of the raft. Ryker paddled but nothing changed.

Kai looked at the bindings holding their raft together. Two strands broke, then another. “The raft is breaking apart!” He stared at Ryker and then the raging water on both sides.

The sharp, slippery rocks