Chapter 50 Rhyland
Rhyland
Iwrap my arms around Dani, holding her close against my chest as we brace ourselves for the inevitable impact.
The ship plummets through the air, the force making my stomach lurch and my heart hammer against my ribs.
The weightlessness is disorienting, a sickening sensation of freefall that seems to stretch forever.
And then, with a bone-jarring jolt, the ship suddenly stops mid-fall, the momentum sending us flying forward.
I twist my body at the last second, taking the brunt of the impact as we slam into the wall with a sickening crunch.
Pain explodes through my shoulder and back, a white-hot agony that steals the breath from my lungs.
The ship is tilted at a precarious angle, the nose pointing straight down into the churning water below.
I can feel it swaying and creaking beneath us, the ancient timbers groaning under its weight.
We must've snagged on a rocky outcropping or a hidden reef, but I know it's only a matter of time before the ship tears itself free and plunges into the depths.
I try to push myself up, my muscles screaming in protest as I struggle to find purchase on the tilted deck.
Before I can get to my knees, the ship drops again, the sudden jolt slamming me back against the wall with a force that makes my vision blur and my ears ring.
Dani screams, a piercing, terrified sound that echoes through the cramped space like a banshee's wail.
The ship swings wildly against the current, the waterfall's relentless pounding making the whole structure shudder and groan like a wounded beast. The deck beneath us is slick with spray and algae, making it almost impossible to find a grip.
Every time I try to stand, the ship pitches and rolls, sending me stumbling back to my knees.
Dani clings to me like a lifeline, her face buried against my chest as she trembles.
I can feel her fear pulsing through our bond, a sickening, all-consuming terror that threatens to drown us both.
But I can't let it take hold or let it paralyze me.
Not now, not when our lives depend on my clear head.
"Hold on to me, baby," I rasp, my voice barely audible over the roar of the water and the ship's creaking. "I'm going to try to get us out of here."
Dani nods, her arms nearly choking me as she wraps herself around my front.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself against the pain, the fear, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that threatens to crush me.
With a grunt of effort, I lunge forward, half-crawling, half-dragging us toward the gaping hole in the ship's side.
It's a nightmare of jagged edges and splintered wood, a yawning abyss that seems to swallow the light. But it's our only way out, our only chance of escape before the ship finally gives way.
The spray from the waterfall is blinding, stinging my eyes and making it almost impossible to see. But I keep pushing, my muscles burning as I haul us both towards the edge.
I lunge forward, my fingers scrabbling for purchase on the ship's ripped siding. The jagged edges of the torn wood bite into my palms, but I barely feel the pain. All I can focus on is the death grip Dani has on me, her arms wrapped around me so tightly I can barely breathe.
"I need you to grab the rocks," I shout over the waterfall's roar, my voice raw and desperate. "Can you do that, Angel? I won't let you fall, I promise."
Dani nods, her face pale and streaked with tears, but I can see the determination in her eyes. She reaches out with shaking hands, her fingers clawing at the wet-slicked side panels of the ship as she starts to crawl toward the gaping hole in the hull.
The water pours down around us in a relentless torrent, making the wood slick and treacherous beneath our feet. I can feel it pounding against my back, the force of it threatening to rip me away from my precarious perch at any second.
But I grit my teeth and hold on, my muscles screaming with effort as I brace myself against the ship's crumbling frame.
My foot finds a hold on something solid, a jutting piece of timber or a rusted nail, and I use it to push myself upwards, shoving Dani through the jagged opening with a grunt of effort.
The darkness beyond is absolute. I have no idea how high up we are or what horrors might be waiting for us on the other side. But I don't let myself think about it or let the fear take hold. All that matters is getting Dani to safety, no matter the cost.
"I got it!" Dani's voice rings out over the din of the waterfall and the ship's dying groans. I glance out the side of the hull and see her standing on a small ledge on the cliffside, her fingers digging into the slick, moss-covered rocks like claws.
A wave of relief washes over me, so strong it weakens my knees. But I don't have time to savor it, don't have time to do anything but move. I haul myself up, and through the opening, my hands scrabbling for purchase on the cliff face as I try to wedge myself into the narrow space beside Dani.
She scoots over as much as she can, her body pressed flat against the rocks to give me room. I feel the heat of her through my soaked clothes, the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she pants for breath.
I get a grip on the cliff, my fingers digging into the crevices and fissures of the stone. I take a deep breath, my heart hammering against my ribs as I prepare to jump, to launch myself towards the safety of the ledge above.
Before I can even tense my muscles and move, the ship beneath me gives a final, shuddering groan, and the world drops out from under my feet.
I hear Dani scream, a high, piercing sound that cuts through the waterfall's roar like a knife. My stomach lurches, and my heart stops as the ship plummets away beneath me. The hull spins and cracks as it hurtles toward the churning water below.
"Rhyland!"
Fucking hell.
For a single, terrifying second, I'm hanging in midair, my fingers scrabbling uselessly against the slick rock as I start to fall. By some miracle of fate or sheer dumb luck, my hand finds a hold, a tiny outcropping of stone that bites into my palm.
I hang there, my arms straining and my fingers bleeding, as the ship crashes into the base of the falls with a sickening crunch of wood and metal. The sound echoes through the chasm like a death knell, a final, haunting reminder of how close we came to joining the wreckage below.
What the fuck was I thinking, letting us go over in the ship like that?
I find a foothold and pull myself up, "It's okay, I'm okay, baby," I pant, my voice ragged with exhaustion as I try to ease the panic I can feel thrumming through our bond. Dani lets out a shuddering breath, her fingers digging into my arm like she's afraid I'll disappear if she lets go.
Even as I try to reassure her and cling to her like a lifeline, I can't ignore the cold, creeping dread that's taking hold in my stomach.
Because now that the immediate danger has passed, now that we're no longer hanging off the edge of a fucking cliff, I'm starting to realize just how fucked we are.
I look around, my eyes straining to pierce the gloom, but all I can see is a yawning abyss of black water, the waterfall pounding down around us in a deafening roar.
It's like being trapped in the heart of a fucking hurricane, the wind and the spray and the sheer, overwhelming power of it making it almost impossible to think straight.
"What do we do?" Dani shouts, her voice barely audible over the crashing water.
I grit my teeth, my mind racing as I devise a plan. I catch something that makes my heart skip a beat out of the corner of my eye. The cliff face to our right, which had seemed like a dead end just moments before, is starting to curve inward, the stone worn smooth by centuries of pounding water.
I tug on Dani's hand, jerking my head towards the narrow ledge, starting to take shape in the shadows. She nods, her eyes wide with understanding, and together, we begin to inch our way along the wall, our backs pressed flat against the slick stone as we baby-step through the spray.
It's slow going, each step a heart-stopping gamble as we test the rock beneath our feet, praying that it won't crumble away and send us plummeting into the abyss. We keep moving and pushing forward, our hands clasped so tightly.
Finally, after an eternity of gut-churning terror, I see it. A flat stretch of ground just behind the waterfall, a tiny oasis of safety amid the chaos.
I guide Dani towards it, my hand never leaving hers as we stumble and slip across the final few feet of treacherous stone. And then, at last, we're there, collapsing onto the blessedly solid ground in a tangle of shaking limbs and heaving lungs.
I pull Dani into my arms, burying my face in her damp hair as I hold her close. My heart is pounding with a clusterfuck of emotions—relief, gratitude, and a whole damn lot of others I can't even begin to put a name to.
Dani sits up and punches me in the chest. Hard. "What the actual fuck, Rhyland?" She shouts over the pounding water, her voice sharp with anger and disbelief.
I lay there, taking her fury like a man. I know I fucked up, and I'm kicking myself in the ass for my dumbass decision. She could have fucking died falling through that waterfall. "I'm sorry," I pant out, still trying to catch my breath. "I'm so fucking sorry, baby. I wasn't thinking."
"No shit, Captain Clueless!" Dani spats above me, swatting as I cover my head in a feeble attempt to defend myself. "That was really stupid, Rhyland. Like, epic levels of dumbassery."
I grab her hands and pull her down to my chest, meeting her fierce, molten gold eyes.
They're filled with anger, frustration, and, beneath it all, an unwavering love that humbles me.
I grip her hair, holding her gaze steady.
"I know, baby. It was stupid and careless as fuck. I swear to god, it won't happen again."