Chapter 47: Exhausted
Evanna leapt forwards, and the air left her lungs as fear gripped her like a mighty hand around her neck. For one singular second, it felt as though time stood still as Evanna’s leg was mid-stride and her arms out wide. Her eyes looked ahead at the treetops and the dazzling parts of light that speckled through the leaves. Then all at once, gravity slithered around her feet and yanked her down through the mist surrounding the cascading water. A scream left her lips and got caught in her throat as her stomach dropped.
Her body swiftly followed the plummeting funnel of water, her arms came in, and she held her breath when she felt the icy water hit her feet at a force that smashed into her body harshly, surging up her legs and swallowing her whole. Evanna shook her arms and legs before paddling up the long length of the dark depths of the water, such as how far she had fallen in. Her lungs began to constrict and burn, screaming silently for air. The moment her head bobbed up from the water, she gasped for air as water trickled down her face, and she fluttered her long eyelashes.
Evanna felt exhausted; her body felt heavy as it tried and failed to drag her back down to the bottom of the pool. However, she knew it was the cold water and Scarecrow’s beating that was making her feel that way; so, she powered on, her arms and legs simultaneously stroked through the water like a frog until she came to the edges of the water pool. Her hands grabbed at the rocky sides and pulled herself up, half-heartedly dragging herself forwards before rolling onto her back so she could catch her breath.
Evanna’s eyes rested on the clear blue skies above her; only a few treetops were covering the rest of the sight. After hearing the soothing sound of the waterfall humming and the feeling of being safe after fleeing the faceless, she began to relax. The tranquil surroundings began to make her eyes feel heavy, and although she was drenched from head to toe, she felt her breathing becoming long and her heart pound to a regular beat as she fell into a deep sleep.
Evanna woke to an aggressive shove on her shoulder, making her hands immediately search for her swords blindly. Rolling onto her front, she instantly relaxed after seeing Cilv sitting on a rock nearby, pulling her boot off. Evanna’s brows creased after assessing her features; Cilv was also wet and turned her boot upside down, tipping water out of it.
"You shouldn’t be sleeping wet. That’s how you get ill," Cilv scolded her; Evanna sat up, crossing her legs.
"It’s good to see you are okay, Cilv," Evanna spoke genuinely.
"I decided to go for a swim as well, although I wasn’t as bold as you, princess. I ran further down the hill and jumped in the river over there," She pointed with her chin, further down the trailing river away from the waterfall. "You look like shit, no offence."
Evanna laughed without amusement, "Scarecrow found me," Her features darkened as she looked across the river, expecting to see his horrifying face.
Cilv whistled, "At least they are stuck there. If that spell ever fails, I hate to think what would happen."
By now, both Cilv and Evanna were wringing their clothes and hair. Evanna even emptied some of her bag, thankful that she doesn’t carry bread with her. However, her book was a soggy mess. She began squeezing it carefully and letting it dry on the rocks.