The sound of the wind in Lariel's slightly pointed ears whistled like the final song of death, the last sound she would be aware of hearing before meeting her end. Her speed increased more and more, and there was nothing she could do but accept the Passage.

The girl managed to register the sound of the wizard's desperate scream before she fell hard into the cold water of the river.

In the water, the half-elf noticed that the pain of the wound was somewhat less. The bad part was that the rest of her body was numb, and if it continued like this, the current would carry her far away or sink her.

Before she fell, she had the good sense to hold her breath, so there was no water in her lungs. The girl took two strokes trying to get up, but the force of the water was too powerful.

Once again despair overcame her. Could it be that after witnessing the death of her father, there was still some survival instinct left in her soul?

It wouldn't make much sense to stay alive if she couldn't take care of the grumpy old man. As much as they picked on each other, she was sure they loved each other in their own strange way.

The impact of loss hit her much harder there, as she still tried to remember what it was like to care about her own existence. To fight for survival.

Lariel simply surrenders to her own fate, giving up fighting the deadly amount of water and the force of the current that drags her south. No sooner does she move, and a powerful hand grabs her blouse.

The girl's head bursts open, and all the sounds previously muffled by the submergence are magnified tenfold. The blond man holds her against his own body and shouts in her ear:

"You need to swim along with me!"

She doesn't even have the strength to respond, swimming seemed practically impossible.

"Come on!" he shouts once more.

Another howl is heard, not only above the ravine but also in the woods beside the river. Lariel tries to smell his surroundings, perhaps make a detection of how many there are and which direction they are going. But his senses are totally uncoordinated, and the wound in his abdomen starts to bleed again.

The human is quite strong, as he can support his own weight in the water and still drag it along with him. The shore is not far away, but not very close either. Little black dots appear in Lariel's vision, and she feels like she might faint at any second.

"Just a little more!" The mage encourages her to keep swimming, although she is doing nothing but taking one weak stroke followed by another.

When they are inches from the wet, muddy grass, Lariel loses consciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The first thing she notices is that she is lying on a flat, straight surface.

The second thing is that the sound of the river is gone, and the only occasional noise is the crackling of some fireplace, which could also explain that flickering light.

And the third thing was that I was without a blouse.

Making a magnanimous effort not to groan or growl in pain, Lariel opens her eyes and looks down.

All that covers her breasts are her upper underwear, a tight white band, while the rest of her developed and muscular belly is exposed. On the side of her abdomen, a kind of poultice of strong-smelling leaves and herbs covers the wound, and the throbbing pain seems much less.

She barely has time to assess her surroundings. At the entrance to the cave, the blond wizard soon appears. He is carrying a number of dry logs, probably more wood for the fire.

"You are awake. Good."

Embarrassed and taken completely by surprise, the half-elf covers the rest of her body as best she can, crossing her arms and legs.

"You the one who made that bandage on me?" her voice is hoarse and difficult.

"Yes, and in a few hours we will need to change it. I could use my gifts, but I think it's better left for something really serious. Your cut wasn't that deep, good, although you look pretty weak."

As soon as he finishes speaking, the last dialogue she had with her father ends up resonating in her mind.

I am stronger than you!

You have got to be kidding, my child.

Her eyes fill with tears. She rests her hand on the wound.

The blonde looks at her and says:

"Don't touch! If your hand is dirty, it will contaminate and get infected."

She frowns and takes a closer look at the burrow where they have hidden. They seem to be well away from the river, and all she can see outside are leafy trees and wild vegetation.

He finishes setting up the fire, using conventional methods rather than magic, and then offers her a bowl of soup. Lariel pushes the food away and leans against one of the walls, looking down at her hands. Tears fall.

"I am sorry," the man tells her.

"I failed him," the girl murmurs, the sob finally escaping. "I failed him in every way possible."

The mage's eyes overflow with guilt.

"I should have gotten ahead of myself. Arrived earlier. I could have saved you both, I... I'm sorry. Really."

The dark-skinned girl raises one of her eyebrows before asking:

"Are you saying you knew those men would show up?"

Hesitating, the man nods.

She explodes:

"But who are you?! How did you know that, how did you show up there?"

Her screams make her throat itch, and then the half-elf coughs violently. The stranger tries to help her, but she repels him with one hand.

"Answer my question. Who are you?!"

He opens his mouth to answer, but a frightening growl crosses the space they are in, causing them both to look in the direction of the noise.

At the entrance to the cave is a scaly creature, with small wings on the side of its body, four legs, a tail, and small, pointed ears on either side of its head. Although it is small, its hooked teeth are menacing and can shred a person in seconds.

A dragon baby.

And it is growling directly at Lariel.

The creature moves forward.