Free The Path of Decisions by Mike Shelton Page A

pulled at her body like a leaf in a
windstorm. Instinct caused Kelln to reach for her, but in doing so he lost his
own footing. The rushing river swept one foot up out of the water, one hand
remaining on the rope, the other flailing around for something to grab on to.
Mezar, who stood behind Kelln, had only begun walking across. He reached out a
sure hand for Kelln and steadied him.
    Alessandra’s eyes glazed over in helplessness. Her feet were being
pulled by the river, and one hand had slipped off the rope. She screamed as the
strong fingers of her remaining hand continued to slip off of the slick rope.
    “Help,” she continued shouting. Her cries were lost in the roar of
the river to all but the few around her. Men watched from the other side with
helpless stares. She hadn't been able to regain her hold, and her face shivered
white in the bitter, rushing water.
    Alessandra kicked wildly, trying to get upright. Kelln reached for
her once again, but he was too late. Her last fingers slipped from the rope,
and she disappeared beneath the powerful current. The others caught a glimpse
of her head for only a second before the water swallowed it up.
    Kelln shouted to the other side for some men to ride down river
and find her. They looked to Darius, and he reiterated Kelln’s command.
    Alastair looked about wildly, not seeing what was happening.
“Kelln, where is she?” He roared over the din of the river.
    Kelln felt dazed and only looked downriver until he realized that
Alastair couldn’t see where he was looking. “She fell into the river. Darius’s
guards will find her.”
    Alastair sat down hard onto the ground, his weathered face crushed.
    Darius reached for the rope and started to cross as fast as he
could. As he did so, he felt the rope begin to sag and unravel.
    “Hold the rope!” he commanded. He looked ahead and saw Mezar
pushing Kelln forward. Kelln seemed to stagger in a daze as he looked
downriver.
    The rope slipped from his hand again as Darius’s foot slipped on a
rock. One leg kicked out into the water. But he held on. Kelln had reached the
other side, and Mezar was halfway between Darius and the eastern bank of the
river.
    “Hurry, Mezar!” yelled Darius. “The rope cannot hold both of us
much longer. It is too wet.”
    The rope was splitting right between them. Darius’s mind reached
out without him realizing it. The power in him surged, but before he could do
anything, he became aware of the touch of another power. This was the first
time he had ever felt someone else’s magic so directly, but he recognized it
for what it was. The power held the rope together. Darius didn’t have time to
think but grabbed ahead on the rope as fast as he could. He slipped once and
hit his knee on a rock, propelling himself toward the other side.
    Darius saw Mezar fall onto the other bank in front of him and the
soldiers reached up and pulled him to safety. He felt the other power leave, so
he pulled upon his as much as he could to keep the rope stable. He tugged hard
on the rope and thrust himself out of the water, falling on the bank where two
men caught him. He looked back at the rope and let the power go. The rope split
in two, its two ends dangling back into the current of the river.
    He fell over on the ground and fought to stay conscious. Using the
power had drained him. His head hurt, his knee was swollen, and his strength
was failing. The numbing water had made his legs stiff. Some men picked him up
and brought him to the fire. He propped himself up against some logs and was
given something warm to drink. Soon he stood up.
    “Sir, you need to rest,” said his medical officer.
    Leandra came over to him to comfort him. Darius tried to stand on
his own, but his knee started to buckle. He locked it and stood firm.
    “This is a test of our strength.” Darius spoke to his men. “These
are the things we were trained to do. We will rest tonight and then go forward
into Belor tomorrow.”
    “Not everyone