I crouched down beside her and laid my hand atop hers. Her fingers were icy cold. “It’s okay. We’ll go back.”
A tear dripped from her face and onto the map. “I said we should go west. This is my fault.”
“Hey.” Lana shook her head. “It’s no one’s fault. We were stranded in the middle of fucking nowhere. We all knew there was a fifty-fifty chance we were going the wrong way.”
“No, it’s my fault. My fault,” Anama muttered, shaking her head. She wasn’t listening to us. She got up and began pacing alongside the river. “What if we go around? There’s a trail on the map, leading northeast, around the forest. Maybe we can cut–”
I heard the sound before my brain registered what I could see. A faint whizzing and then a wet thump as a spike flew through the air with deadly precision, and landed in Anama’s shoulder.
Lana screamed, a bloodcurdling, high-pitched sound that shocked me into movement. I launched forward, gripping Anama before she could topple over into the river.
The river.
A glowing pair of yellow eyes had emerged from its depths. The lower half of the creature’s face was submerged within the water, only a scaly scalp and a long, thin tail covered in emerald spikes high above its head visible. The water stirred and its tail bobbed higher, the spines along it prickling as it reared back.
“Get down!” I screamed, pulling Anama with me as a second barb flew inches above our heads.
Blood was dripping down her arm. So much blood, turned black by the moonlight. I didn’t want to take the spike out and risk increasing the blood loss. My hands fluttered across her shoulder.I didn’t know what to do.“Can you move?”
She gritted her teeth and nodded. “I can try.”
Moric and Lana were at our sides, Lana looking frantically toward the river. I kept my gaze fixed firmly on Anama. She looked so pale.
“We need to go,” Lana cried.
I reached around Anama’s torso, hauling her up so she could lean her weight against me.
“We have to go. That thing is coming!” Moric shouted.
Anama blinked sluggishly. Her injured arm hung limply at her side. I guided her one step forward, then another. I didn’t dare look at the river.
Anama’s legs trembled and she gasped for breath.
“Help me!” The words ripped out of my throat, a guttural sound I did not recognize.
“I can carry her.” Moric reached for Anama.
“No.” Anama’s voice was so soft, so weak. “I’m losing… too much blood. You need… to leave me. I’m sorry… for bring– bringing us… west.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t fucking say that.” I scrubbed a hand across my eyes to get rid of the tears blurring my vision.
“Guys!” Lana shouted, and I looked up in time to see that the creature had risen from the water enough to bare the ridges of its exoskeleton. Its abdomen was shiny and round, and several spindly legs protruded from its sides. Yellow eyes stared straight at us as that lethal tail lifted once more.
“What thefuckis that?” Lana wailed.
“Arrow-tailed lancer,” Moric breathed.
A single, sharp dart flew, aiming right for Lana, but she dodged expertly, rolling along the bank.
Anama clutched at her arm. “Stop,” she moaned. “I’ll only… slow you… down.”
“Moric!”
“On it.” Moric heaved Anama into his arms, hands cradling her lower back and thighs. He took one step forward and then staggered as an arrow nicked his leg. Anama lurched forward in his arms, slipping from his grip. They both rolled to the ground, Anama whimpering as she landed on her injured shoulder.
I cast a panicked look at the river. The water stirred violently as the arrow-tailed lancer surged forward. I grasped at Moric, my gaze skirting over his wound.
“I’m fine.” He pushed me toward Anama instead.