Chapter 90

He could only see Sasha’s nearby hand, clawing at the dirt.

“I suppose we wouldn’t want to hand over a corpse,” said the female.

Just when Nathan thought he was about to swallow a few more mouthfuls of water, the rain stopped striking his face. He could still feel water pounding on his lower half but, as he blinked skyward, he saw that the dryads were forming a small shelter over his and the others’ faces out of winding roots and branches. Nathan spit and gasped for breath at the relief.

“Nathan!” he heard Jim call.

“I’m fine! I’m going to be sick and miserable for the next week after all this, but I’ll live. How are youfeeling, Jim?” Nathan asked pointedly, assuming his brother had been trying to use some sort of power from the start and was having little luck.

Jim didn’t reply.

Nathan looked again to where he could see Sasha’s hand still struggling and pulling at the vines holding them down. Super strength didn’t appear to be working this time either.