Chapter 20: Gargouille

Mercy Hall

Water bubbles around Mercy. It infiltrates her nose, creating a deep-seated sting that throbs between her temples. She frees her arms and claws at the surface. The motion pulls the skin taut over her injured shoulder.

She teeters above the water and sucks in air. Exhaling a ragged breath, she blows water from her mouth. Her head bobs a few times, but then the swift current of the undertow yanks her below the surface.

Under the light of the moon, she spots Ambrose's head bobbing in the white rapids. He yells, but she can't make out what he's saying, so she follows the direction his hand points to.

Less than three feet away, the tip of a boulder sticks out of the water. Several rocks surround it. Water laps and licks around the interconnecting structures. At the rate she's traveling, she's about to hit the formation head-on.