The Girls From Alcyone by Cary Caffrey Read Free Book Online Page A

weight pulled them forward. Gravity reared its ugly head, and Sigrid's vision filled with the sharp rocks of the riverbed. They were going over.
    In an act of desperation, Sigrid surged forward, grabbing Suko around the waist, pushing with all her strength and leaping as far as she could out over the cliff. Suko screamed, and Sigrid thought she might have screamed along with her, as the two girls fell headlong into the canyon below.
    For a terrible moment, all Sigrid saw were the rocks rushing up to meet them, but her desperate push had been just enough, and the two girls landed, not on the rocks, but in a deep, swirling pool at the side of the river. They hit the water hard and plunged deep below the surface. Sigrid felt the strong current swirling them about, pulling them even deeper until her feet found rock, and the river swept them both along on the bottom.
    Sigrid's grip on Suko never faltered. She pushed off the bottom, kicking and swimming as hard as she could. The pull of the river tugged at them, trying to drag them back down, but Sigrid fought it, finally breaking the surface.
    The sound was deafening, and the surge of the whitewater completely disorienting. Suko thrashed in her arms and they both fought for air, swallowing large gulps of the water that crashed over their faces. Sigrid lost her hold of Suko as they both went over a huge, sweeping rapid, and for a terrifying, heartbreaking moment, she feared Suko had gone under. But Suko emerged a few meters away downstream, reaching out to her, kicking hard with her feet to stay above the water.
    Sigrid swam to her and got an arm back around her. The river widened here, still strong and fast, but Sigrid was able to float along, holding Suko up and keeping her head well above the spray. They drifted along, letting the current carry them. The walls of the canyon were steep, stretching high up above them on all sides. Sigrid scanned the banks for a safe spot, finally kicking toward a flat mossy rock to the side. Exhausted and dazed, they dragged themselves out.
    Suko coughed up a considerable amount of water and collapsed on her stomach, panting. "You're one crazy girl, Seeg. But you saved my life." Suko rolled over and took in their surroundings, deep in the river canyon. "I think."
    Even Sigrid had to chuckle. They were safe, they were alive, but where were they?
    Suko sat up, suddenly. "Where's Sara?"
    Sigrid shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't see her."
    Both girls were shivering and they huddled together, holding each other. "You're bleeding!" Suko said.
    Sigrid hadn't even realized; she'd lost her boots and socks, and somewhere along the way she'd cut her foot. The gash ran from the ball of her foot to her heel, bleeding bright crimson and leaving a widening trail that spread out over the wet rock on which they sat. " Uhgch…" she said, sickened by the sight.
    Suko took the knife from her belt clip and cut a long strip off the bottom of her shirt. She wrapped Sigrid's foot as best she could, tying the wet bandage tight.
    "Can you walk?" Suko asked.
    Sigrid looked at the vertical cliffs of the canyon that surrounded them. "I don't think that's an issue here." Across the river, about fifty meters away, was the other bank. The cliffs seemed to drop much lower on that side.
    Suko followed her gaze. "We're not going back into that ."
    Sigrid saw the fear on her face, but she couldn't see any other way out. "The camp's on that side. We've got to get across." Sigrid waded into the shallows, wincing as her injured foot touched the freezing water. She turned back to Suko and held out her hand. "Come on. It'll be okay."
    Suko took a step away from the river.
    Sigrid's voice softened. "Do you trust me?"
    Suko's eyes were fixed fearfully on the water, but when she took Sigrid's hand, she nodded. "Yes."
    "All right." Sigrid guided Suko slowly into the water until it was swirling around their hips. "Just relax and think floaty thoughts." She turned Suko so her back was