I looked back at the river. The ice bridge was already melting, dissolving into the black water like it had never existed. The whispers faded with it, retreating back into whatever depths they'd crawled from.
"That," I said, "was the Arborist saying hello. And reminding us that we're not just fighting plants and fire elementals."
She looked up at me, and for the first time since I'd met her, I saw actual fear in those periwinkle eyes.
"We're in over our heads," she said quietly.
"Way over." I offered her my charred hand. "But we're still breathing. So we keep moving until that changes."
She took my hand and let me pull her up. Her grip lingered a second longer than necessary.
"For what it's worth," she said, "I'm glad you're the one stuck down here with me. If I had to be trapped in a nightmare dimension with anyone, you'd be my first choice."
"That's the exhaustion talking."
