Chapter Seventeen
I was screaming. Dimly, I heard a thunderous cry join in: Del. The slap as my boat hit the surface and the icy embrace of the water came at me like a one-two punch, and when the boat bounced back up I screamed again, just to prove I was alive.
Somehow I hadn’t rolled, and the water was buffeting me toward calmer currents—a good thing, because I’d lost my grip on the paddle as I fell. Weariness was already winning out over adrenaline, accompanied by bone-chilling numbness. I could only draw breath in sharp little sips; hypothermia, a little voice in my head whispered before I quashed it. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real.
“It’s not real,” Del’s deep voice said from behind me. I turned; he was looking positively electrified, though his expression went a bit strained whe
