Disclaimer—See Chapter One

A/N:  I'm working on chapter 16 tonight, the final chapter, so now that this story is finished, I will be posting every couple of days.  I know I say it over and over again, but I cannot say it enough—thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews and feedback!!  This chapter marks the half-way point of the story, I hope you enjoy!!

Of Wind and Wood—Chapter Eight

Wind picked up that afternoon into a strong gust, swirling high among the trees and stirring cedar boughs before whipping down to dip into the river, carrying mist into the faces of screaming passengers.  Shalimar held her wildly flailing hair back with one hand while clinging to the side of the raft with the other, turning laughing eyes upon an astonished Brennan. 

"AAHH!" Twelve voices rose as one as the rafts bucked and swayed below them, shooting through the deep, shadowy gorge. The water ran fast, foaming and curling against numerous rocks as the channel of the river narrowed and twisted.  In the distance, Shalimar could hear the deeper drumming echo of falls.  Beside her, Brennan's hand closed over hers, peeling it from the raft wall and twining their fingers together.  She squeezed his fingers back in nervous anticipation as their raft rounded another bend and the riverbed began to step down in a series of small, rough rapids that tossed them against rock after rock.

"There's the falls!" Ana pointed ahead of them, "Everyone check your life vests and hang on!"

The raft gathered speed as the current dragged it towards the falls.  Brennan swallowed as the raft seemed to hover for a second in a nosedive over the edge of the falls.  Then the bow hit the water with an enormous splash, they dived down, and came up again, riding the crest of a wave.  Ana dug in deep with the oars and before they knew it, it was suddenly over and they were bouncing safely in the swirling current. 

Brennan blinked in shocked surprise.   "That's it?"  He turned to Shalimar with a pleased smile.  "That wasn't so bad!" 

Shalimar turned a laughing smile back to him as he threw an arm around her shoulder. 

"So what class do you think that was?" Brennan cheerfully asked, "III, maybe IV?" 

Ana turned back around as she overheard Brennan's words, 'Try a II," she advised with a grin. 

Brennan's arm tightened involuntarily around Shalimar.  "Oh."  He fell silent, and Shalimar smirked as he turned slightly pale beneath his tan. 

Ana's eyes focused behind them.  "Here comes the paddle raft now." 

They all turned to watch, and Shalimar found herself holding her breath as the smaller craft was sucked down by the water and then forced back up again.  Screams of exhilaration rippled on the wind as the raft dropped into the falls.  The guide yelled directions over the roar of the water and the group quickly moved their paddles from side to side, steering against the current.  Ana drew a sharp breath as the raft seemed to hang up against a rock as it ricocheted over the lip of the falls.  Frantically, the guide fought the current with the oars and tried to push off the rock.  They watched helplessly as the raft broke loose from the rock and was captured by the swirling water.  It somersaulted broadside, heaving its shrieking passengers into the raging torrent. 

"Hang on!"  Ana shouted to them, straining to push their own raft onto a jutting sandbar.  As soon as they beached, Shalimar instinctively dove back into the water, gasping as the icy coldness immediately robbed her of precious body heat.  Her head broke the surface, and she heaved for air, fighting the current as her clothes worked against her, dragging her back down.  She faintly heard Brennan calling her name in desperation, but she determinedly kicked off her shoes and swam on. 

"Shalimar!"

Brennan watched for just a moment as Shalimar's head disappeared again before diving in after her.  He swam with powerful strokes, spitting out a mouthful of river water as he paused, treading water for a moment to get his bearings.  He saw a head bobbing in the water ahead of him and one of the college boys clinging to a rock.  Eyes raked across the waves until spotting Shalimar swimming towards one of the struggling heads.  He swore under his breath, teeth already beginning to chatter as limbs felt sluggish and numb in the icy water as he forced his body deeper into the river.  He heard screaming and then a body latched onto him, clinging to him in fright.  He looped an arm under the chin, and grimly set back for shore. 

"Kick!"  He yelled to the frightened woman in his arms.  "Come on!"  He felt relief when she finally began kicking her legs, and they began cutting through the current.  He gasped as they staggered onto shore, and he dropped her into the sand, body shivering uncontrollably as he forced himself into an upright position and scanned the river for Shalimar.  His mouth dropped as he saw her heading back into the water for a second time, struggling to stay afloat in the rough water. 

"Shal, no!" 

Coughs tore from his throat as he groaned in fright, shuddering as she dipped under and was lost from his sight.  "No!"   He raced back into the water, wheezing as cold water again filled his lungs, and he swallowed a mouthful as backwash whipped into his face.  He flailed his tired arms and panicked when his legs failed to respond for a moment.  His heart pounded in his chest and weary limbs finally responded.  He squinted through the waves and saw a flash of blonde curls.

"Shalimar!"

Her head turns towards him, and in that split second, she was in trouble.  She had just reached Ben, slipping an arm around his waist as he jerked spasmodically, eyes bulging, and lashed out.  He put his hands on Shalimar's shoulders and pushed her under, screaming.  In his panic, Ben was trying to climb up on Shalimar's shoulders.  Brennan dove under the water and kicked desperately, surfacing a few feet from them.  Shalimar came up, choking, and Ben pushed her under again.  In two strokes, Brennan reached them.  Drawing back his fist, he hit Ben squarely across the jaw, abruptly ending his hysterical screams, and capturing him in his arms.  He crooked him under his elbow and wildly searched for Shalimar.  She surfaced beside him, panting for air. 

"Brennan!"  She saw that he had Ben, and set out again, this time for the packs that were bobbing on the swirling waters. 

"Shal, no!" 

But she stubbornly swam on.  He gritted his teeth and again headed for shore, seeing Ana pulling the last person out of the water a few feet in front of him. 

"Brennan!"  Ana coughed in relief as he staggered up beside her.  "I think we've got everyone now."  She shivered as the wind tore through her wet clothing. 

Brennan grimly shook his head.  "Shalimar went after the gear."  He turned around and dove again into the frigid water.  

She was so cold.  She couldn't feel any of her fingers anymore, and her legs responded sluggishly to her brain's feverish commands.  The pack slammed into her chest as another wave dumped her upside down, and she choked on a mouthful of river water.   She clawed her way to the surface, heaving for air as her lungs burned and nostrils flared in desperation. 

Something hit her, hard.  In the pit of her stomach.  She bent, then tumbled, dizzy, lost.  She was under the water, and something was pulling at her.  Fuzzily she thought, Doesn't hurt.  Yet.  She realized there was water in her nose, and her hand automatically rose and pinched it.  She was going around, up, then in circles, backward, tumbling.  Where was the surface?

She felt something.  It was blowing air.  On her face.  Very slowly, as if she were in a slow motion dream, she let go of her nostrils and cautiously took a breath.  She choked, gagged, sucking in great lungfuls of air.  Then she opened her eyes. 

Brennan looked down at her.  She was floating, lying in his shaking arms like a limp rag doll. 

He grinned.  "Hey, Shal." 

"Hey," she numbly blinked back at him, rousing as reality suddenly seeped back in.  "Brennan!" She clutched at his arms.  "You're in water."

"Yeah," he gasped, "I noticed."

She realized they had reached the sandbank, and she staggered to her feet in the knee deep water.  Together, they stumbled up the narrow gorge, and Brennan finally went limp, letting go of Shalimar, and falling to the sand, too spent to say anything.  He groaned, each breath an agony.  Helplessly, Shalimar laid her hand on his straining back as he convulsively gulped for air.  He had been fighting, ignoring pain and fear and defeat.  His sculptured features were contorted as he struggled for breath, and his arms lay in sharp relief against the riverbank, muscles lumped and bulged.  His chest glistened with spray and sweat and shudders wracked his body. 

Her fingers trembled with numbed shock as she forced her weary arms to turn him over, cupping his cheeks and leaning over him, eyes slamming shut with relief as he coughed and groaned, raising a shaky hand to brush tangled curls off her wet cheeks. 

"You ok?" 

A hysterical sob tore from her throat.  "Am I ok?"  She pressed a kiss against his shivering lips, pulling back and smiling tumultuously, "Yeah, I'm ok." 

Ana ran up to them and almost knocked Shalimar down as she dropped to her knees beside them.  "Are you guys alright?  You scared me to death!"

"Yeah," Shalimar tore her eyes from Brennan to the distraught woman next to her.  "How's everyone else?"

Ana bit her trembling lips.  "You saved them all." 

Brennan half grinned, "Course she did. She's Shalimar."  He weakly squeezed her fingers in pride. 

Shalimar turned astonished eyes to Brennan.  "And you saved me."

"Hardly," Brennan scoffed.

"You did, Bren," she repeated, suddenly grave.  "I know it.  You know it."

They stared at each other, forgetting everyone else. 

Ana awkwardly cleared her throat and left them alone.

Shalimar leaned over him, smoothing his hair back and wiping his face dry.  

Underneath her, Brennan huffed and groaned, "Shal?"

She sniffled, "Yeah, Bren?"

"Let's not do that again."

She laughed hoarsely, collapsing onto his chest.  She was filthy.  She hurt.  Everything hurt.  Every muscle was sore, her clothes felt like a hundred-weights.  Her mouth was parched, her throat raw. 

They were alive.