of choppy turbulent water poured over the rocks, foam frothing around the glistening obstacles.
Kelvin held up his hand, and they changed to backward strokes to keep themselves steady in the water. Kelvin’s canoe would go first, so the rest of them could see the path.
Lacey studied the rolling water, picking out the line she thought Kelvin would take. She was gratified to see his canoe travel through exactly as she’d picked, the craft bouncing over the turbulence before being evicted into the calm patch at the end.
Next up were Richard and Jen. There was a shriek from Jen as their canoe moved sideways and got a bit closer to a large rock than was comfortable before also being spat out the other side.
Lacey checked the straps on her life jacket. Tightened one. The last thing she wanted if pitched into rough waters was for her lifejacket to go shooting off over her head because it wasn’t snug enough.
“You all good?” Victor had to yell the words to be heard.
“Yup, let’s go.” Lacey dug her oar into the water, trusting Victor would do the same behind her. The canoe skimmed across the surface, one, two, three, four strokes then the bow plunged into the roller coaster.
Fingers tightening around her oar, Lacey dug into the churn, focused on the line that they needed to hold for safe passage. The boat bounced, but the line held, Victor’s powerful strokes matching hers to keep them on course.
There was a yell, and the boat swung out from beneath her, the front veering off course. From the weight, she knew Victor was still in the canoe, but there was no time to look back and see what had happened.
“You okay?” She yelled, but the words were whipped away by the roar of the water. There was no power coming from the back. Either Victor had lost his oar, or something had happened that meant he could no longer paddle. Both left her as the only thing getting them through.
Gritting her teeth, she swapped sides and dug her oar into the left, just managing to push them away from a large rock. Her arms burned as she paddled for two people, changing sides, trying to ensure she left enough space for the back to swing in a larger arc than the front.
White water sprayed across her, the cold causing her breath to be whisked out of her lungs. She shook her head, trying clear water from her eyes. Thank goodness the fat braid she’d tied her hair into was holding.
They plunged into the next set of rolling water, Victor’s weight in the back lifting the front and she braced her legs and torso to stop herself being flung out of the canoe.
Paddle, paddle, paddle. There was no time to think of anything else as she made split-second decisions about what side to paddle on to try and keep them upright as water slammed against both sides of their vessel and rocks loomed on both sides.
Another spray of water rolled over her body. Vibrations echoed up her arm as she dug her oar in, only for it to hit a rock hiding under the surface.
She could see the anxious faces of the rest of the team, waiting on the smooth water. Jen leaned forward, mouth open, words lost.
They were almost there. She pushed her oar in, and the canoe bounced through the last two sets of rough water, spitting them out onto the calm.
They’d made it.
Her body sagged with relief. Then suddenly the canoe was tipping, the water drowning out the words that came out of her mouth. She’d made the rookiest error of all.
She’d gotten to the calm water and stopped paddling.
Victor braced himself as the canoe rolled, but nothing could have prepared him for the way the air was ripped out of his lungs by a full-body plunge into the icy mountain waters. Getting his legs wet was one thing. Complete immersion was another.
He kicked, his heavy hiking boots fighting against the current. His life jacket would bring him to the surface, but he wanted to be clear of the canoe when it did.
It was nothing less than he deserved. As they’d entered the rapids, he’d lost his focus for a split second as he tugged his life jacket down. That was all it took for the churning water to whip his oar out of his hands like it was a piece of kindling.
His head broke through the water, and he sucked in a breath. A