Fording the river took the better part of an hour for the entire company to cross. The river was only a couple dozen yards across, but chest-deep and freezing cold, with a strong current. The best swimmers in the group crossed first, driving large stakes deep into the ground on both banks before tying off a length of rope at both ends. Then one after the other bodies crossed, half walking-half dragging themselves through the water with the newly-fastened hand line.By the time Jack reached the far end of the river, he was completely exhausted. By the look of the heaving chests and gasping faces of those around him, he obviously wasn"t alone. Seeing many of the hardened fighters around him shivering made him even more grateful that cold no longer affected him in the way it did them. Otherwise, he might not have even made it across.
Once everyone was across, it was quickly agreed across the gathered ma.s.s that lunch and rest was in order. Rose pulled out some dried meat and cheese, as well as bread. Looking around, Jack noticed that no one was making fires, which upon reflection made sense. Fires meant smoke, which meant announcing their current location to anything that might be interested in it. Which was a shame, really. Being soaked through sucked. He could already feel his hands and feet getting all pruney, and that damp feeling in his pants wasn"t the slightest bit pleasant either.
Not content to sit in wet clothes, he starting running through spellwords in his mind to see if he could come up with something to help him dry off. If he couldn"t sit next to a toasty fire or have a hot meal, the least he could do would be to rest without puddles in his boots. With a muttered word and a quick gesture, the water evaporated from his clothes and hair, and congealed into a floating sphere of water that floated lazily in front of him.
He looked over at Rose, who was in the midst of wringing the water out of her tunic, and then back at the globule of water in front of him. He grinned as the idea came into his head, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the water ball flying at Rose.
It landed square upside her face with a splash, and she gasped as her eyes shot open and her limbs stiffened from the sudden shock. Her head jerked around to look at him, her expression a mixture of shock and irritation.
Jack laughed and stuck his tongue out at her, and she scowled at him. Then, without a word, she leapt up from her sitting position, and his expression quickly faded from one of amus.e.m.e.nt to one of concern as she dove through the air and tackled him to the ground before he had a chance to react.
He tried to resist as she grappled with him, but her strength easily outcla.s.sed his own, and soon he found himself pinned as she sat on top of him, pinning his arms to the ground with her knees. Rose looked down at him, a look of triumph on her face.
"That wasn"t very nice of you." She said.
Jack shook his head, and then grinned again. "Nope. It wasn"t. But it was funny."
"Say you"re sorry." She said.
"Not a chance, lady" Jack said, mock-grimacing as he tried to free his arms from underneath her kneecaps.
Rose shifted her weight, driving her knees harder into the soft of his arms.
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"Say it, mister hero, before I bruise your arms." Rose said, leaning forward and staring into his eyes with a playfully threatening expression.