They impacted much more roughly than he intended, and he worried that he might have hurt her. She sagged in his arms, and he wasn’t sure if she had passed out from the collision of their bodies or from her spiraling flips as she flailed wildly. Holding tight, he wrapped his legs around hers and embraced her as tightly as he could.
He glanced at the altimeter on the left wrist of the suit. They still had quite a way to fall before they could safely deploy their chutes. He controlled their descent as best he could. Down below, he saw what looked like a stretch of pale sandy beach and then nothing but dark water for miles and miles. A water landing might have been less dangerous in better circumstances, but he felt sure that tonight, their safest bet was the beach.
He angled their bodies in that direction and glanced at his altimeter every few seconds. Considering the failed radio communication, he was concerned the auto deploy function on their suits wouldn’t work either. Not willing to take the chance, he checked the altimeter again and again until they were nearly at the deployment range.
Unwrapping his legs from her body, he yanked on the parachute deployment handle and let go. He flew back as her chute erupted from the back of the suit and caught the air, hauling her up into the sky as he continued to sink. When he was certain her canopy had completely unfurled, he pulled his chute cord and jerked upward as well.
Alys sagged under her chute, clearly still unconscious. She wouldn’t be able to steer herself toward the beach so he used the toggles on either side to direct his chute toward hers. He managed to swoop in just behind her and used his legs to catch her again. His thighs burned as he held tight and steered them away from the ocean and toward the beach with his parachute.
Their speed was still too high as they approached the ground. There was nothing else he could do about that. At the last second, he let go and watched Alys drop to the sand like a rock. He hit a few feet away from her, his feet sliding in the sand until he came to a full stop. He jettisoned his parachute and rushed to catch Alys. Her chute had caught the wind, and she was being slowly dragged off the beach and into the water.
He grabbed hold of the front of her suit and jettisoned her chute. It flew off into the night, disappearing over the ocean. Grunting, he hauled her onto the beach and as far as he could away from the water before he collapsed. His entire body trembled with anxiety and fear as he ripped off his helmet and crawled over Alys.
When he removed her helmet, he winced at the blood on her face. She had a small gash on the front of her head, above her eye. Probably from whacking into the visor of her helmet. He felt around the back of her head and didn’t find any other injuries.
She made a sad little whimpering sound before opening her eyes and focusing on his face. Her brow was furrowed and then her eyes suddenly widened and she bolted upright. “Swift!”
“Shh,” he urged and embraced her. “We’re okay, baby. We’re okay.”
“You pushed me,” she sobbed.
“I know. I’m sorry.” Guilt tore at his heart. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she wept. “I wouldn’t have jumped. Pushing me was the only way.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, hating that he had added to her terror. “I’m so sorry, Alys.”
By now, he was crying, too. He clutched his wife, rocking her side to side as they tried to process the absolute nightmare they had just survived. Above them, the ship broke up into pieces, many of them on fire. They fell toward the ocean like meteors. It would have been beautiful if the circumstances hadn’t been so horrific.
Carefully, he helped Alys out of the suit and led her a little farther away from the water. He peeled out of his suit and joined her on the beach. Sitting behind Alys, he dragged her between his legs, urging her to lean back against him. She sagged into his embrace, and he kissed her cheek. “Search and Rescue will find us soon.”
“Swift?”
“Yes?”
“I know this is a really bad time, but I need to go,” she said meekly.
“Go?” Confused, he asked, “Go where?”
She shot him a perturbed look. “Swift.”
“What? Oh.” He finally understood. “Right. Um—okay. Let’s head into the trees.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He grasped both of her hands and hauled her to her feet. “If anyone should be apologizing, it’s our kids.”
She laughed and then asked, “Do you think anyone will believe them when they say they survived their first skydive before they were born?”
“It will definitely make for a good story.” He scouted the area ahead and decided this was far enough. “There.” He gestured to a tree with strange bark. “I’ll be right here waiting for you. If you need help—.”
Alys snorted with amusement. “Swift, I’ve peed in the woods more times than you have probably.”
“Fair enough, but I’d also like to point out this isn’t the woods you’re used to,” he remarked.
“True.” She disappeared from sight, and he kept his gaze fixed on the sky above them, searching for any signs of a rescue ship. When she emerged from the shadows a short time later, she said, “I always wanted to see the ocean and visit the beach, but I really didn’t mean like this.”
Swift laughed and curled his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against his chest, and he pointed out the approaching lights of a rescue vessel. She clutched at his shirt, and he gave her shoulders a squeeze, silently comforting her.
Their rescue would be the end of this terrible experience, but it was only the beginning of something sneakier and uglier happening in the war with the Splinters.
Tonight, everything had changed.
The war was entering a new phase.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Five Months Later
“Move back so we can see the whole bump,” Bonnie ordered with a wave of her hand. Her smiling face filled the screen on the tablet, and Alys wondered if getting a satellite communication unit installed at the farmhouse was such a good idea after all. “Come on! Hurry!”
Alys walked back from the dining table until the entire curve of her belly could be seen. “There. Happy?”
“Oh my goodness!” Mama exclaimed. “Alys, I think I’m going to have to frog those booties and hats I crocheted and remake them in a bigger size.”
“Mama!” Bonnie chided.
“What? I’m serious, Bonnie. Look at that belly! Those babies are going to be nine pounds apiece!”
“Mother! Really!” Wendy scolded from somewhere in the background. “You’re going to scare Alys with all this talk of giant babies!”
“Alys isn’t a simpleton. She knows her babies are going to be bigger than normal coming from a father the size of an ox.” Her mother turned her attention to Alys. “It’s a good thing you’re so sturdy. You’re built for this sort of thing.”
“Oh, Mama! Stop!” Bonnie urged, her voice high-pitched with mortification.
Alys wasn’t sure if she should be upset or amused. “Thanks, Mama.”
Their mother sent a triumphant look in Bonnie’s direction. Turning her attention back to the screen, she asked, “Are you still doing your walking every day?”