SFFS 5/3/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 5

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 5 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 4 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she has decided to swim for it.

I heard Kelhene shout in alarm behind me. The violet monster wasn't interested in changing targets. I concentrated on a graceful dive off the bank into the water. The lake was deep enough, here, for the Swan to have sufficient draft – I hoped my relatively flat dive wouldn't take me too far towards the muddy, weed-filled lake-bed. Something slammed into my leg before I hit the water, and I yelled in pain. It meant I got a mouthful of warm green water rather than the deep breath I had been planning to take. I went under, momentum carrying me further into the lake. The agony in my calf lessened as the spike was pulled out by my motion. I had no doubt that the water was turning a similar shade of crimson to the grass. All the vegetation in the depths of the Chasm is red. Water isn't normally that shade, but my blood is.

My head broke the surface and I spluttered desperately, trying to get half the lake out of my lungs. The giant ruzdrool was still on shore, tentacles waving wildly. It wasn't waving me a fond farewell – but it also wasn't following me into the lake.

As always, comments welcomed!