Of course, Gavin remained inside the stream for his safety.
The water swallowed him whole and cold, relentlessly rushing past his body in a steady, suffocating current.
Gavin forced himself deeper, flattening against the uneven bed of the stream with one hand braced against a stone deep below to keep him from drifting.
He didn't move or breathe.
Above him, the surface rippled faintly, as he managed to see distortedly the shadows of Malviero's men up in the land, shifting and positioning themsleves carefully along the bank.
He could barely see what they were doing properly but he was sure they were three figures, spread out with their guns drawn, waiting patiently for him like predators.
His lungs burned the more he stayed there as his instinct to breathe clawed violently and sharply at his throat, his chest tightening as his body began to betray him.
