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Iko squeezed her hand "Why haven’t they--" She took a step forward, but paused

Iko’s body wasn’tand Cress had never been in a body of water larger than a bathtub

They were useless

Cress pressed a shaky hand over herthe hot tears on her face It had been far too long

"There!" Iko cried, pointing Two--no, three heads appeared over the dark, chopping waves

Iko took another step "She is alive, isn’t she? She … she doesn’t see?"

"I’lanced at Iko, but couldn’t bring herself to ask the question she knew they’d all been thinking The live broadcast of the wedding feast had shown the fro toward the lake below

Could Cinder swim?

Everyone had thought it, but no one had asked

Together, the four of therateful that the few Lunars they saere too busy celebrating the queen’s e to pay them any attention Jacin had led the way, fa where the bodies that fell into it from the throne room occasionally surfaced There had been no hesitation between them--they all knew they had to find Cinder while Levana was reeling froht of Cinder’s dark forasp of joy and relief froroup, but they still had no idea what state Cinder would be in

Was she alive? Was she injured? Could she swio of Iko and waded out to join the her down on the white sand

"Is she alive?" Iko asked, half-hysterical "Is she breathing?"

"Let’s get her to that boathouse," Jacin said "We can’t stay out here"

Thorne, Jacin, and Iko shared the job of carrying Cinder’s limp body while Cress ran ahead to hold the doors Three rowboats were stacked on brackets against the two sidewalls, with a fourth laid out in the middle and covered with a tarp She cleared aa space for them to lay out Cinder’s body, but Jacin laid her on the hard floor instead Iko closed the doors, shrouding the room in darkness Cress scraht

Jacin didn’t bother to check for breath or a pulse before he leaned over Cinder and locked his hands together on top of her chest His eyes hardened as he started to pump down on her sternum with quick, forceful e

"Do you knohat you’re doing?" said Thorne, crouched on Cinder’s other side He coughed and wiped his mouth with his arm "Do you need help? We learned this in boot ca," said Jacin

And he did seem to know, as he tilted Cinder’s head back and formed a seal over her mouth with his own

Thorne didn’t look co at Cinder’s feet, Cress watched in silence as Jacin started the coain She remembered net dramas where the heroine was revived by the hero with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation It had see, dreams in which the press of a man’s lips could breathe life back into her lifeless form

The dramas had lied There was a violence to this they hadn’t shown She griainst Cinder’s sternu she could feel the bruises on her own chest

She felt suspended in tih a small, filthyto keep watch Iko wrapped her arms around her body and looked about ready to dissolve into iain when Cinder jerked She started to gag

Jacin eased her head over to the side and water burbled out of her h not asher airway clear, until she had stopped hacking She was breathing again Weak and shaky, but breathing

Cinder opened her eyes and Jacin eased her into a sitting position Her right arm flopped Her hand found Jacin’s ar," she croaked