Chapter 314

[Atlas}

Jude raises his hands above his head, placing them in clear view but my eyes aren't there.

My eyes are on the water next to the boat. A series of ripples set my heart on edge.

"Cordelia," I gasp.

I don't think. I don't feel. I just act.

Stripping off my coat and shoes I dive off the ship so close to Jude's boat that the wake almost tips him over. The water is murky and dark and it is impossible to see anything. My lungs burning with the effort I refuse to quit. I will not let my wife die because another selfish megalomaniac interferes in our life for their own benefit.

The weight of the water above me is pushing down and I wonder if I will drown trying to find her.

But then I see it, a flash of light off of one of her emerald rings as she struggles against the bindings at her wrists in a fruitless attempt at swimming. Following the light flicker of movement I kick even harder, struggling to reach her before she's too deep for me to get us to the surface in time.

How long is