A ravine.
It cut through the forest, the stream rushing along it over twenty feet below. It was too wide to leap across at ground level, but the trees—those beautiful trees stretched over the abyss from either side, nearly meeting in the middle.
I climbed higher, seeking thicker branches that bridged the gap. My heart hammered against my ribs as I inched out along a massive limb that sagged beneath my weight. Had I thought the stream lay twenty feet below? Make that thirty, and the water flowed around sharp, deadly-looking rocks. Halfway across, I heard the ominous crack of splintering wood.
Oh, no. Oh, shit.
I scrambled forward as the branch gave way, fingers clawing at the bark of the opposite limb just as my foothold dropped into the chasm below. Dangling by fingertips, I pulled myself onto solid wood, chest heaving.
Ha! Let’s see you follow me now, Valen.
The knight stood at the edge of the ravine, considering the obstacle with inhuman patience before turning to seek another crossing.
I descended on the far side, dropping into a thicket of ferns that cushioned my landing. Ancient standing stones loomed ahead, their weathered faces covered in moss and lichen. Maybe they served some magical purpose, but whoever had built them must have fled or been executed long ago. All I cared about now was that I could hide behind them and catch my breath.
Valen might find another way to cross the ravine, but it would take time.
As my heartbeat slowly returned to normal and my breathing evened out, I tried to wrap my head around Valen chasing me. I’d thought about him once or twice since the heist… Fine, more like several dozen times. He’d shown a sense of humor as sharp as his sword, wasn’t afraid to make fun of himself, and knewhis wine. I’d never taken to someone so fast before. Never in a thousand years would I have thought he’d be ruthlessly hunting me through a forest.
The day’s light was fading, shadows lengthening across the forest floor as twilight approached. Maman must have started worrying. Would she come into the forest to search for me? Had she seen the pegasus in the sky? I had to get back to her, but I couldn’t risk Valen seeing us together. If he realized she was my mother, he would use her as leverage.
I scaled one of the standing stones, its rough surface providing ample handholds. From its summit, I jumped to the nearest tree, fingers wrapping around a branch as my body swung in an arc that carried me to the next tree without touching ground. Then I climbed up, up, up.
My head poked out from the canopy. Crisp, clear air invigorated my lungs and whipped about my hair as I scanned the landscape. There was the road, but I couldn’t see Maman. And where…?
Another shadow passed over me, and I heard a whinny.
Oh,hell. How had I forgotten about the pegasus?
The knight swooped down, grabbing for me. I reared back, lost my balance, and tumbled with a shriek.
A million thoughts and regrets passed through my mind as I fell. How long would my mother wait for me to come back? What would happen when she realized I wouldn’t return? How would she survive without me taking care of her?
I hit at least three branches, and the agonizing impacts slowed my fall. Then I landed in a thick, soft bush. Lucky me.
Dazed, I lay there for several moments. Huh. I didn’t feel any pain. You’d think—
Ah. There it was. Groaning, I pushed myself up into a sitting position just in time to see Valen drop to the ground beside me.
I let my head flop back down onto the bush.
“Shit.”
Chapter 5
Emmeline
He grabbed my arm before I could even think of running again, grip clamping me more tightly than a rusty vise in a torture dungeon.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, face full of concern.
Just kidding. There was no concern there, only narrowed eyes that hinted at annoyance. Knocking me from a tree and nearly breaking my neck must have really inconvenienced him.
“What do you think?” I snapped.
He heaved me to my feet and looked me over. “You’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, just wonderful.” I tried to pull away. “Falling out of a tree is great fun. Why don’tyoutry it next?”
