“Get the rope from my bag,” Terena called over her shoulder to Croak as Daris and the Liodari came up behind them. She made to put her bow back over her shoulder when Rydon gripped her wrist and motioned with his chin.
“Shit,” Jason said, as he looked down at the ravine at the same time Terena saw it.
Sawthem.
Three wolves slunk toward the boy, their low growls making the boy’s cries more urgent. Desperate.
Terena’s heart raced. She bolted upright, pushing past Rydon and Gabriol as she ran along the edge of the ravine, her eyes on the wolves as she nocked an arrow.
The wolves turned their heads in unison when the men shouted after her. Terena’s mind cleared as she dropped. Pulling the bowstring tight, she loosed it on the wolf closest to the boy.
A second arrow was already in flight before the first reached its target. Swiftly flying through the air, the third arrow hit the back leg of the second wolf with a thud.
Terena heard more arrows and glanced back long enough to see Rydon and Michael with their bows raised, arrows flying at the wolves.
Croak ran to her with the rope coiled in his fist and flung it at her. Terena dropped the bow and wrapped one end of the rope around her waist, tossing the other end at Croak. She turned and looked over the edge again, trying to find a way down the ravine that wouldn’t kill her.
At last, she found a path and dropped down. Daris raced forward and dropped to his belly, grabbing the strap of her shoulder guard when she slipped. Terena’s eyes shot up and blinked up at his face, flushed red and tight as he clenched his jaw, his eyes flashing.
Terena exhaled roughly and looked around to find another spot for her hand to hold on to. She peered over her shoulder. Her right foot found a rock to support her as Daris released his hold on her.
She looked up again and saw he’d taken up the front spot of the rope Rydon and Gabriol held. Croak was on his belly, hanging over the edge as he watched her, terror in his eyes.
Terena reached the bottom, heart thudding painfully against her ribs. Untying the rope at her waist, she heard the others call down to her, Croak’s voice loud in protest.
Pushing back a lock of hair, Terena unsheathed her sword. She swallowed, glancing over to where the wolves had stood, two of them dead.
The third wolf was nowhere in sight.
As if sensing her thoughts, Gabriol called down. “He ran off. We’re watching for him, don’t worry. Get to the boy!”
Terena nodded, not bothering to look up. Holding her sword loosely at her side, she strode forward, the boy watching her through tear-filled eyes. His chin wobbled and his face was streaked with tears, dirt and blood from a cut on his temple.
“You’re so brave,” she crooned, hoping her voice sounded reassuring. She held out her free hand to him. “So brave, sweet boy. So brave. I’m going to help you. Is that all right?”
His small head bobbed once, and he whimpered.
“You’re okay now. I’m here. We’re all here to help you. Don’t you worry. You’ll be free soon.”
Terena glanced over her shoulder one more time before she sheathed her sword and dropped to the boy’s side. As she moved her hands closer to his broken leg, she asked, “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
She touched the break at his shin, and he jerked it back, a small cry escaping his lips before he started sobbing again.
“You’re all right, you’re all right,” she whispered, moving her hands slowly over the rest of him to check for other breaks or sprains. “What’s your name, brave one?”
He winced when she glided her hand gently over his left hip, but didn’t cry out. “Nikos.”
“Nikos,” Terena said and flashed him a big smile as she moved closer. “That’s a fantastic name for such a brave boy.”
His only response was another whimper, but he tightened his tiny mouth, trying to stop the wobble of his chin.
“I need you to be brave for me again,” she said, moving her hands slowly under his body. “I need to pick you up, all right? But it might hurt. Only for a second, Nikos. And then I’ll carry you out of here. Can you be brave for me a bit longer?”
He nodded, shifting as she moved her hands under him and lifted him. He cried out sharply, his broken leg dropping as Terena pulled him up and close to her chest. She made to rise, crooning more soothing words at him when she heard the shouts from the top of the ravine. She turned and saw the wolf racing at her, dodging the arrows her friends were shooting at him.
Terena froze.
Her eyes widened, then she turned and ran, feet pounding against the uneven ravine floor as the wolf gained on them. She heard the shouts from above and more arrows zinging in the air.
