Leonard stumbled forward, his upper body joining the battle to regain his balance. But the momentum forced by the incline sent him toppling downward. With the bow still in his arms, he tried to brace himself with his hands.
Levi lunged forward to help, sliding down the slope on the sides of his feet as he fought to keep himself from tumbling like Leonard.
The man was on his side now, so maybe he could use his hands to keep from rolling. But he still held the bow—was tangled in it, maybe. His body flipped over before Levi could reach him.
The fellow cried out, almost at the same moment as a scream echoed from behind them.
13
The descent was steeper now, and Levi had to drop to his knees as he moved. But he had to go faster. Had to stop Leonard before his tumbling picked up speed.
The guard had begun to howl. The rocks must be pounding his face and every other part of him. He didn’t seem able to use his hands to stop himself. Though the bow rolled with him, he didn’t look entangled anymore. Maybe he’d broken his wrists in the fall.
Levi had to move faster, or he’d never reach the man. Leonard was only a few rolls away from the drop-off that tumbled down in a sheer cliff.
A single scrubby tree caught his eye. The overgrown bush perched right at the top of the cliff and looked to be in line with where Leonard’s feet would hit. Was the tree strong enough to stop the man? It had the same prickly needles as the one blocking the cave.
“Grab the tree!” Levi screamed to Leonard, even as he himself launched toward the plant.
The man might be too roughed up to hear and understand. If his wrists were broken, he wouldn’t be able to obey. But ifLevi could reach him before he toppled over the precipice, he could use the tree to stop them both from tumbling over.
“No!” Audrey’s scream barely penetrated his mind as he landed headfirst in the prickly branches.
Leonard’s upper body had already begun to roll over the edge, but Levi grabbed his leg with one hand and the tree with the other.
His hold wasn’t firm enough on the man, and he scrambled to wrap his arm around the tree’s base so he could use both hands to grip Leonard.
The guard’s bellow filled the air as every part of him from the knees up hung suspended over the cliff.
Levi fought for a better hold. He only had one of Leonard’s legs, and one of his hands gripped mostly leather. He strained with everything in him to keep Leonard from falling farther. His awkward position kept him from using the strength in the core of his body, so he had to rely almost completely on the abilities of his arms. His fingers were the weak link.
With Leonard’s entire bulk dangling over the edge, the grip Levi clung to relied heavily on the strength of the man’s leather leggings.
His grip slipped. First a little, then an awful ripping sound rose even over Leonard’s cries. Levi had to get a better hold on the man’s leg. A firm grip with both hands on more than leather.
Stones skittered down beside him, then Audrey slid into view, barely stopping at his side. Levi’s heartbeats stalled as panic washed through him. What if she hadn’t halted before going over the edge? As much as he needed help getting Leonard up, he couldn’t risk Audrey’s safety.
But she was already reaching over the ledge. She dropped to her belly to stretch lower. Levi couldn’t hold Leonard and Audrey both—he wasn’t even certain how much longer he could hold the guard. He had to get a firmer grip.
“I have his trousers.” Audrey’s voice sounded strained.
Gritting his teeth and tightening his one good hold on Leonard’s leg, Levi released his grip on the leather and grabbed for a firm clutch around the ankle.
He caught the joint, but the shift made Leonard drop even lower, stretching Levi’s arms and stealing more of his strength.
Leonard screamed. Audrey slid forward, reaching farther over the cliff’s edge.
No!Every bit of Levi’s muscles strained to hold the man, so he couldn’t even eke out the word.
Beneath him, Leonard began to writhe, twisting and kicking as though he wanted to be free. As though he were trying to plunge headfirst to the rocks below.
“Leonard, stop! Be still.” Audrey yelled the words thundering through Levi’s mind.
But the man didn’t listen.
As Leonard jerked, Levi’s hold slipped until he was barely grasping the man’s foot. He clung with everything he had left.
But with another kick, the frantic guard broke loose.
