Not as long as he had breath in his body. He clenched his jaw against the pain and finished standing. Audrey must have realized it wasn’t worth the attempt to stop him, for she slid her hand down to his arm and helped with the last of his efforts.
After straightening, he took in steady, shallow breaths to let his insides settle. To cover his weakness, he used the time to map out the best path down the slope.
“I’ll walk down with you.” Without waiting for him to respond, Audrey turned and started toward the goat trail.
He let out a careful breath and followed. She could go to the bottom of the mountain, but he would be the one to approach Leonard.
Keeping his eyes on the next step ahead was the only way he managed to maneuver down the slope. Audrey easily outdistanced him, but she paused to wait for him several times on the descent before continuing on.
At last, they reached the area where the ground leveled off. Everything in him begged to stay here and rest. To catch his breath and let the burning in his ribs subside before he proceeded. But if he didn’t move now, Audrey would start off without him again.
He stepped past her and held up a hand. “Wait here.”
As he picked his way around a section of boulders that looked like they’d once come from a rockslide, he prepared himself for what he would find. Blood, undoubtedly. Limbs in unlikely positions from broken bones.
The life of a promising young man snuffed out.
After finally making his way around the rockslide, he reached the area where the cliff met the ground. Except it didn’t meet the ground exactly. The base of the vertical slope joined a flat stone platform as tall as his shoulders that he would have to hoist himself up onto. His arms had regained some of their strength, but lifting his body like that would be a challenge.
He could see Leonard’s form on the platform about fifteen strides away, but from this angle, he could only make out the top of the man’s head and one arm. He’d have to climb up there and check Leonard’s pulse to be sure no life remained.
By the time he managed to wriggle and groan his way up onto the stone platform, he was more than grateful Audrey hadn’t watched his awkward, exhausted attempts. His ribs felt like they’d never heal, especially if he kept climbing up and down this mountain.
He lay on his back for a long moment to gather himself, then prepared for the arduous task of standing. When he gained his feet, the thought occurred that maybe he should have just crawled over to Leonard. He had to come back to his knees when he reached the man anyway. But his pain-numbed mind wasn’t thinking quickly enough to save himself the effort.
He stilled himself as he approached the body, forcing his emotions back and letting his mind focus only on the facts.
Blood coated the man’s face, streaking through his hair and pooling beneath his head. One arm lay twisted, the wrist bent down in a position that had to mean it was broken. The other hand lay under Leonard’s body, so he couldn’t tell for sure about that one. The legs weren’t noticeably broken, but there might be damage not obvious.
As he dropped to his knees to check the man’s pulse, he had to look away from Leonard’s young face. The damage from the rocks marred his features, giving him a grotesque appearance.
Levi pressed fingers to his neck, searching in several places for sign of a heartbeat. Nothing. No rise and fall of his chest.
Just in case, Levi gripped the man’s shoulder and gave a shake. “Leonard, can you hear me?” He knew the effort was wasted, but he had to be able to tell Audrey he’d checked thoroughly for any sign of life.
At last, Levi pulled his hands back and closed his eyes.Lord, have mercy on his soul. He had no idea if Leonard belonged to the heavenly Father.And give his family peace.
How would they tell the man’s next of kin? Audrey would have to let them know when she returned. A new wave of pain crept through him. Her return would be hard in so many ways.
He finally stood and gave a final salute to the fallen guard. Then he turned his attention to getting back to Audrey.
Likely, searchers would come again today. There may even be people in the area now. He needed to get back to the cave and figure out the extent of his injuries, then determine what to do next.
He reached the edge of the platform and bent to sit on the ledge. Getting down might be almost as painful as climbing up. He could either jump or turn around and lower himself. The latter would be harder on his ribs, so he would do better to jump and brace himself for the pain that would ricochet through his body upon landing.
Inhaling a breath to prepare, he launched forward to land far enough away from the platform that he avoided the loose stones at its base.
When his feet hit the ground, something shifted under his boot. His left leg twisted inward, shifting his weight sideways. He couldn’t catch his balance, and something seemed to buckle beneath the limb.
The ground rushed up to meet him, slamming hard into his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut as the pain blinded him.
14
Should she follow Levi around this pile of rocks or not? Audrey’s body had begun to shake as she waited. The cold played a part, no doubt, but so did the layers of reality sinking through her shock.
Leonard was dead. She’d never known him well, as he’d been a year behind her in school and he had no sisters. He was a gangly lad with freckles covering his cheeks and nose. He’d always played with the adventurous boys, so it hadn’t surprised her when she learned he was training to be a guard.
But now ... how would she tell his mother? How would she tell anyone in Laurent? When she turned herself in, she would have to be the one to give the awful news.
