Chapter 11
The rushing water swirling far below her made Isa’s head spin. She stepped away from the ledge of the canyon. Her heart was pounding, causing an uncomfortable throbbing sensation at the back of her neck. Not wanting to show fear, she casually reached up behind her head and gently put pressure on the top of her spine where the pulsing was most insistent.
“I’ve never seen the water this high before,” she said to Macklin and Luca, ignoring the giant beast who was leaning against a tree behind her, well away from the edge of the canyon. She couldn’t tell if he was afraid of heights as well or merely gloating in the fact that he had been right.
“It would appear that the bridge is, indeed, gone,” Macklin confirmed.
“The changing weather must have caused a freak flood higher up the mountains,” Luca speculated. “Washed the bridge clean away.”
The only remaining element of the wooden structure they had recently walked across was some dangling rope and a few twisted posts on either side of the canyon.
Despite the panic signals from her body, which were telling her to run in the opposite direction, Isa peered over the edge once more.
The water was definitely higher than she had ever seen it, but the canyon was so deep that it was still a long drop down. Her mind conjured the image of the rushing river swelling up the polished rock walls, spilling over the edge where she was currently standing, and devouring everything in its path. It was not a pleasant thought.
Her neck pulsed again, pounding against the base of her skull.
She rubbed at the spot, keeping her eyes on the canyon wall to find a safe path down.
The smooth walls plunged to the depths below, with hardly a plant clinging to the rocky surface. Even if someone could safely make it down the risky embankment, not even the strongest swimmer could navigate the swollen torrents and get to the other side. And if he could, he would then be faced with climbing the completely vertical surface.
Panic swelled in her chest, and she backed away from the dizzying overlook. The nearest village was on the other side of the canyon. How would they contact the villagers to alert them of their plight? Who would rebuild the bridge? How would they get home? Who would protect her from...
“You did this.” She whipped around, pointing at the unconcerned figure with his arms crossed in front of him.
Isa had not gotten a good look at the beast in the darkness of the previous night, and she had been terrified to discover that he was even scarier in daylight. He stood on his two hind feet like a man, but he was several hands taller than average and his massive shoulders made him twice as wide.
“You tore out the bridge last night so you could trap us here without aid while you...” She wanted to back away from him as she accused him of his future plans to devour them all, but if she stepped backward, she would tumble to a certain death. Even though she fully wanted to believe he planned on eating them all, his coherent conversation and high-handed masculine attitude made him feel at least partially human.
“If I wanted to devour you all,” the beast said, pushing himself away from the tree and standing to his full height, “I would have done it long ago.”
“I know. I didn’t say that,” Isa snapped back.
“You were clearly thinking it,” he responded, apparently unoffended.
“Milady,” Luca cut in. “As much as I do not trust this supposed prince, the damage that has clearly been done all along the canyon is what I would expect from a flood.”
Isa’s shoulders fell. She knew he was right. It just felt good to have someone to blame. She felt a touch of remorse that her angry words were driven by a fear of their situation and not the beast itself. “What do we do now, then?”
Luca kept his gaze fixed on the canyon wall, and Isa had the uncomfortable feeling that he wanted to tell her the next course of action would be to apologize. It was on the tip of her tongue to do so, but he—it—was a beast. One did not apologize to beasts.
Not that she really knew what one did when with or around a beast.
Nor did she know what to do when her access to the rest of the world was cut off, but at least that one problem could be overcome... somehow. “It could be weeks before anyone from the village realizes that the bridge is out. It’s not as though they have reason to come to the villa when they do not even know we are here.”
Luca rubbed his chin.
Isa saw concern in his eyes that he was not expressing aloud, and it frightened her.
“How far is the nearest way over the canyon?” Macklin asked, looking up and down the river.
Isa turned to Luca. She had never come by any other road.
“Two days’ ride to the south, and that is if the canyon is even passable when the water levels out. Could be longer.”
“I’ll go get help,” the beast sighed.
“Or you’ll wander off, never telling anyone about our existence and leaving us out here to die,” Macklin muttered.
