The Runestone Guardians book 1: Secrets of Sølvefalske

Chapter 15 Narrow Escape

Twigs snapped as Pine ran past, almost as graceful as the garter snake he was pursuing. The fluid motion of the reptile caught the fox in a trance that made the forest fade away. Each snap of his jaws came closer to catching the target. The next one would surely be a success, but then something snagged his hind paw.

Pine shook his leg, but whatever held him squeezed tighter. With his three remaining legs, he pulled until his paw went numb. The trap was cutting off blood flow. Above him, jingling bells announced his every move.

Realizing the danger he was in, Pine crouched low to the ground, curling his tail around his legs, and cried. Ylvana and Jay were walking the trail not too far away when they heard his barks for help.

Their hackles raised, laying eyes on the trap. Villagers didn't come this far to hunt, so only one group of people could have left it. While Jay scanned the area, Ylvana shifted to loosen the wire noose, but it was tight and tangled with leaves and twigs.

"Hurry," Jay whispered. "They'll be hear any minute."

Pine crouched lower, quivering. "Please don't leave me!"

"No one's leaving, we're gonna get you out," Ylvana told him with a smooth voice. "Ug, this damn thing is impossible... there it goes!"

The moment Pine was free, the animals sprinted towards the mountain ahead.

"Follow the trail up," Jay said. "I'll keep any Crow's off your back."

"No no no." Ylvana skidded to a halt. "They'll have arrows, spears... maybe horses. Your best chance is to run."

"It's you who needs to get home safely, not me."

She stayed, unwilling to accept he was right, until fear of the Crows spurred her paws to motion. "Be careful, Bird Brain."

When she and Pine left, Jay rolled his shoulders, preparing for a fight. "Of course," he sighed, "I'd like not to die either, but since when do I get what I want?"

**********

After a mile of tripping over inclining trail, a wall blocked their path. It was half the size of the last, but still evoked a groan from Ylvana. She put Pine on her shoulders so he could jump to the top. Clutching the icy rocks, her arms shook. "If we get back, remind me to take rock-climbing lessons."

Air tickled her cheek.

Click.

Her gut twisted, guessing what it was, but her brain needed confirmation, so her eyes slid to the right. A breath away from her nose was an arrow lodged in the rocks. Fear locked her muscles, and then she was falling.

The sting of her palms sent her back into the horrible moment where, once again, she was within seconds of death. She spotted her assailant: a girl running towards her, armed with a bow. She wasn't wearing the usual black armor, but the arrow said enough.

Ylvana clawed up the wall. Though she was moving twice as fast as the first time, her climb was twice as slow.

Meanwhile, her back was protected by nothing other than a flimsy cloak, practically inviting the Crow's arrow.

Then came the stretch of the bowstring.

Ylvana froze, unable to continue her pathetic escape attempt. Pine barked a warning, but all she could do was stare at the rocks in front of her, and appreciate the last cool breaths of air in her lungs. They had come so close. This was the last mountain before the prairie. What had she done, which one of the gods hated her so badly to wait until safety was within sight to let her die?

The Crow aimed left of Ylvana's spine for an instant kill. As her fingers relaxed, a beast barreled into her shoulder, sending her over the cliff. All she saw was a black mass of fur.

She rolled to a stop on a ledge a few yards below. Rising on wobbly legs, she rubbed the spot on her head that had collided with a rock. After a few moments, her vision sharpened, and she was confident enough to shift and fly back up to the trail.

Waiting for her was the black wolf, unblinking eyes watching her every move.

The Crow unsheathed adagger. "We thought you were dead."