I tried to stop my mad descent, but I’ve got too much momentum. Then I’m not rolling. I’m just falling, nothing beneath me but air. I hit the ground hard and tumbled into a stone-walled pit. I only had a moment to react before I slammed into the bottom. My vision grows dark at the edges. I look up and see a little circle of light at the top. An old human well. At least the vines can’t get me here.
But the walls are too far apart to climb, too steep with no handholds. I will not be getting out of here on my own power. How will anyone even know I am down here or how to find me? Have I come so far only to die in so ignoble a fashion?
My only thought is that I will never see Paige again. The despair was far worse than the pain of my injuries as I huddled up on the floor of the well.
It may not be hopeless, but it’s close enough to count.
15
PAIGE
Ihefted my pack onto my back and gave Amy a thankful smile.
“I really appreciate you looking after Laney while I’m gone.”
Amy returned my smile, though a bit weakly. Her mate, Moldar, is still touch and go. He’s recovering from his ordeal, but the shaman Otunga refuses to say he’s out of the woods yet.
“It’s really no trouble. The house feels rather empty. It will be good to have the sound of a child’s laughter again.”
I smile, but I’m not sure how much laughing Laney is going to do. She’s still pretty upset with me for not taking her with me into the forest. I intend to find Jovak. He’s been gone for over a day, along with the entirety of his search party.
Laney snorted derisively and gave me a dirty look.
“Why are you even going to look for him? Half the tribe is searching for Jovak.”
“I know, Laney.”
“How are you going to find him without me? You’ve always had me to look out for you, big sis. Without me, you’re going to fall down a hole or something.”
“I’ll be careful, Laney, but this is no game. He could be hurt, or even …” My voice breaks and my eyes get misty. Amy puts her hand on my shoulder.
“I know how you feel, Paige. But my mate came back to me. That means there’s a good chance your mate is still alive.”
Mypretendmate, she means. I feel a stab of guilt about that, given what Jovak was trying to tell me before he left. He just took me by surprise, is all. How am I supposed to know how I feel when he’s the first man I’ve ever really been involved with? Is this going to last forever? There are too many unknowns. I’ve been let down by too many people to just let myself trust him now.
Laney hugged me tight, burying her face in my stomach, all of her bravado flown for the time being.
“Be careful. You’re all I have, you know,” Laney said as moisture built in her eyes.
“That’s not true. You have friends at school. Not to mention an entire tribe of orcs who essentially see you as a princess.” I wasn’t sure my fake joy seeped through to Laney.
“Do they really?” She looked up at me with a start.
“Of course, they do. You’re the, ah, sister-in-law of the chief, aren’t you? That makes you kind of like royalty.” I try to hide the smirk starting to build.
“I think you’re just trying to make me feel better.”
“Is it working?” I should have realized that Laney reads me so well that she could tear off the mask and see what is lurking in my mind and heart.
She gave me a crooked half-smile and shrugged.
“It’s notnotworking. Be safe. If you don't come back soon, I’m going to sneak out and find you.”
That’s plenty of motivation for me to return, even more than the fact that I don’t particularly want to die. I take my leave of them and head for the forest. The settlement is almost empty, with so many searching for the missing orcs.
Not to mention the missing chief.
It makes it easy to sneak off. I’m not sure if they would try to stop me or not, being the chief’smate, but I don’t want to take the chance.