Danni took a deep breath and somehow mustered the courage to continue on. She strode forward to catch up to Peter, whose limp didn’t seem to slow him down, and Colter who matched Lane’s swift stride.
Their speedy travel over the past few days had worn on her as well as her separation from Nathan, and she felt drained. She had to run to catch up, but she struggled on, relieved to put a great distance between them and their enemy.
Their small group weaved around a wooded knoll, then their path headed toward the east hills and became steep.
Will whistled. “That is not a hill. It is a mountain!” The tallest hill jutted from the ground and towered over them with loose rock and a steep path.
“Save your breath,” Lane hollered, then started the assent. “You will need it.”
Danni gritted her teeth and trudged on. She was more than half a head smaller than the shortest man and had to work twice as hard to keep up. Lane seemed unsympathetic, so she did her best to stay with them.
The path continued to rise and the solid dirt turned rocky. In her haste to keep up, she slipped and slid until she panted with the effort and fell behind.
“Lane!” Will called from behind her. “Danni cannot keep up.”
“Will, I am fine,” she protested, determined to do all she needed to.
“There is no reason to race now. They are not following us.” He placed a firm hand on her shoulder and hollered back. “Lane!”
Lane stopped, then moved toward Will with fire in his eyes. “What is the problem?”
“Slow down! You lead too fast.”
Lane glowered. “If the army catches us, she will not be safe!”
Danni looked back and forth between the two men, surprised at their irritation. The burden of her safety must weigh heavily upon them.
“I know, but they aren’t following us.”
Lane glared at Will. His hands clenched and unclenched. “Fine.” He returned to the front without looking at Danni, and started off again—only slightly slower than before.
After another hundred yards, the rising path narrowed and the hill dropped away steeply along the trail’s edge.
“Easy there,” Will said from behind Danni when she slid again on lose rocks.
She glanced over the edge to the bottom far below and felt suddenly dizzy. It was not a sheer cliff, but steep enough that if she fell, she would tumble the whole way down with nothing to break her fall and land in a shattered heap.
“Hey, Colter,” Will called. “Do you want to race me down?”
“No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? I bet you could make it to the bottom with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises.”
“Nope,” Colter replied. “But you better watch Peter, he is a bit clumsy footed.”
“Only because of you, little brother.”
Then above them all, Lane cried out. He lost his footing and slid backwards down the path toward them. Danni watched in horror as he slid into Peter who lost his balance.
For a terrifying moment Peter tottered on the edge. His arms flailed in a struggle to right himself, then he fell.
Colter screamed his name and reached for him, but he was too far away.
Peter slid down the steep hillside and tried to grasp something to stop his fall. His body gathered speed as he rolled and bounced.
Danni watched in shock, then threw her arm out toward him. Something clenched in her chest as it had when she saved Nathan and Garin. Peter’s body stopped as though he had landed on an invisible ledge. Rocks and dirt continued to fall, but he remained still, and she knew the power of the ring held him.
A wave of exhaustion crashed against her and she nearly released her hold. She hadn’t the strength to protect him for long. Her chest constricted and sweat broke out on her forehead. She closed her eyes to keep her focus.
“How…?” She heard Will ask from somewhere far away.
“Peter, are you hurt?” Colter’s voice.
“N-no. What happened?” Peter’s response came from even farther away.
“Danni.” Will breathed an explanation.
She continued to hear voices and scrambling noises, but dared not open her eyes. Her arm began to shake and she knew she couldn’t protect him much longer. “Will!” she pleaded for him to hurry.
“Hold on, Danni! He’s almost up.”
She fell to her knees, but held on.
Someone grunted and the scuffling noises intensified, then stilled.
“I told you he was clumsy footed,” Colter panted.
“Peter…” Danni released her magical hold on him and fell forward. The reddish hew that had shown through her closed eyelids vanished. She opened her eyes and saw Peter on his knees with Will on one side and Colter on the other. He had made it!
Will glanced at her, then hurried to her side. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Just tired.”
Will helped her sit, and she studied the group. Peter had a few nasty scratches, but otherwise seemed fine. Colter was pale and didn’t leave Peter’s side. Lane stared at her with pain in his eyes. She stared back and wondered what pained him, though she knew she wouldn’t likely find out.
“I believe it is time to slow down,” Will said from beside her.
Lane nodded. “Perhaps you are right.”
They rested for a few moments while Peter and Danni regained their composure. Peter stood, so Danni figured she should too. Then they continued up the hill.
Danni’s thoughts turned to Nathan. She wondered if he was still alive, perhaps injured and left for dead, lying forgotten in the road with blood spilling from a fatal wound.
Her thoughts continued to dwell on him until she stumbled and fell onto her hands and knees. The hill had grown steeper as it wound toward the top and it seemed Lane hadn’t slowed the pace much at all. She felt pain in her shin where she had fallen, and continued to gasp with each breath.
“Danni?” Will placed a hand on her arm. “You need to rest.”
“No.”
“We can stop. There is no need to rush.”
She shook her head and continued on.
After a few more minutes, she stumbled again and went down hard on her knee. She bit her lip against the pain and tried to stand again, but Will put a firm hand on her shoulder.
“I am not Nate,” he said, “but I know he would insist that you rest now. He may have even changed his mind about this path if he had seen how treacherous it was. Wait here.”
Will left her to catch Lane. “Lane, we must stop!”
Lane whirled around. “We cannot!”
Will stepped back from his anger. “Danni needs to rest. It is nearly supper time, too. Nate would call a halt.”
Lane scowled. “I am not Nate! I have always followed his and James’s every order, but now I am in charge and I say we continue on and reach the top while it is still light.”
“Nate left us in charge and I say we rest.”
“We will continue.”
Will stepped right to Lane’s face. “We will rest.”
Lane balled his fists and glared, then turned away. “Make it quick!”
Will stood his ground as Lane retreated, then he returned to Danni and opened the pack Edward had thrown at them when the group separated. He pulled out biscuits and dried fruit.
Danni ate with gratitude and felt the simple meal revive her exhausted body. Peter, Colter, and Will seemed to enjoy the break as well, but Lane ate nothing and paced back and forth with a scowl on his face. His gaze darted up the path every few seconds. Danni wondered at the change in him. Perhaps it was the stress of leadership, or maybe something was amiss.
“This is some shortcut.” Will popped the last bite in his mouth.
“I never said it was a shortcut!” Lane snapped. “I said it was another way into the city.”
Will held up his hands to ward off the attack. “I do not wish to fight, Lane. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is
wrong with me, Will. I am anxious to get this assignment completed. One of us has to take it seriously and it does not seem like it will be you.”
Will frowned and clenched his fists, then released them. “Forget about it.” He shook his head and turned toward Danni. Their eyes locked.
A low rumbling started in the distance. Will cocked his head, and Danni looked around. A rock tumbled down the mountain slope and bounced over them. Then from the mountain top, a wave of dirt, rocks, bushes, and trees gathered momentum and barreled down upon them with a sound like thunder.
She only had time to throw her hands above her head before the great debris wall slammed into them. The entire force of the landslide seemed to strike her in the chest and she nearly succumbed to its strength. It deafened her and blocked all the light. She held her ground as dirt, bushes, trees, and boulders larger than horses buried her and her companions. Every muscle in her body ached, she could hardly breathe through the tightness in her chest, and she started to shake, but she knew she had to hold on a little longer.
The weight threatened to crush her, but somehow it didn’t. She felt herself weaken and knew she couldn’t fight against nature much longer. She sank to her knees, no longer able to hold it all back. Then, as she felt the tightness overwhelm her, the force she fought against lessened, the pounding quieted, and sunlight replaced the red glow surrounding her for a brief moment, then all went black.
Chapter 22
The landslide’s roar lessened, then faded to nothing more than an echo. Will opened his eyes, surprised that he was alive. Dust billowed around him. He coughed and tucked his face in his tunic until the dust settled. He squinted through the debris, and saw Lane, Peter, and Colter coughing and waving their hands to clear the dust. They were uninjured. The landslide had passed over them as though a bubble had formed around them and shielded them from its destruction.
He searched for Danni, knowing she had saved them and found her sprawled on her stomach on the path.
He ran to her and knelt beside her pale, still frame. She didn’t stir. He glanced around at the others and saw his own shock reflected on their faces.
He stroked her sweaty brow. “What are we to do?”
Peter and Colter shook their heads, too shocked to speak.
It was Lane who finally answered, his voice unusually cold. “Pick her up. We cannot stay here.”
Will hardly recognized the haunted look in Lane’s eyes. With dread in his heart, he picked her up. Colter hurried over and helped carry her.
They climbed slowly, the path still quite steep. When they crested the hill, Will saw that the path leveled out through a lush meadow, then climbed the last rise. It would have been beautiful under different circumstances.
They started through the meadow, then Danni stirred. Her eyes fluttered open then closed again. Will and Colter laid her in the soft grass, then Will knelt beside her and called her name. She groaned and opened her emerald eyes.
“What happened?” She blinked up at him. “How did… where are…?”
“You saved us when the landslide hit, but it was too much for you. We carried you to the top of this hill, but there is one more rise before we reach the top.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Oh.” She lay still in the grass for several more minutes.
She looked so pale that Will wondered if she would be all right.
“Get her up,” Lane barked. “We are nearly there.”
Anger erupted within Will and he leapt to his feet. “What is wrong with you?”
“We have no time to waste. There is little daylight left and we still have a ways to go.”
Will stepped forward “We can camp in this meadow for the night. There is no hurry. We have until tomorrow night to meet up with Nate.”
Lane’s face turned a blotched red. “We must make it there tonight! Get her up.”
Will balled his fists, ready to strike Lane, but Colter stepped between them.
“Come on, Will.” Colter put a restraining hand on Will’s chest. “Let’s get to the top.”
Will huffed, still angry at Lane, but let his fist fall. He had to remain in control so that he could help Danni. Nate was counting on him.
With one last glare, he turned his back on Lane, and knelt beside Danni. “Do you think you can get up?”
He gazed into her eyes and saw her falter. Her strength was spent.
“If you help me.” She reached for his hand.
He pulled her to her feet and felt her tremble. Never had he seen someone so weak gather strength from somewhere deep inside and press on. He draped her arm around his shoulder to help bear her load, and together they followed Lane, with the brothers in the rear.
They traipsed through the meadow and began the last rise, but had to stop twice to let Danni catch her breath. Will feared she wouldn’t make it, but they pushed on together and finally neared the top.
Will helped Danni crest the hill, then he stopped. His stomach leaped into his chest. They were not alone. An army, thirty strong, awaited them. The leader, a portly man with long dirty-blond hair, stepped out in front. He stared at them with a triumphant gleam in his dark, malicious eyes.
Will drew his sword with his free hand and heard Peter and Colter do the same.
Lane continued forward until he stood before the leader.
“Lane!” Panic swelled inside Will.
Lane didn’t seem to hear him. He stuck out his hand and the leader grasped it firmly.
“Well done, Lane,” the leader said, his voice loud and raspy. “I have to admit I doubted you for a moment, but you have delivered well.”
Danni’s knees buckled, but Will dared not let his guard down to help her. Instead, he lowered her to the ground, then again faced the horde.
The leader laughed. “You did not exaggerate her feebleness, my friend.” He patted Lane on the back. “Did you enjoy our little landslide? It seems to have sufficiently weakened her.”
Will remained there, unable to process the world before him. Lane…his good friend. For a moment words failed him, then at last he found his voice. “Lane what have you done?”
“What have I done?” Lane turned his body to face Will, his gray eyes cold, like granite. “Have you not figured it out yet, Will? I have delivered Princess Dannilynn A’ Donna and her ruby ring to General Briggs of Lord Donavan’s army, and I will be greatly rewarded, unlike all those times when our good deeds went unnoticed, or when James received all the praise.”
Anger surged through Will and replaced the shock that held him numb. “How could you?” he whispered. Then he yelled. “How could you? We trusted you! Nate trusted you! He is your cousin!”
“Nate is a fool who is content with sitting in the shadows.” Lane’s voice was ice. “You are a fool, too. It is over Will—you lose.”
Will lifted his sword and ran at Lane. Eight men stepped between them, shields up, swords ready to strike. Will stopped. Anger and fear pulsed through his body with every heartbeat.
The eight men surrounded him while others went to Danni, Peter, and Colter.
General Briggs laughed. “Drop your weapons or the princess dies.”
Five armed men circled Danni. She leaned upon her hands and nearly fell over. Will had no choice, so he let his sword fall to the ground. He heard Peter and Colter do the same. What little color remained in Danni’s face drained away. She swayed, and her eyes rolled up in her head. Then she crumpled in the dirt.
Chapter 23
Danni awoke when cold water hit her face. She spluttered and choked, then shook her head to clear the fog from her mind. The ground she lay upon felt like ice, and chains bound her wrists. More water hit her face and she curled into a protective ball.
“Get up!” a man’s rough voice said and she was yanked to her feet.
Her knees wobbled and she blinked, unable to see clearly. Her vision came into focus and she looked around a dim stone room. Light came from a few torches along the walls, but she couldn’t t
ell if it was day or night or where she was.
The man took her face in his hand and turned her roughly toward him. His hair was unkempt, his teeth gray and rotting, and his breath nearly made her swoon again.
“Briggs wants to speak with you,” he snarled.
At that moment General Briggs entered through a door she hadn’t noticed. “That is enough, Merk. Leave the princess to me.” His false sweet voice made Danni shudder.
Merk left while Briggs approached.
“Ah, Princess Dannilynn A’ Donna. A pleasure to meet you.” He twirled his fingers through her wet hair and she pulled away. Her chains clanked against the stone wall.
With the speed of a serpent, he clutched her arm and yanked her to him.
“Leave her alone!” Will’s voice yelled from the shadows to her left.
Danni’s heart surged. She had thought she was alone, and his voice strengthened her.
Briggs ignored Will and focused on the glove that covered Danni’s hand on the arm he held. Hunger filled his eyes. He slipped the glove off her fingers and gazed upon the ruby ring.
“It could all be mine,” he breathed.
He moved to touch it, then paused with greed twisting his features. Then he tried to remove the ring.
With a cry he ripped his hand away from hers. He released a string of curses and shook his burned hand, then he slapped her across the face with his uninjured hand. She fell to the ground and held her cheek.
Briggs growled and his face appeared before hers. He shoved his burned hand beside her nose. “Heal it!”
Several flecks of spittle landed on her cheek, but she ignored them. She glared back into his dark eyes and spoke with a courage that was not her own. “I cannot. I know not how to heal.” There was enough truth in her words that she could hold his gaze without wavering. She had healed Nathan, but hadn’t known what she was doing. Perhaps she could heal again, but she would not heal Briggs!
He slapped her once more, then wrung out his hand again.
She pushed herself up onto hands and knees, unsure what Briggs would do next.
He stopped shaking his injured hand and stared back at her, his eyes narrow. “Very well.”
The Power of The Ruby Ring Page 11
