by S. S. Segran
Jag stayed at the back of the group, keeping a close eye on everyone else. They seemed well enough, with the injuries sustained from the crash hardly hampering them save for their slower pace.
Without a word, Mariah began a nimble jog down the slope. Tegan and Kody raced each other while Aari and Jag followed at a more leisurely pace. Together, they looked up at where they’d just been.
“How far do you think we’ve come since last night?” Mariah asked.
“Hard to say with all the obstacles that we had to skirt around,” Aari said. “Maybe fifteen, twenty miles.”
“Is that good?”
“I have no clue. I hope so.” He strained to look up at the bright sky. “It’ll be midday soon. I’m sure the villagers will have realized we’re gone by now.”
“Not necessarily,” Tegan said. “They sometimes leave us alone till noon. We still may have a good lead.”
Kody, evidently bored with the conversation, loped to the river and began refilling his water pelt. He took a big swig and smacked his lips, smiling with satisfaction.
“You finished your water already?” Aari asked incredulously as he crouched by the river and dipped a hand in. Kody just nodded, gladly taking gulps.
Jag stared at the water as it flowed past. “So I remembered right. The bears did cross a river after all.”
“You can’t be sure that it’s this particular one, Jag,” Mariah said half-absently as she watched Aari step away from the bank. “Whoa—whoa! Aari, watch out!”
Too late, Aari’s foot slammed down into an abandoned rabbit hole. He fell backward, his foot still stuck, and landed with a thud on his back.
Jag, Kody, Tegan, and Mariah rushed to him and helped him up. The girls fussed over him. “Are you okay? How’s your leg?”
“I’m fine, you two,” Aari answered, face flushed from embarrassment. “And my leg doesn’t hurt. I did lose my shoe though.”
Kneeling by the hole, he rummaged for his missing sneaker. “Got it.” As he put his shoe back on, he cast a glance back down the small tunnel. He stopped and immediately plunged his hand back down the warren.
“Hey, Jag,” he said, holding up his hand. “I think this is yours.”
Hanging from his fingers was a chain with a gold crucifix. Jag took it carefully, astonished. “Dude! I thought I lost this in the crash! How did this end up here? The plane is nowhere in sight . . .” He trailed off, mystified.
“Wait.” Tegan stared at the hole where Jag’s necklace had been. “Jag.” He was gazing in fascination at his crucifix. “Jag.”
“Yeah?”
“Were you wearing your necklace when we crashed?”
“No. I took it off and held onto it when the first engine blew.” He paused, thinking about what he’d said. “Which means it could have been thrown out when the plane crashed.” He turned to Tegan, eyes wide. “The plane’s got to be around here somewhere.” He pulled the chain over his head, exhilarated. “We need to cross this river. I think the plane’s on the other side.”
“Yeah?” Kody said. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
Jag beamed shrewdly. “Who’s up for a swim?”
“Over my dead body!”
“Hold on, guys,” Aari interjected. “There could be another reason why Jag’s chain ended up here. Some animals and birds are attracted to shiny things and will carry them around for a while before dropping them off. For all we know, the place where the animal may have picked it up could be days from here, maybe not even on the other side of the river at all.”
Mariah threw her head back, groaning. “We can’t keep halting and second-guessing. Stick to one idea and just go with it.”
“What if the idea is completely off?” Aari demanded.
“Doesn’t matter! If we keep up this pattern, we’ll make no progress and the villagers will catch up to us. This is their home turf, after all.”
“Mariah’s got a point,” Kody agreed. “Sooo . . . are we gonna cross?”
“Everyone needs to agree first.” Tegan looked at Aari, waiting.
Aari heaved a long sigh. “Let’s do it.”
Jag watched a drifting branch being carried rapidly with the river’s current. While the water was fast-moving, the river itself didn’t seem too deep.
“Maybe we should split into two groups to search for a way to cross,” he suggested, pointing in opposite directions along the length of the river.
“Sure. We’ll go that way.” Tegan began heading upriver with Mariah.
The boys looked at each other, a seed of concern growing in their minds. None of them wanted to call the girls back and tell them not to go alone. Tegan and Mariah despised it when people thought they were too delicate and needed constant protection.
As the boys hesitantly headed in the opposite direction, Jag called, “Yell if you find anything! And don’t cross the river alone!”
Without turning back, Tegan raised her hand, indicating she’d heard him.
The boys followed the current. “Most rivers this size are crossable at some point,” Aari mumbled to no one in particular as he jogged ahead. “Hopefully this one’s no different.”
They passed a few small boulders that seemed ideal, but when they saw the water splash over and completely cover them, they walked right past.
“I don’t hear anything from Mariah or Teegs,” Kody said. “You think they’re okay?”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Jag answered, although he was a little anxious himself. “They just haven’t found anything worth yelling out for.”
“Here,” Aari called. He was a couple of dozen feet down from where they were. He indicated a line of large rocks in the river that extended toward the other side. “Thoughts?”
“Let’s give it a shot,” Jag said.
Kody bellowed at the top of his lungs for the girls to rejoin them. They didn’t have to wait long, and soon Mariah and Tegan were standing beside them, praising Aari for his find.
“Who wants to go first?” Mariah asked.
“I’m game,” Kody announced. He bounded forward one rock at a time, carefully balancing himself. Once he was on the other side, he yelled, “It’s not too bad! About thirty feet across! Be careful though, some of the rocks are kinda slippery!”
Tegan made her way across; she was as cautious as she was quick. Kody offered her a hand and she took it, allowing him to help her down. Mariah was next, then Jag, then Aari. Kody looked relieved that they’d made it across without incident. He opened his mouth to say something but it vanished when he saw a something on the opposite bank. “Whoops, I think a few packets of food dropped out of my bag.”
Tegan walked around him and closed his pack securely. “Smarty,” she smiled. “Fetch?”
“You bet.” Kody quickly hopped back over the stepping stones, picked up the food and placed them in his pack. He gave the rest of the group a thumbs-up and sprang onto the first stone back to the others.
Some water splashed onto the rock but didn’t bother him. He leapt confidently over a few more rocks. More water splashed and drenched his right shoe. Momentarily distracted with the uncomfortable slopping and squishing, he put his left foot on the next rock. His foot glided over a patch of wet moss and, with a startled yelp, he lost his footing and fell over backward into the river.
The friends on shore cried out in alarm as Kody’s head went under. Jag watched, heart in his throat, as Kody windmilled his arms and legs to move, propelling himself back to the surface.
Kody gasped for air and spewed out water, then tried to grab at a rock. He was a second too late as the current swept him downstream. Panic seemed to have shut down his mind; he only moved automatically to keep his head above the water. He didn’t even notice his food pack being tugged from his shoulders by the rapid current.
Jag sprinted along the bank. Though his long strides were no match for the increasing speed of the river, he didn’t stop. Kody’s head kept bobbing above and then under the rolling water.
&nbs
p; Hang in there, bud. Jag’s eyes flicked up and ahead. On the bank closest to him were rocks that extended to the middle of the river. He roared. “Kody! Head for the rocks!”
Kody didn’t hear, and as Jag watched, his friend’s struggles began to diminish as energy left him. Desperate, he tried again. “Swim toward the rocks, Kody!”
His voice must have reached Kody’s ears because at the last moment, he strained toward the outcrop. He slammed into the granite, groaning, and hung on, the cold water splattering against his back.
Jag finally reached the rocks. He rushed over them as far as he dared and stretched out his hand. Kody reached up and was about to grab it when he lost his grip and the current swept him away once again.
Horrified that he had been so close to saving his friend and the chance had literally slipped through his fingers, Jag quickly backed up to the bank and continued running. Kody was several seconds ahead of him.
Fifty yards away, a fallen tree rested on two huge rocks over the river. An idea formed in Jag’s mind. He gathered his energy and forced himself into a full sprint. Passing Kody, he reached the fallen tree and clambered on, panting. He ran to the center and lay down. The tree itself was a few feet above the water; no way could Kody grab onto it.
As Kody drew nearer, Jag stretched out his hand again. Kody tried to strain for it but the current was too fast.
No! Jag flipped over at lightning speed to the opposite side of the trunk and made a wild grab as the other teenager passed underneath. For a moment, he thought he’d failed again but realized the collar of Kody’s shirt was crumpled in his clenched fist. He tried to haul him out of the water but wasn’t strong enough.
More strength and more speed, that’s what I need! Jag thought, teeth gritted.
Mariah’s voice rang out. “Jag!”
He cast a quick look over his shoulder and saw the others climbing onto the tree. “I’ve got him!” he shouted over the noise of the current. “Help me pull him up!”
With some effort, the four of them managed to pull their sodden and dripping friend out of the water and onto the fallen tree. From there, they guided him back to shore where he collapsed, shivering uncontrollably.
After a few minutes, Kody’s shuddering subsided just enough for him to thank the others, who rubbed his arms and back vigorously to warm him up. He stared at the river, teeth still chattering. “I c-could have been swept away t-to who knows w-where . . .”
He trembled again, and Jag suspected it was from both the cold and the thought. “Are you alright?” he asked, gently squeezing the back of Kody’s neck.
Waving the question aside, Kody curled into a ball to conserve the little warmth his body had. His friends kept rubbing his back until he stretched out and struggled to his feet, trying to wring out his clothes.
“You’d think,” he complained, still shivering, “that with all the cool inventions those villagers came up with, waterproof insulation would be among them. But nooo . . .”
Jag felt himself grin despite everything. “Yeah, you’re definitely alright.” A breeze picked up and blew toward the group. Kody muttered something in annoyance.
Mariah passed her pack filled with spare clothes to Kody and ordered him to change out of his soaked garments.
“Where am I gonna change?” he griped. Mariah pointed to the trees and he reluctantly obliged, quickly disappearing into the forest. He returned shortly after, looking more relieved, and even his shivers had eased. He passed the pack to Mariah and the girls wrapped him in a hug to warm him up faster.
He looked at the others ruefully. “I’m so sorry. The food’s gone.”
“Better the food than you,” Tegan said. “It’s okay, accidents happen.”
Kody smiled only a little. It was clear he was unhappy. “Still. I feel like an idiot. Now we’ve got no food at all.”
The friends looked away. Truth was, they were concerned that the pack was gone. It contained the sustenance they were depending on.
“We should get going,” Mariah said.
Jag agreed and started northward, staying close to the tree line with the rest of the group behind him. The only sound to be heard for a while was the rushing of the river and the occasional words of consolation directed toward Kody.
Jag frowned as he looked at the trees further ahead. A number of them had burn marks on their bark and some of the trunks were badly scarred. The whole sight gave the surroundings an ominous feeling. The only thing that lightened the atmosphere was the small creek that snaked out from the main river and disappeared beyond the trees.
“This is kind of creepy,” Tegan said as she walked beside Jag, looking at the blackened trees. He acknowledged her and scanned the foliage. Then, without warning, Tegan cried out and tumbled head-over-heels, rolling several yards down a small slope. Jag and Mariah scrambled down and helped her to her feet.
“What happened?” Jag asked, bewildered.
Tegan was wide-eyed. “I have no idea. I think my foot hit something.”
Aari and Kody were crouched at the top of the slope where Tegan had tripped. They brushed away some dirt and pulled off a few broken branches. Jag and the girls made their way up to the pair, who were now staring blankly at something on the ground in front of them. The sunlight that filtered through the trees reflected and bounced off a shiny red object.
Kody held it up for the group to see. “From the plane.”
Realization dawned on them. Jag switched his gaze from the red object to the lacerated trees around them. Behind him, the marred trees beckoned the friends deeper into the forest. Jag headed in. The others caught up with him, staying close. It got darker the farther they went. Climbing over and down a large fallen tree in their path, they halted, aghast.
Thirty feet away, through tall coniferous trees, was the partly charred wreckage of the Piper Comanche.
19
The Elders were pacing back and forth in front of their assembly neyra when Akol ran up to them, breathing hard. Chayton was at his heels, whimpering anxiously.
“I have searched everywhere, and there is not a single trace of them,” he said, puffing. “They must have left during the night.”
“Why would they foolishly stray from our protection?” Saiyu demanded. “They were safe with us. Against the power of the forest, they are mere fledglings!”
“They may have been protected, but they were a little less than happy to stay in our village,” Tayoka said. “Do you not recall? When we had our first talk with them, they wanted to know when they could leave.”
“But to wander out there alone! My goodness!” Saiyu faced Tikina. “We must find them.”
Tikina agreed and stepped away. As she closed her eyes and prepared to enter her meditative state, a bloodcurdling scream ripped across the valley. Her eyes snapped open. Footsteps rapidly approached them and Huyani burst through the trees, panting for breath, fear in her brown eyes.
Akol held his sister as she tried to form coherent words. “Fiotez . . . I do not know what happened . . . he—he is . . .” She leaned against Akol to steady herself, pressing her palms to her face. Chayton nuzzled her knee, his ears folded back.
“Fiotez is still in the convalescence shelter, yes?” Nageau asked slowly.
Huyani pointed straight ahead. “He is near the school.”
“You mean he is outside?” Tikina asked, alarmed. Huyani nodded.
The Elders rushed westward, leaving the siblings and the wolf behind. They crossed a path and ran through the trees until they found themselves near the convalescence center and the school where the children were. What they saw shook them to their bones.
Fiotez was half-stumbling, half-racing around the school, screeching like a dying animal. Blood streamed from his nose and ears. When he opened his mouth to bellow, crimson splattered out. His eyes were reddened and he heaved a long, glinting object high above his head.
“A sword!” Saiyu gasped. “He took one of the ancient swords from the temple!”
F
iotez swung the blade at a young child who screamed and scrambled away in terror. As he lunged at the boy once more, the Elders realized it was the madman’s own son.
Diyo tripped and fell as he tried to dodge. He looked up to see wide, crazed eyes, and foam dripping from his father’s mouth as Fiotez stood over him with the sword raised. He screamed again, tears running down his face.
Before the Elders could race forward, Fiotez’s manic eyes registered recognition as he stared at his son. For a brief moment, a look of sheer pain and remorse flitted across his face. Then, without warning, the sword fell from his clenched, claw-like grasp and he dropped to the ground, writhing.
Saiyu pushed ahead of the others. She lifted Diyo to his feet and hurriedly ushered him back toward her companions. By this time Huyani and Akol had caught up with the Elders, and Saiyu left Diyo in their hands. Chayton fretfully weaved between the young boy and the siblings.
Nageau approached Fiotez carefully. Fiotez’s thrashing was settling down but he still twitched uncontrollably. Foam had encrusted his mouth and his bloodshot eyes slowly glazed over until he stopped moving altogether.
Nageau watched with a stony expression, then moved closer to examine Fiotez. A minute passed before he turned around, his blue eyes laden with grief. “He has passed.”
Tikina pursed her lips, fighting back tears threatening to blur her vision. She watched as her mate went up to Diyo and knelt in front of him. She didn’t need to gaze into the boy’s eyes to know that the damage had been done. Diyo would never—could never—forget this day when his father attempted to end his life. He would never be consolable.
For such a young soul to experience something this traumatic, this disturbing, Tikina thought, the poor child will be scarred for life.
Nageau gently kissed the boy’s head. Tikina looked away. Diyo burst into tears and wrapped his arms around the Elder’s neck. His heavy sobs being the only sound anyone heard for a while until Tayoka and Ashack began warding away onlookers who came to investigate.
“We should strap Mitska’s mate down,” Saiyu said, “else we shall witness this scene repeated.”
