Hunted in the Valley (Old Sequoia Valley Book 1)

by C. R. Pugh

  I couldn’t say anything with my mouth full, so I narrowed my eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder. He winked playfully.

  Once I’d gulped down my food, I asked, “Did you spot his camp?”

  “No, but I feel sure we are close.” He packed his food and water away. “I thought I could hear some talking.”

  “Whatever we do, we need to stay downwind or Two’s companion will smell us coming.”

  Thorne paused in thought. “Maybe we can use that to our benefit. We don’t have time for a fight. We’d risk getting injured. I could draw them out away from the camp while …”

  “While I find the medicine,” I said, finishing his sentence for him.

  “Both roles have risks. My scent is unfamiliar to him. Curiosity should bring them both out. Two may insist his companion track me to eliminate me as a threat.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered. “What if they find you?”

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  Unfortunately, I didn’t share his confidence this time. He cupped my cheek with his hand.

  “You know what the medicine looks like. I don’t.”

  I was uncertain about his plan. There were too many things that could go wrong. We were both cunning individuals, but we had never been on a mission together before. This would be a true test of our trust in each other’s skills and instincts.

  “You are nervous,” he pointed out, not quite a question.

  “I make a point to avoid Two,” I admitted. “He’s … unusually brutal with me.”

  “He will not touch you.”

  “You can’t promise that.” Strengthening my resolve, I asked him, “Where do you want to meet after this is over?”

  It only took him about ten seconds to decide. “There is a large river that runs east. Blackrock River. It’s not far.”

  “I know the one you mean. We’ll run into it if we run straight south …” I looked around me to determine the direction. “That way?”

  Thorne nodded, pleased that I was able to find my way, even in the dark. “Once you have this medicine, go to the river’s edge. You said that this tracker could not make out your scent by the water? Wait there and I will find you when I have lost them.”

  He made everything sound simple, but there were too many variables that could change in a second. Taking a deep breath to steady my anxious heart, I forced myself to stop thinking about it all and focus on my job. Get in and out of their camp without being detected.

  Night had finally come and the storm clouds were a breath away from spilling their contents down on all of us. The darkness and imminent rain would give us an advantage. This should be easy.

  I stiffened my spine and felt the heat of adrenaline flow through me again.

  “Let’s do this.”

  26

  Thorne

  Ravyn and I were in perfect position and could see our opponents from a distance. The dark soldier and the exile sat across from one another at a small campfire. Two was busy cleaning and oiling his rifle. The tracker was eating what looked like dried meat.

  I pulled Ravyn close and whispered into her ear, “I will see you soon.” She kissed my cheek in a silent goodbye.

  I prowled through the thick undergrowth like a ghost, keeping the camp in my sights at all times. The sweet smell of rain filled the air. When the wind began to swirl, the tracker’s head lifted instantly. He jerked his head back and forth, gesturing toward me, and then in Ravyn’s direction. I knew without a doubt that he had scented us both.

  A sinister grin formed on Two’s face and he began to assemble his weapon. If Ravyn was going to have any chance to accomplish her part of the plan, I would have to do something. I drew my pistol and fired several shots into the camp hoping it would draw them toward me. The tracker hit the ground in fear but it did nothing to faze the dark soldier. Two tossed his companion a rifle, expecting him to defend himself, and then strode off into the forest after Ravyn.

  This was not what we intended. From her apprehensive behavior earlier, it was clear that Ravyn had known this might happen, but the goal had not changed. I quickly adjusted the plan. Ravyn would have to deal with Two while I retrieved the medicine.

  With my pistol still in my hand, I sprinted through the trees toward the soldiers’ campsite. I burst through the last of the brush and into the clearing. The tracker panicked when he spotted me. He backpedaled away when I strode toward him, forgetting all about the weapon in his hand. He tripped over his own feet and both he and his rifle went tumbling into the dirt. Scrambling about, trying to recover, I feared he might actually shoot himself. When he finally got to his feet, I disarmed him easily and knocked him unconscious with the butt of the rifle.

  I took a hesitant step toward the edge of the forest and stared into the trees where Two had chased after Ravyn. Part of me longed to run to Ravyn’s rescue. There was always fear in her eyes when she spoke of Two. But then I thought about Brock and the reason we had come. Brock would die, and Ravyn would hate me if we did not get the medicine. She would stubbornly tell me to go on, even if I had to leave her.

  Two small bags sat by the fire. Opening the first one, I found only food and water. There was no sign of anything that looked like medicine. In the smaller bag, there were rolls of bandages and bottles labeled as alcohol, but there were many things that I had never seen before. Pint-sized pouches of clear liquids, strange looking scissors, and tiny, silver knives. Among them were five glass tubes filled with a pinkish liquid. Their labels read “Serum—Test Subject 1.”

  This had to be the medicine that Ravyn needed. I zipped up the bag, slung it over my shoulder and took off after her.

  The wind had picked up even more and the rolls of thunder had grown louder overhead. Lightning flashed through the trees, flooding the forest with bursts of blinding light every few seconds. My eyes had to adjust rapidly as the world went dark again.

  I stopped to listen. If there was any gunfire it was drowned out by the thunder. When the sky was silent once more, the booming of a rifle echoed through the trees. It was much further away than where I had left Ravyn in the brush. She must have seen Two coming for her and fled. I raced toward the river, eager to catch up with her there.

  The sky finally opened up. Large drops of rain splattered down through the branches above, stinging my face as I ran. Knowing that a downpour would hinder my vision, I picked up my pace.

  Anxious thoughts began to plague me. What if she had been injured and was alone in the forest? How would I find her? I mentally shook the thoughts from my mind. While there was breath in her body, she would not give up. Ravyn would make it to the river no matter the odds against her.

  Rain poured down in heavy sheets, splashing across my face and soaking me through to my skin. The river had to be close. I slowed my gait to make sure I did not plummet into the water. From what I remembered, the embankment of the river formed a small ravine. It was a fifteen-foot drop in some places.

  Through the deluge, I finally spotted the riverbank. There was no telling where Ravyn might turn up, so I took a calculated guess and started moving upstream. I kept close to the trees to remain partially hidden.

  Through the torrential rain, I saw a dark shadow moving in my direction. I recognized Ravyn’s careful, warrior-like movements. Her head was constantly on the swivel, checking her surroundings. There was no chance she had seen me yet, so I moved into the open. She paused for a moment when I emerged, her pistol ready to fire, but then her face broke into a wide smile when she recognized me. Wet, black tendrils of hair framed her pale face. Water streamed down from her nose and onto her soft lips. There was just the two of us in that moment. Nothing else in the world mattered. She was safe.

  I stepped forward to close the remaining distance between us and pull her into my arms when the explosive sound of a rifle filled the air. The force of the bullet snapped Ravyn’s body back toward the embankment. Her smiling face crumpled into one of pain and anguish. The ground
was slick. She was too close to the edge. Ravyn’s cry blended with my own as I watched her tumble down the ravine and into the river below.

  27

  Ravyn

  Water swallowed me up as I crashed into the black river. My shoulder was on fire where Two’s bullet had ripped through, and now my lungs were burning too. I kicked my heavy, booted feet trying to rise to the surface, but I couldn’t make out which way was up. The raging water swirled around me, wrapping me up in its deadly grasp.

  When I hit something solid, I pushed with all my might against the swift current. My head finally broke the surface and I was able to inhale new air into my starving lungs. I did my best to keep my head above water but my left arm was useless. I kicked and paddled furiously, desperate to get to the bank. This was the same deep river that I had bathed in just this morning, only further upstream. There were rapids throughout, which meant I would crash into rocks if I was carried too far.

  The powerful current pulled me under again, the water dragging me down by my boots. I pushed against the bottom again and came up gasping for breath. My shoulder continued to bleed freely and my energy waned. Swimming toward the bank seemed impossible, but it was all I could do. When I was nearly at the point of giving up, I felt a muscled arm wrap around my waist.

  “I’ve got you!” Thorne shouted against the roaring of water and thunder.

  The relief that coursed through me made my eyes prick with tears. His powerful body was next to mine, helping me fight the fast-moving current. How he had ever found me was beyond my comprehension, but I didn’t care.

  Thorne finally grabbed hold of the bank. With my good arm, I helped him drag my aching body until I was completely out of the current. Lying face down on the muddy bank, I panted and coughed the remaining water out of my lungs while my shoulder throbbed and continued to bleed.

  Thorne rummaged around behind me but I made no move to see what he was doing. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the pain, just like I always did at the compound when General Wolfe was done working me over.

  What are you doing? I thought, a wave of panic coursing through me. We need to get out of here.

  When I started struggling to get up, Thorne placed his hand on my back and held me in place. “Don’t move, Ravyn. You’ll get dirt in your wound.”

  I went still immediately, but his commands didn’t alleviate my anxiety. Thorne seemed to be fine, but I was facing the river to keep my weight on my good shoulder so I couldn’t see if he’d been shot.

  “Where’s Two?” I asked. “Did he hurt you? Did he follow us?” Please don’t let him find us.

  “I’m not sure where Two is,” Thorne admitted. “Right now, you need to lie still and let me tend to that wound.”

  “But he could be tracking us -”

  Thorne interrupted me. “The river carried us at least a quarter of a mile. I doubt he’ll be able to find where we came out of the water in this downpour. Our trail will be washed away.”

  Thorne touched my shoulder and pain surged through my body like an electric current.

  “No!” I cried, quickly turning onto my back and grasping his hand. He had bandages ready to wrap up my shoulder.

  “Ravyn, I have to stop the bleeding,” he insisted.

  “The bullet … it’s still inside,” I gasped through the pain. “There’s no exit wound, is there?”

  Thorne checked the back of my bare shoulder and then muttered a curse.

  “Thorne …”

  “No, I can’t do this,” he said, running his hand through his wet hair in frustration.

  “You have to.” I squeezed his hand and quickly reassured him. “If you don’t, the skin will close over and my shoulder will never be the same.”

  Thorne’s brows pinched together. “I won’t be able to see it,” he warned me.

  “Use your fingers. Feel for it.” I unbuckled my belt with my good hand and slid it out of my waistband. “Remember, I’ll heal. Whatever damage you think you’ll do … it will heal. Do it now,” I pleaded, “before my skin closes over.”

  Thorne turned his face away and swore again. I could see the dread in his eyes. He didn’t want to hurt me. I had felt the same way when I was digging for the bullet inside Brock earlier.

  I swallowed my own fear and spoke more confidently. “Thorne, do it now. Don’t wait.” He turned his gaze back to me. I gave him an encouraging nod and said, “You can do this.”

  His eyes hardened with determination as I bit down on my belt. I clasped my left arm to my chest to keep it from twitching and closed my eyes.

  I nearly blacked out when Thorne’s fingers began to probe my wound. My moans of pain were muffled by my belt. He mumbled an apology but thankfully didn’t stop. He pressed down on my torso with his forearm to keep me from writhing and flinching away. The tears running down my face blended with the rain that continued to fall down on us.

  I was ready to admit that I’d had enough when he finally pulled the mangled bullet free from my shoulder. There was instant relief inside the wound. The pain and throbbing continued, but it wasn’t quite as sharp as before. Thorne took the damp gauze and wrapped my shoulder to staunch the flow of blood.

  “You didn’t answer my question before,” I said, my voice still trembling. I took a deep breath to keep from breaking down into sobs, then asked, “Did Two hurt you? Were you shot?”

  Thorne was frowning and his eyes were tight. From a quick glance I didn’t see any bullet wounds. The expression on his face was due to the surgery I had just forced him to do.

  “I’m not injured,” he said, reassuring me. “When you went over the edge, I jumped in the water after you. If Two did fire at me, I didn’t hear it over the rain and the river.” He slowly lifted me into a sitting position. “Do you think you can walk? I’m confident we lost Two, but maybe we shouldn’t wait around and make it easier for him to locate us.”

  I nodded. “As long as it’s not too far.” I reached up to feel my shoulder and noticed that he had used real gauze to wrap the wound. “Where did you get this?”

  Helping me to my feet, Thorne kept an arm around my waist for support. “After I saw Two go after you, I raided his camp and stole the medicine bag. The bandage was inside. Luckily, the bag is waterproof.” He pointed out the small bag slung over his shoulder. Then he said, “I know a place we can rest. I don’t think it’s far.”

  Allowing me to lean heavily on him, Thorne led us further west, away from Blackrock River and away from where I’d last seen Two in the forest.

  Our plan to raid Two’s camp had gone wrong, just as I had feared it would. Once Thorne had left my side to circle around to the far side of their camp, the wind had changed. The tracker had scented me immediately. Two shots rang out – I assumed that had been Thorne drawing them out – and then Two charged into the forest to hunt for me.

  I had to run. It was foolish and cowardly. I should have hidden and waited for an opportunity to kill him, but once Two had entered the dark shadows of the forest, I’d lost sight of him. My only plan at that point had been to lose him and somehow make it to the river.

  I veered through the trees as fast as I could. The cold rain poured down on me in waves, making it nearly impossible to know which direction I was going at times. Shots fired behind me, so I dove into the brush. I crawled away on my hands and knees until I was hidden beneath some thick ferns at the base of a sequoia. My heart raced as I waited, wondering if he would find me huddled there. In mere minutes I heard his boot steps drawing closer to my hiding place. I pulled my knees up to my chest and gripped my pistol tightly in my trembling hands. The pounding of his boots had grown louder between the cracks of thunder and splattering rain. The branches of the undergrowth slapped against his legs.

  Then I saw his boots. They were just a few feet from me. I held my breath, waiting for him to turn and spot me through the branches of the fern I was hiding beneath. He paused for a moment, then kept on marching.

  It had been a close call. I waited a
few more minutes, frozen in place, to make sure he was gone and then started for the river again.

  That was the last time I’d seen Two. I wasn’t even certain he was the one who had shot me by the river’s edge. Finding Thorne had distracted me.

  After twenty minutes of staggering through the forest, Thorne and I finally made it to the place that he had mentioned. It was a good thing, because I was beginning to feel chilled with fever.

  “There is a cave just up here on this hill,” Thorne reassured me.

  My body was protesting greatly, but I didn’t argue. Thorne nearly had to carry me up the rocky slope. He never complained and his feet never faltered.

  When we reached the top, I still couldn’t see the cave that he was talking about, but he continued forward until we were standing in front of a fern that was taller than Thorne. He pushed the leaves and branches to the side, revealing a dark opening. It was the perfect place to hide. He held the branches aside while assisting me the rest of the way into the cave. Only when we were both safely inside did he let the fern fall back into its original position, muffling the sound of the storm.

  “Aren’t you worried about Sabers?” I whispered.

  I felt Thorne turn his head. “I don’t see anything,” he said confidently.

  “You can see? Even in here?” I tightened my grasp on his waist and he squeezed me in turn to ease my fears.

  “I have always had excellent night vision. Wait here a minute.”

  He left me leaning against the damp wall and began rummaging around again. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I hoped that he was starting a fire. The warmth would be wonderful and the ability to see would help me rest easier while we were here.

  Standing motionless, my body began to shiver violently because of my wet clothes and boots. My continuous movements and Thorne’s warm body had kept it at bay until now. I gave in to my exhaustion and slumped to the ground.

  “Hang on, Ravyn,” he said. “I almost have it.”