The Proving by Elizabeth Fannin Crowe

Author:Elizabeth Fannin Crowe [Crowe, Elizabeth Fannin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Published: 2015-09-13T05:00:00+00:00

29

In the distance, a loud bang sounded over the calm of the forest.

“What was that?” Kira asked.

“Flare gun! Someone needs help. James! Get up that tree and see where it is coming from,” Karl commanded.

As quickly as Kira turned to look, James was pushing off of the lower branches and climbing higher into the tree. It became clear why they kept boys like James around. None of the rest of burly men she was accompanying could have made it up the tree in twice the time it took James.

“What’s happening?” Kira asked Karl. Whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t good.

“All the groups carry a flare gun,” Karl said hurriedly. “If a group ever gets in trouble, they fire off a round so that the nearest group can run to them.”

Karl stood and watched James for just another moment before giving up and heading to his horse.

Before James climbed out of the tree, the rest of the men were climbing up onto their horses. Kira frantically followed suit.

“No, Kira. You need to stay here! We don’t know what’s out there. I’ll come back for you,” Karl said as he pulled hard on his horse’s reigns.

“Karl, I’m coming with you!” Kira yelled as she swung her leg over her saddle.

“You’re not a hero,” Karl warned her begrudgingly.

“It was a little way farther down the mountain. We’re probably the closest. Come on!” James said, mounting his own horse and heading out of the clearing back towards the trail.

The seven of them took off through the paths following James lead. The farther they went into the forest, the thicker it became. Kira stayed near the back of the pack as the trail narrowed and the forest closed in on them. Unsure of what they were about to see, the men started readying their crossbows. Kira knew she wouldn’t be accurate enough with her bow yet, so she struggled to get the knives Henry had given her out of her bag.

The tree limbs jutted forward like claws, pulling and scratching at her body. They were eventually forced into riding in what amounted to a single-file line. James rode on, leading the pack in the direction of the flare. Kira, last in line, was keeping up, but barely. Karl was right in front of her and though she was struggling, he was never quite out of view. They rounded a blind turn and Kira saw something move out of the forest in her periphery, but before she had time to react, she was pulled from her horse and landed solidly on the ground. Her horse reared and whinnied in terror before darting off after the rest of the pack, leaving Kira stranded and disoriented.

The fall to the ground forced every last bit of air out of Kira’s lungs. She was disoriented and thrashed around on the ground trying to regain her breath and sit up. She knew whatever had pulled her from her horse was still there and probably still after her. Her knives had been thrown from her.

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