When I reached the top, I reeled in my rope, and then scrambled to a higher limb for more cover. I wrapped Fern’s green cloth around me as I sat with my back to the trunk, my knees drawn to my chest. Leaving a gap to see through, I settled in for a long wait. I hoped my strength would return soon.
Hearing a commotion, I imagined the scene going on at Cahil’s camp. The reprimand of the guards who fell asleep during their watch; the discovery that my backpack and effects were missing. I trusted that made Cahil pause, knowing that I had stood only a few feet from him and let him live.
My position in the tree was closer to the camp than I had wanted. Searchers with drawn swords came into view sooner than I had anticipated. I froze in my green cocoon.
Goel led the men. He stooped to inspect a bush, and then called, “This way. She’s not far. The sap’s still sticky.”
Rivers of sweat ran down my skin. Goel was a tracker. I moved my hand, finding the slit in my pants. My switchblade hadn’t been confiscated. Grabbing the smooth wood of the handle made me feel a bit better.
He stopped at the bottom of my tree. I shifted my weight forward and crouched on the branch, preparing to flee if needed.
Goel examined the ground around the base of the trunk. His eyes slid up into the branches. My breath locked as cold fear splashed through me. I realized I had made a grave mistake.
A predatory smile spread across Goel’s lips. “Found you.”
7
I YANKED MY FOREST CAMOUFLAGE off my back and shook the material out like a sheet.
“There she is,” one of Goel’s men cried out, pointing up at me.
Releasing the fabric, I let it float down toward the men. The second the material obscured their view, I launched myself through the treetops, scrambling with a sudden spur of energy from branch to branch in an effort to get myself higher and farther from Goel and his men.
“Hey!” someone yelled from below.
“Stop her!”
I kept moving, hoping that Goel couldn’t track me through the trees. My mistake had been to forget that Cahil had searched through my backpack. He knew I carried a grapple and rope. With a good tracker and the hint of my trick, it hadn’t taken them long to find me.
Curses and yelling followed below me. I focused all my efforts on finding branches that would hold my weight, and getting away. Once my mind calmed enough for rational thought, I realized I was making a racket. Goel and his men could track me by listening to the rattle of the leaves and the snapping of branches. All they had to do then was wait for me to fall, or exhaust myself.
Once I slowed down, taking care not to make any noise, I could hear the men on the forest floor. They called my position to each other, closing in.
“Hold up!” a voice said right below me.
My muscles jerked in shock.
“She stopped.”
I kept climbing. My progress was a nerve-racking snail’s pace, but quiet.
“We have you,” Goel called. “Come down now and I’ll only hurt you a little.”
I bit back a sarcastic reply to his “generous” offer. Instead, I continued to move through the trees. The men remained silent, and soon I had no idea where they were. I paused on an upper branch to search for some sign of them, but saw nothing but a sea of green leaves.
Then my imagination kicked in. I felt trapped. My face burned with the sudden belief that Goel’s eyes were on me. Panic pumped in my heart until I remembered the instruction Irys had given me back in the jungle—seek with your mind, not with your eyes. Using my magic still wasn’t instinctive.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled my bow, concentrated on the smooth wood against my fingers, and projected my awareness down to the forest floor.
The men had spread out. They searched a wide area to my right. I couldn’t sense Goel below. With a sick feeling crawling along my skin, I swept the treetops. Goel had climbed into the canopy. He followed the trail I had left in my haste. Black thoughts of inflicting pain colored his mind.
When he reached the place where I had begun to travel with more care, I waited. He hesitated for a heartbeat, but spotted another sign, continuing on toward my location.
It was only a matter of time before Goel found me. I considered using my magic to force him off my trail. Could I make him fall asleep? Probably, but Goel would eventually wake up and track me down. I could try prompting him into forgetting who he searched for, but for that I would need to delve deep into his mind and such an effort would drain my remaining strength.
Think. I had to take Goel out. Unless Cahil had another tracker, my chances of escaping improved without Goel on my tail. A plan began to form in my mind. I slid my bow back through its holder on my pack.
Keeping light contact with Goel’s mind, I picked up the pace and continued on my route for a while, making sure to leave a trail. When I reached a small clearing in the forest, I swung down to the ground, landing with a hard jolt. Leaving nice deep boot prints, I walked across the clearing, and broke through the underbrush on the other side.
Now came the hard part. Retracing my path, I returned to the tree from which I had jumped. The grapple would leave marks, so I used it to throw the rope over the tree branch, and then I shimmied up. Hopefully, the rub marks on the branch would make it appear that I had gone down to the clearing, not up. Then I looped the rope and hung it around my shoulder and torso so my hands were free.
Goel was now close enough to hear me. I made a small grunt like I had hit the ground hard. With the utmost care, I climbed higher in the tree. Goel came into sight. I froze.
He inspected the branch I had used to drop into the clearing. He leaned over and peered at the forest floor.
“So me prey has gone to ground,” Goel said to himself.
He swung down and crouched by my marks. His thoughts focused on how much he would enjoy torturing me. Sleep, I projected into his mind. Sleep. But he was wide-awake and the command raised immediate suspicions. He stood and glanced around the clearing.
Damn. That wasn’t working. Don’t look up; I projected as I moved to a lower branch. The leaves shook, but Goel didn’t notice. Triggering my switchblade, I cut a three-foot section of rope. I wrapped the ends around my hands as Goel turned back to examine my tracks.
I jumped, landing behind him. Before he could move, I looped the rope I held around his throat. I spun. My backpack touched his back, and the rope was now over my shoulder. I dropped to one knee, forcing Goel to bend backward over me. In that position only his fingertips could reach me. Instead, he yanked at the garrote around his neck.
Just when I thought he was unconscious, his head bumped mine, and I felt his full weight on my back. He did a backward somersault over me. I saw his boots hit the ground in front of me.
Damn. Goel knew some self-defense techniques. He straightened and wrenched the rope right out of my hands.
“Got anything else?” he asked. His voice rasped from my strangulation attempt.
I pulled my bow from my back. He drew his sword.
He smiled. “Little girl. Little weapon.” Goel pointed to himself. “Big man. Big weapon.”
I shifted into a fighting stance, balancing my weight on the balls of my feet. He wasn’t going to intimidate me. If I could disarm my friend Ari, who had twice Goel’s muscle mass, and Ari’s partner, Janco, who was rabbit fast, I could take on Goel.
Sliding my hands along the wood of my weapon, I reestablished my mental link with Goel. When he lunged, I knew it before he moved. I stepped to the side, turning sideways so his sword missed my stomach. In a stride, I was in close. I slammed