Riley's Journey (30 page)

“Do you think you could throw one of them with any accuracy?”

Pondering his question, she saucily replied. “Did I ever tell you that I was the best fielder on the Duluth First Christian Church softball team?”

“No, I don’t think that piece of information ever came up in any of our conversations. So what you’re saying is you can catch.”

“Not only catch, but I can throw a softball from outfield to the pitcher and pretty much on target each time.”

“I am impressed,” Nathan approved. “One of these days we’ll have to discuss all your various talents—those that I haven’t yet had the pleasure to experience.” His waggling eyebrows left little doubt as to his meaning.

They passed an uneasy night, every sound magnified, sleep impossible. As with the previous night, they were traveling fast before first light.

Although their headlong flight followed a downhill route, the relentless pace was grueling and, unless they stopped soon for a short rest break, Riley was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to keep up much longer. The weight and unwieldy distribution of the packs made traveling almost unmanageable. Sweat dripped from her brow in a constant stream, partially obscuring vision, pain radiated outward from a stitch in her side, her legs were unbearably weak and trembling from exertion.

Geez, she groaned inwardly, maybe dying isn’t so bad. On the bright side, if they kept this up, she would die of exhaustion anyway. Casting a quick glance around, she guiltily chastised herself for such thoughts. No reason to tempt fate.

Nathan forced them on, one eye ahead and the other watching the trail behind, showing little of the strain that threatened to overwhelm Riley—but then his load was less weighty, leaving his hands free for defense. Grumbling again silently, Riley focused her bad attitude on the horse’s frustrating antics. He had stubbornly balked at being led by her from the start, complicated by her overt inexperience with horses. Her arm ached from dragging him along and, on more than one occasion, she considered “accidentally” letting him loose. Only the realization that most of their food supplies were carried by the ill-tempered beast kept her from letting go. If he tried to bite her one more time though, she decided, he was on his own. He would make a great lunch for one of those hideous creatures that roamed the countryside.

How would you like being served up as the dinner buffet, she mentally threatened the mulish pony. As if reading her mind, he snapped again, ears laid back and feet planted firmly.

“Okay! Okay! I get the message!” Demon ran up behind the horse, nipping at the horse’s hindquarters, jumping to avoid a swiftly executed kick.

“You have to keep him moving.” Nathan ran back, delivering a hard slap to the horse’s butt. “Just be firm with him and let him know you’re the boss.”

Yeah, right, she thought, like the stupid animal is going to believe that!

Nathan took the horse’s reins from Riley, and amazingly, he trotted complacently after Nathan.

“Horse! You are
sooo
bear bait,” Riley muttered, hurrying to catch up.

By now, it was early afternoon and, as yet, no telltale sign of the newcomers’ expected pursuit surfaced. Nathan slowed the pace somewhat, for which Riley was exceedingly grateful, but kept the group moving. As they descended the range of hills surrounding the valley below, the air grew increasingly warmer, stirred by a slight breeze wafting up from the south. Vegetation thinned, causing Nathan further concern by their inability to stay within the covering tree line as they journeyed down. Once again, Riley was in control, or un-control, of the fractious pony, who continued his outward show of dissatisfaction with Riley’s leadership.

Nathan assumed position at the rear of the small troupe, guarding their backs, increasingly uneasy without the cover of the tree line. He knew the pursuers were close behind, nerve endings twitching in response. Demon stalked beside, watchful and alert, showing signs that he, too, sensed their presence. Nathan palmed a grenade thoughtfully. Observing his action, Riley’s clear green eyes widened in alarm.

Nervously, she licked lips chapped by long hours in the sun. “Did you see something?” she whispered.

“Not yet—but I know they’re close.” Years of combat experience and five years of surviving alone had molded him to this level of awareness. Every fiber pulsed with the realization that something would happen, and very soon! Watching Riley striding determinedly ahead, his heart constricted painfully, knowing without pretense what her unhappy fate would be if he didn’t survive. She was a beautiful woman, but the newcomers didn’t appear to hold women in very high regard, at least from what he observed during their raid on the others’ camp. Perhaps the fact that she was not a Neanderthal would give her some standing in their eyes.

“Don’t leave me alone!” Riley threw the words over her shoulder as if reading his mind. “If it looks like you won’t make it—end it for me, too!”

No response would make it past the huge lump that had mysteriously formed in this throat. Nathan nodded solemnly, not questioning her decision. It was different for him, he was a man. They would simply kill him, maybe some form of torture before, but ultimately he would die. She, however, would not fare so easily. History had not dealt gently with the fate of female captives.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

R
esolutely forging ahead, Riley’s attention strayed for one small moment, and in that one small moment, all hell broke loose. A single savage form magically appeared, blocking the path before her. Blatantly, he posed, spear held in readiness, seemingly unconcerned with the present odds. Deadly intent emanated from his too-small eyes, sneering lips twisted in triumph exposing rotten, blackened teeth. Clothed in dirty, ill-prepared hides, legs and feet bare, he was primitive beyond belief and reeking of cruelty. Stunned and disbelieving, Riley froze, her mind refusing to assimilate the irrefutable existence of the combatant’s presence.

Behind her, Nathan yelled a warning as the dog rushed forward, aggressively attacking the intruder. Startled by the dog’s behavior and the unexpected appearance of the heretofore unknown creature, the panicked horse reared up, pawing the air frantically, and then bolted, dragging Riley behind.

Falling in the aftermath and skidding face down, she rolled, barely avoiding the horse’s thrashing hooves. Dirt and debris clogged her eyes as she blindly groped for anything to use as a weapon. The dog continued his vicious attack, ripping bloody gashes in the newcomer’s arms and legs, each movement calculated to do the most damage, and by the hideous screams of pain and wild barking, the man was not faring well against Demon.

Rubbing clods of dirt from her streaming eyes, Riley screamed a warning as her peripheral vision picked up more movement. Several more newcomers entered the picture, joining their now incapacitated companion. Nathan bellowed a war cry and jumped into the fray, slashing and whirling in a lethal dance of death. More than one newcomer instantly fell beneath his onslaught, but more entered the battle. Riley’s hand fastened on her war club and, gripping it tightly, she moved into position behind Nathan, protecting his back as he dealt blow after blow on the now surprised and defensive warriors.

Moving in time with Nathan, Riley matched his ferocity, enraged by the unwarranted attack and fighting as though demons snapped at her heels. They fought as one, joined by their will to survive amidst overwhelming odds.

Had Nathan had the opportunity to enjoy the spectacle, he would have applauded the intensity and determination with which she landed every blow. She was an Amazon woman of myth, a Valkyrie of the Asgaard, or a Warrior Queen. The months of combat training and warfare techniques drilled into her on a daily basis came into fruition, culminating in this single moment. She defended her position well, holding out against the rampaging aggressors, meting out vicious blows to those who ventured too close.

As the first wave of attackers retreated from the fierceness of the two who fought back to back, Riley dropped her defensive stance, watching with amazement their undignified retreat. Realizing she had been holding her breath, she relaxed somewhat, taking deep, cleansing breaths of air and then expelling them. Dumfounded by their unexpected victory, her mind went on hold.

Grabbing Riley by the arm, Nate hurtled forward, leaving behind everything but the weapons. Adrenalin providing the impetus, Riley flew behind him, hot on his tail. In the intervening time, the newcomers regrouped, stampeding en masse in their wake.

“Time to hand out a few surprises.” Pulling the pin and counting slowly, Nathan whirled and tossed a grenade, at the same time yanking Riley down and dropping full length across her, providing what protection he could from the impact. Momentarily hesitating as the grenade landed in their midst, the pursuers halted, jeering and laughing derisively at the seemingly harmless object, but just long enough for the grenade to detonate, spewing rocks and body parts with satisfying force. Springing up, Nathan hustled Riley along, racing towards an outcropping of boulders, as death screams echoed in the aftermath of the explosion.

Whistling shrilly, Nathan summoned Demon, who dashed after them, limping slightly from a small leg wound.

“They hurt him!” Riley cried angrily as she charged to the dog’s side. “He’s hurt!”

Grimacing at the hold up, Nathan growled. “We don’t have time for this! Let’s just keep moving. We can doctor him later.”

Rubbing her hands lightly across the dog’s back and withers, she quickly checked for injuries. Demon stood quietly, rewarding her ministrations with one delicate lick of his raspy tongue. Satisfied that he sported no other wounds, Riley sped after Nathan, running as if her life depended on it—which it did!

Unscathed, they reached the rock outcropping and jumped for cover, huddling down while Nathan assessed the strength of the remaining force. Uneasy, the newcomers milled about uncertainly, all the while casually ending the suffering of the mortally wounded, but periodically glancing nervously in their direction. Nathan and Riley crouched, closely watching the newcomers’ actions, praying the newcomers would be panicked enough by the strange explosive death dealer to just depart. Unfortunately, by the look of things, the newcomers were recovering their bravado with alarming speed. Of the group left standing, Nathan counted nine uninjured, or slightly injured combatants. The odds were getting better, but overall, not good.

“Why can’t they just go away and leave us alone?” Riley whispered.

“I think we injured their pride or something.” Who knew what motivated the ancients—couldn’t be anything he or Riley possessed, they didn’t have that much worth having.

Disgusted, she nonetheless agreed. “Sounds like a man thing to me!”

Speaking low, Nathan’s low voice rumbled jokingly. “If I were them and I knew this lone guy had a babe who looked like you, and I knew what was waiting at home, I wouldn’t give up either.”

Dealing a swift punch to his uninjured arm, Riley couldn’t help chuckling, despite their current predicament. “So I’m the prized possession! I don’t think so! Just remember, if push comes to shove, I chose you. I don’t care what they want!”

Serious again, Nathan pulled her close. “It won’t come to that! We’re getting out of this together, one way or the other.”

Taking a deep breath, Riley reiterated, “Just don’t leave me alone.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

E
ven with Geena’s remarkable skills, tracking on the rough, rocky terrain had taken time. Still convinced that they were following Nathan and the girl, Geena chanced upon the cave sheltering the abandoned sheep. Clearing the cave opening, they stepped in only to scramble wildly out as a rather large, bad-tempered ram charged, his head braced for contact. Dodging the sharp pointed horns and wrestling the testy animal down, Jonas fingered the animal’s halter, noting each intricate and carefully contrived knot, elated at the discovery. Nathan liked to brag about his Boy Scout skills and knot tying was on the top of his somewhat dubious list. Here was the first real indication that they were on the right track. Water and food had been left with the animals and the entrance had been well-covered, leaving Jonas to believe they planned to return at some point and retrieve the sheep.

The pace of the forced march was taking its toll on everyone. Exhaustion lined their faces and several of the women and men would not be able to continue unless they rested for a longer period. Worried that they were falling farther behind with each passing moment, and frustrated by what he felt were unnecessary delays, Jonas made a tactical decision. Too much time had been lost and the only possible way that they would make it up would be to leave the weaker individuals behind. Fortunately, the cave provided good cover, and the stronger members could move on at a faster clip. A short discussion ensued and it was decided that Jonas, Geena, Micah and two of the other Black Ops team members were the most physically capable of continuing. Surprisingly, Allie stepped forward, laying a small hand on Jonas’ arm.

“I’m coming with you,” she began.

“Not on your life!” he ground out, jerking his arm away. If Allie thought she was tagging along, she was in for a big disappointment. “You wouldn’t be able to keep up!” Without wasting any more breath on her ridiculous overture, he turned away, ignoring her angry retort.

“I will keep up! And I’m coming with you! Try to stop me!”

Startled by her unexpected outburst, Jonas spun around. “Are you arguing with me? You forget. My word is law and I say you aren’t going!”