Page 11 of Burning Escape

Footprints in the ash would lead the men right to them. Orion picked up the pace.

“There!” Tori pointed to a thin stream cutting across the field a few yards away. “That should hide our tracks. Put me down, and I can?—”

“Forget it.” He made a beeline for the water.

“Orion, the ankle is fine. Let me down!”

His arms and lungs burned. Hopefully they had enough of a lead. He dropped her legs but kept an arm around her waist. “Can you stand okay?”

Instead of answering, she jogged away. A slight limp, but she was handling it. The cold mountain water soaked their feet and ankles as they ran downhill in the stream until it tumbled over a craggy edge. They stood there, sucking in oxygen and looking for an escape route.

The stream became a tiny waterfall, dropping fast down a cliff. They climbed out of the water and around the boulders that lined the cliff edge. The landscape fell away in a steep hill on one side of the water. Maybe they should try climbing the rocky ledge on the other side of the stream. But that would be hard on Tori’s ankle.

The forest was once again green and alive here. They wouldn’t have to worry about being tracked through the ash. But the gunmen on their ATVs were still heading their way. Orion glanced behind him, but the ridge above hid the blackened landscape from his view. He walked away from the cliff and onto green vegetation. Maybe it was?—

His foot slipped in wet moss. He hit the ground, rolled down the sharp incline. Branches and brush whipped his face as he slid.

“Ry!”

He threw an arm over his face, at the mercy of gravity as he flew downward, unable to find purchase.Oomph.His shoulder caught a thick trunk, and his body bounced off, sliding down until finally stopping at the bottom of a ravine.

For a moment he lay there, his own ragged breath all he could hear. He tried opening his eyes. His vision blurred. Excruciating pain radiated from his shoulder and across his forehead.

That couldn’t be good.

He waited for the sky and trees to stop spinning. Gingerly pushed up to a sitting position.

A groan escaped. The agony from his shoulder and the pounding in his head sent a wave of nausea through him.

“Orion!” Tori slid down into the ravine on her bottom, holding on to tree trunks and limbs to keep from barreling down like he had. “Are you okay?”

She was there, kneeling in front of him, concern in her gaze.

If it weren’t for his shoulder being on fire and the probable skull fracture he had—given the way his head hurt—he’d be tempted to joke with her.

“Oooh, that doesn’t look good. I think you dislocated it,” she said as she assessed his shoulder.

Teeth clenched tight against the pain, he could only grunt in response. He felt along his clavicle and left shoulder. “It’s still in joint.” But it wouldn’t surprise him if he’d pulled or torn something in there.

“And you’re bleeding.” Her lips thinned and brow pinched as she leaned in, studying his forehead. She searched her pockets, found a bandanna, and wrapped it around his head. “Hopefully this will stop it.” She tied a knot. He tried not to wince as it tightened around his wound.

He hated being helpless like this, especially in front of her. But he was in too much pain to put up pretenses.

“Help me up.” He leaned on her to stand, another bout of nausea almost taking him out again. He powered through and stood. He tried one step. Didn’t keel over. Another.

“I’ve got this,” he told Tori. She looked reluctant but stepped away.

Orion stepped up to a black spruce, rested his good hand on the ragged bark.

He closed his eyes, focusing the next few breaths to go deep.

Better.

But not great.

“Are you okay?” Tori rested a light hand on his arm.

He nodded and immediately regretted it as dizziness hit him.

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