Page 144 of Bosse
To do this with any expertise would require exercising.
That alone disqualified hiking as part of her future, even if she were to survive.
A loud squawk far above pulled her gaze up.
Krol’s Lammogo flew overhead. If she’d needed any additional confirmation of Krol being here, there it was. The bird thing folded its wings and dove, vanishing from sight behind tall spruce and pine trees.
Ready to strike out again, Alifair ignored her leg muscles screaming at her and pushed on. She slowed when she began to encounter less-inclined ground where trees grew more sporadically. The ruins had to be close. She was almost out of hill to climb.
Not a hill. This had to be a mountain. Anything over fifty feet was in her book.
She moved from tree to tree, feeling like the worst kind of spy, and taking her time to reach a place where she could view the open grounds around the castle ruins. A small herd of five deer grazed on low branches and wild bushes until they reached the far side of the clearing.
All the does moved along until the one in the lead froze. The others stilled as well. The front doe began backing away instead of turning to walk.
What had she seen or smelled?
As she reached the other four, she must have given some secret deer signal. They all jumped around and ran like demons from hell were after them.
With no idea where to go next, Alifair decided to stay put and avoid that far side, which had spooked the deer. She rubbed her damp hands on her pants and felt a lump in her front pocket.
Fishing it out, she realized she had the EPIRB. What had happened to Adrian and Justin if they weren’t here with the wagon?
Sliding her fingernail beneath the antenna tip, she started lifting.
A blood-curdling female scream slashed through the silence.
Alifair looked up. Had that been Rez or Magdelina?
Confident her spell would protect her from being seen, she took off running while trying to activate the EPIRB.
Something invisible and big hit her hard on her side, sending her flying and then cartwheeling. She saw stars. Had her spell failed? This was a disaster.
Not as much as empty hands.
She’d lost the EPIRB before she could press the button.
