Serendipity's Choice

- Chapter 21 -

Serri leaned toward Percy's neck as they galloped down the dusty road. She knew the gang wouldn't stand idly by, but she hoped it would take them a while to get their horses ready to ride.

Staying on the main road would make it too easy for them to find her. She needed a plan and a map. Neither of which were presently at her disposal.

Approaching a fork in the road, she had an idea.

She turned Percy down the left fork but after a couple hundred feet, she slowed him down and had him walk off the side of the road. Then she had him trot diagonally across the road and off the other side, then back again, and so on.

Once they'd done this for a good distance, they stopped well off the right side of the road. Serri dismounted, grabbed a leafy branch, and started sweeping away some of his tracks, being sure to do it sporadically. She wanted to leave signs of them going in both directions. She then led Percy into the forest. After he was well hidden, she swept away all their tracks heading toward the trees. That should confuse her pursuers.

Serri and Percy made their way through the forest until they came to the right fork of the road. She was sure they were far enough from the split to be undetected.

Once on the road, they galloped until late in the day, taking a break here and there for a quick drink from a creek or a snack of grass for Percy. The landscape turned from scattered trees to lush prairie as the day wore on.

As the sky darkened, Serri weighed her options. The road had been following a large creek for quite some time. Up ahead, Serri could see the creek starting to meander away from the road as it crossed a meadow. Further along, it turned toward a patch of dense trees. She left the road and headed for the trees. After walking a few yards into the meadow, Serri dismounted and gathered enough long grass to make a broom. She brushed away all the tracks for a long length down the road. She then jumped as far as she could into the meadow and walked back to Percy to lead him toward the trees. A few minutes after entering the thicket, they came across a clearing. It was the perfect spot to camp.

Serri took Percy's saddle and bridle off and unpacked her blanket. After finding a soft spot to lay down, she looked up through the tree branches at the glittering stars. She thought about the silver lining in her unexpected change of plans. Brett would have no idea where she was. He thought she was well on her way to Minnesota. With a smile, she closed her eyes and fell into a sound sleep. When she awoke, a beautiful sunrise was visible through the trees. Percy was happily grazing on the lush grass near the creek. All was well.

Serri stretched lazily and walked over to Percy. As she stood patting his neck and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells, she noticed that there was a deep pool between some large boulders in the creek. It looked like a perfect spot for swimming.

She was hopefully optimistic that Donald and his thugs had given up on their search, so she decided it couldn't hurt to take some time to relax. Besides, her food supplies were dwindling, and the creek looked like a great spot to catch some fish.

After a quick breakfast of a stale biscuit, she sharpened the end of a long branch, stripped off her clothes and plunged into the cool water. As she lounged in a shallow area next to a large boulder, a deer suddenly came crashing through the trees behind her. It leapt into the creek, splashed through the water, then vaulted up the opposite bank, disappearing into the trees near her camp. As she got over her surprise, another sound caught her attention. It sounded like footsteps on the rocky shore behind her. She froze in place, letting herself sink deeper into the water.

After a few very long seconds, she made her way to the edge of the boulder. As she peeked around it, she saw an Indian standing on the shore. He had his back to her and seemed to be adjusting the string on his bow. She watched with mounting anxiety as he put down the bow, swung his quiver of arrows off his back, stripped off his pants and leapt onto the top of her boulder.