Shaman - An Enchantress Novel Book 2

Chapter 4

The engine of Rick’s quad missed a couple of times, giving a last gasp before it died of fuel starvation. They both carried a Jerry can full of petrol, but as there was only an hour’s hike, they decided to keep that for the return trip. A few carefully placed branches hid the quads from view just beyond the tree line.

Rick helped Adie with her pack before getting his own. They set of on the final leg of their journey for that night.

Rick set a fast pace, he knew if they didn’t make eye contact with the cabin once the sun dipped below the lower ridge they have to set up the tent or they’d lose the light they’d need to be able to do it. The mountain was too dangerous to walk in the dark. He’d be fine, his eyes were made for hunting in the dead of night, but Adie was another matter entirely. One wrong step and she’d be back down the mountain, the painful way.

He was so busy watching the sway of her hips and the way her ass cheeks would contract alternately as she walked just ahead of him, he didn’t see the tree root poking up from the edge of the trail until he tripped over it. The next second, he was tumbling down the side of a steep ravine, frantically snatching at branches as he slid past them. He came to a standstill on the edge of a steep rock face with a resounding crunch as his head made contact with the large rock that stopped any further descent and possibly saved his life.

Damp leaves and small twigs stuck to his clothes and hair, hiding the injury to the back of his head until Adie got within a couple of feet of him. She thanked the trees for slowing her slide as she steadied herself by bracing her foot on the rock, and brushed the dirt and leaves from the wound so she could see how bad it was. The coppery scent of blood filled her nose. She removed his hair from the deep cut while pouring water from a bottle she had in her pocket to rinse away the remaining dirt.

With her hands placed side by side, hovering over the wound, she thought the power word, Shocru. A soft white glow formed under her hands. In moments, the cold tingle of healing energy left her hands as blue sparks joined the glow, flowing into his body.

Perhaps five minutes after the sparks faded, he moaned and blinked his eyes a few times, trying to focus on her face. He raised his hand to touch his head.

“Don’t move yet,” she said. “You’re lying at the edge of a really steep drop.”

He jerked instantly alert at her warning, cringing as every muscle protested. “My head feels…numb.”

“That’s a good sign, it means the healing is working. We need to get you away from the edge. Do you think you can sit up? Use the rock to support your back.”

He manoeuvred himself up and back, looking around at the jagged rocks beneath them. “Jesus, that was close,” he swore, edging even further back.

“Understatement of the decade.” She snorted. “Now we have to get back up. I'm going to try to move the tree roots to form step-like platforms to help us. Are you ready?”

He nodded and reached for a small shrub, tugging gently to make sure it would hold his weight before he pulled himself forward with it.

Adie began chanting in whispers. The earth answered her by loosening its grip on the tree roots, allowing them to rise to the surface in horizontal lines, solidifying again to hold them there. It took twenty minutes to crawl back up the hill that took Rick less than thirty seconds to fall down. 

They collapsed onto the dirt path and lay there for a few minutes, Rick recovering from the strain of the climb and Adie from her use of magic.

“The sun's getting low,” she observed, looking toward the sinking sun in the valley. “Is the cabin much further?”