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pressed his lips together and continued to look around at the grim landscape.
Rinna steadied him, but he knew he couldn't go any farther.
"Let me rest," he gasped, striking out toward one of the buildings. At least it would afford him a little shelter.
"Yes. But only for a few minutes. I'll be right back."
They crossed hard, packed ground. When they had passed through a ruined doorway, she eased him down so that he was leaning against a half-destroyed wall. After giving him a critical look, she turned and trotted off. As she disappeared, he felt a jolt of panic.
From the other side of the building, he saw a flash of white. Blinking, he tried to figure out what it was, then finally realized it was a large white bird, taking flight. A hawk or an eagle. Nesting in one of the buildings?
Rinna must have frightened it.
He saw it rise high in the air, circling around the area where he was lying. Then it was gone, and he was alone again.
He fought to stay awake but couldn't muster the energy.
It seemed like an instant later when he felt someone grasping his shoulder, shaking him gently.
He woke to pain. And grim reality.
"We have to move. The area is clear now," Rinna told him. "But when the soldiers find the trap is empty, they will search for me. I don't know how long they will look in that area or when they will come back this way."
Questions bubbled inside him, but he didn't have the strength to voice them. And he certainly couldn't sustain any kind of discussion.
She helped him to his feet, and he leaned on her again as they staggered forward. But they were still in the open when the leg that had been mauled by the metal teeth began to shake. He tried to take another step, but the knee buckled under him, and he sank to the ground.
"Get up," she ordered, her voice sharp and commanding.
"I can't." He looked up at her. "Go on. Save yourself. You don't have any obligation to me."
When she stepped away from him, he thought she might be taking his advice.
Then she was back, lifting his hips and slipping something that felt like a thin sheet of plywood under them. The wood scraped his flesh, and he wondered if he'd have a butt full of splinters when they got where they were going.
Before he could protest, she started to pull, dragging him like a sack of coal on a makeshift sled, with his legs dangling ignominiously behind him.
If there were any way he could have climbed off the piece of plywood and staggered along under his own power, he would have done it. But he'd used up the last of his strength.
He looked over his shoulder to see where they were going and saw another wall of rock.
Once again, it looked like they couldn't possibly get through the solid barrier. But she pressed her hand against the rock face, and it wavered. Then she pulled him forward. He felt resistance, but Rinna dragged him through, then let him flop onto the ground.
"Stay put. I'll be right back."
Yeah, right . He wasn't entering a dance contest anytime soon.
He saw her grab a broom made out of twigs that was propped beside the doorway. The opening hadn't closed behind her. As he watched, she hurried out and begin sweeping the dirt back and forth, disguising the marks of where she'd dragged him into this shelter.
Looking around, he could see it was a cave with rough rock walls and a ceiling about tea feet high. Some of it seemed to be a natural cavity in the hillside, but there were places where the walls loo teed like they had been chipped away to enlarge the opening.
Water gurgled in the background. An underground stream?
He was still focused on Rinna when a shuffling sound from the back of the shelter made him realize he wasn't alone.
Turning his head, he saw a man with wild gray hair, a wrinkled face and stubby legs sticking out from beneath a short tunic made of animal skins.
The clothing made him look like a prehistoric man. But the knife in his hand was steel—and pointed directly at Logan's throat.
CHAPTER FOUR
NAKED AND
Rinna steadied him, but he knew he couldn't go any farther.
"Let me rest," he gasped, striking out toward one of the buildings. At least it would afford him a little shelter.
"Yes. But only for a few minutes. I'll be right back."
They crossed hard, packed ground. When they had passed through a ruined doorway, she eased him down so that he was leaning against a half-destroyed wall. After giving him a critical look, she turned and trotted off. As she disappeared, he felt a jolt of panic.
From the other side of the building, he saw a flash of white. Blinking, he tried to figure out what it was, then finally realized it was a large white bird, taking flight. A hawk or an eagle. Nesting in one of the buildings?
Rinna must have frightened it.
He saw it rise high in the air, circling around the area where he was lying. Then it was gone, and he was alone again.
He fought to stay awake but couldn't muster the energy.
It seemed like an instant later when he felt someone grasping his shoulder, shaking him gently.
He woke to pain. And grim reality.
"We have to move. The area is clear now," Rinna told him. "But when the soldiers find the trap is empty, they will search for me. I don't know how long they will look in that area or when they will come back this way."
Questions bubbled inside him, but he didn't have the strength to voice them. And he certainly couldn't sustain any kind of discussion.
She helped him to his feet, and he leaned on her again as they staggered forward. But they were still in the open when the leg that had been mauled by the metal teeth began to shake. He tried to take another step, but the knee buckled under him, and he sank to the ground.
"Get up," she ordered, her voice sharp and commanding.
"I can't." He looked up at her. "Go on. Save yourself. You don't have any obligation to me."
When she stepped away from him, he thought she might be taking his advice.
Then she was back, lifting his hips and slipping something that felt like a thin sheet of plywood under them. The wood scraped his flesh, and he wondered if he'd have a butt full of splinters when they got where they were going.
Before he could protest, she started to pull, dragging him like a sack of coal on a makeshift sled, with his legs dangling ignominiously behind him.
If there were any way he could have climbed off the piece of plywood and staggered along under his own power, he would have done it. But he'd used up the last of his strength.
He looked over his shoulder to see where they were going and saw another wall of rock.
Once again, it looked like they couldn't possibly get through the solid barrier. But she pressed her hand against the rock face, and it wavered. Then she pulled him forward. He felt resistance, but Rinna dragged him through, then let him flop onto the ground.
"Stay put. I'll be right back."
Yeah, right . He wasn't entering a dance contest anytime soon.
He saw her grab a broom made out of twigs that was propped beside the doorway. The opening hadn't closed behind her. As he watched, she hurried out and begin sweeping the dirt back and forth, disguising the marks of where she'd dragged him into this shelter.
Looking around, he could see it was a cave with rough rock walls and a ceiling about tea feet high. Some of it seemed to be a natural cavity in the hillside, but there were places where the walls loo teed like they had been chipped away to enlarge the opening.
Water gurgled in the background. An underground stream?
He was still focused on Rinna when a shuffling sound from the back of the shelter made him realize he wasn't alone.
Turning his head, he saw a man with wild gray hair, a wrinkled face and stubby legs sticking out from beneath a short tunic made of animal skins.
The clothing made him look like a prehistoric man. But the knife in his hand was steel—and pointed directly at Logan's throat.
CHAPTER FOUR
NAKED AND
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