floor strewn with old and new leaves.
Tiny twigs snapped and she cringed, treading lighter. Never in her
life had she seen woods such as these. Where on earth was she?
“Hello?” she called, her voice tight and scratchy.
She stopped caring that she was nude, she just wanted to hear
a human voice, throw herself into human armseven Brody’s. She
realized then how frightened she was. Gingerly, she took small
baby steps. She climbed over a few logs and stumps, all the while
wondering if she should head back to the cave. She stopped and
looked back; she had traversed farther than she realized because the
cave was no longer within her sight. Perhaps if she walked far
enough she would find someone. Rolf had to be looking for her,
but he would be looking in the cave. Sky turned and went back. It
became apparent she was already lost. Was the cave to her left or
to her right?
“Rolf?” she cried out loudly.
Find me .
Sky perched delicately on a fallen log, the moss felt moist and
cool against her bare backside. Her feet were already tender from
the hard ground. Her toes curled in the chill air. The best thing to do
when lost is to remain right where I am. She shivered as the sun slowly
began to set in the horizon. Her stomach growled. She wondered if
Rolf was as frantic as she was feeling. No doubt he was. As the sun
dipped lower, Sky felt her hackles rise when a wolf howled in the
distance. Sky scrambled to her feet, once more her heart
hammered within her chest. She dropped her coin pouch onto the
log, not caring as some spilled and climbed the nearest tree. Up,
up she went into its vastness. She hoped her body was undetectable
from the ground to the creatures of the night. Her arms wrapped
around the massive trunk, her behind settling onto a huge limb.
Her legs, that had been dangling pulled to her chest. Naked, cold,
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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat
hungry and frightened, she spent the night clinging precariously to
the tree branches trembling.
When the first hint of morning came, Sky ventured from the
tree. Her body was cramped. She was exhausted and feeling
lethargic from the cold. She stretched and shook out her limbs.
From the very recesses of her mind she knew she had to get mobile
or die. Bending down she picked up the dew-covered coins that
had spilled in her haste the previous night. She emptied the
contents of the pouch into her hand. Twenty coins in all. She
dropped them back into the pouch feeling if she had to, she would
pay someone for food and clothes. Too bad for Rolf that they
belonged to him, because he was part of the reason she was in this
mess. Rolf should have stopped Brody’s teasing long ago. She
didn’t care if the damned man stirred mixed emotions in her. The
next time Brody said something, she would charge him with sexual
harassment!
Sky began walking in what she hoped was the direction of the
cave. She stumbled along for hours, ever wary of the vegetation
that pulled at her unclad body. Thankfully, the sun rose to filter in
through the tall trees to warm her. The forest seemed to go on
forever. It began to grow late in the day again all too soon. She was
terrified she would spend another long, lonely, frigid night alone.
Sky whimpered gratefully when a stream came into view. She
raced to it parched. Huge mouthfuls of cold water slid past her
lips. In her eagerness she choked, coughed, then let the water glide
down her throat until she was finally satisfied. The chilly water was
invigorating. It sharpened her mind.
An enterprising young woman, Sky searched the banks. She
knew she needed to start a fire. Without some type of clothing or
warmth she was subject to hypothermia. But if she had water and
warmth she would survive longer and give her rescuers much
needed time to track her down. There was no doubt in her mind
that someone would find her. Luck was on her side. She found iron
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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie