For the first time in her life, she understood him.

They passed into a thicket of trees and came upon a wide length of the river. The water ran swiftly toward the city.

A deer dipped its head to drink.

“Quiet,” Dell whispered.

Helena had only ever seen deer in storybooks, but here she was in front of one.

Sensing their presence, the animal snapped its head up, wide brown eyes meeting theirs seconds before it dashed into the trees with a crash of branches.

Dell nudged the horse forward until he stepped into the water. Helena held her breath, hoping it was really as shallow as Dell believed.

She released it when they made it to the other side only to be greeted by a wall of moss-covered rock.

She scanned the impediment where it loomed over them, her shoulders deflating.

Dell, showing no signs of disappointment that he’d led them the wrong way, slid from the horse. He winced as his feet hit the ground.

“Dell.” Helena tried to slide down as he had, but her foot got stuck in the stirrup sending her twisting and tumbling to the ground. The impact sent a jarring force through her. Her foot still in the stirrup, it hung above the rest of her body.

The horse stepped away from her, dragging her slowly.

Dell jumped forward and wrestled her foot free. “You okay?” He bit back a laugh.

Helena rolled to her feet and scanned her body for any sign of blood. “You wouldn’t be laughing if I’d died.”

“You’re right.”

He grinned.

“Stop it.”

“No.”

“Dell.”

“Len.”

She punched his arm, and all joking faded from his face as pain invaded his eyes.

“Dell, you need to sit down.” She touched his back as gently as she could. “Come on. Then we can find our way back to the city.”

“We’re not going back before you lay eyes on the sea.”

“It’s okay to admit you led us astray.”

“Oh, I led us astray, did I?” He shook his head and reached for the horse’s reins. “Horse-Ian has to stay here.”

She raised an eyebrow at the name. She’d never met anyone like Dell before.

Dell finished tying Horse-Ian to a tree before skimming a hand along the stones. Len followed him until they came upon an opening, barely wide enough to fit through. Dell squeezed himself into it without hesitation. “Come on!”

Helena wedged herself in, the rough rocks scraping her arms as she slid along the narrow gap.

By the time she burst free, her shirt had come untucked and hung down to her knees. Wisps of hair fell wildly about her face.

Her eyes fixed on Dell, his blonde hair unkempt and the bronze skin of his face mottled with bruises. Even so, he was handsome.

Her eyes followed his line of sight as she heard the crash of waves upon the rocky shore.