“Don’t bother,” she said to herself as she stood up and picked up her bag. Suddenly her eyes widened. What if you do come down! The thought nearly took her breath away. Quickly she scanned the ground and found what she was looking for: a stout tree limb with a thick protrusion on one end. Her heart pounding, she dropped her bag and snatched up the limb. It was heavy, and she clutched it tightly to steady the trembling in her hands. She looked around quickly, then darted up the trail a few feet and ducked behind the thick trunk of a towering spruce. As she raised the club high in the air, her eyes widened in terror. Cricket! What if the dog came around the tree first and started wagging her tail? Nicole felt her knees go weak as the crunch of Eric’s feet could be heard coming through the trees. Cricket gave a sudden yelp, and Nicole heard her crash off through the forest, barking wildly.

“Be quiet, Cricket!” Eric hissed, now only a few yards above Nicole. “You’ll have every man on the mountain after us over a stupid rabbit. Nicole, don’t you be stupid either.” He was muttering to himself now as he came down the trail. “If you’re trying to run away, I’ll—” Both his words and footsteps stopped simultaneously, and Nicole knew he had spied her bag on the trail.

With an exclamation of surprise, he leaped past her hiding place and crouched down to look at the bag. She took two steps forward and swung the club down, putting four days of frustration, pain, and bitterness into the blow. The knobby end of the limb caught Eric above his right ear. With a sharp grunt, he sprawled forward, crashing onto his face.

Nicole flung the club away, turned, and ran blindly up the path. Not until she had gone fifty or more feet did she get a hold on her panic and pull herself to a halt, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. As she stared back down the path, she straightened slowly, exultation shooting through her. Eric hadn’t moved. She had done it! She was free!

For a moment Nicole nearly turned back to see how badly she had hurt him and to get his pistol, but then panic hit her again, and she broke into a run back toward the camp.

Eric had left the horses saddled in case they were discovered by Guardian patrols and needed to move swiftly. Now she murmured a quick thanks for that. She undid the halter rope of the packhorse, slapped its rump sharply, and yelled. The horse leaped forward in fright and bolted off through the trees.