Darkness was drawing near when Sylvia finally caught up to Maddy. It had been unnerving to travel through the valley pass at sunset, her vision hindered by the sun shining directly into her eyes. She kept imagining the low form of a mountain lion slinking toward her through the glare, so she treaded carefully, her eyes straining to see as much as she could. She had no choice but to go forward.
Finally, the sun dipped below the horizon, and not long after, she spotted Maddy, Sylvia’s own pack bumping on the girl’s back. She narrowed her eyes and silently slunk toward her.
All of a sudden, Maddy stopped in her tracks and dropped to a crouch. Sylvia paused, worried Maddy had sensed her presence. She slipped behind a tree, but Maddy was still looking ahead—had the girl spotted something?
The shadows were gone now, and the dim grey light of twilight bathed the trees in the valley. A loud growl came from Sylvia’s stomach, and she clamped her hands over her torso. Maddy flicked her head back toward Sylvia’s direction, only twenty paces away, but quickly returned her attention to whatever had drawn her to a stop in the first place.
This would be a good time to sneak up on her, Sylvia thought. Get back at her for that hit on the head. She twisted her mouth into a wistful grimace. No, there was clearly something ahead she needed to know about first. She squeezed the knife in her hand reassuringly.
She clutched the bark and peered closer at Maddy, who was now rifling through Sylvia’s pack. Sylvia made a quiet noise of disgust at the girl’s careless treatment—she had all of her tools carefully organized in there, for easy access when she needed them on the trail.
Maddy’s hand emerged from the pack with Sylvia’s telescope, which the girl quickly extended and drew to her eye. Without another thought, Sylvia darted around the tree, and ran at a crouch to the next tree, and the next, until she was right behind Maddy.
She still couldn’t see what the girl was looking at, though. What had drawn her attention?
But then Sylvia saw it. Not far ahead, the pass opened up, the trail splitting between north and west. Just where the pass opened to the north, Sylvia could just barely see a swath of red and white cloth. It was unmistakably not a part of the landscape—and if she had a telescope in her hands, she might be prepared to bet the cloth was attached to a person. And it wasn’t moving.
Only feet from Maddy now, she heard the girl whisper, “Mom?” and then she stuffed the telescope unceremoniously back into the pack.
Sylvia hastily studied the rest of the landscape before plunging ahead. Her eyes darted over the mouth of the valley, searching for possible threats.
When she saw it, she felt as though she had been expecting it. The grey wolf stood rigid on a small hill outside the valley. Its companions—she noticed with a lurch—were scattered behind it, like ghosts in the trees.
Her breath exploded out of her at the realization that the pack from Riftcity might have moved on—and here it was. Had it followed the person up ahead?
Too late, Sylvia realized that Maddy had silently sped forward through the trees, unknowingly straight toward the pack.
Sylvia’s chest expanded painfully, as if her body thought more air would do her some good. What was she supposed to do now? At least this morning—had it really only been that morning?—the mountain lion had been injured, and there had only been one. This girl has a terrible knack for trouble.
Her eyes flew from one wolf to the next, counting. Eight. Eight large, well-fed wolves. Sylvia didn’t have time to spare a thought as to how these eight wolves were getting enough to eat, when normally the wolves were thin and desperate—making them all the more dangerous for the Riders.
Maddy was now running toward the figure on the ground, probably the worst thing she could do in the presence of wolves. Thoughts of reporting the girl flew out of Sylvia’s mind—Maddy was going to get herself killed before it came to that!
“Maddy!” she thundered, putting her hands beside her mouth to make the sound carry. She was eerily reminded of this morning. How many times would she have to rescue this girl?
Sylvia briefly wondered if they would both get through this, but thrust the thought aside as quickly as it had come. There was no time for thinking like that.
She forced herself to walk slowly and confidently toward the girl, but she was still far away. Running would only make the wolves want to chase.
Maddy looked incredulously around, but instead of spotting Sylvia, the girl finally noticed the wolves—because they were stalking straight towards her. She had slowed to a stop at Sylvia’s call, but upon spotting the wolves, broke into another run, back toward Sylvia.
Sylvia’s heart thundered in her chest as she watched Maddy and the wolves racing toward her.
“Of all the wrong things to do,” she growled, grimacing as the wolves gained confidence as they ran down their prey. Maddy’s eyes were enormous orbs of fear.
“Stop running and turn to face them,” Sylvia called, planting herself between two big tree trunks. She ground her feet into the earth and tightened her grip on her long knife.
As a last thought, she bent down and picked up a stone with her empty hand. Maddy had slowed and was walking quickly backward, but of course the wolves were gaining on her, invigorated by the chase.
“Slow down,” Sylvia commanded, wincing as some of the wolves began to break off to the sides of the valley. If they surrounded them…
The leader was twenty feet away, his stride slowing as his prey came to a halt beside Sylvia. His jaw, capable of crushing flesh and bone, opened wide, and the tongue lolled out between two-inch long fangs, slippery with saliva.
“Over there,” Sylvia ordered, gesturing with her knife at a pile of rocks she had spotted among a large tree’s roots. “Grab the rocks and start throwing.”
Maddy didn’t need to be told twice. She scrambled over to the tree and raked her hands between its roots. Sylvia turned back to the wolves. She drew herself up to her fullest height and raised her knife as the leader lunged and leapt, jaws wide.
First, she threw the rock, distracting it, then released her blade in a wide arc, timing the blow perfectly. Then, she lunged to the side, already seeking the next threat. She could hear Maddy picking up more rocks. The rest of the wolves were within throwing distance, and she let fire, drawing a few yelps when she actually met her mark.
They were closing in. Two split off to the side, flanking Sylvia and Maddy. Sylvia’s knife hilt became slick with sweat. She reached down and grabbed the first rock she encountered with her groping hand, never looking away from the wolves.
Suddenly, a howl sounded from the top of the pass, far up the slope. Sylvia froze, the sound sending shivers down her spine. The wolves surrounding them had also frozen, their ears flicking back toward the sound. Then, as one, they flung their heads back and echoed the howl, each wolf adding its voice to the call.
The hair on Sylvia’s neck stood straight up, and the flesh on her arms rippled with goosebumps. One by one the wolves finished their calls, and as they did, turned tail and darted for the top of the pass. Without so much as another sniff at their prey, they left, as if they couldn’t be less interested in these two humans.
The woods suddenly empty of wolves, Sylvia could only focus on her breathing, and the rock in her hand, as the shock began to set in. She gripped the rock tightly in her fingers, feeling the shape of it, and running her thumb along a groove. Her mind seemed numb after the sudden disappearance. Slowly, the rest of the world came back into focus, and the first thing she noticed was Maddy.
“You,” she started, making no move to drop the rock. “How dare you abandon me in the middle of the wilds—steal my pack—and now this?” she exclaimed, gesturing wildly with the rock in her hand.
“What happened to the wolves?” Maddy asked, finally raising herself from where she had crouched by the tree roots. With a guilty glance, she set Sylvia’s pa
ck down.
“I don’t—know,” Sylvia replied jerkily. She didn’t want to admit it to Maddy, but it was the spookiest thing she had ever seen. The memory of that lone wolf’s howl, and the echoing chorus brought another shiver up her spine. She looked around, but the shadowy woods were indeed empty of wolves.
Maddy crossed her arms as though cold. She glanced over her shoulder, and Sylvia immediately remembered the red and white cloth, and the figure Maddy had spotted.
“What’s over there?” she asked as she stalked toward her pack and pulled out her food and water.
“I don’t know,” Maddy admitted, “I thought it was a person.” She looked longingly toward the figure, but made no move to leave Sylvia.
Sylvia raised an eyebrow. Had she finally earned Maddy’s trust? It’s amazing what an encounter with an entire wolf pack will do to a person, Sylvia thought. After she unceremoniously stuffed a bit of bread into her mouth she said, “Let’s go find out before the wolves come back.”
Seven
Sylvia wiped her hands on her leggings as she and Maddy approached the mouth of the valley. Both girls eagerly watched their surroundings for any trace of the wolf pack, but Sylvia had a strange feeling that they had left the valley.
The mystery of the wolves was something she would rather contemplate when she returned to Lightcity, however. She had never heard of them acting this way before, but she didn’t want to think about it until she was behind a city gate. The wilds were terrifying enough without the thought of a wolf pack acting so oddly.
Darkness was falling swiftly around them. Sylvia and Maddy hurried over to the figure, unmoving on the ground. Feet away, Sylvia realized the red was really blood on a thin white blanket. They both rushed forward and dropped to the ground by the man’s side. Sylvia’s thoughts immediately went to the wolf pack—had Sylvia and Maddy distracted them from finishing him off?
Maddy delicately pulled the white blanket away, revealing a bloodied arm slung across the man’s chest. His eyes were closed, and Sylva pressed two fingers to his throat, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there, and throbbing steadily. She didn’t recognize him, but he must be a Rider, or maybe a Hunter—no one else went out into the wilds. He had no weapons, but they had probably been lost.
With a great sigh, Maddy sat back on her heels, the bloodied blanket still in her hands. Sylvia paused in searching through her pack for her small medical kit—entirely out of its usual place after Maddy’s rough treatment.
Not sure what to say anymore, Sylvia pushed her water canister into the girl’s hands and pulled out the medical kit. They worked silently to clean and bandage the wound. Eventually, when he was as clean and comfortable as they could make him, Sylvia took out her firestarter and began to build a fire; Maddy took over, still saying nothing.
The man was still unconscious, but propped up on a steep incline, against which Sylvia now began to build a small shelter. With a strange wolf pack in the area, she would take no chances of sleeping out in the open as she usually did. As she was propping sticks against the rocks she had placed, Maddy finally spoke.
“I thought it might be my mom,” she admitted in a hushed voice from across the fire, now crackling with heat.
Sylvia looked up and Maddy cocked her head at the man. “It’s okay,” Sylvia said automatically. “It’s going to be okay—I’m sure they’re fine.” But deep down, she wasn’t so sure any more.
Today had been one of the worst days she’d ever had out in the wilds. She was eager to get back home and discuss the wolves’ behavior with her father, who had been one of the best Riders in Arcera until he’d retired. His training had undoubtedly saved both her and Maddy’s lives today.
“I’m—sorry,” Maddy said abruptly. “I’m sorry for hitting you, and taking your pack, and everything,” she gushed. “You were right. Maybe I shouldn’t be out here. I’m really sorry.”
Sylvia sighed, looking up at the stars, but before she could say anything Maddy continued.
“Would you—and I’d understand if you want to—but could you please not tell anyone about what I did?” the girl gazed pleadingly at Sylvia over the roaring campfire.
“I’ve wanted to be a Rider forever, and if my parents find out I left Gloriana, and what I did to you, they might stop training me. I just thought,” she took a great, shuddering breath. “I just thought they were in trouble, and maybe I might be able to help.”
Sylvia drummed her fingers on one of the stones at the base of her shelter. “You still want to be a Rider?” she asked.
The girl nodded. “Of course.” She gave Sylvia a weak smile. “All the things Riders get to see, and do. I’ve heard about them from my parents and their Rider friends ever since I can remember.”
“And I know today was really horrible, but if we hadn’t come along,” she looked down at the man, who was now snoring lightly, “He would’ve been all alone out here—and those wolves would have…” she trailed off, gazing into the flames.
“So, I’m sorry I almost got us killed, but, at least we saved someone, right?”
Sylvia snorted and Maddy bit her lip.
If the girl still wanted to be a Rider even after what she witnessed today, then she might just have what it took—as long as she listened.
“I suppose you’re right,” Sylvia admitted, then held up a finger. “But don’t think that finding him makes up for what you did.” She paused, deciding. “I’m going to need you to promise not to leave the city until you’re fully trained.”
Maddy’s eyes lit up.
“And, to never hit me over the head again.”
Eight