Into the Wind by Shira Anthony Page B

weight, causing him to slide backward several feet. He managed to find an indentation with his foot, though the rough stone scraped his skin and he hissed at the stinging pain.
    Brynn now dangled, still holding desperately on to a single vine with one hand, the fingers of his other hand wrapped around the root of one of the misshapen trees. Each time he tried to steady himself by planting his feet, they slipped against the wet trail.
    Taren gritted his teeth, frustrated that he could do no better than hold his ground. If he could just manage to climb a few feet higher, he could snag the boy around his waist and haul him up. But try as he might, he couldn’t find a place to dig his fingers in and shore up his own precarious position. If he could take advantage of his Ea strength, perhaps he could force his fingers into the stone, but in his human form, he wasn’t nearly strong enough.
    Brynn kicked and swayed, grunting with the effort of holding himself up with only his arms. “Stay still, boy! I’ll come get you, just don’t move!” Whether Brynn heard him or not, Taren couldn’t be sure, because he didn’t heed Taren’s words. Instead, he continued to move about frantically.
    Damn! The water that now ran over his hand reminded him once more of how weak he was as a human. Or perhaps you’ve come to rely too much on your Ea abilities .
    The root Brynn clung to suddenly broke under his weight. It didn’t snap in two, thank the goddess, but Brynn slipped farther down. Taren had no time to think. He gritted his teeth and shoved his human fingers into one of the holes. He ignored the pain, instead digging deeper until he knew his grip was solid. He did the same with his feet as he reached up with his free hand and grabbed Brynn by the waist of his trousers. The net holding their meager supplies tumbled down onto the rocks below—a stark reminder that if Brynn fell, he’d take both of them. But if Taren could support his weight—
    “Let go slowly, Brynn!” he shouted. Brynn glanced down at him, eyes wide with fear. “Slowly. I’ll hold you. Trust me.”
    Brynn nodded, then slowly released his grip on the root and allowed it to slip through his fist. As he let go entirely, Taren snaked his arm around Brynn’s small waist and pulled him against his hip.
    “I’ve got you, boy. Now hold on tight.”
    Brynn wrapped his arms and legs around Taren’s neck and torso. When Taren was sure the boy wouldn’t fall, he let go of his waist and began to climb the rest of the way up. The going was slow and painful, the burn of his cuts and scrapes and the sound of Brynn’s labored breath in his ear reminding him what fate awaited them if they fell.
    Goddess, lend me your strength , Taren prayed as he reached the steepest part of the trail and edged his way sideways until the edge of the cliff was in reach. “Go, boy,” he said as he pushed Brynn bodily over the top. Then he dragged himself up and collapsed, boneless, on the grass next to Brynn.
    They lay there for some time, panting, bruised and bloody. “You…,” Brynn said in a hushed whisper. “You could have let me fall. If you’d moved over, I wouldn’t have hit you and—”
    “And you would have died.”
    “But… but why…?” Brynn sat up, then wiped some of the dirt off his face and hands.
    Taren chuckled. “Why indeed.” He wouldn’t explain to Brynn that he owed his life many times over to men who’d seen fit to risk their own lives to save his. Instead, he said only, “I need you to lead me to Odhrán. What good would you be to me if I’d let you fall?”
    Brynn stared at him for a moment, lips pursed, brow furrowed. He got to his feet and looked out over the water, then shrugged and turned back to Taren. “Thank you,” he said, his expression serious for once.
    Taren only nodded.
     
     
    T HEYMADEcamp after walking several hours toward the interior of the island. Brynn said very little, which was fine with Taren, who was tired and sore from