Page 23 of The Rising Wave

Feeling helpless, he walked to the largest tree he could find, leaning against the trunk.

They could hide, but it would do no good.

And they couldn't outrun dogs and horses. Not in their current condition.

Ava rubbed her cheek against his shoulder as he sat down and settled her across his lap, and then crinkled her nose.

“They smell, don't they?” she muttered as he pulled her close and tucked his cloak around them both.

“What?” His voice cracked. He would fight when they came, but he needed a moment to rest. Just to sit quietly with Ava in his arms for a little while.

“The cloaks. They stink. I wish we didn't need them.”

He hadn't noticed. He had lived in places where it was a benefit not to notice these things.

Ava's breathing changed, deepened, and he realized she had fallen asleep, a hand resting limp against his bare chest under his cloak.

He didn't move, not wanting to disturb her until he had to.

He leaned back and listened to the barking dogs and then, as they came closer, the thudding hooves of the horses, the shouts of the men.

He knew the moment they'd found the horse.

“Fuck.”

“I told you.” The voice sounded aggrieved. “My dogs never steer me wrong.”

“The hoof marks clearly led in this direction.” Someone sounded defensive now.

“But they weren't on the horse, were they? The dogs said they went east thirty minutes back.”

There was silence.

“It seems your dogs may have been right, but it was necessary to check, anyway.” The voice speaking now had to be the general, Luc thought.

No one had anything else to say once he'd spoken.

“Well, let's give the dogs the lead.” It was an order, not a suggestion, and the whole stampede of them moved away, the sound fading into the distance.

The dogs must have tried to go east when they found the bandage.

Luc couldn't understand why, couldn't understand how, but they were safe.

Ava had slept through the whole thing, turned into him, as if she couldn't get close enough.

He was a warrior raised in a Chosen camp—he could sleep anywhere, anytime. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth and weight of her against him.

The absolute silence that had fallen at the arrival of the dogs and men slowly faded, and the rustles and noise of the forest resumed.

For the moment, they were safe.

* * *

Her working had. . . well, worked.

Ava smiled against Luc's chest as she remembered her grandmother telling her once the point of a working was for it to work, so to be sure her intention was carefully and thoughtfully done. It was not in the spirit of her agreement with Ava's mother, but no actual sewing had been done.

She hadn't had the time or the conditions for something elegant, but the few stitches she'd embroidered into the blood-soaked bandage must have been enough.

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