The Steele Wolf (Iron Butterfly #2)(30)

Bvork unhitched two horses that I didn't even notice that were tied to the back of the wagon. “A horse for my father and one for me,” he explained as he caught my surprised look. “We had to come after you on horseback or we would have never caught up to you. I’m not dumb; I won’t underestimate you like my father.” Leading the horses away, he tied them to a tree and then proceeded to step into the wagon. He pulled off the tarp that covered his father and wrapped it around his arm. He placed next to me a bag of food and my cloak.

Reaching down with his knife, I blanched, expecting to feel the sting of the blade cut me but instead I felt a small jerk as my hands were cut free. Throwing the rope to the side, he again poured more drugs down my throat. Jumping out, he went to the horse and began to lead the horse and wagon down to the water’s edge.

Leading the horse in a full circle, he made the wagon enter first and was making the horse back into the rushing current. I could tell from the roaring sound of the waterfall that we were really close to the drop off and if the rushing water caught the weighted wagon, it would pull it into the river. All of us would be swept away over the falls. I cringed that he was going to unnecessarily kill the horse.

Bvork was having trouble getting the horse to back into the current. The horse was fighting him. I felt the splash of water as the wheels dropped off the small embankment and hit the water. But it wasn't far enough in. The horse was refusing to enter the river and was desperately trying to turn to the side.

I grunted out in frustration as I tried to move my body, but I was a prisoner in my own mind. I felt my hands twitch in response again and I focused all of my attention on moving my feet. The curling of my big toe gave me hope as I prayed that the horse was stubborn enough to delay getting any deeper in the water.

“Darn it horse,” I heard Bvork yell out, as an angry snap of a whip accompanied his curses. The horse whinnied in protest and snorted and stamped against the oncoming lashes. My life was being spared by the stubbornness of a horse. I heard another whinny, this time in pain, and the horse stumbled backwards into the wagon, which made the wheels sink into the riverbed and start to slip on the rocks, farther, and farther into the river. This is it, I thought as more water splashed into the bed and began to pool around my feet.

Another tug and the wagon stopped. Furiously the horse fought and pulled against the current and strained towards the shore.

“Bvork! Stop!” a feminine voice yelled out, riding to the river’s edge.

“Siobhan! What in the world are you doing here?” The sound of the whip stopped as I assumed Bvork turned to deal with his sister.

The cold water made my limbs tingle and burn with feeling. Come on, come on, I silently urged as my legs started to spasm and twitch. Almost. PLEASE! I prayed. I didn't want to die.

“I can't let you do this!” she begged.

“You have no right to be here,” he yelled back. “You should be back in the village telling them that she ran away. It will look suspicious if our whole family has disappeared.”

“I won't do it,” she snapped back firmly. “I won't live under your rules anymore. You can't make me.”

Yay, cousin, I thought in amusement. I could really get to like her, if I lived past today. The grunting of the horse as he continued to try and pull the weight up the embankment stopped as he slipped and fell into the water.

More water filled the wagon bed and weighed it down. The horse gave up on the embankment because it was too steep and tried to turn upstream to find another way out. The wagon lurched and water sloshed into my mouth and face. I spit it out as the wagon bed evened out. We were in trouble; there was five inches of water in the bed and it was covering and stinging my whole body. But at least it was taking the numbness away as pins and needles of coldness encompassed me.

Grunting in pain, I was able to reach up my hand that felt like dead weight, grasp the wagon side and slowly pull myself into a sitting position. I could see that my ankle was swollen and black and blue. I didn't want to even look at my face knowing that I had one swollen eye and a swollen jaw.

I saw Siobhan pull out a sword that was too large for her and challenge her brother. Bvork laughed and pulled out his sword from his pack.

This was a very uneven fight and unfair knowing firsthand how devious a fighter he was. She charged first and I was surprised at how determined Siobhan was. She attacked and parried and fought her brother with the intent to kill. But I could see where it was going. She wasn't as strong as her brother and her heavy sword was tiring her. Bvork blocked her sword thrust and then backhanded her across the face. She fell into a heap on the ground and didn't move.

An undertow caught the wagon and started to pull us into the middle of the river and the horse screamed in fury. He dug in his hooves and desperately tried to get out. I had to hand it to the horse, he wasn't going to give up. My uncle’s heavy body rolled against me and pinned me to the side.

“Aahhh,” I grunted out as I struggled to move his body off of me.

Another scream of the horse and I turned to look at a very familiar white back. Faraway! Somehow, Faraway was the horse that was attached to the wagon. Of course he would have to be here. No one would believe I had run away without my horse. I smiled in delight, as I realized why this particular horse was fighting so hard. I couldn’t speak to him and I tried to encourage him with prayer. But my smile turned to fear as I realized he was losing the battle. By turning upstream he was fighting the weight of the wagon and the rushing current.