Elliott had a knife at his belt, but no other weapon, and now fearing they had strayed too far from the trading post, he wished for a musket. "I think we better go back," he whispered softly. "There's probably no one else on this trail, but just in case there is—"
This time the rhythmic sound of running feet padding against the earth was unmistakable, but it was coming from the trail up ahead, and Elliott pulled Alanna off the path. Hidden by the lush green undergrowth, he could see who was approaching without being seen. When seconds later Hunter sped into view, the Virginian relaxed. He stepped out to block the way, and Alanna went with him.
"Wait, if you're going back to the trading post, we'll go with you," he said.
Appalled to come across his two guests wandering the forest unarmed, Hunter came to an abrupt halt. "You shouldn't be way out here," he scolded crossly.
"We can say the same of you," Alanna shot right back at him. "You knew we weren't finished talking. Did you think we'd just give up and leave without seeing you again today?"
His expression growing increasingly hostile, Hunter glanced over her head and peered through the trees. "I would have been back long before noon. I've been looking for Blind Snake, the Indian who killed our wounded. Have you seen anyone?"
Although doubting the excuse for Hunter's early morning jaunt into the forest, Elliott nevertheless told the truth. "No, we thought we heard something a minute ago, but it came from the other direction."
As Elliott turned to point, Blind Snake stepped onto the trail, a musket raised to his shoulder. Hunter dived into the underbrush carrying Alanna along with him, but before Elliott could reach cover, the Abenaki fired, and he was struck in the chest. He staggered backwards and fell, just inches from where Hunter had been standing.
"Elliott!" Alanna screamed. She fought to break free of Hunter's grasp to go to her cousin, but he held her fast.
"No! Wait!" he ordered in a frantic whisper. "I'll get him." Hunter had his own musket slung over his shoulder; speedily loading it, he stood and fired into the trees where Blind Snake had been hiding. Before the smoke cleared, he bent down to grasp Elliott under the arms and pulled him off the trail. Unharmed, Blind Snake fired a second shot that tore through the leaves just inches above Alanna's head.
"Keep down!" Hunter shouted, but the words had no sooner left his mouth than a shot coming at them from another direction ripped through the fringe on his sleeve. "We'll have to find cover," he warned, and seeing that the forest fell away in a rocky slope not ten feet away, he pointed toward it. "I'll fire at them again, you run for the rocks and stay there, understand? Elliott and I will follow."
Elliott's eyes were open, and praying he might not be as badly injured as she feared, Alanna nodded. The instant Hunter fired, she flung herself toward the rocks, half-running, half-swimming through the air. Reaching the slope, she fell to her knees as she scrambled down behind it, ripping her skirt, but managing to reach safety otherwise unharmed. Hunter then fired again, and quickly dropped to take a firm hold on Elliott. Moving in a low crouch, he sprinted toward the slope with his injured friend in his arms. A musket ball ricocheted off the rocks, spraying them both with sharp fragments, but they also made it down the far side of the slope without suffering further injury.
From here, Hunter could defend them, at least temporarily, but now knowing Blind Snake wasn't alone, he wasn't confident of his chances to keep his enemies at bay for long. Their situation desperate, he fumbled with Elliott's stock in an attempt to loosen the young man's collar, and Alanna leaned over to unfasten it in the back. She then pulled it away, and unbuttoned Elliott's blood soaked shirt to reveal where the musket ball had entered his chest just above his heart.
Hunter pushed her aside. "I can't have you fainting again."
Alanna couldn't deny that she was affected by the sight of her dear cousin's blood, but she was determined to find the courage not to fail him. "No, I'll be all right," she swore, and moved to take Elliott's hand. She gave his fingers an encouraging squeeze, but his response was feeble. Hunter folded the discarded stock, and placed it over the gaping hole in the young man's chest. When Alanna's gaze met his, the Indian shook his head, but she refused to believe Elliott was mortally wounded.
"Hang on," she begged. "We'll get help to take you back to the trading post, where a doctor can treat your wound properly."
With blood rapidly filling his lungs, Elliott had great difficulty drawing a breath. "I have always loved you," he whispered.
He had lost his hat when he had been hit, and Alanna smoothed back his hair, before leaning over to place a kiss on his forehead. "I love you, too," she vowed. "Stay with me, Elliott, please try and stay with me." But even as she spoke, she watched the light in his blue eyes grow dim and knew he was already gone. His hand was limp, but she brought it to her lips to kiss him goodbye.
Without giving her more than that one second to mourn, Hunter grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry, but if we stay here, we'll be killed, too. Let's go."
"Go? But we can't leave him!"
"He's dead!"
"But if we leave him, they'll—" Alanna could not bring herself to describe how Elliott's body would surely be mutilated.
Hunter could see her anguish, and doubted anything he said would have any meaning. To stall for time, he reloaded and fired just to keep Blind Snake on his guard. Faced with the choice of carrying her or carrying Elliott's body in the hope they would live to bury him, he made the only decision that would be acceptable to her.
"I can carry Elliott," he offered, "but that means you'll have to look out for yourself. Are you strong enough to do it?"
"I shall have to be."
"If the choice becomes one of leaving you, or Elliott's body, I'll leave him."
"Yes, I understand." She hurried to button Elliott's coat to not only cover his gruesome wound, but to make him easier to carry.
Endlessly resourceful, Hunter took three of his arrows from his quiver and wrapped the tips in dried grass he pulled from between the rocks. He then lit them with the flint he carried in the pouch at his belt. He had to scramble up on the rocks and risk being shot, as he sent them in the direction he believed Blind Snake was hiding, but again escaped being hit. He did not expect to start any real blaze in a forest lush with the new growth of spring, but all they needed was a few minutes' confusion on his enemies' part to provide them with a chance to flee.
Again sliding down the slope, he handed Alanna his musket and bow, took a firm hold on Elliott, and slung him over his shoulder. His friend's body was no heavier than that of the last stag he had carried home, but it was not a burden he wished to take far. He was positive he had been Blind Snake's real target, but this was no time to carry an additional burden of guilt, and he forced such sad thoughts from his mind.
"They'll try and block our way back to t