Page 39 of Kian

“It’s a bad idea, sir,” the Bergalian deputy told the sheriff.

“Is it?” the sheriff asked. “I think we’ve got all we need here to make good time. Healthy teams, a bear, an Invicta warrior, and two Grummish fighters.”

They were probably down to just one Grummish fighter at this point, but Kian didn’t think the sheriff needed to be reminded of that.

“Fighters and warriors can’t help us if we’re in that valley after dark,” Deputy Chigum said dubiously.

15

KINSLEY

Kinsley watched the dogs working hard and buttoned her lips to stop herself from asking again if she should get out and walk.

Down here in the valley, it was colder, and she could have done with the exercise. But Kian insisted otherwise.

He sat beside her, stone-faced, staring out into the distance, clearly not thrilled with their current situation.

Chigum’s insistence that they were making a mistake hung over them.

But there hadn’t been much of a choice, as far as Kinsley could see. They either kept to the other route and made themselves a massive, slow-moving target, or they took themselves off the beaten path and faced the elements instead.

In this case, time was against them. The lower ground was soft, almost marsh-like, which was giving the dogs a hard time. And if they were still here when the sun went down, the muddy bog would freeze over, capturing them all in place until the sun melted the ground again in the morning.

But according to the deputy, the things that came in the night would ensure there was nothing alive left to escape by dawn. No one had argued that point.

The distance hadn’t looked so overwhelming from up on the plain. And it seemed that they had a long day to race ahead.

Kinsley hadn’t counted on how much the mud would slow them down, or how much work it would be for the dogs.

Until now, the sharpened sled blades had been gliding over frozen tundra. Now they were having to be pulled through tar-thick sludge instead.

How much further could the dogs get them? And how soon?

They were already panting hard, and there was no playful yapping or leaping in the traces.

“Don’t think about it,” Kian said. “And don’t ask again.”

“Look up on the tundra,” Cloud-on-the-Mountaintop called as he ran past them, his tread so light that it didn’t even leave prints in the thick mud. “It’s like they’re trailing us.”

Kinsley glanced up expecting more bandits, but was amazed to see the herd of mammoth on the trail above, traveling slightly behind them. From this distance, they looked like sweet, furry elephants who could never harm a soul.

“There’s yours,” Kian said unexpectedly, pointing to a mother and baby pair near the front of the herd.

She smiled at the idea that he felt any affinity for the creatures, after being so upset with her for helping them.

“You were very lucky,” Cloud-on-the-Mountaintop said in a serious tone. “A mother mammoth will kill to protect her child.”

“Is it normal for them to be heading toward the town?” Kinsley asked, eager to change the subject before Kian got grumpy again.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “It may feel as if they’re trying to stay near you. But mammoths don’t bond with other beings. It’s most likely because of a grass melt somewhere up ahead.”

She nodded. That made sense.

Cloud-on-the-Mountaintop ran on, tirelessly circling the convoy in long loops.

And they all moved forward, bit by bit.

The hands’ sled was the first to get stuck in the mud. The dogs whined as the men called out for help.