"Redwar!" I screamed.  

He had not followed Derrek and I, but rather was pushing through the bandit camp towards the corral of horses.  

I could instantly see what his plan was:  if the bandits didn't have horses, or had to catch horses, they couldn't follow us.  However, I couldn't help but wish he hadn't thought of that plan. 

I lingered at the base of the rocks, trying to decide whether to climb after my brother or go help him.  

"Ravine!"  I yanked my head up to see my brother glaring down at me.  

"Ravine, if you don't come up here, I'm going to come down there."  

"Don't you dare come down here, Derrek!"  I scowled up at him.  "I won't have you in this mess!"

I unsheathed my blade as I spotted a man lurching his way towards me.  

"Come up here, right now!  I won't be separated from you again, Ravine!"  To make his point, Derrek began to step down.  

I growled and sheathed my blade as I leapt for the rocks.  First Redwar and now Derrek.  I seemed to have no choice in anything.  

As I dashed between rocks and scurried over boulders, I looked down at Redwar.  He was nearly to the corral now.  He didn't stop to fight anyone, but rather blocked their blows and used his Ravagerian speed to slip by them.  

The bandits realized what he was trying to do, and were starting to converge in on him.  I couldn't climb anymore, I had to see what was going on.  

Redwar was so close, but three bandits were standing in his path.  Megidil was shouting something to them as he ran to close in on Redwar from behind.  

I had to do something, anything!  Redwar would not die for me today.  

My hand reached down and grasped a stone.  I calculated, then leaned back and threw.  

The man to the left gasped out in pain as my stone hit him solidly on his back.  Redwar used this momentary distraction to leap forward, force his sword down, and crack him solidly on the head.   

I gasped as the next guy rushed him with an upraised blade.  Redwar blocked but stumbled over the bandit who's head he'd hit.  He scrambled for footing, but couldn't get his balance back.  

He fell, and the bandit's blade followed him down.  He still had the bandit's sword blocked, but could he keep him off him? 

Redwar used his last bit of footing to push himself left.  The bandit, caught off guard and off balance, face planted into the ground.

Redwar pulled his sword out from under him and sprang up .  The third bandit had been coming to help his friend, and was unprepared for when Redwar came at him like a summer storm.  He crashed into him with an upraised blade and shoved him backwards several feet. 

Instead of continuing to drive him backwards, Redwar let off and turned.  He raised his sharp blade and brought it down, with a shout, on the ropes that were the fence for the make-shift corral.  

The horses were agitated from all the noise, the flying arrows before, and the rocks.  When Redwar's blade cleaved apart the ropes like a knife through butter, they surged out like a dam breaking.  

My momentary elation was cut short when Redwar disappeared in the chaos of the fleeing horses.  "Redwar!  Redwar!"  I searched frantically.  Where was he?  I couldn't see him!  I heard Valeria calling his name as well.  

Suddenly he popped up, in the middle of the corral as it emptied of horses.  He actually looked injury free and sprinted across to the rocks, once again using his sword to break through the rope fence.  

Now that I knew he was safe, I started climbing again.  Derrek had already reached Valeria and Daxton.  

"Go!" I shouted as I reached them.  "Go to the horses!"  

Shook from a momentary stupor, Daxton took the lead, and then Valeria.  I pushed Derrek after them.  "Follow them!  Hurry!"  

Redwar had given us the precious time we needed, the horses were causing panic and wreaking havoc in the bandit camp.  However, who knew if they wouldn't ditch the horses altogether and try to get us on foot.  

I knew Redwar would be able to easily catch up with us with his Ravagerian speed, and so we didn't wait for him.  Now that we didn't have to be silent, we were able to go along faster and reached the horses that much quicker.  

I checked behind myself just before ducking under a boulder.  Sure enough, Redwar was catching up to us. 

Derrek kept glancing behind himself to me, almost as if he couldn't believe I was real, that I was really there.  I kept my eyes on him for the same reason.  After all this time, all this searching, all this heartache, could my brother actually be in front of me?  

We burst out into the clearing.  The horses startled slightly.  Redwar was only a few seconds behind us.  

I grabbed my brother's hand and led him to Axe, then pointed to a rock.  "Stand on that rock."  

For once, he obeyed even though he didn't understand.  

Axe nickered at me as I untied his reins, making me smile.  "I know boy, I missed you too."  

I vaulted onto his back, then lined him up right next to the rock Derrek was standing on.  "Climb on," I told my brother. 

He slipped on behind me easily and wrapped his hands around my waist.  Although I had practiced with Valeria someone riding double with me because Redwar insisted, I never had liked it.  

But today, when the person riding with me was my brother, it was exactly what I wanted.   

"Hold on," I said as I reined Axe around.  Valeria was mounted as well, and Daxton was swinging up behind Redwar.  

"Grab mane," called Redwar.  "And let them find their way down."  With that he took the lead, clucking to Ladine and letting her have her head.  The brave mare struck a trot down the slope.  

I did the same with Axe, trusting that he would go down the slope the quickest and safest way he could.  I wrapped my fingers in his mane and gritted my teeth.  

That fast paced ride down that rocky slope was one of the most terrifying and thrilling things I'd ever experienced in my young life.  Axe tucked his hindquarters under himself for balance.  Sometimes he would stumble and I'd feel my breath get caught.  But he always righted himself, my game pony, and continued on.

Finally we reached the end, right next to the babbling creek.  Redwar didn't waste a second, he urged Ladine across the creek and up the bank of the other side.

I squeezed Axe, asking him to do the same.  This time I didn't mind as he lurched in and the water splashed up on to my boots.  

I leaned forward, and Derrek with me, to help him climb the bank on the other side.

"Hiya!"  Redwar yelled to Ladine, encouraging her as he kicked her into canter.  Axe, perhaps anticipating what I wanted, broke into canter too.  

We cantered on, and that's when it hit me.  I looked around at Valeria, Redwar, and Daxton, then over my shoulder at my brother.  We'd done it.  We'd gotten my brother back.  

I let out a shout as a surge of joy hit me.  Redwar looked behind and grinned the biggest I'd ever seen.  Valeria raised her bow triumphantly.  

We went on for a little while, before pulling up as we came to the forest line.  I patted Axe after we'd come to walk.  "Good boy.  You were such a good boy!"  

Behind me, Derrek cleared his throat.  "Ravine?  Mind introducing me to all your friends?"  

I realized he had no clue who these people were.  "Oh yeah, sure."  

I pointed to Valeria.  "That's Valeria, one of the most loyal friends a person could have."  

Valeria smiled at Derrek.  "Hi, nice to finally meet you."  

I pointed up ahead.  "The boy is Daxton.  He led us to you."  

Daxton said nothing, just glared back at us.  Now that it was all over, he seemed to have fell into his bitter role again.  

"And lastly, that's Redwar.  He's my trainer, and my friend, and-" my voice caught, realizing all that Redwar had done for me.  "He's the one that made all this possible."  

Redwar acknowledged this with a half- smile and a nod.  

"This horse we're riding is named Axe.  And Valeria's horse is Clover.  Redwar's is named Ladine."  It didn't seem right to not introduce the horses, who had done so much for us. 

I glanced back over my shoulder and our eyes met.  "We've got a lot to talk about," he murmured to me.  

I nodded.  "We do.  We sure do."  

AN:  Well guys, it's finally happened!  They found Derrek!

And this book just reached 1,000 reads this week, so I've got some thank yous to say in the next chapter ➡