Page 18 of Condemned

Half an hour later, when she stopped to listen, she was sure she heard the gurgle of a stream. As luck would have it, she also heard someone shoving their way through the underbrush.

Frozen in place, she strained to see them. They were behind her. Climbing to hide herself was out—too obvious.

The trees stretched their trunks upward toward the distant light, slicing up her surroundings the same as had the bars of her cell. Between them she glimpsed a flicker of shadows and the stalking gait of someone larger than her.

She crouched then squirmed her way into the ferns and discarded debris of the trees. Here she could hide, be invisible, surely? She only needed to wait for him to pass by.

Silence reigned, except for the rustle as he moved to her left. With her head turned, she watched, her eyes slits, praying. Unless he was a consummate tracker, he’d be unaware of her presence.

He halted, raised his head and she saw who this was.

Zo, the sneaky one. His head was tilted back then cocked to the side. He was close enough that she could see the expansion of his chest as he inhaled.

Could a mauleon scent blood?

Ignoring the crawl of bugs as much as possible, she pressed herself closer to the earth, though a tiny blue critter paused by her hand. Antennae questing, it kissed her forefinger.

She cursed in a minuscule whisper and shifted her hand, knocked a broken branch held upright in the ferns. It fell, the ferns quivered.

Fucker-fucker-fucker.

Out there, the mauleon shifted and came closer, much closer.

Avalon heard him breathe through his nose and hold it.

The mauleon was smelling for her.