Page 132 of Wind Rider

“Whoa! Whoa! Anjo!”

Anjo slid to a stop just feet from the yawning slash in the earth. River was off her back in an instant, sprinting to the edge.

“Skye!” River shouted as she ran.

Scout had been standing near the edge, legs splayed and head down, breathing in great gasps, but as River called for Skye the mare came back to herself. She lifted her head and, with the whites of her eyes showing, began neighing hysterically for her Rider.

River ran past the agitated mare, sliding to her stomach so she could peer over the lip of the gorge.

Skye was there! About five feet from the edge she’d managed to tangle her arms in a clump of vines and dig her toes into a small ledge. River could see that one of her arms was sticking out at an odd angle.

“Skye!”

She looked up—her eyes wide with terror. “River! Thank the Mare! Help me! My shoulder is dislocated and I’m barely hanging on!”

“Don’t move! I’ll get rope from my saddlebag.”

But before River could scramble backwards and race for Anjo, Scout panicked. The mare ran to the edge of the gorge, whinnying pathetically.

River was turning to look up at Scout—to try to calm her—when the mare finally caught sight of her Rider and lunged to the side, stomping on River’s right foot.

River screamed in agony and rolled to the side to avoid the mare’s dangerous hooves.

“Scout! It’s okay! I’m right here!” Skye tried to reassure Scout, but the mare was fully hysterical.

And then Anjo was there—standing between Scout and River. Anjo herded the agitated mare backwards, all the while nickering softly to her.

River got to her feet and limped over to Anjo. “Keep Scout back.” She opened a saddlebag and pulled out her rope. “I’m going to drop this down to Skye and then we’ll pull her up.”

Your foot! You are in a lot of pain!

“I know, but Skye can’t hold on much longer. Anjo, she can’t survive that fall.”

Save her. I will keep Scout as calm as possible.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, River hobbled back to the edge of the gorge. She shook out the loop in the hemp lasso and dropped to her belly again.

“Skye, you’re going to have to put this rope around you, and then Anjo and I will pull you up.”

Skye looked at her. Tears were streaming down her dirty, bruised cheeks. “I—I don’t think I can. Only one of my arms works. If I let go I’m going to fall.”

Thinking quickly, River said. “Okay, here’s what you do—step into theloop. One foot at a time. Then shimmy it up around your waist. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try.”

“Good.” River ignored the pulsing heat in her ankle, and spoke calm encouragement to Skye. “That’s it. You’ve got it over one foot. You’re doing great.”

A gentle whinny came from beside River and Skye looked up, her eyes welling with tears again. “Scout! Oh honey! I’m so, so sorry I didn’t listen to you when you said you were afraid to make the jump.”

Anjo stepped between Scout and River, making sure the distressed mare didn’t stomp on her Rider again.

Scout is better when she can see Skye. I will keep you safe from her hooves.

“Okay, it’s around my waist,” Skye said.

“Hang on. Just a few minutes more and we’ll have you out of there.” River managed to stand again, though she had to hop around, holding her injured foot off the ground. “Anjo, I’m going to wrap this rope around your butt. I’ll anchor the end, and when I say go, start backing up—slowly.”

River limped to Anjo, positioning the rope around her mare’s hind end, then she moved to the side of the mare, finding a chair-sized rock. She wrapped the end of the rope low around the rock as an anchor.