Climbing up on the trunk of a large tree that had fallen across the path, Alexandru turned and reached a hand down to Ka’ya. He had taken the lead on the last bend. The trail was too narrow for them to trade places at the moment. They had left the road nearly three hours before, but it wasn’t until the last few miles that Alexandru had a deep appreciation for not having his hands bound.

“I… Thank you,” she said, reaching up to grasp his hand.

Alexandru pulled her up onto the trunk with him and smiled down at her. Over the last few hours, he’d had time to think about his situation. When Ka’ya had shared her fear for her brother, another memory hit him. The images had been fleeting, but clear. Once again he saw the face of a young woman – only she had been very young. Her dark brown eyes glowed with laughter and excitement.

“Tory,” he murmured.

The rush of emotion he had felt made him wonder who the woman was and how she was connected to him. His first thought was that she must be his wife, but he’d felt an instinctive denial. Focusing on the brief image, he realized the reason she looked familiar was because she reminded him of himself with her dark brown eyes, dark hair, and olive complexion. He then realized that he remembered what his face looked like.

“Who is Tory?” Ka’ya asked.

Alexandru blinked in surprise, his hands moved to wrap around Ka’ya’s waist when she wobbled on the uneven surface of the felled tree. He released her and jumped down before turning and reaching up to help her down. His lips tightened when she jumped down beside him on the narrow path without waiting.

He turned to look down over the side of the cliff. The shear rock wall fell a hundred feet before it reached the first shelf. Gazing out over the mist-covered valley below, he thought about her question.

“My sister,” he answered in a slow, measured tone. “Tory is my little sister. She isn’t so little any more, though.”

The image of another man swept through his mind when he said that. A grimace escaped him when it was accompanied by a flash of pain. He shook his head when Ka’ya reached out to him in concern.

“You remember where you came from?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “When you mentioned your brother and how you want to protect him I saw Tory’s face. She was calling my name. I see another man’s face, but I can’t remember who he is. I think – I think we fought.”

“He is the one who left you on the road,” she said.

“I don’t think so. I can’t remember,” he said, lifting his hands and running them through his hair. “Everything is blank again.”

Ka’ya released a long breath. “You remembered a few things at least. The rest will come. Perhaps your mind is just taking a little longer to heal than your flesh,” she suggested.

“Perhaps,” he agreed. “Let’s go. From what I can see, we still have a long way to go before we get off the side of the mountain. By the way, you never told me what comes out to feed at night.”

Ka’ya took the lead again. Each of the three wolfhounds jumped over the trunk of the tree, forcing him to flatten against the side of the rock or risk being knocked off the ledge. He swore the alpha of the small pack snickered at him when he passed.

“They are known as Gondas. They are large, gray-winged beasts with hollow eyes. The males are the same size as my wolfhounds. They are bad, but the females are worse. They are three times as large and extremely vicious. The males are easy to kill. They are not very bright. The females….” Ka’ya shook her head and waved down at the side of the cliff. “They work together to catch their prey.”

“How do you know?” he asked, glancing down at where she waved her hand.

She briefly glanced over her shoulder. “It was a night I will never forget,” she said with a shrug. “We should be clear in another couple of hours as long as the mist does not rise. We’ll make camp in a cave near the river.”

Alexandru nodded, but he knew she couldn’t see him. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught the wolfhound behind him nervously glancing down. The one in front of him and the alpha were doing the same. He noticed they had also picked up their speed. The nervousness of the three wolfhounds did not bode well for his confidence.

His disquiet continued to grow as the skies grew darker nearly an hour later. Alexandru cursed under his breath when he saw Ka’ya start to slip again when some loose gravel on the path slid under her feet. She quickly caught herself, but he swore he already had half a head of gray hair just watching her.

That was the tenth time she had almost either gone down or over the side. If she had allowed him go ahead of her, he would have. Instead, he was forced to watch her discover all the loose spots, soft spots, and blocked spots. Hell, he was seeing spots! It didn’t help that they heard creaking and growling emanating from the mists below.

“The Gondas are coming. I need to send the wolfhounds ahead. They will be the first ones the creatures target,” Ka’ya said, turning so the wolfhound behind her could pass her. “Go!”

Alexandru turned as the massive hound behind him passed by him. The wolfhound shouldered his way between Alexandru and the rock wall. The force of the knock sent Alexandru back a step. He glanced over his shoulder, his feet along the edge. His gaze swept up when he heard Ka’ya’s startled gasp and saw her hand reach out to grab him. A second before their fingers touched, the rocks under his feet crumbled and he felt himself falling.

“NO!” Ka’ya cried out in a harsh, tortured voice.

* * *

Alexandru glanced around wildly as he fell. Nearly twenty feet below, a small tree grew out of the side of the cliff. There was a narrow shelf off to the side below it. Power flashed through him and he had a vision of his body transforming before it faded.

He reached out and grasped the slender trunk of the tree. Using the momentum of his fall, he swung over to the narrow ledge and landed. His heart raced and he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Resting his head against the uneven surface of the rock, he drew in deep, calming breaths.

The fall took only seconds, but he swore time had slowed down for a brief moment. Ka’ya’s frantic denial still echoed in his ears. Glancing up, he saw her kneeling dangerously close to the edge.

“I’m alright! Get back from the edge,” he shouted up to her.

“Don’t move!” she called from above before disappearing.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he dryly chuckled.

Alexandru glanced over his shoulder at the growing darkness before looking down. He swallowed when he saw that he had fallen in the only spot with a ledge. If he had been just a few inches in either direction, he wouldn’t be breathing at the moment.

He glanced up when he heard the sound of something falling above him. A long, woven vine stopped almost a foot above his head. He saw Ka’ya look over the edge again. Her face was carved into a mask of determination.

“Can you reach it?” she called down.

“Yes, just – stay away from the edge. You are making me nervous,” he responded.

Alexandru gaged the distance and hoped to hell that the vine held. Bending his knees, he jumped. His hands wound around the vine several inches above the end. He hung for a moment to make sure the vine was strong enough before he braced his feet on the rocks and began to climb.

“Hurry, Alexandru!” Ka’ya called down.

Alexandru focused on his climbing, but the sound of wings somewhere nearby was pretty distracting. A sudden pain flashed through his head. He gritted his teeth, refusing to give in to it and concentrated on the cause of it. Images flashed through his mind – strange, yet vaguely familiar creatures – including one of an older man showing him how to….

“Alexandru, climb now!” Ka’ya ordered.

Alexandru didn’t realize he had stopped just a few feet from the top of the cliff. He saw Ka’ya standing near the edge. The protest on his lips died when he saw her bow in her hand with an arrow ready. The sound of wings grew louder below him.

Pushing off the cliff, Alexandru let his instincts take over. The power behind his thrust sent him upward, flying through the air. The second he cleared Ka’ya, she released the arrow she had at the ready.

Alexandru twisted and landed in a crouch before he turned in a circle to face the cliff. Ka’ya was releasing another arrow even as she stepped back from the edge of the cliff. He reached her side and pulled the sword from its scabbard.

“There are too many, we need to get out of here,” he said, listening to the sounds made by hundreds of wings within the mist.

“Follow me,” she said.

Alexandru nodded. He turned to follow her and paused when she stood still. The mist rose more quickly near the lower section of the path. He watched as Ka’ya slowly reached for another arrow and fitted it to the string.

“What is it?” he asked, stepping close to her.

“A female,” she murmured, pulling the string back. “And she isn’t alone.”