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this.
    Octavion dropped the cloth into the washbasin
and used the flame from one candle to light two more. He stood and
went to the table across from where Lydia lay. He’d retrieved clean
linens from a trunk in the back of the cave and used a combination
of herbs to make a poultice to help stop the bleeding. So far it
hadn’t helped much.
    He scanned the shelves of multi-colored
bottles before him, but nothing would help heal a gaping knife
wound. He’d never felt more helpless. He glanced back at his sister
with her pale features and dark eyes. She was running out of time.
If he didn’t do something soon, she would surely die.

 
     
     
     
     

Chapter Six
     
    Octavion was right about the paralysis. It
only took a few minutes for Kira to regain the full movement of her
limbs and push to a sitting position. Covering the ground beneath
her was a large animal skin she guessed to be bear. She ran her
fingers through the long, dark fur, finding comfort in the way the
warmth of the fire soaked to its depths and took away the chill.
She rubbed her eyes, then gathered her hair to one side and swept
her fingers through several strands, littering her jeans with the
tiny pieces of leaves and pine needles that had caught in her
tangled hair.
    The slight evening breeze shifted, sending a
puff of smoke into her face. She pulled the neck of her T-shirt
over her nose, then let the fabric fall away when the air cleared.
She blinked hard to keep the remaining haze from burning her eyes.
Unfortunately, it did nothing to snuff out the questions that
smoldered inside her head.
    How could she have known Lydia for two years
and not known about her family? Not only did Lydia have a brother
with the temperament of a pit bull, but a sister who obviously
meant to do her harm. And then there was her face, the change in
her voice, and her strength. No wonder she could climb that stupid
rope.
    As the questions continued to plague her, a
log shifted in the fire pit, sending sparks in her direction. She
jumped to her feet, shook out her hair, and brushed her hands down
the front of her clothes to make sure stray embers hadn’t burrowed
through to singe her skin. Her sudden movement triggered something
in the trees to stir as well.
    Kira stepped to the other side of the fire,
leaving the flames between her and whatever had made the noise.
Reaching down, she took a large branch in her hand to use as a
weapon. Nothing came. Instead, there was silence and an uneasy
feeling she was being watched.
    She looked over her shoulder in the direction
Octavion had gone and seriously considered following, but the
uncertainty of what she would find kept her feet in place—at least
for the moment. She changed her mind when she heard Lydia’s eerie
scream. It sounded as though she yelled into a wooden barrel or
bucket—a chilling cry that sent Kira searching for the source. By
the time she reached the edge of the clearing, she’d dismissed any
thoughts of who or what may be watching her.
    Another muffled scream drew her deeper into
the forest, squinting to find her way. She hadn’t gone far when she
came to a large outcropping of boulders jutting from the side of
the mountain. She ran her hand along its smooth surface as she made
her way around the formation—each jagged crevice marking her
progress like notches carved into a stick. Her pulse quickened with
each step.
    And then she heard it. A low rumbling growl
came from behind her. She turned, pressing her back against the
solid stone wall.
    Another growl. She tightened her grip around
her primitive weapon, grateful she hadn’t left the hefty branch by
the fire.
    Ten feet in front of her, a white Bengal
tiger strode out of the forest—its long fur shone bright white
against the black night. The beast let out a ferocious roar,
bearing a giant maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. Kira tried to
scream, but fear seized her throat, letting only a high-pitched
squeal escape.
    The wild cat stepped closer as