Free Savage Cinderella by PJ Sharon Page B

fragile
young woman wrapped in his arms, he made a silent vow that he would
find a way to free her from the loneliness of her wilderness
prison. He would find a way to help her, whatever the cost.
    It was late afternoon before they reached the
trailhead. Brinn stopped abruptly ahead of him and stared out at
the valley below. She tucked the machete into the back of her belt
and pointed down a well-worn deer trail.
    "Head south until you come to the great falls
and then turn onto the East trail. The trees will be marked with
yellow dots. You should be able to find your way from there," she
said with a distinct sadness in her voice. “I can’t go any
further.”
    The finality of her tone made him resist
argument. "You know I would stay longer with you if I could, but
people must be searching for me by now. I have to go back. I have
work, and family, and friends..." He left his sentence unfinished
as she stared, her blue eyes shimmering with moisture. He felt
awful leaving her behind but he couldn’t force her to come with him
either.
    "I understand. I would not ask you to give up
the life you know, any more than I could leave this mountain with
you." She gazed around and smiled sadly as if the wind in the
trees, the birdsong on the air, and the warm rays of the afternoon
sun were her family. "This is my home."
    She touched his cheek and traced her fingers
over his ear, smiling as she smoothed a curl into place. She
reached into the leather pouch hanging from her belt and handed him
a small tin. “It’s burdock salve. Use it on your cuts and scrapes
and they will heal more quickly.”
    He took the gift and stepped back, afraid
that he wouldn’t be able to leave her if he stood too close. "I’d
like to come back and visit you again." Relief swept through him
when her face lit up and she nodded.
    She tilted her chin to the sun, which was
slowly dropping into the west behind the trees. To the east, a
sliver of the pale moon sat above the tree line like a crooked
smile on the face of the cloudless blue sky. "I’ll meet you here at
midday after the moon has shown its full face. Can you find this
trail again?"
    "I’ll find you," he said with certainty and
resolve. Unable to stop himself, he stepped closer and took her in
his arms. He held her there, thankful for the small grace that she
had neither flinched nor pulled away when he approached her
uninvited.
    “ I don’t think I remembered
to thank you for saving me. I don’t know what would have become of
me if you hadn’t come to my rescue.” He forced a smile past the
aching in his chest as he loosened his hold on her. “I want you to
have this.” He lifted the chain from around his neck and slipped it
over her head. It was the only thing he had to give her, and he
wanted her to have it. Maybe it would protect her or give her some
comfort. “This was a present from my grandfather on my graduation
day—a Saint Christopher’s medal. “It’s for the protection of
travelers.”
    She looked down at the small medal and up
into his eyes with an expression of confusion and pain he didn’t
understand. She grabbed at the chain and pulled it back off,
shoving it into his hand as she stepped away and turned her back.
“I can’t wear that. It would mean...” She stopped in
mid-sentence.
    When she turned back, Brinn's cheeks were
moist with tears. "Good-bye, Justin." She looked away and then took
off at a run. She faded into the forest, even as he called after
her.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 9
    Finding Brinn
     
    The verdant forest thinned as Justin made his
way to a cleared trail that finally ended at the ranger station.
The rangers had searched for him, but after the heavy rain had
found nothing but his backpack. By the third day they assumed he
had met with a tragic end and were amazed by his good condition as
he limped in after dark.
    He said nothing about Brinn or her tiny cabin
hidden in the high wilderness region beyond the state park. He