Free On the Meldon Plain (The Fourline Trilogy Book 2) by Pam Brondos

and sniffed the air. “You’re not a duozi.”
    “You took my brother,” she said, thinking quickly as her heart beat faster. She stepped onto a low boulder, distancing herself from the creature. She tucked her right arm behind her, hiding her markings. With the Nala no longer adhering to the terms of the Rim Accord, the creature might attack if it discovered she was a Sister. She didn’t have time to engage in a fight or risk its following her and discovering her destination.
    The Nala curled an arm around a branch and lowered itself to the ground. “Your brother?” the creature said in a breathy hiss. Its tapered limbs disappeared into the mud as it crawled toward her, close to the soft ground. Nat glanced behind her, edging her feet over the boulder.
    “My brother Neas from Yarsburg. Where are you taking him?” It took little effort for her to make her voice quiver in fright. She scrambled to the next boulder and again glanced over her shoulder. The river ran directly beneath her.
    “He’s not your brother anymore.” The Nala scurried onto the first boulder and crouched low, tensing against the rock. “But if you want to join him . . .” The creature shot into the air just as Nat jumped from the boulder and tumbled toward the river. The Nala’s hissing scream followed her down as she crashed into the cold black water. She pushed against the current with her arms and kicked violently to break through the surface just in time to see the dead tree trunk looming in front of her. The water thrust her toward a sharp limb. She ducked and covered her head with both arms. When she emerged, the tree trunk was far behind her. Blood seeped from a gash in her arm.
    She sputtered, clearing water from her mouth before the current pulled her under again. Her leg smashed into a rock and she shot back to the surface. Disoriented, she tried to swim to the bank. A log floated within an inch of her head, and she grasped for its sodden surface. The log flipped. Water filled her nose. Her hands frantically searched for the floating limb. She pulled her head out of the water and clutched the log as close to her head as she could. Water poured out of her mouth as she coughed, struggling for breath.
    The river spun the log around, giving Nat a clear view of the approaching rapids. She frantically looked toward the bank. A crystalline patch of water caught her eye, and she kicked toward the eddy. The log caught on a tangle of river grass and spun around, slamming Nat against a narrow spit of land. She flung her arms over it and crawled onto its muddy surface, taking deep, heaving gulps of air.
    She sat upright and realized she was on the opposite shore. At least that problem is solved, she thought, then noticed the blood flowing from the gash in her arm. Nat tried to stand, but her leg buckled and she fell hard against the bank. She clenched her teeth and moved on hands and knees toward the forest edge. She propped herself against a tree and let her breathing slow while she scanned the treetops. Spotting a broken limb a few feet away, she hopped toward it and twisted it free. Her leg held when she leaned against the tree limb and took a few steps forward. She knew she needed to keep moving.
    Her pack felt like a boulder bouncing against her back with each hobbled step she took. The sound of the raging river grew faint as she walked as quickly as she could away from the riverbank. The water could have taken her a mile or more downriver. She’d had an idea what direction to travel before she’d jumped in. Now, she was clueless. If Barba’s map was right, the river flowed east toward the ocean. If she kept moving in her current direction, she should be in the right area. Then it was just a matter of finding the clearing in the forest where Ethet was supposed to be.
    The trees creaked and groaned as she walked on. Her clothes stuck to her body and sweat trickled down her back. Her shoulder, arm, and leg throbbed with each step. She