Slowly she straightened, and peered through the shadowed darkness. The dusty path led through more swaying trees, then angled up toward a darker shadow in the tall hillside. Her cave! A quick thrill of excitement helped disperse the last cloying dregs of panic.
The mountainside slanted sharply uphill, and her legs were aching from the unfamiliar effort of climbing. Some helpful soul had strung another thick rope on sturdy posts by the path. She used it to haul herself up the final stretch. Her palms burned—but she was too close to give in now!
It seemed like forever before she finally staggered up the last few feet, and stood at the edge of a shallow clearing. A thin rivulet of water sparkled in the moonlight as it flowed out from somewhere deep inside the mountain, then tumbled down the
