Chapter Eight

The ground gave way under her foot, and with a sickening lurch of her heart, she plunged downward. She screamed as she wind milled her arms in the hot air. Her fall was brutally interrupted by a rock ledge about five feet down. She lit with one foot underneath her body, and the momentum of her fall threw her forward - over the ledge. She screamed again as she tumbled down a steep hill. Frantically, she grabbed at the five-leaf ivy that covered the ground. Again her fall was briefly interrupted - until the roots released their grip in the loose gravel. Then she was falling again. One second she was falling head over heels, the next rolling on her side. She finally reached the bottom of the embankment and fell headlong into a bunch of blackberry bushes.

There she lay stunned for a few minutes. Finally she slowly sat up. To her amazement, there didn't seem to be any serious injuries. She gingerly untangled herself from some thorny vines and tried to stand. A sharp pain shot through her ankle and a cry escaped her lips as she dropped back to the ground.

She glanced around, a little disoriented. Where was the building - and the trail? Unhurt, she would have no fear of wandering around to find her way, but her injury prevented any exploration. Every step must be in the right direction. Her troubled gaze followed her trail back up the hill and she gasped. She had fallen off a bluff.