Fortune Falls [antikvár]

CHAPTER 1 1 lose count of the number of times I fall as I skid my way down the muddy track, hurrying to catch up. As the bank drops steeply in front of me, I hesitate, then grab hold of a branch, using it to slow my descent until my feet wedge safely against a tree root. I let go of the branch and take another step. Both feet immediately slide in front of me, throwing me off balance. My arms flail and I overcompensate, throwing myself backwards and land heavily on the ground with a thud again. This is ridiculous! I kick at an exposed tree root. We aren't really going to continue in this weather, are we? I look further down the slope and see him waiting for me. His face turned away as he strains to hear the others, who I can just make out through the trees near the top of the waterfall. They're yelling to him, but I can't hear what they're saying. Their voices drowned out by the river echoing off the gorge walls and the rain pounding on the hood of my jacket. Suddenly they begin to run toward us. "What's going on?" I yell above the roar of the river, now so loud I can feel it. He spins around, eyes wide with panic. "Run!" he screams as he scrambles back up the slope toward me. "Jess! RUN!" His panic spurs me into action. I roll onto my knees so I'm now