Savage Lands Read Online Free PDF

strength to release the branch. She caught her balance in the mud and ran across to hug him. With every step she took, the mud shifted beneath her boots and her arms windmilled, keeping her balanced.
    â€œWhere are the others?” asked Greystoke with concern, although Jane had no doubt he was only worried about being left out here alone.
    â€œThey were swept over,” she answered as the reality hit her: They could be dead. That was how the jungle usually claimed its victims, with swift attacks. Normally she had no time to let the danger sink in before it had passed, but now she felt sick at the thought of losing her friends.
    â€œROBBIE!” she yelled, trying to move closer to the edge of the slope to see over.
    Two steps were all it took for the mud beneath her to ebb forward, slowly pulling her toward the brink. She tried to remove a foot to backtrack, but the mud held it fast and she inched toward the inevitable drop.
    â€œHold on!” yelled Greystoke.
    She turned to see him yanking his poncho off, and dropping his backpack to the floor. He was already soaked to the skin as he freed the climbing rope bundled to the bottom of the pack.
    Once again, Jane struggled in the mud, but it held her tight. She turned back to see Greystoke swing the rope with one hand.
    â€œGrab hold!” he shouted as he let go of one end.
    Jane caught it, instantly twisting it around her wrist for extra security, and slid to a halt. Archie held the rope as Greystoke backed toward the trees to get a firmer footing.
    â€œI’ll pull you back.”
    Jane shook her head. “No. I’ve got to see what happened to the others.”
    â€œJane,” said Archie, his voice breaking with concern. “We can do that. First I want you to come back where it’s safer.”
    â€œSo you can go over the edge to look?” Despite the fear she felt she couldn’t help but give a short laugh. “And who’s going to hold the rope? Me?”
    Archie knew his parental responsibility was to argue, but she was right. Before he could even answer, Jane had tied the rope around her waist and held the trailing cord with one hand.
    â€œOK, give me some slack.”
    Archie glanced at Greystoke who shrugged—it wasn’t his decision. Archie muttered under his breath, then composed himself. “OK, go easy though.”
    Jane edged toward the slope, leaning as far forward as she could. She called for more slack and reached the incline. It was a good seventy degrees, possibly more. The mud had carried debris through the trees, some of which had wedged in low-hanging branches. Rain flowed over the waterlogged mud in fast-flowing streams. Descent without the rope would be impossible, even with it …
    Then she saw a shock of color poking through the mud about thirty feet below. It was the unmistakable red of Clark’s poncho, but he wasn’t moving.
    â€œClark?” Jane’s voice sounded small, drowned out by the heavy rain. She tried again, louder: “CLARK!”
    For a moment he didn’t stir. Then he looked up. Only the whites of his eyes were clearly visible beneath his mud mask. It was so comical, Jane nearly laughed aloud. “Are you hurt?”
    â€œOf course I’m bloody hurt!” he snapped back with enough grumpiness to tell Jane he was fine.
    â€œWhere’s Robbie?” her voice almost broke as she said his name. Robbie had changed so much since she first met him that she now couldn’t imagine not having him around.
    â€œHe’s down ’ere,” said Clark gruffly. “But he ain’t comin’ up.”
    Jane didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m coming down!”
    Archie put up a feeble show of trying to stop her, but there was no other choice. He tied one end of his own rope to a tree and tossed it to Jane so she could attach it to Clark. Jane turned around, holding her rope with both hands as she carefully stepped backward. With