Caught Between Brothers

Vanya crouched behind a thick wall of briar bushes, her breath trapped in her throat. Torin’s booming threat rattled the leaves above her head, sending a flock of crows scattering into the gray morning sky. Sweat slicked her palms, and her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She glanced left, then right. Dense pine trees formed an impenetrable cage around her. There was no alterna