"We can almost reach—"
"Get off the ice!" Logan yelled, talking over Franklin.
Chapter 11
The comms went quiet. My heart pounded hard in my chest and I moved faster.
In my head, I screamed at them to give us news, but I knew, no matter what, I couldn't do anything from where I was. Asking would only be a distraction that they did not need.
The snow dragged at my feet and I fell flat, making a deep imprint and getting a face full of ice.
"Logan has him," Franklin said. "Rider, he's headed your way fast. We're behind him. Call Hank."
It was only a small relief. Questions flooded my mind as I scrambled to my feet. Did Logan have to get into the water to get Rust out? Logan doesn't get cold easy, but he does still get cold.
My foot caught on something, and I once again found myself lying in the snow.
"Logan," Henderson said over the comms, "make sure you don't take him too close to the heat right away. It could shock his system. We're on our way, but I want an update as soon as you can."
It felt as though my foot was tangled in something. Shivering, I lifted my foot and found a thin, rough-looking rope wrapped around my boot.
"What the hell is this?" I muttered, trying to pull off the rope. It wasn't budging.
"Is everything okay, Cassie?" Rider asked through the comms.
"I'm good," I said. Then, realizing that Henderson's team would need to hear me respond, I flipped on the comms. "I'm good."
Maybe if I took off my boot I could pull the rope free.
Yeah, no way. I patted my pocket, wondering if I had a knife or anything sharp. When I found nothing, for the first time since Logan had run off, I took a good look at my surroundings. There were other Paths here. Nothing recent, but definitely people. It took something with intelligence to have the more complex patterns.
Must be the goblins.
There was a clatter of something moving not far away. I practically jumped to my feet, visions of goblins and spears filling my mind.
The woods went still once again. Keeping my eyes on my surroundings, I leaned down and tugged up on the rope, pulling it above the snow. It didn't come up alone. Other ropes crisscrossed it in odd directions. The rope that was wound around my leg was pulled tight, but the others were loose. I had no idea what they were trying to do, but this was probably a goblin trap. Tugging on the rope attached to me, I followed it to a tree, where it was wrapped under a low branch and tied firm much higher up.
The noise came again. It almost sounded like two rocks sliding over each other. Concentrating hard, I let a little more power well up.
It was there.
The creature’s Path appeared concentrated where it sat. It must have been crouching down in the snow, because I couldn't make out the shape. Nevertheless, it was definitely the same thing we had been following. Its attention seemed to be focused as much on me as mine was on it.
The creature sprang up and scuttled forward. Seeing large pincers and a large tail arched over its body, my mind went blank and I grabbed the low tree branch and scrambled up.
Scorpions don't get that big. Somewhere in my mind, I knew that, but my brain seemed frozen with terror. Scorpions were little. Sure, they could be dangerous, but they were small. This thing came up to my waist.
The nightmare didn't slow down, so I grabbed another branch and climbed higher in the tree, my only thought being to get away. The first branch had been too low. The scorpion's legs scrambled up the side of the tree and hooked over the branch. Pincers reached up to click at my heels.
"What's going on, Cassie?" Logan asked through the comms. "Henderson, I'm almost to the fire," he added. "Rust is breathing, but he doesn't look good."
My brain began to unfreeze, but in its panicked state, it didn't make the situation any better. The claws stretched, but the tail kept the focus of my attention. The stinger, or whatever it was called, looked like a sharp skewer that could punch a hole through anything.
Gun. I had a gun. Not feeling far enough away to avoid the stinger, I climbed a little higher and unholstered my gun.
"Agent Heidrich?" Logan's voice was sharp.
"Worry about Rust," I snapped, not bothering with the comms.
I shot three times. The darts bounced off the scorpion. It flinched back, but realizing whatever hitting it didn't hurt, it lurched up again. I fired the remaining darts. Not one of them pierced the skin.
Do scorpions have skin? It looked almost plated.
"You've got goblins heading your way," Logan said.
My first thought was, ‘Thank god, I'm no longer going to be alone.’
Then I thought about the size of the goblins and their weapons.
They wouldn't stand a chance.
"I'm at the fire," Logan said.
The scorpion's claw got tangled in the rope that was dangling from my leg. It thrashed around, pulling my leg out from under me.
There were moments of free fall before my back scraped against the branch as I passed it. The fates must have been in my corner, because my leg hooked around the next branch, catching my descent.
The tugging on my foot stopped, and looking down, I saw that the scorpion had managed to get loose. It was no longer scrambling up the side of the tree. Instead, it scurried around below me, moving to one side, then another, as though trying to analyze the situation without the brainpower to do so.
I was well out of its reach, but if I didn't do something soon, the goblins would be prime targets.
"How far away are the goblins?" I asked, feeling frantic as the seconds ticked by.
Rider's voice came through the earpiece. "Logan says it is a quarter mile."
Rider kept the comms open, and I could hear Logan speaking quickly in the background, but I couldn't make out what he said.
Quarter mile. I had no idea how fast the goblins moved, but it had to be quickly if they were already that close.
"What is happening?" Rider asked.
I tried to reach up to the branch I was dangling from, but I wasn't able to get high enough.
First thing I do when I get home is to start ab exercises.
The thought was fleeting and almost giddy in nature.
Are scorpions afraid of anything? Who the hell knew something like that?
"Cassie?" Rider said again.
"I'm a little busy," I snapped.
"Logan asks what is happening."
"What's happening?" My voice was a little screechy. "Tell me, how the hell do you end up with a scorpion in the snow?"
"I do not understand the question," Rider asked.
"Right! The two don't go together." There was no way to hold in my fear, and I hated the sound of it in my voice. "So why do I have one here?"
"Can you go around—"
"Oh," I said cutting Rider off, "did I mention that it's the size of a dog? And not one of the little yippee ones."
Discussion could be heard through the comms. It sounded as though Henderson and Franklin had caught up. I tried to put the others out of my mind and focus on the creature below me. Sadly, my brain seemed intent on raving about how there could be a scorpion here in the first place.
Rider interrupted my internal rant. "We are on our way." He cut the comms.
"What? No! What part of giant scorpion don't you get?"
There was no reply.
"Dammit!" Venting the frustration wasn't going to get me anywhere. It was pushing some of the fear away, though, which was good.
Then I heard yells and gibberish coming from the woods.
The scorpion crouched down and raced backwards. A spear landed in the snow.
"No, no, no." I hadn't realized I said it out loud until after it left my mouth.
A goblin appeared below me, jabbing a spear threateningly at the scorpion. The spear didn't have the reach.
I grabbed as much Path as I could manage, realizing when I did so that exhaustion was quickly approaching. Using the trick I had learned months ago,
I tried to make the Path solid as the scorpion’s tail shot out.
When the stinger struck, it was only a few inches from the goblin. My shield was more spongy than solid, but it did the trick. The scorpion scampered back
My stomach churned, and I realized I had started working with the Path near the creature. I dropped it fast. I'm pretty sure throwing up when you're already upside down is a recipe for badness.
The goblin darted forward again.
"Get back," I yelled at it.
It gabbled, but didn't stop looking at the scorpion.
The goblin was going to get himself killed. I tried to put up a flimsy bubble around the goblin, but it fell after moments. The world began to spin under me.
One burst, I thought wildly. One burst of energy. Push it back.
I gathered a ball of power as quickly as I could. Another goblin appeared below and reached for the spear. The scorpion moved to the side and lunged. I dropped the ball of Power between the two, letting it explode out without direction.
Both were flung back, and more importantly, away from each other. They weren't alone. The other goblin staggered back, and I ended up being buffeted by the Path as well.
The scorpion hit a tree and bounced off. It laid motionless for a few moments, and then ran away. The goblin that had been thrown back was engulfed by a snowdrift. The other goblin shook his spear at me.
So much for doing a good deed. I felt worn to the bone, and now this guy was threatening and yelling at me.
Seemingly, out of nowhere, Rider loomed over the goblin and snatched the spear from his hand. The goblin scampered back, falling over itself in the process. Then it was out of my sight and sounded like it was running away.
"There's another in the snow," I said, pointing an unsteady finger. My voice sounded funny, even to me. Slurred, almost.
From deep in the Path, I knew that something looked off about Rider. He went over and lifted the goblin out of the snow. It was huddled up. Rider stood the goblin up on the ground, but it fell over and curled up. He picked it back up, holding it in the crook of his arm, and came to stand under me.
"You are in a tree," Rider said.
I bit back the sarcasm, but it was difficult. "I'd really rather not be." When he didn't say anything, I added, "But I'm stuck."
Henderson came jogging into view. When Rider said 'we’, I had assumed he was talking about Logan. Having another agent see me dangling upside down from a tree was beyond embarrassing.
"Where is... it?" Henderson said.
I didn't blame him for not wanting to say giant scorpion without proof. The concept was so far away from reality that it sounded ridiculous.
Rider passed the goblin to Henderson, who staggered a little at the unexpected package, then Rider began to climb. From a branch somewhere below me, he lifted me up, and I managed to unhook my leg. The rope got caught up, but Rider pulled it free. Being upright was an improvement, but my head swam. When I was back on ground level, I staggered and leaned against the tree for support.
Blood pounded in my ears and I swayed where I stood. Rider had the goblin again, and Henderson was digging through a bag, dragging out Rider's extra coat.
Knowing it was far past time for me to stop reading the Path, I closed my eyes and pushed the meager remains of my power away. When I opened my eyes again, the color had drained from the world, and I was left even more exhausted than before.
Yells erupted from the woods around us. Startled, I pushed away from the tree, but the world spun and I was forced to lean back once more. Rider turned, looked into the woods, and a deep growl rose from his throat.
It felt as though something crawled up my spine. Henderson backed away. The noise the goblins were making ceased and the only sound left was feet through the snow.
"Are you okay?" Rider asked.
"Tired." I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath until it came out shaking. "But I think I'm okay. What about the goblin you have?"
"He is cold."
"Put this around him," Henderson said. He thrust Rider's coat out and stepped back again after Rider took it.
It was possible that Henderson missed the look that passed across Rider's face, but it was obvious to me that Rider had noticed Henderson's aversion to getting too close.
Trying not to, but failing miserably, I ended up glaring at Henderson, who had the decency to look away. Deciding to ignore the man, I turned my attention back to my friend.
I finally put my finger on what was different about Rider. "Aren't you cold? Where are your clothes?"
"It is getting cold," Rider said, "but I have clothes."
"Underwear. You have underwear. Rider, it's freezing out here."
"Agent Rust has my clothing. His are drying."
"Oh." I paused, inspecting Rider closely. He seemed to be okay, but it didn't dispel my worry. "Is Rust going to be okay?" I asked.
"Logan believes he will be."
Just looking at Rider made me feel colder. "Let's get you back to the fire before you freeze to death."
"Where is the..." Henderson started, and again couldn't seem to bring himself to say scorpion.
I sighed. "It ran away, but I think we should get clothes first."
"It is not necessary yet," Rider said.
"Have you seen any signs of the pixie?" Henderson asked.
"No," I said, rubbing my forehead. I felt like Henderson was missing the point about Rider, which was surprising, considering the fact that there was almost a foot of snow on the ground. There was no way I would push the point, though. I had to trust that Rider wouldn't overdo it.
Henderson looked around the woods as though he would be able to spot the pixie. "How's the goblin?"
"Cold," Rider said.
"Here, at least put these around him." I passed over the chemical hand warmers. "It probably won't be good to put them directly against his skin."
Rider smelled one and wrinkled his nose up before tucking them inside the coat.
"Good call," Henderson said. "Rider, I think you should go back to get warm."
Rider looked me over. Realizing I was still relying on the tree to stand, I forced myself away from it. It was as good as telling Rider that I was okay. Trust was a two-way street.
"I will grab the clothes and return," Rider said.
"Stay there until the goblin is warmed back up," Henderson said.
Rider hesitated before nodding and running off into the night.
Henderson turned on his comms. "Logan, we're good here, but we're going to search the area. What's your status?"
"We're about halfway to the truck," Logan said. "Rust is hanging in there."
"Keep us posted," Henderson said before returning to the situation at hand. "Tell me about what you saw."
At some point during my explanation, I leaned against the tree again, taking as much rest as I could while I had the chance.
"Do you see any signs of the pixie around here?" Henderson asked.
I didn't bother to reopen the Path, figuring I would save my strength. "I haven't seen anything yet."
"Can you track this thing?" Henderson asked.
"My darts only bounce off. What are you actually planning on doing when we find it?"
Chapter 12
"We'll observe where we can," Henderson said. "Logan gave me his gun as a last resort. Live rounds. Be on the lookout for the pixie, though."
"Sure," I said, wishing I had asked Rider to find me a clear spot. I didn't want to jump back into that thing's Path if I could help it. I walked away from the area into fresh snow, taking a gamble that the untrodden snow would be safe. When I opened the Path, I tried to ignore the fatigue and push back as much power as I could, damming the flow.
"I am back at the fire," Rider said. Even over the comms, he sounded disgruntled.
Of course, he heard everything, so he knew we were tracking the creature.
Henderson followed my lead and we trudged through the snow. It was hard to continue checking the
trees for the pixie when I knew there was a mutant scorpion roaming about.
It was worth the effort, though. We hadn't gone far when I saw a glimmer of a pixie trail.
"A pixie has been here," I said, letting out a relieved breath. It was so much better finding a pixie than discovering a monster in the woods.
"How long ago?" Henderson asked.
"Maybe an hour or so."
Henderson sighed. "An hour is a long time."
"But it may not have gone far," I said, trying not to let his pessimistic attitude get me down. His partner was injured, after all.
We moved through the woods, crunching in the snow with our focus on the dark canopy of the trees. Every now and again, I glanced at the ground, ensuring that I wouldn't walk into the path of the scorpion. We were veering away from the creature, however. Maybe the pixie saw it and ran away. I knew I had wanted to run when I saw it.
"The goblin is warm," Rider said through the comms.
I stopped and listened to the noise Rider's companion was making.
"Any idea what he's saying?" Henderson asked.
"Threats," Rider suggested, "would be my guess."
Henderson tugged down the corners of his hat and looked around. "I guess... can you keep hold of him for now? He'll freeze trying to find his way home, and we're stretched pretty thin."
I turned off my comms. "Rider could take him back to the others."
He looked around again as though a solution might come to him. "I don't think he should go on his own. Maybe we could loop back and one of us could go with him."
Taking me would be a huge mistake, but there was no way for me to explain that. I couldn't say, 'Sorry, my soul is broken, and they'll attack us if I go near them.'
"Um, you and I aren't exactly stealthy," I said. Realizing this could come across as an insult, I hurried to continue. "I mean, compared to Logan and Rider, I don't think any human is. Since Logan's out of the picture, it might be better if he went alone."
Henderson sighed heavily. "He's new in the field, still going through training, in fact. I can't send him alone."
"He's also a werewolf and really good at what he does. You saw him with the goblins earlier. Even if they happen to see him, he can handle them." Seeing Henderson hesitate, I continued. "It's not even likely they'll see him, though. Unless we go along."
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