"No idea," Katie mumbled, not realizing that Edward was talking to himself.
Edward turned at the sound of Katie's voice. "Sorry. I guess I was thinking out loud. I didn't mean for anyone to hear that." He gave her a weak smile. "I'm just frustrated because I've grown used to her leading the way."
"I know it may not be the greatest substitute, but if you would like I will lead until she decides to reappear," Jack said from across the fire. He had changed back to human form a short while ago, much to the distress of Melissa. She was still having a hard time grasping the fact that supernatural creatures, like Jack, truly existed. Although, Melissa did seem slightly less agitated with Jack's presence now compared to when he was still a wolf.
"I can't guarantee I would be as effective, but while I was away I did come across another town," Jack added, trying to give the others a glimmer of hope.
"It would at least be somewhere to start," Katie acknowledged, looking at Edward for any sign that he agreed.
"Is it in the same general direction we've been traveling thus far?" Edward inquired.
"I believe so," Jack replied.
"About how far away is this town?" Edward asked.
"It is close enough that we should be able to get there sometime in the early morning hours, I would guess," Jack said.
"Then, I say we get going. Does anyone disagree?" Edward asked as he began to stand.
"Sounds like as good a plan as any," Katie stated.
"Any plan that will take us far away from the creature beneath that tree is a good sounding plan to me," Melissa said. "That noise it keeps making every now and then is very unnerving. I keep thinking it will somehow get loose and come after us again. I don't relish being a meal for that thing."
"Then we are agreed. Jack, if you would please?" Edward administered a gesture indicating Jack to take the lead.
Chapter 30
Travel was much slower with Jack attempting to lead the group through the darkness. Until now, they had taken for granted the pace they were able to maintain when Amber led them. With only the small, magical flame dancing above Edward's hand to light their way, progress had slowed to a crawl. Sure, it was easy enough for Edward, Katie, and Melissa to see each other by the light of the flame, but with Jack having to shift to his wolf form to take advantage of his keen sense of smell it was harder to keep track of him.
Sometimes, Jack would pick up a scent and begin moving a little faster and the group would lose sight of him. Each time this happened they would have to stop and regroup.
Thankfully, the sky was beginning to grow lighter with the first hints of the approaching dawn. Now they could see Jack without the aid of Edward's magical flame, so their pace began to quicken slightly.
Without warning, Jack suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong? Why are we stopping?" Melissa snapped in frustration at the delay.
"I'm not sure," Edward replied.
Katie kept silent and watched Jack intently, looking for any changes in his behavior. Jack's ears flicked up and down, rotating this way and that. He slowly turned back toward the rest of the group and tilted his head slightly for a moment. Before they could do or say anything, Jack suddenly rushed off toward the south. He disappeared into the trees before they had a chance to react.
"Great!" Melissa said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What now?"
"Judging by the way he was acting just before he took off, I would have to say Jack must have heard something he perceived to be a threat," Katie said.
"I can't help but agree with Melissa this time." Edward frowned. "All of these delays are getting annoying."
"We are all frustrated, Edward," Katie said, "but there is nothing we can do about it." She wasn't happy about the situation any more than the others, but standing around bickering wasn't going to solve anything either. Katie sat down and watched Edward and Melissa pacing angrily about for a few moments wishing that they would calm down. Pacing as they were was not going to solve anything, nor bring Jack back any faster.
A couple of minutes passed before Edward and Melissa finally sat down near Katie. Both of them wore intense scowls upon their faces, but at least the ranting had stopped. As the silence settled among them, Katie began to hear a familiar sound. It was faint, barely more audible than a whisper. "Shit!" Katie exclaimed, startling the others.
"What?" Edward and Melissa replied in near unison.
"Do you hear that?" Katie asked.
"Hear what?" Melissa responded with a hint of hostility in her voice.
Edward sat forward slightly, straining to hear what Katie was asking about. Melissa was making too much noise for him to hear anything though, so Edward turned to her and placed a finger before his lips. Melissa quieted down, but sat sulking like a spoiled child. The look was very unbecoming for someone of her age.
He began to listen intently again, trying desperately to hear what Katie had heard. It took a few moments, but he was beginning to hear something. It sounded familiar somehow, but at the moment he couldn't place where he had heard the noise before. Then, recognition appeared on his face.
"Do you hear it now?" Katie asked again as she saw the change in Edward's features.
"Yes, but ... " Edward trailed off, still concentrating on the sound.
"It sounds like that huge column of beetles that we saw a while ago," Katie said. "I thought they were migrating to the south, but if that is indeed what I'm hearing, then I must have been wrong about that."
Edward nodded his agreement. A look of worried concentration appeared on his face. He feared that Katie's assumption was correct, but what did that mean? Was there a purpose to what the bugs were doing? If so, what could it be? And perhaps the most important question of all, what were they going to do about it?
Melissa noted the intense look on Edward's face. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.
With Katie and Melissa looking to him for answers, he began to share his concerns. They huddled together and talked quietly. Steadily, the clicking of the beetles began to grow louder and louder. Katie was having trouble focusing on what Edward was saying. She kept glancing over his shoulder waiting to see the enormous column of bugs marching up from the south.
As the sun began to show above the horizon, Katie saw the leading edge of the column approaching. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing toward the mass that looked like a giant, black snake slithering toward them. Then she saw Jack. It looked as if he were following the beetles, or maybe even herding them somehow. At some point, after he had run off, Jack had changed back to his human form.
Seeing that Jack had not abandoned them, Katie stood up excitedly and began waving at him. Edward rose to his feet and helped Melissa up, knowing that he had to make his mind up about what to do, and fast. The head of the massive column of beetles was now a mere fifty feet from where he stood.
Edward could only think of one thing to do. "Get out of the way!" he yelled out to Jack. He then lowered his head and began to concentrate. Within a matter of moments the air temperature around him dropped off rapidly.
Katie grabbed Melissa by the arm and dragged her out of the way. She then made frantic motions to Jack, yelling to him at the same time. "Jack! Get over here! Quick!"
Jack hesitated for just a moment, unsure why Katie seemed so panicked. He thought about what Edward had said as well, not sure what he was supposed to get out of the way of. Jack darted to one side in the direction of Katie. As he did, Edward lifted his head and thrust his palms out toward the column of bugs. A pale blue pillar erupted from Edward's hands, immediately dropping the ambient temperature in the area and creating frost upon the low-hanging branches of nearby trees. Within moments, the clicking of beetles ceased, as did their forward progress.
For the first time, Edward's spell seemed to go off without a hitch. Normally, some minor miscalculation hindered the effectiveness of his spells. Not this time though. A smile spread across his face as he looked upon the awed faces of his companions.
; "That was awesome!" Katie cheered.
Melissa couldn't believe her eyes. She had always believed magic to be hocus-pocus bullshit, intended to fascinate the naive. She moved toward the frozen carpet of insects. She had to get a closer look to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
When Melissa got closer she noticed that the beetles were no longer black, but instead seemed translucent. She bent down to inspect them more closely and saw something very disturbing. "You might want to come look at this," she called to the others.
The celebration of their victory was cut short by Melissa's oddly trembling voice. They all turned toward Melissa, half expecting to see the ice melting away and the beetles moving around again. Seeing no reason for alarm, the others approached.
"What are we looking at?" Edward asked.
"All I see are a lot of frozen bugs," Katie said.
"Look closer," Melissa insisted.
Katie squatted down next to her. Almost immediately she noticed the difference. "Holy crap! They're made of metal, just like that three-headed thing that was attacking us!" Katie cried out in alarm.
Edward bent down and plucked one of the tiny beetles from the ground and studied it for a moment. Katie was right. It did look like it was made of metal. He dropped it back to the ground and brought the heel of his boot down on it. The satisfactory sound of a crunch came from beneath his foot. With a triumphant smile, Edward lifted his foot. The grin quickly faded. Apparently, the ice breaking away from the tiny body had made the crunching sound. The beetle was moving again, rubbing its tiny legs together. Moments later, it burrowed into the ground and disappeared.
"Let's not do that again!" Melissa said sarcastically.
"I agree," Katie said. "Let's just leave them where they are. Frozen solid."
"And hope they stay that way!" Jack added.
Chapter 31
Recent events had slowed the group's progress down severely. Even so, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the four of them were nearing the edge of the forest. Smoke could be seen rising in the distance, although from here it looked as if it were belching forth from the ground itself. They had to be getting close to the town Jack had found the night before.
A few minutes later they stepped out of the trees and found themselves standing on the top edge of a hill. Nestled in the valley below them was a small town, which looked eerily similar to Haven. It appeared to have one dusty road going down the center of it. Although, Edward thought, the town does seem a little bigger. The road seemed longer, and if Edward was not mistaken, there were more houses as well.
"What are we waiting for?" Melissa asked.
"I am just looking for a place that is likely an inn," Edward replied. "We need to rest. I am also hoping if we are in a more stable environment that Amber may rejoin us when it gets dark."
"And you will be able to tell that from this distance?" Melissa asked sarcastically.
Edward frowned at her. Couldn't the gods have chosen someone better to be their healer? Melissa can be really annoying at times, Edward thought. Sometimes even borderline rude.
`"She's got a point, Edward," Katie said. "We aren't getting anything accomplished by standing around looking."
He hated to admit it, but Katie was right. Perhaps he was hesitant because of the last experience he had. Haven turning out to be a town comprised of strictly werewolves had really caught Edward off guard. He found himself second-guessing his decision to stay there in the first place. Now, he had another town to consider. What if this town was like Haven? Did he really want to subject the rest of the group to another encounter like their last one?
"Edward? Say something! Please?" Katie added, disturbed by Edward's thoughtful silence.
"Sorry. You are probably right, Katie," Edward admitted. "I am just nervous about the possibility that my decision could put us into a similar position as we had to deal with back in Haven. I don't want us to have to endure another ordeal like that if I can avoid it."
"I never thought about it from that angle," Katie said, thoughtfully.
"Well, I can't really judge what to do based on what happened in that town," Melissa said. "I obviously wasn't there for that. However, I would like to know if we are staying put or moving on. Sorry. I am tired, grouchy, and would like nothing more than to lay down and sleep."
"Can we put the decision to a vote?" Katie asked. "That way you won't feel so much like it's all your fault if something goes wrong."
"Likely, I will feel that way no matter what," Edward confided, "but your idea is a sound one, Katie. All in favor of going into the town below?"
Edward watched as each of them raised their hands. Apparently, he was the only one that was hesitant about risking their lives. Edward hoped the fact that they all needed sleep wasn't effecting their judgement. "So be it," Edward said at last. "Let's get moving then."
As the group began descending the gentle slope of the hill toward the town below, Edward noted the state of Jack's clothing. It was filthy and torn in more places than he could count. It wasn't covering very much that was for sure. "Hold on a minute," Edward called out to the others. They were about twenty feet further down the hill than Edward was. The group turned around to see what had ruffled Edward's feathers this time.
"What now?" Melissa said impatiently, her hands firmly planted on her hips.
"Chill out, Melissa," Katie whispered harshly.
Edward caught up to the rest of the group. "I just happened to notice the state of Jack's wardrobe," he said, giving Melissa a condescending look. He shrugged out of his cloak and handed it to Jack. "It may not smell the best but at least you will look a little more presentable," Edward remarked with a weak smile.
Jack pulled the cloak tightly around his body. "Thank you," he said politely to Edward.
Feeling a bit like she'd been a royal bitch to Edward, Melissa turned and started heading down the hill again. She didn't know why she felt compelled to act that way toward Edward. Maybe, deep down inside, Melissa still resented being torn from her world the way she had been. Edward had offered her an out though. He had told her she could go back, but she had decided to stay. In effect, it was her fault and not Edward's. Although, Melissa had never in a million years expected things to be as they were now.
Edward saw Melissa begin to storm off out of the corner of his eye. He let her get a head start on the group, figuring she needed to cool her temper. As he got the remainder of the group moving again, Edward noticed with dismay that someone was coming toward them from the town below. Heading straight for Melissa.
He hurried the group, hoping to catch up to Melissa before the townsperson got to her. The man coming toward them switched his attention from Melissa when he saw that the others had begun rushing down the hill. "Halt!" he cried out, holding up one hand.
Melissa stopped and looked nervously at the newcomer, silently wishing she hadn't taken off the way she had. She could really use ...
Edward came to a stop beside Melissa. She turned her head and looked at him gratefully. "I'm sorry, Edward. I have been really nasty to you lately and it was totally uncalled for," Melissa humbly stated.
Before Edward could open his mouth to accept her apology, the newcomer stopped in front of them. "What is your purpose in our town?" the man asked menacingly.
Edward looked at the man and noted that one of his hands rested on the hilt of a sword, which was thankfully still in its sheath. "We are just looking for a place to rest for the night that isn't in the wilderness," Edward informed him with an awkward smile.
The man appeared to relax a little. "We have had a number of people turn up missing in the past couple of weeks, so the town is on high alert," he said. "If you truly have good intentions, as you say, and only wish to spend the night, I'm sure we can accommodate you."
"You have our gratitude," Edward said with a bow of his head.
"If you would just follow me please." The man turned back toward the town.
The group follow
ed him in silence down the remainder of the hill. Edward looked at their surroundings as he walked. In some respects, this town was much like Haven. Farmland occupied the land behind the furthest buildings. Grassy fields and pastures dominated the area behind the buildings closest to him.
Edward did notice something strange though. He had originally seen the town as being tucked away in a valley, but as he strode down the hill it looked more to him like the town was inside an enormous earthen bowl. The land sloped up in every direction. The only break in this image was the dirt road that wove its way from the town haphazardly in a more or less southern direction. It didn't rise and go over the top of the hill; instead it seemed to go about halfway up the hill and then cut into it. From his vantage point, Edward was unsure if the road became a tunnel or if there was just a large gouge in the earth that left the road with dirt walls on either side.
The lay of the land seemed, in Edward's opinion, to be easy to defend against anyone with ill intentions. Surely, with only one road in and out of the town, the posting of guards should be able to keep unwanted individuals from entering. Obviously, anyone trying to enter the town by coming down from the surrounding hills would be seen almost immediately. The man that had met them halfway down the hillside seemed to prove this theory to be accurate. So how could people turn up missing from this town? Unless, of course, they were to leave of their own accord. Edward was sure, if that were the case, the guards would pay little attention to their departure.
As the group reached the bottom of the hill, another man came rushing out from town to meet them. "Is everything okay?" he asked the person leading them.
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