by C J Benjamin
Soldiers? In the forest? Could it be? Maybe they were hunters. Maybe they’d been sent for me. Whoever it was, I didn’t have much time to think about it, because what was certain was that they were moving toward us quickly. We needed to get to an area where we could take cover. Crouching in the undergrowth wasn’t going to cut it. There was a large bank of thistle palms about a hundred yards away. If we moved now and kept low, we could make it there and stay downwind and out of sight.
“Jovi, I need you to follow me,” I whispered. “You need to stay silent, and stay as low as you can to the ground.”
She nodded, her eyes wide with fear, but eager to obey.
We covered the ground quickly, side-by-side. Once we got to the thorny bushes I coaxed Jovi inside among the razor sharp branches. It was slow going, but we made it. With the protective cover of the wide fan leaves, I chanced a peek to see if I could spot the men I’d heard. What I saw stole my breath. Jemma and Sparrow were traipsing along without a care in the world, headed right into the path of the hunting party.
I knew I wasn’t supposed to use my powers, but if I didn’t warn Jemma and Sparrow, they’d surely be caught.
“Jemma! Sparrow! Drop down to the ground right now!”
I knew they heard me because they both paused and then suddenly I saw Sparrow reach out and grab Jemma’s arm before they swiftly dropped out of view. They were hidden in the tall grass, but as soon as I breathed a sigh of relief, I saw the underbrush swaying and parting to my left. The voices of the men grew louder. They would be upon Sparrow and Jemma any minute. There was no time to call them to join us in the protection of the thistles. I was racking my brain for what powers I could use to help them. There wasn’t time for anything!
I grabbed a few small stones and threw them as hard as I could in the opposite direction of the girls. I was hoping the noise would draw the men off our path. It had the desired effect when the stones struck a tree, causing a flock of birds into a frenzied flight.
“Something’s spooked the birds. Let’s go check it out,” one of the men called.
Once they changed course, I telepathed to Sparrow and Jemma again.“There’s hunters in the forest. Jovi and I are in the thistle palms. Stay low and get over here now!”
I waited impatiently for a response.
Nothing.
“Jovi. I need you to stay here and stay silent. I’m going to go get them.”
“No! Don’t leave. Please don’t leave me!”
“Jovi. It’s going to be all right. Just stay here. Don’t move, okay?”
Before she could argue any further, I kissed her on top of her head and vanished. I could tell my invisibility was working from the look of sheer terror on Jovi’s face. When I was sure she wasn’t going to bolt, I left the safety of the thick cluster of thistle palms. I ran in the direction I’d last seen the girls and stumbled upon them laying in the same spot.
I fell on top of them, clamping my hands over their mouths so they wouldn’t scream and give us away.
“Come with me now!”
Neither of them argued. They were petrified and shaking when I grabbed each of their hands to share my invisibility. Once it was working in full force, we took off running toward the dense cluster of thistle palms. We were in the short clearing about thirty feet from the protection of the palms when the men came into view. I felt Sparrow balk in fear when her eyes locked on the heavily armed men. I pulled her forward, propelling her and Jemma ahead of me into the unforgiving thorns.
My entrance wasn’t as graceful this time and my skin tore as it snagged on the razor sharp thorns. We rejoined Jovi and she breathed a sigh of relief, hugging me tightly when I let myself come back into view. I held my finger back up to my lips and surveyed my friends. Their eyes bulging, skin dripping ribbons of blood from where the thorns had caught them. Something warm and wet dripped into my eye. I swiped at it and pulled my hand away bloodied. I must have cut my forehead on the thorns. Jovi pulled a rag from her basket and offered it to me. I smiled at her and held it to my head as I tried to fight the waves of queasiness that flipped through my stomach.
I hated the sight and smell of blood. But we were safe, hidden from the men for now and that was the most important thing. We sat silently, watching the group of men stalking their way through the forest. They were definitely not Grifts and they seemed more than local hunters. They moved with lethal precision, like they’d been trained to do so. They wore all black and were adorned with strange, dark masks, barely visible beneath their hoods. They carried weapons—staffs, bows, spears, swords and heavy shields. I was trying to make out the crest on them when I heard a twig snap loudly next to me.
The men stopped. The one in front lifted his hand in a fist, signaling to the others to turn around and head back. I panicked as I watched them flank out. They’d almost been through our area. We were just about free and clear. Who snapped a twig? I was furious and scared as I turned to my friends to see what had made the noise. The looks on their faces matched mine when my eyes finally landed on the culprit.
A large tarcat flattened his ears and narrowed the slits of his bright yellow eyes at me, while he licked his vicious lips with hunger.
Remi charged through the forest, already out of breath and cut up from the unforgiving vegetation when he caught up to Nova and the others.
“Ah, so we go into hell together then?” Nova said, not taking his eyes off the horizon.
“Together,” Remi said, as Journey shook his head with a smile and handed him a staff.
Nova nodded, gaining a small bit of respect for Remi in that moment.
It’s about time, he thought to himself.
The boys moved through the forest quickly and silently. They fanned out, spaced a few yards away from each other so they could cover more ground. The sun was setting and once it got below the canopy of trees, the forest would fall into darkness. Time was of the essence. Even without the threat of hunters, the forest was not a safe place to be alone at night.
“Over here,” Talon called.
The boys all changed course to meet him. He was holding a panting wex under his arm.
“Quin?” Remi whispered.
This wasn’t a good sign and they all knew it.
“She never leaves my sister,” Talon said, unable to hide the worry in his voice.
“Maybe that means she’s not too far from here?” Remi offered trying to give hope to the grim situation.
“Luckily I know someone who can ask her,” Nova said.
Everyone looked to him as he patted his shoulder and Niv scurried out of his pack and perched by his neck. The little marmouse sniffed the air rapidly, while twitching his nose and combing his long whiskers.
Quin, whined when she saw him. Niv’s ears perked and he snapped to attention, locking eyes with the wex. He started chattering angrily, but Nova stroked his bristled coat.
“Niv, it’s okay. We need your help. Tippy needs your help. She’s lost in the forest with Jovi, Sparrow and Jemma. Quin was with them and she came to find us. Can you talk to Quin and find out where they are?”
“Um, what’s going on here?” Journey asked skeptically as he watched Nova talking to Niv.
Remi shook his head, “Just trust him, it works.”
Talon and Mali looked doubtful as well, but Talon held Quin up to Niv and they chattered and squeaked back and forth, until Niv scurried back up Nova’s arm and perched on his shoulder again.
“Okay buddy, we need you to take us to her.”
With that, Niv leapt from Nova’s shoulders and took off into the forest.
“Come on,” Nova called as he chased after the little marmouse, motioning for the others to follow.
50
The smell of blood must have drawn the tarcat to us. His rucked, white snout was drooling when he bared his needle sharp teeth. His breath was hot and putrid as he chuffed and hissed. He was crouched low, coiling his haunches, as he twitched his black tail with agitation. I watched as his spotte
d ribs fanned out and in, out and in, with each terrifying breath he took, inching his way toward us on his belly. His white fur was tinged yellow where it met the earth, like he’d spent a great deal of time hiding in wait for prey, as he was now.
I pulled Jovi behind me to shield her from him and grabbed Sparrow and my sister’s hands to pull them behind me as well.
“Move slowly,” I cautioned them. “He smells the blood, cover up your wounds.”
I felt them moving behind me, doing their best to carefully cover up their cuts, but I knew it was too late. The tarcat was already upon us. No doubt, drawn to the smell of our bleeding gashes thanks to the thorns. There was no way he’d leave us in one piece. We were a tantalizing meal, just begging to be devoured. At least I had given them something to do, something to keep their minds busy on anything other than the fact that we were cornered. If we ran, we’d be caught by the hunting party that was closing in on us. If we stayed, we’d surely be ripped to shreds by the ferocious tarcat. My mind shuddered at the memory of the last tarcat attack I’d witnessed.
I had been the one to send Khan and Ria after Greeley. Bile rose from the pit of my stomach as the violent images of her death tore through my mind. I closed my eyes trying to stop them.
“No . . . please stop,” I murmured through gritted teeth, begging the vision to leave my mind.
Now was not the time for my mind to slip into haunting memories. I needed to focus and think clearly if we were going to find a way out of this mess.
“You set me free” came a familiar, unsettling voice.
My eyelids flew open and met the luminescent yellow eyes of the tarcat before me. He no longer had his ears pinned back. They were pricked toward me in surprise.
“Khan?” I telepathed back to the tarcat in bewilderment.
He nodded his head in confirmation.
“I owe you a great deal for the freedom you’ve given me,” he purred as he genuflected. “How can I repay you?”
I didn’t know what to say or think. How could it be that the same tarcat I freed was now sitting before me offering my freedom?
Just then the hunters snapped another twig, catching all of our attention. They were creeping dangerously close to us now. They had our bluff of thistle palms surrounded. Khan looked back at me with his wise, bright eyes. He purred for a moment and I laid my hand on his broad soft brow. At my touch, he closed his iridescent yellow-green cat eyes and for a fleeting instant, I felt his love and loyalty and compassion. He was a misunderstood creature, who’d been imprisoned at the Troian Center just as I had. I opened my mouth to apologize to him, but before I had the chance, he sprang into action, leaping from the safety of the palms out toward the startled hunters.
Khan thrashed and roared, scattering the hunters. I saw one go down and lay still. Khan lifted his face to look back at me, his once white coat was now stained red, from muzzle to chest.
“Run!” was the last word he ever uttered to me.
I didn’t wait to see what happened next. I quickly cloaked us with my invisibility power and pulled the girls from the tearing thorns. We ran as fast as we could, holding hands and never looking back. The screams from the men were terrifying. I heard Khan’s roar booming through the forest. It was getting further from us, as he drew them away. Jovi stumbled and I lost hold of her hand. We all became visible when I lost contact. I scooped her up as I heard a blood-curdling scream from Khan that made my skin turn cold.
Jemma and Sparrow both turned to me with looks of shock and fear. I shook my head and offered both of them my hands.
“Cover your ears, Jovi,” was all I said as we pressed on, away from the sad, wounded calls of the tarcat who saved our lives.
After running until my muscles ached, I heard a familiar chattering and then a streak of fur launched itself at me. It was Niv! I knelt down and collected my excited marmouse. “Niv?” I exclaimed in confusion. “Why are you in the middle of the forest?”
“Over there! I see them!” came Nova’s voice.
I nearly burst into tears at the sound of his voice! If Nova was here, we were saved! I scratched Niv between his ears and held him tight, knowing that once again, my amazing marmouse had saved my life. I let him kiss my face and tickle me with his feathery whiskers.
“You led Nova to us, didn’t you, my sweet boy?” I crooned to him.
My adrenaline had worn off by the time Nova and the others reached us. I couldn’t stop shaking. Jovi ran straight into her brother’s arms, while Quin raced circles around them. Jovi had been so brave the entire time, but now, in the safety of Talon’s arms, she exploded into tears. I felt like I could have done the same thing the moment Nova engulfed me in his embrace.
All of our petty arguments instantly evaporated. Our squabbles seemed so insignificant, because when it came down to it, Nova was always there for me. And I knew as long as there was an ounce of breath left in his body, he’d go to the ends of the earth for me. I let him examine me at arm’s length, reassuring him that my cuts were superficial. Remi came over to make sure I was all right too. I hugged him tight to help relieve the worry in his eyes. I asked him to take Niv for me because his claws kept catching my skin where the thorns had torn into me. Remi reluctantly let me out of his embrace and called Niv to him. Niv had always loved Remi and he jumped merrily from my arms, to his shoulder. I reached out for Nova and collapsed into his arms once more. He scooped me up, cradling me as he carried me the rest of the way back to camp.
Journey and Mali helped Sparrow and Jemma back as well, while Talon carried Jovi. When we could see the glowing firelight of camp, I heard Vida shouting to us and then felt hands all over me. She gently helped us to her tent. Jaka was there to receive us as well. He helped Vida tend to our wounds. The boys were shooed from our tent so we could be bathed and treated with a healing salve.
I drank a warm tea that I was offered and it made me feel drowsy. I fought my heavy eyelids, wanting to stay awake to make sure that Jovi, Sparrow and my sister were okay. I blinked and tried to stop my head from nodding, but it was no use.
The chief came over to me and laid his hand gently on my forehead. “Sleep, my child. Tomorrow is another day.”
51
“What do you mean you failed?” seethed the man with the shiny, black hair.
“Master, I’m sorry I failed you,” the wounded mercenary replied through his disheveled armor as he knelt at his master’s feet in front of his peers. “The Eva is fast and cunning. She heard our unit approaching somehow and she had time to prepare. She had a tarcat on her side. She made him attack us and he took out the other five men in my unit, while she and her friends escaped. But don’t worry, I killed the vile beast, though I’m lucky to have escaped with my life.”
“Oh? I wouldn’t say you’re lucky,” he growled.
In one swift, fluid motion, the tall man pulled a black handled knife from his belt and brought it down upon the injured warrior in front of him. The only thing that the other men saw, was the shining, gleam of silver, before they watched their comrade’s head fall from his shoulders.
The room full of mercenaries was deathly still as they watched their master slowly wipe the blade of his scythe on his black robes before sheathing it.
“Now, listen closely men. You will not return here until you have the Book of Secrets and the Eva and her friends. I need them alive, but be prepared to kill anyone or anything else that gets in your way. I hope I’ve been clear. Failure is not an option!”
52
Nova’s face, silhouetted by sunlight, was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. He looked so beautiful that I thought I might still be asleep, having another dream where we weren’t orphans or chosen ones. Just two normal people, free to be together and live happily ever after. He blinked his vivid green eyes and leaned in closer to kiss me on the cheek. I could smell his sweet scent and feel his warmth as he came near. I didn’t want this dream to end.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he whispered. “We we
re wondering when you were going to wake up.”
“We?” I murmured rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
Nova took a step back and I saw that my tiny tent was filled with about a dozen Betos! My cheeks flushed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. I popped up and surveyed my visitors. Jaka, Vida, Talon, Mali, Remi, Eja and a few other Beto scouts where all looking at me expectantly.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my heart in my throat as I scrambled to my feet.
“Nothing happened. Everyone’s all right,” Remi offered reading the concern on my face.
“We didn’t mean to alarm you, my Eva,” Jaka spoke. “We just need to speak to you about the attack.”
“Where’s Jemma and the others?” I asked as I looked around the tent where they had been last night.
“We sent them on to a new site earlier this morning. They morfed for safety reasons. I think that’s the safest way to travel given yesterday’s events. We were reluctant to wake you until you were finished healing. You suffered the most wounds.”
“Figures,” Nova whispered for only me to hear.
I glared at him and he gave me a wink.
“But as you can imagine,” Jaka continued, “time is of crucial importance. Talon and the scouts said they saw evidence of hunters in the forest, but they didn’t actually see who it was. I was hoping you would share what you saw with us so we can be better prepared for what we might encounter.”
“I can do better than that,” I said staring at Eja.