by Anna Hub
“That's four more than anyone expected. I’ll wait two more hours, Selena. Then we’re leaving.” Matt turned away.
Nick collected food as Matt instructed him. There was little for him to bring back aside from plant roots and dead insects.
I climbed a tree, searching as far into the Valley as I could see, hoping to spot Brayden nearby. The time passed faster than I wanted it to, and still, there was no sign of him.
Matt probed Tara's foot below. "I can't tell if it's broken with all the swelling."
"I can't put any weight on it." She struggled to keep balance as she tested it.
"We'll need Ethel to take a look at it." He sighed. "In the meantime, we'll need to keep it stable."
My feet hung from a branch, catching the sunlight and causing a shadow to hang free. I wrapped the black strap around the tree and slipped from the perch, my shadow guiding me down gently. Nick stared at me in wonder and I realised how familiar I'd become with that manoeuvre. It hadn't always flowed that smoothly. I'd finally mastered it.
I joined Matt and Tara. “If you travel beside the river, the sun shines through most of the day and you can use her shadow for strapping.”
Matt looked at me. He took my free information as a sign I was giving in, he didn’t know that I wasn’t going with them. The river path would lead them away from the Valley. It was also the direction to the cats’ den, but they were no longer enemies. The river would run all the way back to their mountain home and the safety of their village.
Matt nodded. "Are you ready to go?"
I shook my head. "You once told me he had a gift because his Instinct is strong enough to destroy a person’s mind, yet he’s still himself. You were right. But it's not without weakness. Being back in the Valley has made it harder for him to control. He's forced to spend time with the Instinct, and it’s hard for him to remember who he is. If I walk away and leave him in there, he might never get out. He needs me. I’m his window back to the real world.”
Matt rubbed at his face. “We can’t fight those hunters alone.”
“I’m not asking you to come with me. I’m just letting you know I’m not going with you.”
“Sel?" Tara shuffled closer. "You can’t go in there by yourself."
"When I went back for the children, a hunter attacked me and Brayden came to my aid. He senses when I'm in danger."
"There must be a limit on how far he can sense though. What if he doesn't reach you in time?" She held my shoulder gently.
"I have to try."
"This is ridiculous," Matt groaned.
“You would never leave Tara behind," I argued. "You already proved that.”
“But she left me behind because she knew she had to. We can leave tracks for Brayden to follow. He'll come out if it's what he truly wants.”
Tara placed a restraining hand on Matt's arm. “Sel, he's stronger than most hunters. You've known that for a long time but I've seen it with my own eyes too. He can survive without us. We can go back home and return with more sentries to help.”
The villagers were never going to agree on a rescue mission for a hunter they wanted dead. No one would come back for him. If I waited that long it might be too late. Brayden still had a soul but I didn’t know if the Instinct could chase it away the longer he spent inside this place. Especially without human contact.
“I don’t know what to say, Selena.” Matt looked at Tara before he continued, “We're leaving.”
Tara muttered in Matt's ear but I still heard her. “Leaving without them, means abandoning what we came for, and not just for us, but for Ethel too.”
“It’s not about that anymore. I was willing to take risks when it was only our lives we were gambling with, but I won’t do that to the children.” He met my gaze one last time. “We're leaving.”
Matt walked away and Tara sighed. “I’d stay if my ankle wasn’t injured."
I forced a smile. "I know."
Chapter Fourteen
The new shadows didn't question Matt’s decision. Rachel wouldn't have gone with anyone else, while the new children were too afraid to ask a question. I was glad Nick hadn’t tried to say a painful goodbye, he was caught up in Tara’s need for assistance and his quick departure made things easy for me.
The wind blew lightly as the morning almost reached its end. I climbed the tree once more. I lifted my chin and stared into the green and brown of the Valley—right back where I started.
“Do you have a plan to find him?”
I jumped. Nick had moved so quietly, I hadn't heard him return. “What are you doing, Nick?”
He climbed the tree and sat beside me before I’d finished my question. “You saved my life, with his help, of course. I can’t leave either of you behind.”
I smiled. “That’s sweet, but it’s really dangerous.”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying but I’ve been here for a long time, I know how things work.”
"It's my responsibility to keep you safe, and I—"
"Why is it your responsibility?"
"Because it was my idea to come here."
He stared at me. "It's not like my parents signed a waiver or anything."
I smiled at his grin. "No, but ... I came here to save you, not put you in more danger."
"I've been in danger for a pretty long time. I've survived so far."
Was it wrong for me to accept his help? I wished I had the guts to send him away but selfishly I wanted his company. "You have to understand, Brayden will recognise when I'm in danger but he won't be able to help you."
He shrugged. "I'll just have to make sure I'm well prepared."
I chewed against my lip. It couldn't hurt to have his company for the time being at least. But when it came to the hunters, I wouldn't let him get anywhere near them.
I didn't exactly have a game plan for finding Brayden. But Nick was right, preparation was everything.
The high-pitched scream of a whip cat broke my train of thought. The sound vibrating against my eardrums until my head spun. Nick wrapped his hand around my arm to steady me. I recovered quickly, and shook his hand away with a confident nod. The cats’ scream was no more than a warning but the whip crack that followed could have meant more. I leaned in the direction the sound had come from, suddenly concerned it was the same direction our friends had travelled.
The ferns moved gently with the wind but I couldn't see anything beyond our camp. Another whip cracked and I strained in an effort to hear the tail connecting. It sounded more as though it struck the air than an actual target.
The cats hissed and filled my mind with imagery; a cat stretched back on its hind legs, its neck craned while its razor toothed jaws parted enough for the air to escape. The cats had turned on our companions.
I gripped my shadow tight, and slid from the tree, running the instant my feet touched the ground.
Whips cracked violently followed by the piercing scream of a cat and a more human cry after it. It had to be Rachel or Ellie. They didn't know the cats as well as I did. I had to get to them before it was too late.
They couldn't have been far but no matter how fast I ran, it didn't seem fast enough. With Nick close behind me, we finally broke through the trees.
Matt had his bow raised and an arrow in position. Tara stood nearby with the children close to her legs. Three cats stood in their path, no more than a metre away. They were just as I'd seen them in my head but there was no time to wonder how that had happened.
The biggest cat stood in the middle and the other two were positioned on either side. Their eyes shifted to me as I pushed my way through the ferns.
“Selena, don’t move,” Matt warned.
A tail flew at me and I quickly ducked to the side.
“Put your bow down, Matt,” I spoke calmly.
Where was Rachel? Matt made no move to lower his weapon and the cat growled at our effort to communicate with each other.
“Do it, Matt.” I was more forceful this time and he finally
obeyed.
Two more cats appeared on either side of the group leaving only one direction open. It was a formation I'd seen before. I knew what they wanted from us. “Step toward me.”
Tara didn’t look back but pushed Ellie and Ashley until they moved over to me. I gripped each of their small hands in mine and pulled them closer until Nick gathered them into his embrace.
“They just want us to go back,” I explained.
Tara gripped Matt's shoulder, her swollen foot barely touching the ground.
“They're trying to herd us back to the Valley. Just do what they want,” I said slowly.
Matt hesitated. He checked the confidence on my face before he considered my instructions. The leading cat whipped the air in frustration and stretched forward to bare its teeth.
Matt stepped backwards and Tara moved with him, her shoulders tensing as she put weight on her injured ankle.
As they stepped back, the cats flanking us moved toward their leader. Once Matt saw them backing off, he surrendered to my guidance. Four cats disappeared and only one remained to herd us back to our camp.
Halfway back I spotted Rachel’s curly blonde hair beside a tree and grabbed her arm as we passed. “In here, you’re only safe if you stay with the crowd.”
She snatched her arm back. "I wasn't that far away."
We reached the clearing and Matt threw his bow at the ground. “What now?”
I smoothed hair away from my face, flinching as my hand brushed against the web burn. "They've been protecting us all this time, but maybe that was because they wanted to use us as bait," I mused while the group watched me. "They've lost control of the Valley." That much was clear. "And they're using us as bait, to help regulate the other dangers here. They don't want us to leave."
Tara and Matt exchanged a worried glance. "How are we going to get past them?" Tara asked, as she lowered herself to the ground to rest her ankle.
"I've seen the cats do this before." There was only one answer. “We need Brayden.”
I expected Matt to argue, instead he seethed silently.
“We might have a fighting chance against hunters," I said. "But whip cats are unbeatable without him.”
“How many can he handle though? We only saw five but I'm sure I heard more in the distance,” Matt spoke as though Brayden wouldn’t be able to fight that many.
They didn't know the truth about the day Brayden and I ran between the mountains. But I had a nagging feeling that the cats were struggling with control over the Valley, because Brayden had killed so many of them that day. "It doesn't matter how many there are. He'll be able to get us out."
Matt raised his eyebrows and I quickly looked away. If I was being honest with myself, I didn't want them to know the true extent of his Instinct. Not yet. But if it was the only way we'd make it out of the Valley alive, they'd soon see it with their own eyes.
Matt kicked at the dirt in frustration, walking away as he cursed under his breath. Tara followed him, holding his arm and speaking in a hushed voice.
I stepped closer. "The whip cats work in a pack. They'll team up against us and even with arrows, we'll never be able to battle all of them at once. They're too cunning."
Matt turned back, his eyes filled with resentment. He barely seemed like the gentle man I'd met outside the village.
"This really is the only way."
He sighed. “Okay. How are we going to get him?”
I paced the ground as I thought. "The only thing that’s obvious to me, is I have to go in there. If I'm in danger, or if I'm close enough for him to see me, he might be able to find his way out.”
Matt rolled his shoulders to alleviate pressure. “Then I have to come with you because you need support and no one else can do it.”
We'd run in there blind before and it hadn't ended so well. “Maybe we can scout from the trees, then travel closer when we know it’s clear.”
It was already past midday. If we wanted to rescue Brayden and make it back out before dark, we had to act immediately.
Nick helped to collect food, and Matt and I ate everything we could find to help fuel our energy. Rachel watched with revulsion as I swallowed squashed bugs and chewed on plant roots.
"Nick, can you help me get the children settled in one of the trees?" Matt asked. "I'd rather they were up high and away from danger."
Nick boosted Ellie first and climbed up to help her find a secure position. When he was ready, I passed Ashley up too.
"Ready?" Matt looked at me.
I picked up Tara's bow and nodded.
She stood up, wrapping her arms around Matt as she kissed his cheek. "Please be careful."
He glanced at me. "We'll be in and out in no time, right?"
I nodded as Tara walked over to me. She took my shoulders. "You're braver than you look. But please," she exhaled, "please don't risk too much."
"We won't," I assured.
Rachel and the children watched on with worried expressions as Matt used his shadow to pulley Tara up to one of the higher tree branches. Nick caught my eyes and gave me a confident nod, and in that exchange I was sure he'd silently promised to take care of them.
"Let's go," Matt said.
We pushed our way out of the clearing and Matt jumped back as he came face to face with a whip cat. It hissed and stepped to the side, its tail curling in slow snake-like movements.
"It's okay." I held the cats gaze, somehow sure of its intention. "It's just here to guard. It won't attack."
I pushed on, eager to reach the Valley pit and find Brayden.
Matt jogged to catch up with me. "No fear, Selena?”
His question stopped me. My purpose was so clear in my head. There was no space for fear. Brayden had been in there for too long. I just felt fierce determination.
“What is it?” He frowned at my sudden stiffness.
The calm was going to help keep me safe but it wasn’t going to help Brayden find me. Matt might have been afraid but if he was, it was hidden deep within him. Once Brayden’s Instinct faded, I was the tool to guide him back, but we needed something that could catch the attention of a hunter.
“Selena?”
“We have to take Rachel with us.”
“What? No way.” He shook his head and continued walking.
“No, Matt, I’m sure of it. We need to take her. She's terrified—”
“Exactly!”
“Yes, but that's why we need her. Hunters can smell fear. Brayden specifically told me hers was the strongest. It will attract his attention and the familiarity will help too."
"They can smell fear?"
"Is it so unusual? Animals can smell fear too. It's part of their instinct."
For a moment, he couldn't disguise the wonder on his face. "I guess. But ... no, we're not taking Rachel in there. When you're standing face to face with a swarm of hunters who are killing each other for sport, you'll be afraid! Rachel doesn't need to see that."
Was he right? Was it a reckless idea that we didn’t need to implement? Could I talk myself into the fear?
“No, it has to be her. I’m not saying it because I want to endanger her life. Brayden explained that all my fears were internal. It's Rachel's direct fear of this environment that makes her stand out."
“I don’t know, Selena. She's struggling to wrap her head around this as it is.”
“She can stay in the trees. She doesn’t even need to be on the ground with us.”
“But if this smell is going to attract Brayden’s attention, isn’t it going to attract the attention of the other hunters too?”
“That is a risk. But if it does, having them close to me will help to draw Brayden closer."
"And what if he comes and rescues you, leaving Rachel and I to fend for ourselves?"
I understood that was a concern. "Brayden's shown a remarkable improvement in his control over the Instinct since those first two days here. I honestly think he has a handle on it now. But even if that's not the case, the hunters in
the swarm are slaves to their Instinct. As long as we're close to other hunters, their attention on us will be fleeting. We’ll be the little house in the middle of a tornado that’s left untouched.”
"I think it's a mistake." Matt clasped his hands at the back of his neck.
"It isn't, I promise you. I wouldn't risk Rachel if I didn't believe it was necessary."
"And this isn't just about rescuing Brayden as a higher priority than keeping Rachel safe?"
"No." I was a little offended he would say that. "I know staying behind to find Brayden on my own was an emotional decision. I recognise that. But now, it's about the cats and he's the only one who can get us out of here. I've seen hunters discard prey before so they can turn on each other. They'll never get close enough to hurt Rachel."
He cursed as he stared at the sky. "You'd better be right."
I returned to the campsite in a hurry but Matt followed reluctantly, as though the slower pace might give me a chance to change my mind.
"What is it?" Tara asked as I stood beneath their tree.
How could I word this in a way that would make Rachel trust me? She was better off not knowing the truth. "We just realised we need another person. We need two spotters while one of us is on the ground."
"I'll go," Nick offered.
"No," I snapped. “No, you need to stay here and look after the others. There has to be at least one person here who's in control, and Tara is injured."
"Who then?" Tara asked.
"Rachel."
Rachel's eyes widened. “I’m not going in there.”
“We need help, and you’re the only one who can do it.”
Tara eyed me for the real reason for my request but I turned away from her, focusing on Rachel.
She clutched the tree tighter. “No, I’m not doing it!”
Matt stepped forward. “Rachel, there's no more danger right here than there is out there. The cats are waiting just beyond these trees. If you come with us, you'll be away from them.”
Rachel seemed slightly more obliging hearing from Matt. I stepped back and let him take over.