by Chelsea Fine
The Ashman fell dead.
Several yards behind the crumbling creature stood Gabriel with a bow and arrow. Without hesitating, Gabriel pulled another arrow and began shooting down other the Ashmen bearing down on Heather and Scarlet.
Yanking Heather to her side, Scarlet pulled her friend away from the dangerous cluster of Ashmen, no longer feeling the agonizing claws inside her skin.
From the corner of her eye, Scarlet saw Tristan at the top of a nearby boulder, shooting arrows at warp speed like Gabriel. Ashmen everywhere began to fall to ash and Scarlet soon the clearing became more ash than Ashmen.
When only a handful of Ashmen remained standing, Gabriel hurried over to Heather and Scarlet as Tristan continued shooting.
“Let’s go!” Gabriel ordered.
Tristan jumped from the rock and started walking backwards toward the hill, loosing arrows as he went.
Scarlet started to run alongside Gabriel and Heather, but froze in her tracks when she caught sight of a dark-haired figure in the shadows holding a sharp blue weapon to a body on the ground.
Nate!
Scarlet rushed into the shadows, momentarily forgetting she was unarmed.
Raven held the tip of a Bluestone knife against Nate’s heart, her silver eyes crazed as she waved a piece of paper in her other hand. “This is not the map!” Searching around, Scarlet spied a Bluestone axe beside a pile of ash and snatched it up. A twig snapped beneath her foot and Raven turned.
“You,” she sneered, dirt still smeared around her mouth. “Give me the map, Scarlet, or I’ll kill my cousin without blinking.”
“I don’t have the map.” Scarlet took a careful step forward, lifting the axe.
“I need that ma—“ Raven’s eyes caught on Scarlet’s pants and her lips curved into a wicked smile. “There it is.”
Scarlet looked down.
Crap.
A corner of the map was sticking out of her pocket. Well wasn’t that just perfect?
Scarlet slowed to a standstill, gripping the heavy weapon in her hands. “Let Nate go.”
“Negotiation time is over. You blew your chance with my good graces when you ambushed my trade off. Now, give me the map!”
Scarlet took a step forward and Raven jabbed the point of the Bluestone blade into Nate’s chest. He winced and blood started to seep through his shirt.
“What’s it going to be, Scarlet?” Raven twisted the tip of the blade and Nate’s face contorted. “The map? Or your precious little friend over here?”
“You don’t want to kill Nate,” Scarlet said. “You might need him. Remember?”
Raven squared her jaw. “A heart to sacrifice is pointless without the map.” She twisted the blade again and Nate groaned in agony.
Scarlet charged Raven and swung the axe at the aging witch’s head. Raven blocked the blow with her knife and Scarlet used the opportunity to kick in Raven’s stomach. She stumbled backward as Nate pulled himself up and moved away from the now swinging Bluestone weapons Raven and Scarlet held.
The axe was heavy and difficult to control, but its blow was powerful as Scarlet raised it above her head and brought it down on Raven. The axe sliced through Raven’s chest, red blood spurting from the wound and, for a second, Scarlet felt both triumphant and guilty.
But then Raven laughed—a wicked sound against the blood escaping her large wound—and Scarlet watched in disbelief as Raven’s aging body began to heal.
The fountain water was still in her system.
Scarlet was stunned for only a moment, but it was long enough for Raven to retaliate with her magic of choice: Fire.
A blast of heat went up around Scarlet, encircling her in fire as Scarlet lunged to escape the walls of flames, but a sharp pain in her arm caused her to stumble and Raven’s hand was suddenly gripping Scarlet’s throat through the fire, squeezing until Scarlet saw nothing but black splotches.
Her hips were shuffled from side to side, then she was released. The fire walls instantly disappeared and Scarlet saw Nate—the wound in his chest still leaking red—battling against Raven.
Scarlet joined in, swinging the axe once again at Raven’s neck, but the witch disappeared behind another wall of fire. The fire disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, but Raven was nowhere in sight.
Out of breath, Scarlet turned to Nate. “We need to get you stitched up.”
He shook his head. “It’s shallow. You might need some stitches, though.”
Scarlet looked down and frowned at the cut across the top of her left arm. She looked down further and her frown grew darker.
Raven had stolen the map.
Nate took a step forward and grimaced. “What did Raven mean about a heart to sacrifice?”
Scarlet looked up. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
Nate didn’t move. “What sacrifice?”
Scarlet didn’t have a lie ready, so instead she said nothing.
He nodded slowly. “The fountain requires a death, doesn’t it? I should have known.” He exhaled. “Well, you could have told us sooner. Now what are we going to do? There’s no point in hiking to the fountain if we can’t even access the water. It’s not like we have an extra heart lying around.”
Scarlet looked to the side.
Nate inhaled sharply. “Wha—Scarlet, no. No. Are you kidding me? Is that what you were trying to do in your last life? Sacrifice yourself?”
“No.” She looked at him. “But it’s sure as hell what I’m going to do in this one.”
“Are you insane?”
“Yes, Nate! I’m insane and I’m in love and Tristan is dying! How else can I save him?”
He shoved his hands in his hair and stared at her with a slack jaw. “Are you hearing yourself? You sound like a crazy person.“
“Scarlet!” Heather’s voice called into the trees.
“Nate!” Gabriel called.
Scarlet shook her head. “Believe me, Nate. If there was any other way—“
“There must be another way.” He nodded. “I will find another way.”
The determination in his voice was both moving and tragic because Scarlet wanted to believe there was a way out, but she knew better.
***************
Tristan watched the ten or so remaining Ashmen flee into the trees and cursed under his breath. Where the hell did Raven get so many dead people? It was like the zombie apocalypse out here.
He put his bow away and jogged up to where Gabriel was taking off his shoes and giving them to a very dirty, pink Heather.
“Where are Scarlet and Nate?” Tristan looked around, a sliver of panic skating up his spine. Scarlet could handle herself, he knew that. But he couldn’t keep from worrying—
“Holy mackerel, did you guys see Raven? She looks old!” Nate said, out of breath as he ran up to them.
Scarlet was right behind him.
Not out of breath.
“Yeah,” Gabriel said, steadying Heather’s elbow as she slipped her feet into his shoes. “She’s addicted to fountain water and her withdrawals are making her age. And go crazy.”
“Drugs are bad, people.” Nate shook his head. “Drugs are bad.”
Gabriel and Heather exchanged an uncomfortable look.
“What?” Scarlet said.
Tristan noticed her arm was bleeding and hoped it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
Gabriel hesitated. “Raven’s been poisoning Heather with fountain water.”
Scarlet sucked in a breath. “No.”
Heather nodded. “She wanted insurance just in case you didn’t come through with the map.”
“Well that sucks,” Nate said.
“How much time do we have?” Scarlet turned to Nate. “Before Heather gets…sick?”
Nate twitched his lips and looked at Heather. “How long have you been without fountain water?”
“A few days. Maybe longer.”
He nodded. “Then you probably have a few more days.”
Scarlet’s mouth fell open. “Days?
”
“Maybe a week,” Nate added hurriedly. “Maybe longer. It depends on how long Raven’s been poisoning Heather. The longer the water was in her body, the faster the she’ll get sick.”
Heather looked like she was going to cry and Gabriel shifted his weight so he was standing a bit closer to her.
Interesting.
“Raven mentioned something about the fountain having a cure,” Gabriel said.
“Oh, yeah!” Scarlet said. “There is a cure. The Avalon fruit grows at the fountain and it’s an antidote to the water. If we can reach the Avalon tree, Heather can eat the fruit and be cured.
“Seriously?” Heather’s face brightened. “Seriously?”
Scarlet nodded. ”But there’s only one fruit, which wouldn’t be so bad, except Raven just stole the map. And if she’s after the Avalon fruit…well, we just need to get to the fountain before she does.”
“Then let’s get going,” Gabriel said, straightening his shoulders.
Nate pointed a finger in the air. “Um, I’m sorry. We’re just going to hike, in the dark, to a bunch of deadly caves, when there are Ashmen all over the place?” He shook his head. “No. We need to regroup and eat and rest and maybe find a pair of shoes for Gabriel.” He gestured to Gabriel’s feet, then to Heather’s. “What’s happening here?”
“We don’t have time to regroup and eat and drink and be merry, Nate,” Gabriel said impatiently. “We can’t let Raven get that cure before Heather.”
Huh. Tristan had never seen Gabriel worry about any girl other than Scarlet before. It was…odd.
“I think Nate might be right,” Scarlet said, “Finding the cave entrance in the dark would be difficult and we could end up wasting time and energy searching for it. And Raven,” Scarlet and Nate glanced at one another, “Raven won’t be able to get what she wants tonight, anyway. So let’s find a safe place to camp for the night and start out at the first light of day.”
CHAPTER 38
Everyone sat around the campfire in silence, eating the cold sandwiches Nate had thought to pack everyone for dinner.
They’d found a hidden clearing in the center of several boulders. Raven might have the map to the fountain, but Scarlet had no doubt the witch would take any opportunity to capture one of them to use for the sacrifice. So hiding was key.
Scarlet looked at the stitches in her left arm, expertly sewn by Nate, and examined her wound. It ached a bit, but it would heal quickly.
Across the fire, Heather grapsed at invisible things in the air.
Gabriel reached for her wrists and gently lowered them.“There are no sparkles.”
“Oh no, was I doing it again?” Heather said. “Was I grabbing for nothing like a psycho?”
Scarlet’s heart twisted.
Tristan’s shoulder brushed against Scarlet and sent warm pleasure into her body.
She eyed him sideways. He was so doing it on purpose.
He gave her a devilish smile and the twist in her heart drew tighter.
Tomorrow, if things went well, Scarlet would be dead. She was not afraid of death and she would not hesitate when the moment came, but she knew it would break his heart.
He had lived so long for her and she was going to strip that away from him. She was going to do the very thing he’d been trying to do for years; end her life so he might live. But the alternative was worse. If she didn’t die, they would have no access to the fountain.
Tristan would die.
Heather would die.
And if she announced her plan—which she certainly would not—someone else might try to die in her place, and Scarlet would never allow that.
She took a bite of her sandwich and tried to think on the happy things the fountain would bring everyone else. Tristan would never be in pain again and he would live a healthy life. Gabriel could fall in love with someone in a real way—God knew he deserved to. Nate could truly live, without constantly being dragged into all their cursed mess. And Heather would be cured.
Scarlet looked at her best friend. Of them all, Heather deserved life the most. She had been nothing but positive and filled with hope in all this. The curse had not tainted her, had not made her a tortured soul like Tristan, or a hopeless romantic like Gabriel, or a lonely heart like Nate. Heather still had a chance at being bright.
If for nothing else, Scarlet would absolutely die for that.
Nate put the map copy away and grinned at everyone. “Whatdaya say we go around the fire and talk about how great it’s going to be to find the fountain and undo the curse and cure Heather? Gabriel, you go first.”
“Why do I have to go first?”
“Because I’m team captain and I say so.”
Heather rolled her eyes. “Two members of Team Awesome almost died today. I say we nominate a new team captain.”
“Hey,” Nate said, offended. “The captain’s job is to be a leader. Not a babysitter. Okay, Gabriel. What will you do with your curse-free life?”
Gabriel fiddled with a stick. “I would move back to my apartment in New York. Maybe I’d get a pet. Maybe fall in love. Maybe not. Either way, I’m staying away from witches. Permanently.”
“If only you’d had that philosophy five hundred years ago.” Nate grinned at him before looking at Heather. “What about you? What will do you with the rest of your life?”
Heather thought for a moment. “Try to get into a good college so I can study fashion. Ooh, and travel the world. And try new foods. And get married and have kids and become one of those fun grandma’s that always over-decorates for Christmas and constantly smells like cookies.”
“Wow. That’s…specific,” Nate said.
“I also want to eat grass and ride a bear,” Heather added with a frown. “But that could be the drugs talking.”
“Right.” Nate looked at Scarlet. “What about you? What will you do once the fountain makes you mortal and you only have one life left to live?”
Scarlet took a moment to control the ache in her chest at his question. “If I had only one life to live…” She shook her head. “I already had my one life to live in the 1500s when I was mortal and poor and surrounded by love. That was my life and it was beautiful.”
Nate exhaled loudly. “Way to raise the bar on the friendly fireside question, Scarlet. How is anyone supposed to follow that?”
“I’m just being honest.,” she said. “What about you Nate? What would you do if you only had one life left to live?”
He smiled. “I would find a time machine and go back to when I first met Molly so I could live my life with her all over again. She was the happiest I’ve ever been. Life after her is just…” he shrugged, “time. What about you, Tristan?” He turned to the very silent Archer beside Scarlet. “What would you do with one mortal life to live?”
“Marry Scarlet.”
Everyone stared at him. Including Scarlet.
How could he say that? How could Tristan so openly admit that without hesitating?
Scarlet’s heart tore down the middle leaving jagged pieces in its wake. The green-eyed boy beside her wanted to marry her and she was on a suicide mission to save his life.
Nate rolled his eyes. “I’m never playing this game with you or Scarlet again. You’re both way too dramatic. Can we go back to the grandma that smells like cookies?” He looked at Heather. “What else will you do with your life?”
Heather smiled dreamily at the ground and traced a finger through the mud. “Dirt is pretty.”
Gabriel leaned over and quietly said, “Heather—“
“What?” she snapped her head up and looked around the fire. “What? Was I doing it again? Acting crazy?”
No one said anything.
“O-M-G.” She groaned. “I’m an addict. I’m losing my mind because I’m a druggie.”
“You’re not a druggie,” Scarlet said. “You were poisoned. There’s a difference.”
Heather’s eyes widened. “But I feel crazy inside. Like I wanted to scream and laugh and swim in a bi
g pool of chocolate pudding.”
“That does sound crazy,” Nate said. “And sort of delicious.”
“Shut up!” Heather yelled, then gasped in apology. “I’m so sorry, Nate! I don’t know why I yelled at you. I don’t want to be crazy. This isn’t fair. I don’t want to die —“ Her voice cracked as she covered her face with her hands.
Scarlet scooted off her seat by the fire and walked over to Heather. “Hey…it’s okay,” she said, rubbing Heather’s back. “We’re going to cure you and then all of this will go away.”
“I’m not crazy.” Heather’s muffled voice said from her hands. She looked up. “But I might be crazy.”
Scarlet nodded sympathetically. “Drugs have that effect on people. But you’ll be fine. I promise.”
Heather rolled skeptical eyes away from Scarlet.
Scarlet squeezed Heather’s hand. “I promise.”
They sat in relative silence for the next few minutes, everyone shifting uncomfortably and not making eye contact. Nate spoke a few times about the logistics of the next day, but other than that the conversation was stale.
When the fire dwindled, everyone headed off to sleep. Scarlet and Heather shared a tent while Nate, Gabriel, and Tristan slept by the fire, taking turns keeping watch for Raven and her Ashmen.
Scarlet stared at the red vinyl roof of the tent above her, thinking about her many lives and journeys to get to this very place. Funny how she always thought that if she found the fountain, life would be better.
“Scarlet,” Heather said. “Are you still awake?”
“Yeah.”
Heather’s voice had a smile in it. “Remember that time when your ex-boyfriend’s crazy ex-girlfriend drugged me with a syringe from her boob purse and then we had to go on a hike to find a magical fountain while being chased by zombies?”
Scarlet smiled, grateful Heather was normal for the moment. “I think so.”
“That was good times.”
“The best,” Scarlet said. “We should totally do it again sometime.”
“Totally.” Heather shifted. “And remember last year when I swore I would never go camping because it was dirty and uncomfortable and the worst way to have a sleepover. Like ever?”