Darkness in Green & Gold: A contemporary fantasy adventure (Green & Gold, book 3)

by Jo Holloway

  “Fancy that. Me too. We can be alone together.” He took a few steps closer and gestured for her to go ahead down the path.

  Again, her feet found a direction before her brain kicked in. They walked in single file. Alone. Together. She smirked.

  “So you’re not in danger?”

  Her head whipped up at the gruff voice.

  Bear. Bear!

  Her brain short-circuited. A large black bear stood to one side of the path, a low growl rumbling from its throat. Shock rippled through her body, electrifying her nerves as adrenaline dumped into her system. Her heart restarted when the familiar green gleam crossed its eyes. The voice had been inside her head. This must be the same bear from the council meeting.

  “Did you just growl?” Harrison asked behind her.

  She blinked at the bear standing right in front of them.

  “Um, my stomach. Guess I’m hungry.”

  Good one. Maybe adrenaline makes you smarter.

  The gruff voice spoke in her mind again. “You seemed scared. But if you’re all right, I’ll leave you.”

  She gave a tiny nod and turned back to Harrison, who was looking way too amused for her liking. The Pyx was clearly manipulating Harrison’s human perception so he saw nothing unexpected.

  “Anyone ever tell you your stomach growls like a bear?”

  “Anyone ever tell you you pronounce ‘grawlls’ like you have rocks in your mouth?” she challenged, mocking his accent.

  “Oho, so it’s like that, is it?”

  The bear disappeared through the forest.

  “Yeah, it’s like that,” she returned. “Grawlls. Honestly.” Well, if the bear was going to be hanging around, at least she had something to call it now. Harrison’s head snapped over at the loud crack of a branch from the bear’s direction.

  “Did you hear that?”

  “Now who’s jumpy? Dead branches fall in the forest, you know.”

  Her legs began to shake as the double rushes of fear wore off. Spotting a familiar mossy boulder, she made her way to it. First Harrison, then the bear. Her heart could barely take it. She sat and steadied her breathing. Harrison sat beside her, apparently not about to leave her alone.

  Somehow, she’d held on to her sandwich the whole time, and she took a bite so she wouldn’t have to talk. Harrison let her eat in comfortable silence until she finished.

  He gazed up at the branches and sighed. “Rather peaceful here, isn’t it?”

  Fine. She might as well talk to him. “Mm hmm. I used to come in here alone all the time. I miss it.”

  “Why’d you stop?”

  She raised a shoulder. Not for any reasons she could tell him about, that was for sure.

  “So are you and Wes—”

  “Not dating. But people always assume, and we got sick of correcting everyone all the time.”

  Harrison chuckled. “I was going to say fighting, actually. You’ve not been around much lately. I think he’s worried for you.”

  “Oh. No, we’re not fighting. Wes is great. I’m just dealing with some . . . stuff.”

  “Ah, yes . . . stuff.”

  She shot him a look. “So how is archery going? Is Wes still helping you now that his arm is better?”

  “It’s fantastic. And yes, Wes is still helping. He’s not half bad at teaching, really.”

  “Yeah. I had a feeling he’d be good at it.”

  “If you like it here in the woods, you should come hang with us at the range sometime.”

  “Thanks. Maybe I will.”

  “Did you know you’re shaking?” Harrison pointed at her hand holding her drink.

  She set it down against her leg and tried to force it to be still. It wasn’t like she could explain an adrenaline rush from seeing a bear he hadn’t been able to see.

  He looked from her hand up to her face. “The, ah . . . stuff . . . Anything you care to discuss?”

  She glanced at him. He didn’t know about any of it. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He sort of knew about Lydia. But the story of Rhys’s drunken aunt was nowhere close to the truth. He knew nothing about Pyx or Pyxsees. He certainly knew nothing about her visions or nightmares, beyond whatever he might have heard through the rumor mill. The idea of talking to someone who couldn’t possibly understand, and therefore couldn’t read too much into anything, seemed oddly freeing.

  She shifted on the rock, turning to face him. “Have you ever learned something about someone that made you see them completely differently? Like, even if you hated them at first?”

  For some reason, Harrison let out a huge, “Ha.” He started to laugh. “If you only knew.”

  “Will you tell me? Please? I could use the distraction.”

  “Worried about your last exams?”

  “Something like that.”

  “The short version, then. There was a guy at my last school. Privileged. Entitled. And I mean more so than the rest of us. Total arse. You know the type.”

  She laughed, reveling in the lightness it brought her after so long. Talking to Harrison was allowing her to let go.

  “I do, yeah. You’re sleeping in his old bed,” she answered, thinking of Nate from her freshman year. He’d been expelled, and now poor, unfortunate Harrison had the joy of living with his old roommate, who was nearly as bad.

  “Right. Well, I learned something about this bloke, something private. He thought I’d tell the school, but I would never expose something like that. It was his secret to tell, you know?”

  She nodded.

  “Besides, it made me see he wasn’t really such a prick. His arrogance was a show. It was how he protected himself. I mean, his way was stupid, but I can still understand it.”

  “So what happened after you changed your mind about him? Did you become friends?”

  “Hardly. He sort of got me tossed out. And here I am.”

  “What? That’s terrible.”

  “Perhaps.” Harrison shrugged. “Perhaps not.”

  They shared a long look.

  His brilliant green eyes could have reminded her of the glowing green Lydia had stared back with, but they didn’t. They did have an inner glow of their own, but it wasn’t the cold control of the Pyx. Maybe the biggest difference stemmed from not having the veil of hatred between them that she’d had with the Pyx. Whatever it was, the lightness stayed for more than a few heartbeats.

  “I think you might have the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen,” she blurted.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Do you really think you’re a person who gets to comment about crazy eye color?” He stood up from the boulder and held out a hand. “Now come along, or we’ll be late for this maths test.”

  “Math,” she corrected with a laugh as she took his hand to stand up. “It’s just one math here.”

  At the end of the path where they spilled out onto the lawn around the buildings, Harrison stopped to point. “Isn’t that Jory’s cat?”

  Sure enough, Thomas stalked along the forest’s edge. “I’m going to have to trade guard duty if you’re going to romance this awful adolescent.”

  “What? That’s not—” She started to answer Tomyx before she caught herself.

  “It’s not?” Harrison replied. “I could have sworn . . .”

  “Oh. That cat. Yep, that’s Jory’s cat.”

  “Please. Thomas belongs to no man.” Tomyx’s voice lingered in her mind after the cat swished his tail and turned to go the other way.

  She suppressed another laugh. He always had to have the last word, didn’t he? But he’d been there. Even when she’d thought she was going off to be alone, she wasn’t.

  HARRISON CAUGHT UP to her on the way out of their exam. “That went well. I’m quite sure I got all the maths right.” He winked and nudged her with his elbow.

  A little scoff came easily again. They stepped out of the building to a sky that had cleared since lunch, and both screened their eyes.

  “So, one more, then.” Harrison spotted Liv emerging from the building be
hind them, having completed her biology exam. He hooked his arm through Cara’s and held the other one out for Liv. “Français. Avec la belle Liv.”

  He grinned at her and puffed out his chest to stride off to their French exam with Liv on one arm and Cara on the other. Liv gave her a “What the heck is going on?” look behind his head, but Cara only responded by raising her eyebrows while a smile spread across her face. That earned another surprised look from Liv.

  At the end of the hour, Cara heaved a sigh of relief. She’d made it through the long day without any unwelcome interruptions since the one in the middle of the night. She barely reached the hallway before Liv caught up to her with Jory a few steps behind.

  “Glad that’s over,” Jory said. “What did you put for the translation on question four?”

  Cara started to answer, but Liv’s elbow in her ribs cut her short. She nodded toward Harrison, who waved a friendly goodbye as they went their separate ways outside.

  Liv grabbed her arm and glued herself to Cara’s side. “Since when are you two thick as thieves?”

  “Uh, since lunch, I guess?”

  “Are you switching Robin Hoods on me?”

  “What are you talking about, Liv?”

  “You know . . . If you’re not gonna date Wes anytime soon, you could still date a dreamy archer.” Liv’s eyes traveled to Harrison, who passed a group of juniors down the hill, which Cara couldn’t help noticing included Rhys.

  “Excuse me?” Jory cut in on the conversation.

  “Don’t worry. No one’s dreamier than you, babe. But you’re taken.” Liv kissed the air in his direction.

  Cara looked away from Rhys, whose face had turned up the hill at them after he’d watched Harrison breeze by. She focused on Jory and laughed. “Are you actually blushing, Sunshine?”

  Wow. She’d forgotten how good it felt to joke around with her friends. And anything to escape having to answer Liv about dating anyone, when her brother . . .

  Nope. Not going there.

  Maybe she should consider Liv’s suggestion. Hadn’t she been thinking she should move on? How long could a girl keep crushing on the same guy, anyway? Being around Harrison did feel easy. There was no pressure there, no history. She didn’t get the sideways looks her friends kept giving her, or the tension she kept avoiding around Rhys. Sure, there were no butterflies and blushes around Harrison, and the scary giddy feeling was missing, but maybe that was how it was supposed to be. Easy. Simple. Just nice.

  “Well, if you do want to play Maid Marion, you better get your hooks in him soon. You should see the girls lining up to flirt with him at the Treehouse every night. Which you would, if you ever came with us anymore.”

  “Oh. Does he flirt back?”

  “Shamelessly. But not with anyone in particular that I’ve seen. It’s more like he’s amused. He reminds me of Rhys in a way.” She laughed at the incredulous look on Cara’s face. “I know what you’re thinking. My brother’s so boring and serious now, but I swear he used to be way more fun. He was like Harrison, joking around but not really letting anyone in. Downside of coming from a family like ours—not knowing who actually likes you and who just likes your name and money. Until Emma, he never let anyone get too close. It’s hard for him to trust people but he used to hide it better—more of a good times vibe, you know?” Liv hid her feelings in a little shrug, and then dropped Cara’s arm and grabbed Jory’s hand instead.

  Cara let her feet drag and fell behind, the hollowness threatening to creep back in. She stuffed back the thoughts of Rhys and the awful things that had made him withdraw from most people, with only a few exceptions. If she wanted to hang out with Harrison more, then the last thing she needed was another Emma situation. She’d avoided the graceful senior as much as she could. But team practices were an exercise in positioning so she always had someone between them. So far, Emma hadn’t said anything about the dance or the gala photo, or about where Rhys had vanished to that night. But she kept trying to catch Cara’s eye—always with a look Cara couldn’t interpret.

  Once, she had been sure Emma was eyeing the seat next to her on the team bus. She’d had to make a big show of calling out to Kaylee, who was still a long way down the aisle, to give Emma the hint that the seat was spoken for. Ever since then, she’d been careful to board the bus last when they traveled to a race.

  But if she dated someone else, all those suspicions would go away. She could breathe easier around Emma again, and maybe eventually act normal around Rhys too. Her cheek twitched as a little guilt gnawed at her. Would that be fair to Harrison? He was definitely attractive, and she enjoyed his company. Could she make herself like him enough to get past the way she felt about Rhys?

  Stepping into the cool stables, she inhaled the sweet smell of hay. She had the whole break to think it over. She didn’t need to decide anything now. That way, she could hold on to this light feeling for a little longer. There was no need to fall right back into the numb darkness.

  Liv and Jory’s voices floated down the aisle past the horse stalls, talking and laughing together in the tack room while Liv gathered her gear to saddle Charlie. Cara stopped in before continuing down to the kennels.

  “I never asked. Are you staying out at the manor, Liv, or going into the city for the break?”

  “We’re going to the house in town. Dad has to work next week, and he didn’t want me and Rhys staying on our own. Especially when he thought Jory was staying at school.” Liv gave him a look and giggled.

  “I thought you were going home for the break, Jor.”

  “I am,” he replied, returning Liv’s look.

  “Jeez, guys, get a room. Oh. Ack. Never mind. Forget I said that.” She’d forgotten Jory basically had a house to himself with only his grandmother around. She turned to go.

  “No, wait.” Liv turned serious and came toward her. “I wanted to ask you something before you leave. If I pick you up, would you go somewhere with me next week?”

  “Where?”

  “I’ll, uh—I’ll tell you when we get there.” Liv’s pale-blue eyes pleaded with her.

  “Yeah. Of course, Liv. Whatever you need.”

  “Good.” Liv clapped her hands, and the serious mood lifted. “I’ll text you the deets.”

  A quick look to Jory found no answers. He only raised a shoulder to say he had no idea either, and Cara left, mystified.

  At the kennels, Jenner’s tail wagged in greeting, and he jumped on her when she opened the door.

  “Hi, buddy. Miss me?” She rubbed the fur on his shoulders.

  “You seem to be feeling better than in quite some time,” Jenyx said. “Jenner senses it too. Did something happen?”

  “Not really.” She picked up his dish and carried it to the sink to wash it out. “I had a nice conversation with someone. That’s all.”

  “Wonderful. I am pleased to hear you found someone else with whom you feel comfortable.”

  “Tomyx came down here and talked to you, didn’t he?”

  “He did mention you’d been in the woods. But if it helped to talk, then perhaps you would consider a few more people. Or at least one while you are at home.”

  She was sure Tomyx mentioned more than the mere fact she’d been in the woods. But Jenyx was right. “Assuming you don’t suddenly want me to tell my mom all about you, I’m guessing you mean my uncle.”

  “Indeed. He is planning to visit, is he not?”

  “Yep. And yeah, you’re probably right. I should talk to him.”

  She set the clean dish back in the kennel and closed the door behind them. She’d already been thinking about this. The idea of telling her uncle everything that had been going on was daunting. But if anyone would be able to help her, it was probably him.

  Her dad was the only other Pyxsee she knew of with eyes the same intensity as hers, and since she couldn’t talk to him, talking to his brother seemed like a good place to start. If the Pyx in the porcupine was right, then her dad must have had some sort of enhanced abi
lity too. Plus, Josh knew lots of other Pyxsees from his travels around the world. Maybe he’d learned more since she’d confided in him about her empathic ability last summer. He hadn’t said any more about it at Christmas when he’d visited, but he could have found out something since then. It probably wasn’t the type of thing he’d text her about, and they hadn’t spoken on the phone in a while.

  The only thing she wouldn’t tell him was the thing she hadn’t told anyone. Not even Jenyx. She wouldn’t say anything about the Pyx bringing up her dad. Although she didn’t know what he’d meant by, “Maybe if daddy dearest had stuck around, you’d have more of a clue,” the words still echoed through her mind daily. What had he been referring to? Or had he only said it to torture her? Until she knew more, she wouldn’t hurt her uncle with those words the way they were hurting her.

  CHAPTER 15

  JOSH SCOOPED HER INTO his arms for a crushing hug the way he’d always done ever since she was a little kid. “How are you, Care Bear?”

  When he set her down, instead of answering, she stuck out her tongue like that little kid would have done. He was still the only one who got away with that particular nickname, among a never-ending string of others.

  “Uh huh. That’s what I thought.” He looked her over and winced at the new scars on her knees. He’d heard about her so-called fall at school and probably figured there was more to the story. There always was lately.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Uncle Josh.”

  His eyes darted to Jenner, then back to her face. Yeah, the observant Pyxsee thing could be handy. It didn’t take more than a note in her voice or a flick of her eyes toward Jenner for him to know there was something more she wanted to say but couldn’t in front of her mom.

  “Me too, Carageen. I’ve been pining for a forest hike with you. Get it? Pine-ing?”

  She groaned. “Please, stop. If you promise no puns, I’ll go hiking with you.”

  “No promises.” He winked at her.

  The following day, they drove out to their favorite trail in the Tillamook State Forest, about two-thirds of the way between Portland and Scovell Academy. Jenner jumped from the backseat and began to sniff all around the area. Cara tried to sense anything from nearby Pyx, but she couldn’t. So far, the outlaws hadn’t been back, and there was no reason to think they would find her here.